“Less than nothing?” I paused in my step.
“My stepmother and her new husband—they were gracious enough to let me remain living with them. But I’ve left without telling them. They won’t allow me to return now, I’m sure of it.”
A dark twinge tweaked my heart. There was more there, and the energy building up in my bones suggested I wasn’t going to like it.
“How do you know of the jewels?” I decided to change routes before I found out anything that would deaden the one honorable nerve I had left in my soul.
“My father.” She stated. “He ran a merchant shipping company. He told me many stories of the sea, and one was about the pirate Jacobin’s Jewels. And I think I can help you. I believe I know where he hid them.” Her features brightened.
“Oh? And how is that?” I asked, finding myself amused at the joy written on her face.
“I won’t tell you unless you swear to me I’ll have a safe voyage there and back, and you’ll share the jewels. I don’t need a lot. Just enough to buy Sarah’s freedom…and maybe a bit to gain lodging when I return home.”
I scratched my beard.
“I do have ways to make you tell me,” I assured her. Letting my gaze travel over the curves the boy’s outfit she wore showed me, I knew I’d have plenty of fun doing so.
“Promise me, and I’ll tell you.” She lifted a shoulder. The woman was too innocent. She didn’t even realize the danger she was in with me getting closer and closer to her.
“Tell me, and I’ll promise I won’t be too harsh with your punishment for sneaking aboard my ship.” I assured her. Punishment she’d earned and would have before I let her sleep for the night. But if she showed a bit of submission, I’d go easier on her.
“Punishment? You can’t punish me.” She realized too late how close I’d gotten to her. She tried to sidestep me, but I was already on her.
I grabbed her arms and hauled her over to the bed. Sitting on the edge, I easily yanked her over my knee, trapping her with one leg.
“No!” She cried out and wiggled hard against my grip.
“Tell me what you know, little stowaway.” I pulled down the breeches until her creamy skin showed. Shoving the overly long shirt out of my way, I inhaled sharply at the beautiful sight of her round ass staring up at me.
She froze when I grabbed her flesh.
“I’ll have your promise first!” she demanded.
“Ah, little stowaway. You don’t seem to understand what’s happening here. Right now, I’m in control. I control if your bottom burns bright red from a harsh spanking or not.”
“Don’t you dare lay a hand on me!”
I laughed.
“I suppose I could use my sword belt, but for your first spanking, it seems too harsh.”
Again, her body stiffened.
“Now, what do you know.”
“If I tell you, you’ll let me up?” she asked, a soft question.
“No. But you’ll have less of a punishment coming. You can’t stow away on my ship, in my chest, and think there’ll be no retribution.”
“Then I won’t say,” she said, stubbornly.
No sense in delaying.
I brought my hand down hard on her ass, enjoying the little wiggle of her cheek. She cried out, but I had no doubt it was from surprise and not pain. Not yet. But after a dozen more spanks to her ass, and creating a sweet red glow, her hand flung behind her.
Easily, I snatched it and pinned it to the back.
“Do you want to tell me now?” I asked.
She twisted her head to glare at me. “No.”
“Ah, stubborn girl.” I lay back into her, spreading out the spanks until her entire backside deepened in color and she was crying out with each lash of my hand.
“Please! No more!” she begged when I stopped a second time. Her breath came short, and her shoulders shook.
“What do you know that will aid my venture?” I demanded, resting my hand on her warm ass.
“There’s a large formation of rocks, just north of the port city. Beneath the largest rock is an entrance to an underground tunnel. That will take you to the jewels,” she spat.
I knew which formation she mentioned. The villagers believed it held magical power during a full moon, so no one ever tried to move the rocks. Afraid of ruining the magic it brought.
“How old are you, Elizabeth?” I asked softly, while running my fingertips over her bottom.
“Twenty.” She sniffled.
“Hmmm. And you’ve left your stepmother and her husband behind. They will be looking for you, no doubt.” I palmed her ass.
“No. I don’t think so.” She looked at me from over her shoulder, tears drying on her red blotchy cheeks. “They won’t pay any ransom for me either, if that’s your thought.”
I couldn’t blame her for thinking that, but far from the mark she was.
“No?” I cocked an eyebrow at her. “Why’s that?”
“Can I please get up? I don’t want to talk like this.” She started to push up, but I tapped her ass.
“You talk better this way, face down over my lap. I like this position.” I would like it better if the breeches were gone and she had her legs wrapped around my waist. Even more if I could sit her in my lap and capture her lips beneath mine. But we weren’t done with our talk yet.
She huffed but didn’t fight me anymore. Smart girl.
“Why won’t they come look for you, or pay a ransom if I choose to ask for one?”
“Because I’m not worth anything,” she stated in a flat tone. Not one holding embarrassment or self-pity, but simply explaining a fact.
Grabbing hold of her arm, I swung my leg off of her and pulled her to her feet in a quick motion. She stood before me, her hair covering her features and the breeches falling to her ankles.
I wiped her hair back, holding it away from her face, and stared up at her until she moved her gaze to mine.
“You are not worth nothing. Do you understand me?” I had an overwhelming urge to shake the statement into her brain.
