by Lisa Kessler
The doctor turned around. “I’d like to keep him tonight just to monitor his vitals, but if everything stays level, he should be able to go home tomorrow with crutches and a referral for physical therapy.”
“That’s great news. Thank you,” Colton shook her hand and waited for her to walk away before returning to Eli’s bedside.
The battered gunner scanned the room and finally stared up at Colton. “What happened?”
“You were in a car accident.” Colton gave him a second for the words to sink in.
Eli frowned, lifting a hand and examining the tubes going into his arm. “I didn’t heal.” His green eyes flicked up to Colton’s face. “Am I dying?”
Colton glanced at John before answering. “None of us are healing as fast. The cup’s effect might be wearing off.”
“Shit.” He lowered his arm. “Am I going to wither up like the movies?”
Colton chuckled. “Hope not.” He pointed at the cook. “One-Eyed Bob is the oldest, so he’d go first, but he looks alright.”
Bob slicked back the wisps of white hair on his head. “Better than all right, if you ask me.”
Eli laughed and winced. “Forgot what pain felt like.” He pulled in a slow breath. “Maybe another sip of the cup would heal me.”
Colton tensed, but Bob came forward, keeping his voice low. “It’s missin’.”
“What?” Eli’s eyes widened. “Who?”
“We don’t know yet,” Colton answered. “But we’re going to find out and we’ll get it back.”
Eli nodded with a hint of a smile on his lips. “They don’t know who they’re dealing with.”
On that they could all agree.
By the time Colton got back to the ship, it was nearly midnight. He didn’t stop at Skye’s shop on the way back. It was late; he’d let her sleep and be ready to sail when the sun rose.
But he missed her. He’d been alone so long, the feeling left a foreign pit in his gut and a vise around his heart.
He boarded the Sea Dog, his footsteps on the deck echoing through the silence. The faint lap of the water below was the only other sound. Normally he welcomed the solitude, but now it only magnified his loneliness. He opened his cabin door and didn’t bother with the oil lamp. The moonlight coming through the porthole was plenty. He knew where everything was.
After getting undressed, he went in the head and washed his hands and face with bottled water. Being in hospitals made him uncomfortable, but at least it seemed like Eli would pull through. Now he could enjoy his day at sea in the morning. Full sails.
He crossed to his bed and laid down.
Something moaned.
He frowned, his muscles tense, until his eyes focused. Even in the dim light, he recognized the curve of her face and the scent of her hair. Skye was in his bed. His gaze wandered lower as he raised the blanket. She was in one of his pirate shirts…and nothing else. His pulse raced as he slid in behind her, running his hand up her smooth thigh. She pressed back into him, her hips rubbing him to madness.
He growled against her ear. “There’s a pirate in my bed.”
Her eyes fluttered open as she smiled back at him. “A psychic actually, close though.”
He chuckled, rolling her underneath him. He fused his lips to hers, plundering her delicious mouth. When he lifted his head, he traced her jawline with his thumb. “I thought you wanted to take things slower between us.”
She turned and kissed his thumb, her eyes locked on his. He pulsed at her entrance, aching to get even closer.
“If I had to lay in bed one more night imagining your hands on my body, I was going to lose my mind.” She took his hand and placed it over her breast, her back arching into him as he kneaded it, pinching her nipple through the thin fabric.
She was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Coherent thought fled as he pushed into her. Her nails dug into his back sending a shiver through him. She was made for him. His.
He kissed his way down her neck to her shoulder. Her teeth brushed his ear. “I want to be on top.”
Without separating their bodies, he rolled over and she sat up. His shirt had never looked so damned good. He ran his hands up under it, cupping the weight of her breasts. She tugged the shirt off and tossed it aside. The beam of moonlight shone on her naked body as she rode him faster.
He brought one hand down and slid it between them, teasing her swollen nub. “God, you’re beautiful.”
Her back arched, her lips parting as her body tensed around him, pulling him over the peak with her. He erupted deep inside of her, growling into the darkness. “You feel so good.”
