Pirates, Passion and Plunder

by Victoria Vale

  With a deft flick of her wrist, she unfastened his breeches and moved his smallclothes. His small dick was lying flaccid to the side. With a snort, Eliza wondered if the man had ever sired an heir. She couldn’t imagine that he could possibly satisfy his wife with such a small willy.

  Grabbing a vile of milk from her forgotten tea, Eliza poured some over the man’s dick and lower abdomen. It would dry and be sticky enough to appear to be semen. Then with a skill that would have shocked any well-bred lady of the court. Eliza rummaged through his coat and found the small bag of coins he had been hiding.

  Pursing her lips, Eliza checked the man’s hem, pants, shoes, and cloak. She even checked the lining of his hat. Satisfied that she had taken it all, Eliza smiled at the fool. She usually wouldn’t bleed her victims of all their coin, but tonight she planned on leaving London.

  The Great Plague was running rampant, and it was no longer safe to stay in the city. It was said that tens of thousands were dying, and Eliza had watched as the bodies were stacked one on top of each other as the wagons took them to be burned.

  Lord Mayor had warned that the sickness came from the earth, while others believed that the gods had sent it to cleanse the evil of their day. Eliza didn’t know what had caused it and she didn’t care. All she knew was that come morning, she would be safely aboard a ship sailing to the British colonies in the Americas.

  Sure, she wouldn’t be around to hear the Viscount’s version of the evening. Often their ingenuity had her in stitches. She loved how they liked to brag to all of their friends about the way they fucked that slut until she was screaming with pleasure.

  If she was within earshot, Eliza would always act the part just as she ought to. Another coy blush as they would administer a resounding slap to her ass or tittering when they attempted to tweak her titty through the lace that barely concealed it.

  No, Eliza Fairchild was strong—resilient. She would survive, she had come this far, she wasn’t going to die now. Snatching up her things, Eliza was careful not to leave a trace of evidence behind. The drugged wine was dumped out the window before she grabbed her things and went out the same way.

  It was a narrow ridge that she balanced on with her booted feet. This not being the first time Eliza had slipped out the window, she knew just where to step, and which parts of the ledge had worn away.

  Thankfully, her descent was uneventful. Breathing a sigh of relief as her feet hit the filthy cobblestones, Eliza moved at a brisk pace.

  The deep voice that shot out of the darkness scared the daylights out of her.

  “Not much to look at, is he?” That voice, it caressed her skin in a way that she hadn’t felt in a long time.

  A myriad of emotions washed over. Eliza had dreamt of the moment she would come face to face with the man who had in one night changed the fate of her life. But now that it was here, Eliza felt numb. With resignation she asked, “What are you doing here, Marley?”

  A flicker of light illuminated the face of one of the deadliest men in England. He drew in a breath and then the smell of cigar wafted around her.

  “Lizzie girl, that’s no way to greet your husband.”

  Eliza’s head jerked back, eyes blazing. “You aren’t my husband. And don’t call me that.”

  Turning on her heel, she began to walk away. The last thing Eliza wanted to do was take in James Marley’s tall, muscular frame. He exuded sexual appeal as if he couldn’t help himself. She had once thought he had the face of an angel. His dark blond locks curled slightly at the ends and those clear blue eyes were far too lovely to be wasted on a man.

  It was too bad that she knew the truth. The man was the devil, not caring for anyone but himself. He had promised her the world and left her to fend for herself. Eliza wasn’t the same naive girl that believed in love and happily ever after.

  “Eliza.” He said her name the way one would call out to a lover. It pricked at her senses and threatened to disarm her. But it wouldn’t happen. Eliza wouldn’t allow it. She learned the hard way never to rely on the man.

  “Leave me be.” Eliza turned abruptly, inadvertently let the negligee slip low enough to expose the rosy peak of her nipple.

  Marley cleared his throat, but even with the gesture his voice was gravelly as he answered, “Eliza, let me take you away from here...”

  Her eyes flashed with anger. “You are nothing to me, James Marley. You have no right.”