“I know that. I mean, I’m not—it’s just, I mean, I have no worth to them.” She scrubbed her face with her hands, wiping away the tears.
I released her and let out a harsh breath.
“No.” I stopped her when she reached for her breeches. “Those stay off. Into bed with you,” I directed and moved out of the way so she could climb up.
Her eyes, still shining from her tears, met mine.
“You’re safe from my touch tonight, Elizabeth.” As much as it pained my cock to remain as stiff as it was with her near, I would not lay a finger on her. “You’ve not earned the pleasure yet. A naughty girl is not rewarded.”
Her cheeks flamed red again, and fire erupted in her gaze. The fight was back.
“You’ll give me safe passage back to the Carolinas? And you’ll share the jewels?” She wanted assurances first. Fair enough.
I kicked off my boots. After moving her breeches out of her reach, I picked her up by her waist and tossed her onto the bed. She scrambled against the wall and stared up at me, still no fear in her gaze.
“Aye.” I laid back on the thin blanket. The nights could be stuffy and humid in my cabin. For her sake, I would keep my own clothing on.
If the stories held true, there were enough jewels in the treasure trove for all of us aboard the Valiant, plus the beautiful stowaway.
I covered my eyes with my arm and relaxed into the mattress. The one luxury I afforded myself on my ship was my bed. A real bed. The crewmen slept in hammocks and pallets, but I allowed myself the one comfort I could.
“Sebastian,” she whispered.
“Yes?”
“Will I be able to have my own…er…space tomorrow?”
I huffed laugh. “The only space you have on this ship is right where you sit. You’ll stay confined to my cabin until we arrive. The less trouble you make for yourself the better.”
“But I might be able to help. I’ve never been on a s
hip like this before, and I know pirates don’t usually let women on their vessels, but maybe I could be of some help? Put me to work?”
My back stiffened. Seeing her work on the decks with the crew would drag a black cloud over my head.
“What do you know of pirates?” I asked, turning away from wayward thoughts.
“Not much, I admit.” She moved about beside me. “But I can learn. I work hard—”
I sat up quickly and turned to her. “Give me your hands.” I didn’t wait for her to offer them, but took them, turning the palms up. Her fingertips as well as her palms were hardened with calluses. I released her hands.
“What is it?” she asked when I said nothing and lay back down.
“Go to sleep, Elizabeth.” I gritted out.
“But—”
“Elizabeth, my patience is thinning. Do you need another spanking to get to sleep?” I peeked through one eye to see her worrying her lower lip.
“No, I don’t think you should do that anymore either.” She scooted to lay down next to me, but shoved herself against the wall as far from me she could get.
“Then I suppose you shouldn’t give me any reason to do so. You’re under my power while you’re with me.” I rolled to my side and pushed up on one elbow.
Looking down at her with her hair spread around her in almost a halo pattern on the pillow, I smiled.
“I won’t be any trouble,” she promised.
I chuckled.
“I doubt that very much, my little stowaway. But if you do cause trouble, if you disobey any order of mine, you will be punished.”
“Like the rest of the crew. I understand.” She nodded as though I were giving her the same rules I gave my men.
I shook my head and laughed.
“No, Elizabeth. Not like them. A different sort of punishment will await you. Now. Go. To. Sleep.” And before she could utter another word, I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers.
I wouldn’t give an inch to her; she would yield beneath me. And so she did. She parted her lips, and my tongue darted between them, tangling with hers in a seductive dance. I savored the moment, memorizing the sweet taste of her and the warmth of her hands as they came up to touch my cheeks. She dipped her fingers into my hair, pulling the long locks back from my face and holding me to her.
I bit down on her lower lip, and she moaned. A sensual moan that begged me to do more than merely claim her with a kiss. But I wouldn’t.
Not yet.
I broke off the kiss, staring down at the dazed, aroused woman beneath me.
“Now, sleep.” I rolled away from her.
Her grunt of annoyance and embarrassment didn’t go unheeded. I smiled into the darkness of my cabin.
Chapter 5
Elizabeth
The creaking of the ship rocking with the harsh winds grated on my nerves. I’d already been stuck in Sebastian’s cabin all morning without a word from or sight of anyone. While I was used to being ignored, I was not used to being so very alone. I always had someone nearby, at least for silent company.
I paced the cabin for the hundredth time, my bare feet making little noise against the floor. I glance at the boots Talley had procured for me but couldn’t bring myself to put them on. Not yet anyway. They were stiff.
I wanted my own shoes, the light leather slippers tucked away with the things I’d tucked away when I boarded the Valliant. I also needed to change my clothing. Now that I was found out, I didn’t need to wear the cabin boy’s clothing Madame Castelle had been generous enough to lend me. But my things were hidden outside Sebastian’s cabin, and he’d been adamant I stay within his room.
I wiggled my toes while pondering my options. He was on deck and had been there all morning. As captain of the ship, he had more work than watching over me, which would play well to my advantage.
When I opened the cabin door, I half expected to find one of his men sitting outside. Finding no man at the post, I my way down the corridor and descended the ladder to the hold where I’d stashed my duffel between barrels of rum and other supplies.