She froze above him. “Oh shit, we forgot a condom.”
He had no idea if he could get her pregnant. Did the cup keep him young and fertile, or just young? He caressed her thigh. “I’m sorry. I got so caught up…”
She laid down against his chest with him still inside of her. “Me, too.” She lifted her head just enough to meet his eyes. “I’m not usually this stupid.”
He cupped her cheek. “I like to think it’s passion, not stupidity.”
She relaxed back onto his chest. “Passion is what brought me into the world.” He ran his hand up her back, listening. “My mom never told me who my father was, only that she didn’t think straight when she was with him. She said I have his eyes.”
He kissed her hair, his chest tight. “That first night, when we were in the crow’s nest, I told you I always wanted a family. That’s still true. If passion led to a tot, you wouldn’t be alone like your mother.”
Her lips brushed over his heart. “Easy words to say when you’re still inside me.”
He chuckled and rolled her over so he could see her face. Staring into her eyes, he whispered, “Those aren’t just words. Not to me. It’s a promise.”
She searched his face. “You barely know me.”
“I know I’ve never met anyone like you before. I know you’re the person I think of when I open my eyes, and the last name I whisper when I go to sleep.”
She pulled him down to her lips, her tongue swirling with his, urgent and needy until he was pulsing inside of her again. He whispered against her lips, “Should I get a condom?”
She gripped his ass. “Get out of this bed and I’ll kill you.”
He grinned. “Spoken like a true pirate.”
She nipped his lower lip. “You’re rubbing off on me.”
“I do like rubbing you,” he whispered as his fingers moved between them again. He would never get tired of hearing her crying out his name in the moonlight. Never.
Chapter 8
Colton shielded his eyes as he looked up at the sails. Skye’s pulse thrummed with excitement. She’d been out on the ocean on fishing boats before, but this would be her first time out on a huge ship without a motor.
And seeing Colton in his element didn’t suck either. He looked happier than she’d ever seen him with sweat on his brow, his biceps and forearms cut and defined as he helped the others prepare to launch the Sea Dog.
He stopped beside her and smiled. “Ready?”
“Yep.” She nodded. “Sure there’s nothing I can do to help?”
He glanced at the starboard side of the deck. “You’re going to check our speed remember?”
“Yeah, but that won’t help us get out to sea.”
He chucked her chin. “Ah, but it’ll help us get back, lass. Can’t navigate unless we know our speed and how far we’ve come.”
God, he was sexy when he pretended to be a pirate.
She turned around, marveling at the crew. Keegan was at the helm, gripping the handles on the big oak wheel, and near the bow, One-Eyed Bob and Drake were at the ready to haul the anchor up. Caleb gripped the ropes that went up to the rigging for the sails waiting on Colton’s command. They all were.
It was a skeleton crew, but Colton told her they’d be able to sail without too much trouble. He went to the center of the deck, his voice booming. “Weigh anchor and drop the sails!”
&n
bsp; Above her, the canvas unfurled, snapping in the wind overhead, and the chain clanked as Drake and Bob turned the crank to raise the anchor. Under Skye’s feet, the ship groaned, the wind pushing them forward toward the sea.
Caleb tied off the rope on the main sail and jogged over to help the others with the anchor. Once it was out of the water, the Sea Dog was on the move. Keegan controlled the rudder, navigating through the other vessels in the port, while Caleb gripped his compass.
Once they left the channel of the Savannah River behind them, Colton shouted, “Drop the topsails!”
The ship lurched as it caught even more wind, racing through the water. Colton’s crew cheered, tying the lines down.
He met her eyes and the pure joy on his face melted her heart. “You ready for your job?”
“Definitely.”
He walked her over to the side and handed her a spool of rope with a piece of wood tied at the end. Caleb came to her side with an hourglass.
She chuckled. “Can’t you just time sixty seconds on your cell phone?”