  Marley took a step closer.

  Eliza felt as if he had taken the very air from her lungs. She wished that she had more clothing on. The cool night air was causing her body to shake. It couldn’t have been a reaction to his nearness; she wouldn’t allow that to be. No, she was over James Marley. She had to be. Because Eliza had a feeling that if he weaseled his way underneath her defenses again, she just might not survive a second time.

  Taking a step back, Eliza whispered, “You’re no good for me, James. I don’t want whatever lies you are selling.”

  She turned her back on him, ignoring the way that his jaw had tensed and how his eyes shone with emotion. Eliza knew about self-preservation, and her best bet would be to get as far away from the man as possible.

  Besides, she had a new life waiting for her in the colonies. Marley, the faceless Viscounts, brothels, lies and tricks—that was the past.

  Tipping her chin up and ignoring the way her eyes had glazed over with tears, Eliza stepped into the street.

  Moments later, a bag slipped over her head, causing the world to fade into darkness. Fighting for all she was worth, Eliza kicked and screamed. Arms like iron wrapped around her and then she felt herself being lifted off her feet.

  “For the record, I never told you any lies, Lizzie girl.”

  Her blood began to boil with anger. Why wouldn’t he listen to her? Why wouldn’t anybody listen to her screams? But then Eliza knew that nobody would care about a whore being kidnapped. Hell, nobody would care if she were raped and killed right there in the street. With renewed fervor, she kicked and screamed louder, finding satisfaction when Marley grunted in pain.

  It was no use though. No matter what she did, Eliza couldn’t break free. Deciding to wait until he relaxed his grip, Eliza slumped, causing her dead weight to throw him off balance. He nearly dropped her. But before she could get away, Marley tightened his arms and then she felt the stinging slap of his large palm against her ass.

  “You bastard!” Her voice was muffled by the bag, but from his chuckle, Marley had to have heard her clear enough. Just when she thought he had humiliated her enough; he began to whistle.

  This was war.

  Chapter 1

  Aboard the Fair Maiden

  The pounding in her head alerted Eliza to the fact that something was very wrong. Attempting to open her eyes, she was quick to learn that her head was still covered, and her arms had been tied behind her back. She was also tied at the ankles, and it appeared that she was lashed to something that wouldn’t allow her to move more than a few inches without being yanked back again.

  Fury rose up within her. She had been so very close. Her dreams of going to the American colonies and having a normal life were vanishing by the second. Why did James Marley have to choose that particular moment to come waltzing back into her life?

  Memories flashed through her mind. Things had been so simple then. They were young, in love, and determined to fight the demons that threatened to tear them apart. Eliza had been certain that James would come for her. He had always come for her.

  But as she stood on the stoop, awaiting the carriage that would take them to Gretna Green, he never came. Her grandmother had found her there the next morning, still waiting for him to come.

  Stupid girl. Eliza shook her head. She needed to think. Not about the past, but what she could do to get herself out of the current predicament.

  The lurching of her stomach yanked Eliza out of her past. Dear Lord, was she about to be sick?

  Not wanting to vomit with a bag over her head, Eliza cried out f
or help. Her scream sounded weak even to her own ears. It physically hurt Eliza to hear. She wasn’t weak, nor did she need the help of anyone else. Hadn’t life taught her that you can’t rely on anyone?

  “Easy, Little Cat,” a weathered voice crooned right before the sack was yanked from her head. The candlelight stung her eyes, causing them to water as Eliza attempted to focus on her captor. Instead of seeing James, there was an old man eying her curiously.

  Eliza frowned. “Who are you?”

  The man smiled, exposing his rotten teeth. “Lass, the better question is who are you?”

  “Where is Marley?” she demanded.

  The older man’s bushy brows drew together. “Who you be asking for?”

  Eliza didn’t answer as she took the time to glance around her. She was lying on a narrow bed that was built into the wall. The room was dark, and it smelled of the sea. As the floor seemed to dip and sway, Eliza’s eyes shot back to the man.

