“Obviously,” Izzy said as she tried to control her patience. “But why am I here?”
Johnny shrugged, not keen on telling her the real reason she was here. She was his muse, inspiration to do what he was supposed to do. Of course, Izzy wouldn’t understand what a necessity she was; in fact, she might make him out to be selfish for bringing her along. Which he absolutely was not.
“I’m not exactly sure, love,” he finally told her. “Maybe you should ask the Fates, hmm?”
Izzy sighed, sitting down on the hard wood floor. Sadness pooled into her eyes as she stared at the open chest in front of her, though it was clear to Johnny she was not seeing the object before her.
“Are you all right?” he asked warily, mentally bracing himself for what might come.
“I just wish,” she murmured, finally looking up at him. “I just wish I could have had a chance to say goodbye.” She paused for a moment, searching through both trunks before grabbing some pants and a tunic to change into, and then pushed herself into a standing position. “I mean, I understand why it wouldn’t have mattered to you if you could say goodbye or not; you didn’t have friends here, didn’t have anyone you really cared about. But I did, and I just…”
Johnny came to stand beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him. “You have me here, darling,” he told her, coiling his fingers around her shoulder. “And you are someone I truly care about. I can promise that while you are with me, I will protect me to my fullest capabilities. You have my word.”
Izzy smiled at the sincerity in his words. “I guess,” she murmured before looking at him. “Yeah, I’m glad you’re with me. I don’t know what I would do if they sent me here alone.”
“You get to be a pirate,” Johnny pointed out with a teasing grin.
“But you said piracy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” Izzy murmured, arching a brow. Johnny gave her a blank stare, not quite understanding her words. Izzy chuckled, before biting her bottom lip. “And I will be the fiercest pirate in the Spanish Main!” she exclaimed.
Johnny tried to contain an amused smile. “As you say.”
Izzy suddenly realized just how close the two of them were, which only caused flashes of her dream to scatter throughout her mind. She quickly weaseled out of his grasp before spinning around and facing him. “Right,” she said, her cheeks red once again. Johnny idly wondered just what she was thinking about to cause her to flush so much. “I have to get changed which means you have to leave.”
“Are you sure you won’t be needing help?” Johnny asked, pressing his brows up.
“Out!” Izzy exclaimed, causing Johnny’s face to fall.
“Oh all right,” he said, heading for the door. “You are absolutely no fun, my dear.”
Izzy hid a smile as she watched him exit the cabin. As long as she smiled, she wouldn’t be crying.
Chapter 23
Izzy looked down at the clothing she picked out to change into, and for a moment, frowned. She had just been torn from her home, a place she had known for twenty-two years of her life. An emptiness seemed to wedge itself in her heart, but for whatever reason, it didn’t hurt as badly as she originally thought it would. Her parents were more concerned with her older brother than they had ever been with her, and she had just gotten out of her relationship with Zach a month and a half ago. Besides Bex and Brian, she really didn’t have anyone or anything she was attached to. And knowing Bex, the redheaded spitfire would figure out what happened to her.
At least she had Johnny with her. Johnny had arrived in her time with no one. So yes, she was quite grateful she had Johnny with her.
It was then that she realized she couldn’t reach the zipper of her dress. Blushing slightly, Izzy set the clothes on the desk before quietly making her way outside. She became momentarily distracted with the beautiful scenery, the clear, Caribbean water, the high sun shining on the beautiful day… She turned, and much like the first night with Johnny, nearly ran into the pirate captain.
Currently, he was sitting down with his knees up, leaning against the cabin frame. A tri-corn hat sat on his head, but dipped down to cover the upper-half of his face. Izzy was caught breathless for a moment at the sheer beauty of the resting man, his cheekbones jutting out like glaciers, just begging to be caressed by soft fingertips. His lips were in a small frown, but his face was relaxed enough that Izzy doubted he was fretting about anything. She detected bits of his dark hair peeking through the side of the hat, but his face took up the majority of the view. His nose sprang out from the hat’s premise, and Izzy captured it. Ever since she first laid eyes on the man, she had this odd fascination with his nose, and even now, it was hard to look away.
But she had to get unchanged, lest members of Johnny’s crew spot her in this number. After another self-indulgent moment of taking the man in, Izzy cleared her throat. Johnny reached up with his left hand, placing his hand on top of the hat. The sleeve of his white tunic fell back, revealing a nice forearm, before pulling the hat off and looking at the woman in front of him with an enigmatic expression in those dark eyes. For a moment, he simply stared at her, taking in every contour of her face.
“I highly suggest you change your clothing, darling,” Johnny told her when he realized she was still wearing that navy blue dress. “I fear the pirates aboard may not be as friendly or as gentlemanly as I am.”
Izzy pressed her lips together in hopes to contain the disbelieving grin from slipping onto her face. Instead she arched a brow and cocked her head to the side. “Would you mind?” she finally asked him, turning so that Johnny stared up at her slender back. “I can’t seem to reach my zipper.”
