by Kitty Margo
The soft words tugged at her heart so she again felt the urge to be held and comforted by him. His breath was warm against her as he pulled her close, their bodies touched, igniting a fire that threatened to consume them both.
“I can make you remember me, Lynna. Never doubt that for a moment. We shared too much to forget.”
His sweet lips touched hers, gently at first, then urgently demanding a response. With a will of their own, Lynna’s hands moved up around his neck, entwining in his hair, desiring to draw him closer. His hands on her body were hot, searing through the thin material of her sarong, fanning flames that demanded to be quenched. His lips left a burning trail down her neck to the top of her fully rounded breasts as his fingers deftly untied the knot of her sarong, sliding the material down to her waist. When his warm moist tongue closed over the firm peak of her breast Lynna gasped, aware of a powerful yearning in the pit of her stomach. Joshua lifted her reverently and carried her to the bed.
“My sweet, sweet Lynna. I have been to hell and back these past months, not knowing whether you were alive or dead.” He planted soft kisses over her eyes, nose, and finally her mouth. “But I would not accept the possibility of never holding you in my arms again.” His strong hands closed over her buttocks, pressing her softness against his throbbing manhood. “Dear God, I need you, Lynna!”
Lynna. That must be her first name, but her last name was Devereux. The word penetrated her brain and had the same effect as ice-cold water being thrown in her face. She was Lynna Devereux, Michael Devereux’s wife. She could not allow this man, this bloodthirsty pirate, to take what belonged only to her husband. No matter how badly her body craved his touch, or how strong her desire was to continue.
“Stop!” she screamed, pushing him away. Quickly, she retied the sarong and rushed outside, hoping the cool evening air would clear the confusion from her head. She followed the path to the pool, wanting to wash away the feel of his hands and lips on her body as well, but she stopped dead in her tracks. The forest was alive with the sounds of shouting and robust laughter. Moving as stealthily as a cat, she peered through the thick undergrowth and found the pool filled with naked, frolicking men, enjoying their first real baths and fresh water in months. Her face a bright shade of pink, she turned and ran straight into the broad chest of the one she was hoping to escape.
“I should have warned you, my love.” Joshua laughed, holding her ensnared as his gaze roamed over her, eying her delightful curves and enchanting face. “The men have been at sea for many weeks, and unless you prefer their company for the night, I’d suggest you return to the cave with me.”
“I will return to the cave, but I will go alone!”
“As you wish,” he stated simply, walking past her to join his men for a much needed bath.
Lynna lay in bed wide-awake, as the shouts from the men’s camp carried through the jungle, making sleep impossible. If only the cave had a door and a latch. What was to prevent this pirate captain from coming tonight and taking advantage of her while she slept? She had no doubt that he was entirely capable of such brutish acts. She got up, went to the corner, and taking the sharpest spear, placed it under the mattress. Feeling somewhat safer, she was finally able to drift off to a fitful, dream-laced sleep. She awoke the next morning smiling a greeting to the new day, having momentarily forgotten the events of the previous one.
“Good morning, my pet.” Joshua smiled from his vantage point beside the bed.
Gasping, Lynna tugged the cover up to her neck, giving him a look she hoped conveyed her accurate feelings. “What are you doing here?”
“Seeing that no harm befell you during the night,” he replied, puffing lazily on a cheroot.
She flew from the bed to stand before him, arms akimbo, outraged at his possessive manner. “I can assure you, sir, I do not need or want your protection. I have managed to survive quite nicely thus far without your assistance and I am sure I can continue to do so in the foreseeable future.”
Ignoring her angry outburst, Joshua sipped from a cup from which drifted a most delicious aroma. Coffee! How her mouth watered for a taste. Lynna could not draw her eyes away from the steaming liquid as she suddenly realized how tired she was of water and coconut milk.