“Aye, I heard him. Her name be Elizabeth Townshed.”
I ducked behind a barrel when I heard the voice. Unable to see who spoke my name, I crept along the crates until I could see better.
“There could be dozens of Elizabeth Townsheds. Means nothing,” said another gruff voice.
“Ah, but with a merchant for a father? Coming from Bath? No,” the first man said. A barrel scraped across the floor then, so I couldn’t hear properly. But I managed to get a look at his face. I’d not seen him before, or the man he spoke to.
“You better leave it be, Jack,” the second man said. “Help me with this damn barrel and stop your gossiping.”
“It’s not gossip if it’s true,” Jack stated firmly.
The second man laughed. “You sound like an old woman.”
How did they know of me? Had they known my father?
They hoisted their barrel and carried it from the hold as I ducked behind the crate to remain unseen.
“Besides, if it is Wallace’s daughter, it’s better for us. She’ll know where the jewels be hidden.”
“Aye. But will the captain be able to do what needs doing after?” Jack asked.
My heart slammed against my ribcage.
“Don’t be questioning the cap’n. He’ll do what’s right. C’mon, get moving.”
Do what’s right?
What needed doing after I found him the Jacobin Jewels?
Castelle had assured me I’d be safe with Sebastian. She had said underneath the rough exterior was an honorable man.
But honorable meant many things to many people.
If I served my purpose in finding the jewels, would he indeed grant me safe passage back to Bath, or would he leave me stranded on the isle?
Finding my parcel exactly where I left it, I threw it over my shoulder and climbed the ladder. I needed to think of a new plan, a way to protect myself if he turned on me once we found the treasure.
“There you are,” Tulley’s rough voice greeted me as I made my way back to the forecastle deck. His calloused hand wrapped around my arm and hoisted me up the last rung of the ladder. “Cap’n’s spitting mad. You better hurry back to the cabin.”
“He’s looking for me?” I asked, hurrying to keep up with him.
“Aye,”He clipped.
Once at Sebastian’s cabin, he came up short. “You better get in there. I’ll find him and let him know you’re found.”
“I was only getting—” I stopped when his hand went up in the air between us.
“It ain’t none of my business what you were doing, or what will be happening once the captain gets back to you. But if I were you”—he leaned forward, pointing a finger— “I’d come up with a damn good reason you weren’t where he put you. The captain don’t take well to disobedience, from his crew or his lady.”
I blinked. “I’m not either.”
Talley laughed, his wide grin showing off several missing teeth. He walked away, shaking his head and still laughing as though he were privy to information I was not.
I gritted my teeth. It seemed everyone on this ship knew something I did not.
I threw the cabin door then slammed it once inside. Damn them, and damn Sebastian, too.
I dropped my bag and began my pacing again. More questions than answers were popping up. Could Sebastian be trusted?
Sebastian hadn’t touched me during the night. Other than the kiss right before we slept. I raised my fingertip to my lips. I’d never been kissed before that, and it was nothing like I imagined it would be. I expected a soft brush of lips, but what he did—the fierceness of it, the possessive nature of his mouth on mine.
I swallowed.
Just thinking of it made the tingles begin again in my belly, and even lower still.
“There you are.” Sebastian’s boisterous voice filled the cabin. I spun to face him. Danger. Everything about his glare and his stance screamed dange
r was afoot.
“I—”
“I came to fetch you, thinking you might want a bit of fresh air on deck, but found my room empty. Completely missing the little stowaway I had told to stay put.”
“Yes, but I was only—”
“I thought it odd,” He scratched his chin beneath his beard. “That after I promised a more serious punishment if you disobeyed me, you would leave the room. So, of course, I thought something horrible had happened to you.
I didn’t miss the sarcastic tone. He knew damn well I wasn’t in trouble.
“If you’ll only let me explain—” My words cut off sharply when his hands went to his belt. “W-what are you doing?”
“Delivering on my promise. You see, when I make one”— he paused to narrow his gaze—“I keep it.”
My hands flew to my backside. The soreness from the spanking of the evening before had disappeared, but not the memory of it.
“You’re being ridiculous!” I scurried away until my back met the wall.
With his belt doubled over in his fist, he pinned me with his glare. “Where did you go? What were you doing?”
My mouth dried. If I repeated what I’d heard, would he tell me the truth?
“If you’re thinking to lie, know that I will double your strapping. Now, out with it, Elizabeth. What were you about?” The belt tapped against his thigh.
“I was only getting my things.” I pointed to the duffel several steps to his left.
He glanced down at it. “Where were they?” he asked casually.
“Down in the hold.”
“So you have clothing other than those damn britches?” He pointed at me.
“Yes…well, I have a dress and another pair of these.” I yanked at the leg of my pants.
“Good.” He took a step toward me. “Remove your shirt and those damn things.” He jabbed a finger at me as he made his approach.
“R-remove them?”
He nodded. “Aye, that’s what I said.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to see you, and if that bloody shirt covers your ass as I whip you, I might not be true with my aim. Off with them both.”
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