Johnny pushed himself up after dropping the hat next to him. He took a long moment to simply stare at her feminine frame, his dark eyes capturing everything her back had to offer him. How he longed to kiss every inch of her soft skin, to run his hands down her curvaceous sides, how he wanted to bury himself in her long hair. His breathing came out smoothly from his nose and seared across her body, causing her hair to spring alive. The left corner of his lips curled up when he noticed that he was affecting her just as much as she affected him. Finally, he reached up and took the contraption into his hands before slowly pulling it down. He let his fingertips follow the trail the zipper left, caressing the line of her spine. The zipper ended where her hips began, and he found a feeling of disappointment surge through himself.
He lingered next behind her for a moment longer, noticing that she knew he was finished and still stayed close to him. Johnny leaned forward, the tip of his chin brushing the top of her shoulder as he told her in a husky voice, “There you are, love.” He inhaled her scent, filling himself up with it. No matter where she was or what she was doing, she always managed to smell amazing. “Unzipped.”
“Thank you,” she said, her voice quiet in hopes that Johnny wouldn’t hear the unsure shakiness.
When she was safely back in the room, she slipped out of the room and into the clothing she grabbed. For whatever reason, the clothes seemed to fit her quite beautifully. The black pants clung to her legs, stopping just where her knees began. The tunic she was wearing was a sage green color, and was a bit looser on her frame than the pants. She wished she had some sort of bra to hold up her breasts, but instead there were supportive undershirts. She took a moment to make sure that every bit was securely in place in hopes to avoid a wardrobe malfunction. When she finished, she searched around for some socks but only found white stockings. After slipping them on, she put on brown boots that molded to her feet perfectly, as though someone knew she was coming to this time, this ship, at this moment. The last thing she did was untie her hair from the tight bun, and rake her fingers through the locks as best as she could.
“Finally,” she heard Johnny mutter as soon as she stepped out of the cabin. His eyes lit up when he took her in, however, and he threw her a roguish smile. “Well, look at you, love. Ever the pirate, if you ask me. Everything fit all right?” he as
ked, arching a brow, though his eyes knew perfectly well that it did. In fact, he wasn’t so sure he wanted her to be introduced to the crew in such fitting pants. Even the tunic that was loose on her frame still revealed she had an admirable body… Maybe she should wait in his cabin while he met the crew by himself.
“Actually, yes,” Izzy said, smiling in return. “I feel really comfortable.”
“Oh,” Johnny said, cocking his head to the side. “Well, good. I suppose you want to meet everybody then?”
Izzy furrowed her brow. “Yeah…” She let her voice trail off, confused at the obvious doubt in her face. “Why?”
“Just stay close to me, all right?” Johnny said, his voice laced with a firmness Izzy hadn’t heard before. Her eyes caught hold of his and there a seriousness buried deep down in his dark orbs that she had not seen before. “The pirates in your movies are far different than the pirates I know. I don’t want you harmed in any way.”
Izzy said nothing, and instead nodded. She followed closely behind Johnny as he confidently strode over to the helm of the ship. As the two made their way, Izzy noticed an array of various frames occupying the ship. They began to look over at her and Johnny with confusion, maybe even curiosity as they watched the two step onto the helm.
“Gents!” Johnny announced, looking over every pirate he could see. His face was completely serious, unwavering, and Izzy couldn’t help but stare. His presence, when he wanted it to be, was simply amazing. For someone who had said he had never had a crew before, he certainly knew how to act the role of the captain. “It would seem that I am captain of this vessel and you are all part of my crew.” He paused, hoping the men listening to him knew the grave situation they had gotten themselves into. “If you are here, I am sure you know what we are about to embark on. Some of you may not return. To be honest, I have never had a crew before, although I have sailed numerous ships across the Seven Seas by myself. I would like to thank you in advanced for your sacrifice, but before we continue on about our day, we should probably introduce ourselves and lay down some rules.”
“We know who ye be,” a voice in the back called. “You’re Johnny Clover, a clever pirate, but a coward nonetheless. You ran away.”
“Why did you come back, anyways?” another voice asked.
“And who is she?” yet another asked, indicating Izzy.
“Her name is Isabelle,” Johnny told the crew, “and she is not to be harmed, touched, nothing. If I find out any of you do such things to her, I will drop you off on a godforsaken spit of land with naught but a pistol and water. Do you hear me?” He paused, waiting for the affirmative before continuing. “I understand why you may not take me seriously as your captain, but I hope that soon I will earn your trust. We are about to embark on the adventure of our lives, and without trust, we may not survive it.”
Chapter 24
By the time the ship reached the docks of Tortuga, the sun had just set on the horizon. During that time, Izzy had taken the opportunity to get to know each member of the crew, their names, and some of their back stories. Johnny was firmly at the helm, his eyes primarily focused on the direction the ship was heading in. Of course, as Izzy always managed to do, the only times his eyes left his focus were when he managed to catch sight of her. She always managed to make him smile in some way without even trying, and even now, he could tell she was currently charming the members of his crew. And she didn’t even know it.