  “Are we aboard a ship?”

  The man’s eyes lit with excitement. “Right you are, lass!”

  “Headed to the American colonies?” she rushed to add.

  The man scratched his head with the dirtiest nails that Eliza had ever seen. “I don’t think so, miss. The Captain mentioned Barbados or maybe Port Royal. Old Bones don’t remember as well as he used to.”

  Eliza ground her teeth together. It was obvious to her that this man was of little use. He didn’t seem to have his wits about him. “Where is your Captain?”

  The answer was prompt. “On deck. Where else would he be?”

  “I wish to speak with him immediately,” Eliza demanded in crisp tones.

  The older man looked from her wrists to her ankles, a slow smile breaking across his dirty face. “Lass, you aren’t in the position to be demanding anything.”

  If looks could kill, the older man would have been sinking to the bottom of the ocean at that moment. Eliza knew that one caught more flies with honey, but the man was being intentionally obtuse.

  “Get him now.”

  “I don’t think so,” he said, his grin not fading one drop.

  Eliza fought to control her breathing. Instead of melting down, she decided to look around her prison. There was a small table with one chair. A large chest, some books, and a small hammock that completed the room. It wasn’t what one would call well-appointed. But it was far from being meager.

  Eliza decided to try again. “What was your name?”

  “Old Bones, Lass.”

  “Why do they call you that?” she wondered aloud.

  “On account as how my cock is always willing to bone a lass or a lad. It isn’t fussy.” While the older man said this, he pushed his filthy cloak back and thrust out his fabric-clad hips.

  Eliza could see the clear imprint of the man’s cock.

  “Dear heaven above,” she muttered.

  Old Bones seemed not to take offense to her reaction. “What do they call you, Lass?”

  “Eliza,” she answered dejectedly.

  “That’s a pretty name for a pretty lass.”

  Eliza wasn’t under any illusions as to her appearance. She was nice to look at with long curling auburn locks and a pert little nose. Her clear blue eyes tended to make the men stupid and she knew how to take full advantage.

  With a breathy sigh, Eliza batted her long lashes. “Bones.” She paused just long enough to insert her infamous blush. “I need to use the necessary. Could you untie me for just a moment?”

  Bones nodded and moved forward as if he were under a trance. It was like taking candy from a baby. Or at least it would have been if he hadn’t have snapped out of her spell.

  “Bloody fucking hell, what am I doing?” He took a step back and then another. “I am not to untie you, Lass. No matter what feminine magic you try and use on me.”

  Eliza fought rolling her eyes. “I don’t have any magic to use, Bones.”

  He scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest. “Sure you don’t. Everyone knows a woman is plump full of magic, usually the worst kind. Women and the sea don’t mix either. I don’t know what the Captain could have been thinking, bringing you along.”

  Eliza scowled. “That makes two of us, because I have no idea why I am here either.”

  “Patience, Lizzie Girl,” a voice came from the doorway, causing Bones and Eliza’s gaze to swing there.

  Eliza didn’t like the way her heart began to hammer, nor did she like the predatory look in Bones’ eyes as he looked at James. Eliza might not want him for herself. But she sure as hell didn’t want Bones to have him.

  “I thought you didn’t know who James Marley was.” Eliza spat the accusation at Bones, who merely shrugged in response.

  “If you’re talking ‘bout the Captain, he’s gone by many names.”

  That was something Eliza was familiar with—far too familiar.

  “Leave us.” Though the command was soft, there was strength behind it.

  Eliza watched as Bones glanced at his Captain in surprise before turning without a word and leaving the cabin. She had feeling that Bones didn’t like being left out. A shiver of fear raced over her, but she quickly shook it away.

  “What now?” she asked with venom in her tone.

  “Now, we sleep.”

  Eliza looked around the room. Eying the hammock, she laughed. “I hope your night is filled with pleasant dreams.”

  Marley’s eyes followed hers and took on a rather humorous glint as he replied, “The same to you, Milady.”

