Capture My Heart

by Bobbi Smith

  "Seek your own rest, woman, but know that this bed is soft and the floor is very hard, and I have no intention of giving up my rest." With that, he lay back and, folding his arms behind his head, closed his eyes. Without looking at her, he ordered her to put out the light.

  For a moment, Tori could only stare at him in something akin to shock, then she hurried to blow out the lamp. Moving as far away from him as she could get, she spread the single cover on the floor near his sea chest and lay down to get whatever rest she could.

  Serad was mystified by his own actions. The most beautiful woman he'd even seen was sleeping right there in his cabin within arm's reach, and he wasn't going to take her. He shook his head in disbelief. He could just imagine what Tariq and Hasim would say if they knew the truth. He tried to understand what there was about Tori that kept him from acting upon his baser instincts, but he could find no easy answer. It was a long time before he fell asleep.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Serad awoke at first light as was his custom. Swinging his long legs over the side of his bunk, he sat up to see Tori still sleeping on the cabin floor. He swore under his breath at her stubborn pride and stood up to cross the room to her. Without saying a word, he gently scooped her up in his arms to carry her back to the bed.

  Tori let out a small murmur as he crossed the room holding her carefully to his chest. For all that she was a firebrand when she was awake, she was as gentle as a kitten asleep. He was amazed at how light she was, and how soft. It felt strangely right to be holding her this way, and as he gazed down at her, she instinctively nestled against him. He deeply regretted that he had only to carry her across the room.

  Serad was glad when she did not stir as he settled her on the bunk. He tenderly covered her with his own blanket, then stood there watching over her for a minute to make sure she did not awake. When he was certain she was sound asleep, he went about his own business. After washing and changing into clean clothing, Serad took one last look at his captive, then left the cabin to tend to his duties. As he locked the door behind him, he almost regretted that it would be many hours before he'd get the chance to return.

  Since Tariq had come on deck half an hour before, he'd been watching for Serad. When he saw his friend emerge from belowdecks looking quite satisfied and very well rested, he smiled broadly in complete approval of what he was sure had been an exciting night for his reis. He envied him the dark hours just passed. "Good morning, Serad. You're looking quite fit this morning. You slept well, I take it?"

  "Very well, my friend," he returned with a confident grin that deliberately misled him. There was no way he would admit to Tariq or any other man that he had not shared his bed with Tori and sampled of her delights last night. He would answer noncommittally and allow them to draw their own conclusions.

  Knowing Serad as well as he did and knowing how much he enjoyed beautiful women, Tariq did misinterpret his answer and self-satisfied expression. "Your success with women is well known among the men, and your legendary reputation only grows more so," he told him approvingly.

  Inwardly, Serad grimaced, but outwardly he took the compliment as his due. "Tori is a stunning beauty. I have definitely decided to keep her for myself."

  "You're not going to ransom her back?" He was stunned.

  "No," he answered quickly, and then wondered at his response.

  "She must be quite a woman for you to forfeit the fortune she would surely bring you in ransom."

  "She is," Serad agreed.

  "I am surprised that you have given your heart so quickly," Tariq commented.

  "I did not say she had my heart," he corrected, troubled that his friend would think so. "But Tori is very easy on the eyes, and she is more than agreeable in other ways."

  "You have tamed this English woman much faster than you tamed your mare," he approved.

  Serad smiled again, then boasted. "Perhaps this woman is smarter. She recognized her master more quickly than the horse did."

  They shared a laugh over the comparison. But even as he did, Serad wondered if he had really mastered Tori at all or if she was just biding her time until she could try something outrageous again. He knew instinctively that no matter what he said before his men, he could never let his guard down around her. Oddly, Serad found the challenge of outwitting her very intriguing.

  Tori had passed a terrible night trying to get comfortable on the hard floor. She'd had no intention of sharing the bed with Serad, though, and so had suffered her chosen fate in silence. It seemed to her that an eternity had passed before she'd finally fallen asleep.

  The loud knocking at the door jarred her awake, and she suddenly became aware of where she was lying. Though she was still fully clothed, Tori was completely confused and embarrassed at being caught there in the middle of Serad's bed. Distraught, she clutched at the covers and yanked them all the way up to her chin just as the lock was turned and the door started to open. She watched in bewilderment as the same man who'd brought her dinner the night before came into the room carrying her breakfast.

  Mallah entered and, upon seeing the woman still lying in Serad's bed looking very tired, he smiled to himself. His reis's reputation with women was well known on board the ship, and he was certain she was exhausted from a night of wild lovemaking. Mallah knew he would make sure that this bit of gossip was added to the tales of Serad's prowess. Then, fearful of angering his reis by acting too boldly with this woman, he averted his gaze from Tori and went about tending to his business. He quickly placed the food upon the desk, then picked up the dishes of the uneaten cold food from the night before and left without a word.

  Tori watched all this in complete befuddlement. How had she gotten into Serad's bed? The question hung ominously in her mind. She tried to remember moving there, but no memory came. That much gave her some relief, for at least she knew that she hadn't willingly climbed into bed with her captor. Still, the intimacy of lying where he had lain made her uncomfortable, and Tori threw off the covers and got up.

  Her appetite had been nonexistent last night, but now she was hungry and the fare smelled wonderful. She moved to the desk to partake of the food, wondering what she was going to do with her time today.

  Tori was still wondering the same thing nearly ten hours later. She had passed the entire day bored and restless. She'd managed to wash up a little bit, but still felt dirty after wearing the same gown for more than twenty-four hours. She longed for the opportunity to bathe fully and change into fresh clothes, but she'd had no opportunity to see Serad to ask him for her trunk of clothes from La Mouette. Mallah had been her only visitor throughout the entire day, and he had refused all her attempts at conversation, remaining cold and silent when he'd brought her her noonday meal. Tori only hoped that Serad would return soon so she could get cleaned up.