His dark eyes flicked to Colton and back to her face. “Now where would be the fun in that?” He smiled. “Did Colton tell you how to count the knots?”
“I toss this wood overboard and call out the knots as they pass through my hand until time runs out.”
“Good.” He readied the hourglass. “Go!”
She tossed it into the water, shouting as the first knot ran past her fingers. “One! Two!” Her heart raced as the mist from the sea stung her cheeks. “Three! Four! Five! Six! Seven! Eight!”
“Eight knots!” Caleb yelled, signaling time was up.
Cheers rang out on deck as she reeled in the knotted rope. Colton brushed a kiss to her forehead as he took the spool from her.
She peered up at him. “Sounds like eight knots is a good thing?”
“Yes, she always was fast.” He took her hand. “Remember how to climb the ratlines?”
Her pulse raced. “Are you serious? While we’re sailing?”
He nodded. “You won’t get a better view than up in the crow’s nest.”
“I’d like to live to sail another day.”
He squeezed her hand. “I’ll be with you. You’re not going to fall.”
Her stomach twisted up with nerves, but the dash of adrenaline in her bloodstream pushed her forward. “You guys seriously climb these while you’re at full speed?”
“‘Course we do. Any pirate worth his salt runs the lines.” He grinned. “As long as the wind stays behind us, Caleb and Keegan won’t need me. Game?”
She chuckled. “Hope I live long enough to regret this.”
He led her to the ropes. “Remember—”
“Keep my eyes on my destination, not my doom.”
“You’re a quick study.” He gripped her waist and boosted her up onto the ropes. With the ship leaning toward the water, weighed down by the wind in her sails, the ratlines weren’t as steep as they’d been at port. She didn’t want to curse herself, but it was actually a little easier than the other night. Keeping her focus up on the crow’s nest, she found her rhythm and only lost her grip once.
Colton caught her leg, stuffing her foot back into the knotted rope. “You alright?”
“Yeah.” She reached up for the next rung. “The wind is really strong up here.” Understatement of the year. The gusts wanted to blow her away like a kite. “I feel like I’m one of the topsails.”
“A few more feet and I’ll help you into the bucket,” he shouted.
The last few rungs were slow, but she was faster to trust him to lift her over the rail this time. She stayed close to him, and he moved behind her like a huge windbreak.
“It’s gorgeous.” The wind tugged tendrils of her auburn hair from her ponytail. Being this high up out on the Atlantic made her realize how large the ocean was. The ship had seemed gigantic at the dock in Savannah, but now…They were small.
Colton leaned in close to her ear. “I need to tell you something.”
“Okay.” She turned around in his arms, staring up into his eyes.
He bent to kiss her lips and pulled something out of his pocket placing it in her hand.
She brought it closer, it was a gold coin of some sort. A very old gold coin. “What’s this?”
“A doubloon.” He cleared his throat. “A Spanish coin from a booty we took in 1794. Our last take before we lost the Sea Dog in 1795.”
What the hell was he talking about? She forced a laugh. “You don’t have to play pirate for me.”
“Not playin’.” No trace of a smile. “I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t think you’d believe me.”
“Stop it.” She frowned, a dull throbbing forming at the base of her head. “You’re starting to freak me out.”
“I’m not crazy, if that’s what you’re thinkin’.”
She caught her hair behind her ear. “Well, what you’re telling me is impossible, so I hate to break it to you, but you should see a doctor. Please take me back to Savannah.” She couldn’t stop rambling. “Does your crew know you think you’ve been alive for what, around two hundred and fifty years?”
God, saying it out loud made it even worse. And now she was trapped in the middle of the ocean with a madman.
“They’ve lived it with me.”
“No.” Skye shook her head, pushing him away from her, but they were in such a tight space he couldn’t go far. “I need to get down.”
“I’ll go first and you can hang onto me.”
“No.” She put her leg over the railing, heart in her throat. “I can do this myself, just take me home.”