  Eliza’s face fell. It had been a long time since anyone had called her that. It had been even longer since she had felt anything close to a lady.

  “Why am I here, James?”

  Her softly spoken words had his gaze come to settle on her face. Eliza could feel the heat of his stare. Hoping to hide the way he made her tremble; Eliza studied the man before her. He was no longer the boy of her youth. The wiry frame had transposed into thick, corded muscles. He had grown in height and stature. His presence was crueler somehow, and yet she wasn’t afraid of him.

  “I came as soon as I could,” he said simply and then sat on the lone chair at the table and began to remove his boots.

  Anger boiled up inside of her. “As soon as you could? James, I haven’t seen you in ten years—ten years!”

  “I am well aware of every year I have been gone. If you think that there was a day, an hour, or even a moment I was not aware, you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

  But that was the crux of it. Eliza didn’t know this man. She knew the boy that had promised her marriage. She knew the lover that she had given her innocence to. And she knew the heartache of watching them all disappear.

  Chapter 2

  “Is it too much to ask that you untie me from this bed?” Eliza tugged at the rope that was threaded to a metal loop above her head.

  Marley glanced at her as he grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked it over his head. His dark eyes moved over every inch of her frame until she felt as if he had been caressing her skin.

  Eliza flushed, hating the way that her body tightened, and her nipples budded into small peaks against the thin fabric. “Can I get something warmer to wear?” she added in a breathier tone than she would have liked.

  “You have no need for heat, Lizzie,” he answered, dropping his trousers to the floor.

  Eliza stared in shock. Marley hadn’t any undergarments to cover himself. He had scars across his chest and was rather hairier than she remembered. But none of that mattered at the moment because all she could think of, all she could focus on, was his cock.

  The length was every bit as long as she remembered, but the girth seemed to have increased. Eliza’s face flamed as she remembered the times he had thrust his cock into her body.

  Marley seemed to be remembering as well because his cock, which she had already thought massive, grew even larger.

  “Unless you wish to be properly fucked, Lizzie, you will refrain from staring so. I am only a man, a
nd not a gentleman of any kind.”

  Eliza’s face flamed as she shot accusing eyes at him. “You are correct there, Sir! You are nothing more than a bloody pirate! Whose ship is this anyway? Why are we here?”

  “Tis my ship, Lizzie. It has been three months, but it takes time to sail from Tortuga back to England. I had thought you would be where I left you. What happened?”

  Eliza felt the cold bleakness that had invaded her heart when he left begin to seep in again. “I don’t wish to speak of my family. They are dead now, influenza.”

  “I am sorry,” he said softly, moving toward the bunk.

  Her eyes widened. “Don’t think that I’ll be spreading my legs for you, Marley. First, I doubt you could afford me. And second, I’ve no wish to go down that path again.”

  She watched as he winced at the words she had thrown in his face. Without another word he moved to the bunk and pushed her over so that her body hugged the side of the ship. Then he slid in beside her.

  She had little choice as to where to place her hands. The last thing she wanted was to brush the length of his cock with her fingertips. Would it be as soft as she remembered? No, that wouldn’t do at all.

  “There isn’t room for you!” she said, wriggling to get away from him.

  A large hand clamped onto her hip, causing Eliza to still. “My patience is wearing very thin, Lizzie. I am sure we both have stories to tell. But the night is short, and my cock is painfully hard. The logical answer would be to fuck you until you were senseless and then get some rest. Don’t give me that look of outrage. I didn’t say I would do it.”

  “You have a lot of nerve, James Marley.” But despite her heated words, Eliza did stop. The warmth of his breath brushed across the top of her head and his hand settled more firmly on her hip. Eliza tentatively settled her hands against his chest and asked, “Why did you come for me? I don’t have anything, James. I can’t help you, no matter what trouble you are in.”

  He tensed beside her, and for a moment, she wondered if he would yell at her. But when he spoke, his words were gentle. “I am not in trouble, not anymore, and I already got what I came for—you.”