Following her eyes, Joshua handed her the cup. “Forgive me. I forgot that you have been without the luxuries the rest of us take for granted.” A slow smile curved his lips as he watched her drain the cup before turning serious. “Tell me, Lynna. How have you managed here alone?” Joshua made a sweeping gesture with his hands. “How did you happen to acquire all of this furniture? Surely you did not carve it yourself.”
Lynna decided it wouldn’t hurt to answer a few of his questions. After all, he had shared his coffee with her. She moved closer to the edge of the bed where her spear was, just in case. Going to the fire he had built just outside the entrance to the cave, Joshua lifted a coffee pot and refilled the cup. “The cave was like this when we found it,” she answered over her shoulder while making the bed. “All Rob and I had to do to make it livable was clean it up and chase out a family of...”
“Rob?” Joshua voice was low, almost a growl, as he slammed the cup down, splashing most of its contents on the table. “Did you say Rob?”
Lynna felt a cold shiver of fear race down her spine. “Yes… Rob.” she said, inching toward the spear. It was obvious the man was barely able to control his rising anger. He appeared livid, ready to explode at any given second. What did she say that had made him so angry? She had to keep him talking until she could reach the spear. “We have been blissfully happy here, Rob and I.”
In one violent motion, Joshua threw the cup, sending the remains of the coffee splattering against the wall, and grabbed her roughly by the shoulder as his eyes bore into hers. “Who in the hell is Rob?” he ground out as an indescribable pain began eating away at his gut. Had he been replaced by this Rob so easily?
Lynna wondered what was wrong with the man. Was he possessed by hidden demons? But then again, if he guessed she and Rob were more than just friends, perhaps he would not make any more intimate advances towards her. She had to convince him that they were lovers. “Rob?” she paused dramatically. “I cannot tell you very much about him, because I do not know.”
“You do not know! You set up housekeeping with a man, but you do not know anything about him?”
“Rob tells me the ship that I was traveling on with my husband, Michael Devereux, sank after being attacked at sea and we were the only survivors. But it seems he was gravely mistaken.” Then, remembering her ploy, she gazed with longing into his eyes and sighed, “I’m sure I would have never survived on this island without Rob to protect me.”
“And where is this Godsend now?” Joshua choked out, in a voice filled with all the anguish he was unable to suppress.
“Who?”
“Rob!” he snapped. Then he spoke slowly as he would to a small child. “Where –is- he- now?”
“Oh.” Lynna had to cover her mouth to hide her smile. “He left a few days ago to explore the other side of the island. He should return any day now.” She turned around just in time to watch him storm out of the cave.
Joshua returned later to find Lynna kneading what looked like bread dough. He entered without an invitation and sat down at the table. He seemed somewhat calmer, but she had been fooled before by his mercurial moods. He stood quietly watching her. “Where did you get the ingredients to make bread on this island?”
“From the breadfruit tree. Thank goodness, Rob worked on a plantation in Jamaica and was taught which trees and fruits are edible. He taught me to soak breadfruit in seawater until it softens. Then you peel it and mash it into a pulp. Then you knead it like this, roll it, and bake it as you would ordinary bread dough.”
“Amazing.”
“Look at this.” She held up what looked like a big chunk of ivory. Slicing a small piece, she handed it to him. “Taste it.”
Joshua was surprised to find that it had a ple
asing nut taste. “What is it?”
“Palm cabbage. The cabbage is the buds on the trees.” She then handed him half of a cut open coconut. “You eat the inner white flesh and drink the clear liquid inside.”
“You are a wealth of information.”
“Rob is a very good teacher.” She instantly regretted mentioning Rob’s name after seeing Joshua’s knuckles whiten under the pressure of his clenched fists. She hadn’t meant to provoke him again. “He calls me Buttercup.”
“How touching, I am sure.” Joshua moved to the entrance of the cave peering outside. “Do you ever leave this cave?”
“I did before you and your men intruded on the island. I would...we would spend most of our evenings on the beach having clam and oyster roasts, or build bonfires, or just watch the sunset. I have never witnessed a more breathtaking sight than when the moon hovers over the island.” She cut her eyes toward him when she said, “Now I am afraid to leave the cave.”