She slid over the railing, gasping, as she hung by her hands and kicked her feet, searching for the ratlines. Colton leaned over the rail, grasping her wrists. She looked up at him. “Don’t touch me.”
A muscle in his cheek flexed, but his grip didn’t loosen. “I’ll let go once I’m sure you’re steady.”
Her feet were secure on the ropes and she jerked a hand free, gripping the rope. “Let me go.”
He released her other wrist and she held her breath, reaching her toes out for the next rung. By the time she was a few feet down, she was drenched in sweat. There was nowhere to look but down and if she fell…she didn’t want to think about it.
The lines groaned, bouncing as Colton made his way down. He was much faster, passing her by and waiting at the bottom to help her back onto the deck. His hands caught her waist, but the moment her feet were on the deck, she pulled away.
She turned to Keegan at the helm. “Where’s Bob?”
He pointed toward the bow. “In the galley making lunch.”
Colton watched her go. His chest ached like she’d ripped his heart out and taken it with her.
“Lass has incredible sea legs.” Keegan chuckled. “She’s pissed at you.”
Colton turned to face his pilot. “I told her we sailed on the original Sea Dog.”
Keegan’s smile faded. “Why? She must think you’re a lunatic.”
Colton gripped the back of his neck, nodding. “Yeah. We better turn back so she doesn’t think she’s being kidnapped.”
“Tacking is going to be tough with our skeleton crew.” Keegan glanced at the rigging.
“I know, but I can’t keep her out here against her will. I’ve done enough damage for one day.”
Keegan gestured to Caleb. “You hear that, navigator?”
Caleb nodded. “Give me a minute to set the new course.”
Keegan rested his forearm on the wheel. “If the spell is fading, you could’ve grown old with this woman. She never had to know you were the Quartermaster on the Sea Dog when it sank in 1795.”
“All true.” Colton glanced over his shoulder toward the bow. “But every man she’s ever known has lied to her. I didn’t want to be another one.”
Keegan chuffed. “But our truth is unbelievable. It’d be better for her not to know.”
“Says you.” Colton met his eyes. “I think I love this wom
an, Keegan.”
“Bah. What do we know about love?”
“I know that she’s all I think about.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “From the first moment I met her, she was never intimidated. The fire in her is addictive. I want to be near her.” He pointed in the direction Skye vanished. “You saw how steady she is on the deck and even up on the ratlines. She’s got a pirate’s heart. How can I lie to her for the rest of our lives?”
Keegan shrugged. “Seems pretty simple to me.”
Colton ground his teeth, rolling his eyes. “Wait until you find a woman made to fit in your arms. She’ll share her secrets and you’ll want to share yours.”
He shook his head with a crooked smile. “Don’t put yer curse on me, Quartermaster. I’m good with a woman to warm my bed. Love makes men soft.”
Colton lunged at the helm. Keegan jumped back, arms up to defend himself. Colton chuckled, shaking his head. “Who’s soft now?”
Caleb interrupted them, compass in hand. “You still want to turn back, right?”
Colton nodded. “Take us back to Savannah.”
Bob’s head snapped up when Skye burst through the door. “You said Colton was nothing like Curt. You didn’t mention it was because Colton is completely insane.”
Bob shook his head and set down the knife beside the sandwiches. “Slow down. What happened?”
“I don’t know if I can even say it out loud.” She slowly met his eyes. “He claims he was the Quartermaster on the original Sea Dog, not in a past life, but now. He’d be…”
“Around two hundred and fifty years old.” He came around from the workstation. “It does sound crazy.”
“No, it is crazy.” She jammed her hands in the pockets of her jeans and her finger brushed the smooth gold coin in her pocket. “Why would he get me out in the middle of the ocean and tell me that?”
“Maybe he wanted to be sure you couldn’t run off before he could explain.”
She shook her head. “There is nothing to explain.” She pulled the doubloon out of her pocket. “Showing me a rare coin does not prove you’ve somehow managed not to age for hundreds of years.”
Bob scratched his head and lifted his gaze. “How long have you known me?”