She was a weapon in its deadliest form, and the only reason Johnny felt his whole belief system shaken to its core.
But he didn’t want to think about that just then.
When the ship sailed smoothly into the west docks, Johnny glanced over at his crew. “Gents,” he said, giving the group that had gathered around him a respectful nod. “As you can see, we are in Tortuga.” He paused, his lips curling into a frown, his eyes searching the wooden deck for what he should say next. After a moment, he continued. “As I’m sure you’re all aware, I’ve never actually had a crew before, so being a captain is still a new experience for me. However, I can assure you that if anything, I try to be fair. As long as you can assure me that the ship will be properly stocked before we leave tomorrow morning, and that when we do, you will all be of sound mind, you may disperse freely for the evening.”
The crowd seemed pleased by this, and each murmured or nodded their assurances to their new captain before walking off the ship. When Johnny caught Izzy’s eyes, he waved her over before coiling his arm around her shoulder and pulling her tightly against him. “Now, darling,” he murmured lowly so that only she could hear, “it is imperative that you listen to me closely.” He started to lead her off of the ship, but kept her body close to his. “Tortuga is a wonderful town, a blessed place for beings like me – pirates, scallywags, buccaneers, thieves” -
“Ladies of the night?” Izzy asked with a teasing smile before arching her brow. “Yes, I know, Johnny. I’ve seen Pirates of the Caribbean.”
“Because that movie captured Tortuga’s essence perfectly,” Johnny mumbled dryly under his breath. “Yes, well, Tortuga seems to be charming and alluring and whatnot, but believe me when I say it is probably one of the most dangerous places for those who are daft and those who are new frequenters. You must promise me when I ask you to stay close to me, and…” He paused, hesitating a bit. “Don’t take this the wrong way, love, but women from your time and women from my time are quite different. I know you are strong, opinionated, and quite the wit, but please… watch your tongue around the lads here. They tend to take things personally. Trust me; I know from experience.” He gazed back down at her, his eyes serious as they bore down into his. “Especially since you are a member of the fairer sex, their pride might be wounded and, to put it frankly, they would have no problem wounding you, no matter how charming or beautiful you are.”
Izzy tried to read his eyes at that moment, almost forgetting to walk due to the surprise at Johnny’s words. “You think I am beautiful?” she asked softly, furrowing her brow.
“My opinion of you doesn’t matter at this juncture darling,” Johnny said, easily evading the question. “What I need from you now before we get off these docks is your word you’ll watch your tongue and stay close.”
“I promise,” she told him, and she meant it.
For the next hour, Johnny led her down the streets of Tortuga, pointing out the pubs he was personally familiar with and enjoyed, while pointing out the ones that didn’t particularly like his company and the ones she had to stay away from, either due to service or bad alcohol.
Izzy was probably as captivated by the scenery as Johnny was when he walked down a street in Balboa Island. The people were so different here; their clothes and the styles they wore. But what struck Izzy the most was how forward they were. Men leered at her with blatant obviousness, and she was glad for Johnny’s arm wrapped tightly around her. Women dressed up in bawdy-colored clothing with their breasts all but hanging out and their faces painted much like a clown’s whistled or catcalled in any man’s direction, hoping to get lucky that evening. She saw men sleeping off their drunkenness, while others seemed to have made a home on the dirty streets of the town. Though the night was thick, merchants were still selling odd things, and Johnny pointed out who to buy from and who to stay away from. He seemed very proud of the town, and especially excited to be the person to show her around.
“It’s more than I ever expected,” she told him after the quick tour, gazing up at him with honesty clearly written in her eyes. “The movie… It couldn’t capture the essence that is Tortuga.”
Johnny seemed delighted at such an observation, and curled his lips up to show his approval. “Aye,” he agreed, nodding once. “I’ve been trying to tell you that, you know.” He glanced away, and continued to head to his favorite pub on Tortuga. “Now, love, you are in for quite a treat. The Siren’s Song has the best rum in all of the Caribbean.”
“I thought you preferred wine,” Izzy pointed out as she walked through the d
oor Johnny was holding open for her. For a moment, the two were silent. Johnny led her over to a far corner of the room and to his usual place, and the two sat down.
“I do,” he told her, following her inside, “but beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to Tortuga. Only in brothels do they serve wine here, and I don’t think you would appreciate it very much if I took you to one of those.”
“Like it would matter,” Izzy muttered under her breath as she noticed women in revealing dresses immediately start to eye Johnny like a hungry dog might eye a piece of meat. Apparently they didn’t seem to notice Izzy’s presence because three of them started to head over to the couple.
“Is that jealousy I’m detecting in your tone, darling?” he asked her, his eyes sparkling to emphasize his point.
“Why would I be jealous of them?” Izzy asked, scoffing as she did so. “They’re” -
Johnny finally noticed that the women were heading towards them at that moment because his lips curled down, and for a minute, he was unsure of what to do. Before he could think of anything, however, they stood before them.
Beautiful Disaster (A Pirate Romance book, Historical Romance) Page 12