“I noticed you found some beautiful shells to add to your collection back home.”
Lynna had no idea what collection he spoke of, but she knew a discussion of shells was not what he had on his mind. She was correct. “You need not fear going out as long as you accompany me.”
Which danger was greater? Facing his men or being alone with him? They were silent for a long time, both lost in thought. Joshua was the first to break the silence. “Lynna, am I to believe that you have no memory of anything that happened before you came to on this island?”
“In all honesty, I care not what you believe. But what I have told you is the truth.”
Ignoring her, he continued, undaunted. “And that you awakened on an island with a man you had never seen before and the two of you immediately set up housekeeping together!”
“Did you expect us to live in separate caves?”
“I sure as hell did not expect you to share his bed!” His chest heaved with anger and his eyes blazed green fury. “I find it hard to accept the fact that you have been living in this cave all this time with…with…”
“Rob,” she supplied, since he seemed to have some difficulty saying the word.
“Have you no explanations for me, Lynna?” He was begging her to make him understand. “How did you go from loving me, to marrying Michael, to this tryst with…with…”
“Rob.”
He opened his mouth to say more, but thought better of it and left the cave in a huff.
Lynna smiled at his retreating form, watching him once again storm out and going over in her mind what he had said. He certainly painted her as a wanton woman with a very colorful past. Evidently, he did not know about her giving herself to the pirate captain to save Rob from being flogged or he would have surely added that to his long list of grievances.
The following morning, Lynna sat by the edge of the beach, digging into the soft sand with her bare foot and watching the Windjammer roll with the ocean swells. Heavy clouds rolled over the mountain, making the midday heat bearable, almost pleasant, as the cool breeze caressed her heated skin. The scene was ethereal and had been hers and Rob’s alone until those horrid men had found it. But if she admitted the truth, the men weren’t so bad. She no longer believed them to be pirates. The few she had come in contact with had gone out of their way to be nice to her, always polite and offering assistance should she need it. As for Joshua, what did she know of this man who claimed to love her? Absolutely nothing.
It was so nice to have her freedom back after the many days she had stayed cloistered in the cave. Joshua had ordered that his men move their encampment further down the beach. Now she never happened upon any of his crew. Little did she know that each man had been issued a personal warning by the Captain, “The lady is mine and I do not share what belongs to me. Any man who doesn’t heed my words will answer to me.” The message in his eyes spoke louder than his words and each man had taken his dire warning to heart.
“May I join you?”
Lynna turned to find him watching her intently. “We have nothing to say to each other.” She brushed the sand from her legs and made to rise.
“Yes, Lynna, we do. I can answer most of your questions about your past. Aren’t you curious?”
She turned to face him then, having a strong desire to learn about her past. Yet, at the same time, she was afraid she might discover that she had been no more than a shameless hussy. She hid her blazing face in her hands, wondering if it might be best if she never learned of her sordid past. But Joshua seemed determined that she remember as he divulged all that he knew, in great detail. She could almost envision her Aunt Judith sitting at the table in the small cottage behind the great plantation house and Crystal running down the beach in Jamaica. Her heart constricted painfully in her chest when he told her about the child. Lynna tried desperately to remember all he told her, tried to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. “And you? What part did you play in my past? Did you live in Georgia as well?”
“No, my sweet. My home is in Charleston. We were reunited after three years apart. First, we met onboard my ship, the Windjammer, when you sailed from France.” He would not tell her about her father, as it would only cause more pain. A mischievous grin curved his lips as he recounted the night of love they had shared on his ship. But the smile rapidly vanished as he continued with Suzanne’s treacherous schemes. Pure hatred shone in his eyes as he remembered the pain on Lynna’s face the night of the Harvest Ball when he had told her Suzanne carried his child.
“But I could not have loved you,” Lynna tried to reason with him. “Or I would not have married another man so soon.”
“You married Michael because you believed we could never be together. You believed, as did I, that Suzanne carried my child.” He breathed a long sigh before continuing. “We are both free now, Lynna. We can start fresh. Your memory may return in time, but if it doesn’t, I will make you love me all over again.” Then he added, entirely too cocksure of himself, “It should not be too difficult a task.”
Lynna wanted to believe him. She prayed his words were true. But she could not push the nagging thought from her mind that he was a complete stranger and could be filling her head with lies. Rob was aware she had lived on the plantation with Michael, yet he had never mentioned this child named Crystal. She wondered if any of what Joshua had told her was the truth.
Taking her hand, Lynna did not resist when he led her to a grassy knoll where colorful wild flowers waved in the gentle breeze. Joshua bent to pick a handful and handed her the fragrant bouquet as an offering of peace. When she would not look at him, he turned her face up to his and saw the confusion in her eyes. “You question the authenticity of my words, Lynna?” With their lips only inches apart, it was an act of sheer willpower that kept him from tasting her sweet nectar. He was certain beyond a shadow of doubt that if given half a chance, he could make her remember him, and was sorely tested now each time he was near her. And each time it grew harder for him to leave. How much longer could his body smolder before it burst into flames? The only solution to the problem was to put some distance between them until she could decide to trust him.
“I…I am not sure what I believe. I need time to think and sort out my feelings. You must try to understand how confusing this all is to me.” Her eyes swam with unshed tears and pleaded with him for understanding.
“I do, and you will have the time you need. I am returning to the camp with my men.”
Lynna looked at him, her pulse quickening for some strange reason. “Will you come back?”
Her response filled him with a small glimmer of hope. “Yes, I will be back.” Then he planted a tender kiss on her lips before she could voice an objection. “I will not leave this island without you, Lynna.” His tone left no doubt that his words were true as she watched him until his tall shadow blended with the trees.
Three days later, she awoke again to find him watching her. “Don’t you have anything better to do with your time?” She was furious that he came and went as he please
d. “And you really should learn to knock.”
“Than watch you sleep?” Joshua shook his head, having found it impossible to stay away. “Since I was denied the pleasure for so long, I cannot imagine a more agreeable past time. I find watching you in the flesh far greater than imagining you in my dreams.”
Why did she have such a strong desire, an almost overwhelming desire, to slide over and hold back the covers for him to join her? Her blushing cheeks betrayed her and Joshua needed no more encouragement.
He moved toward her slowly. Their eyes locked, so close they could almost touch. When she felt his warm breath near her lips, she panicked. “I cannot allow this to happen and betray my husband’s memory. Even though I have no memory of him, there must have been love between us or I would not have married him.” It was entirely possible he had survived the shipwreck unharmed, just as Rob and she had. She put her hands out to stop Joshua’s progress, which he easily brushed away with a steely glint in his emerald eyes.
“Do not fight me, Lynna. My patience has worn thin and I will have for myself, even if taken by force, what you so eagerly give to your Rob. I cannot bear this torture another day.” The past few days had been especially difficult for Joshua and he had found sleep impossible. He hadn’t meant to mention the other man, yet he could not rid his mind of him. The thought of them together, making love, burned his mind like a branding iron and he was immediately possessed by a blinding rage. With a rending tear, he ripped the sarong from her shoulders, drawing in a ragged breath at the sight of her naked loveliness. He had to have her. He prayed she would come to him willingly, without a fight.
But she did not. Instead, she clawed at his neck, leaving four bloody trails. Taking her hands in one of his, he held them above her head as the blood from the wounds she had inflicted dripped down onto her neck and chest, smearing over her skin as his lips left their path. Lynna fought the passion rising in her. With all her strength she fought it. She would never succumb to his lust. She remembered the spear hidden under her bed, but it was impossible to reach with his heavy weight atop her. With no other weapon available, she sank her teeth deep into his shoulder, causing him to pull away so fast he almost took her teeth with him.