  It was near dusk when Serad stood with Tariq near the helm. "If these winds stay as steady as they are, we might reach Algiers within ten days," he pointed out, pleased.

  "I'm surprised that we're making such good headway, considering the load we're carrying."

  "Maybe luck is just with us this trip," Serad mused, feeling good about their progress.

  "Luck has certainly been with you," Tariq returned. "I don't know how you've managed to stay on deck and work all day. If I were reis of the Scimitar and the Englishwoman was waiting below for me, I would have found much that had to be done in my cabin today."

  "And that is exactly why you are not reis of the Scimitar." Serad grinned. "You know there's nothing more important in my life than my ship."

  He knew of Serad's all-consuming love for the sea. Still, as pretty as the Englishwoman was, she had to run a close second.

  Tori barged into Serad's thoughts again just as he denied her importance to him. She had been on his mind off and on all day long. There had even been several times when he'd been tempted to go back to his cabin just to look in on her, but he would never admit that to Tariq. Now, though, he knew it was time he returned to her.
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br />   "I'll be eating in my cabin tonight," he told Tariq, fully expecting the smile his friend shot him.

  "Somehow I find I agree with your decision completely," Tariq said good-naturedly. "I'll see you in the morning."

  Serad moved off to find Mallah and order two meals brought to his cabin. Then he headed belowdecks. Serad was perplexed. In all his romantic experience with women, there had never been one who could hold his attention for any length of time. Tori, however, was proving to be different. He'd tried all day to analyze it, but he could not figure out exactly what it was about her that kept him so intrigued. She was lovely, true, but that in itself didn't make her special. The other women he'd known had also been beautiful. Serad wondered if the attraction he felt for her would remain so exciting once he'd made love to her or if it would fade as quickly as his feelings for other women had.

  Serad stopped to unlock his cabin door. He found Tori standing near the window gazing out to sea. Once again, he was struck by her beauty and grace. His gaze swept over her with a hungry intensity. He wondered how he'd managed to spend last night in the same room with her and not make her his in all ways. He wondered, too, if he could do it again tonight. When she glanced his way, Serad quickly masked his expression.

  Tori was glad Serad had returned. He had monopolized her thoughts against her will almost all day. She'd told herself that he was not the overpowering man she was making him out to be in her mind, that she'd just been intimidated by him yesterday. But now, facing Serad again, Tori realized just how wrong she'd been. Serad was handsome and powerful and mesmerizing. As he stood there before her, he seemed to fill the entire cabin with his presence. He radiated an animal magnetism. Tori stared at the bronze width of his chest and had the wildest urge to run her hands over that hard, muscle-sculpted flesh.

  Suddenly realizing the direction of her thoughts, Tori jerked her gaze away from Serad. She told herself she was just responding to him this way because she was desperate for company. She had to remind herself that this man was her enemy, not her friend. Just because he'd given her that one reprieve last night did not mean that he would never try to force her to his bed. Serad was no cultured English gentleman. He was a Barbary pirate, and judging from the stories she'd heard about them, that made him one of the most savage, barbarous men sailing the seven seas.

  Serad was unaware of her turbulent emotions as he closed the door and came farther into the room. "It's good that you are up and ready to see to my needs," he remarked smugly.

  "You expected me to be in bed?"

  "Now that I consider it, it is not a bad idea. I would not object if you wanted to greet me that way," he taunted, his eyes growing hot upon her.

  She stiffened at his implication. "I prefer sleeping alone on the floor."

  "You did not act that way this morning when I carried you in my arms and laid you in my bed."

  "I was asleep," she defended.

  "I find you're most amenable when you're asleep," Serad commented, thinking of how wonderful it had been to hold her.

  "Then I will endeavor to stay awake," she retorted with a proud lift of her chin, her eyes flashing defiantly.

  Serad closed the distance between them. His gaze darkened with the intensity of desire he suddenly felt for her. "Nights can prove to be very long when your body aches for the release of sleep, and your mind refuses to surrender," he said slowly and with a deeper, hidden meaning as he came to stand before her.

  "My mind and body work together," Tori replied haughtily.

  "We shall see" came his mysterious reply as he towered over her, forcing her to look up at him.

  "Did you want something?" she asked innocently, wanting to change the topic. She could have groaned in mortification when Serad chuckled.

  "There is much that I want, but all in due time," he answered with a confident smile as he moved away to sit at the desk. "I will be eating here with you tonight, so see to my arm now while we wait for Mallah to bring our food."

  Tori found it easier to breathe once he'd distanced himself from her, but his command to tend his wound left her disquieted again. She didn't want to touch him, but there was no way to avoid it. Without a word, she followed him to the desk and retrieved the medical supplies from the drawer where she'd stored them earlier. Tori knelt beside him and unwrapped the bandage she'd applied the night before. The cut, while still raw and sore-looking, had not broken open again, and for that she was pleased.

  "How does it look?" Serad asked, glancing down over his shoulder at her.

  "A little better, but it would still be wise not to use your arm too much for the next day or two. It needs time to heal," she cautioned.

  Serad only grunted in response to her advice. The Scimitar was his life and his love. There was no way he would neglect his duties on board his ship. He remained perfectly still as Tori began to cleanse the wound. The only outward sign he gave that he was suffering any pain was a slight tensing of his body as she applied an antiseptic. She was amazed at his strength of will, for the wound was deep and had to be painful. When she was done, she bound it again with a clean bandage.

  "That should keep until tomorrow," Tori said.

  Serad tested his arm, found it flexible enough, then snared her wrist just as she would have moved away from him. "An obedient servant should be properly rewarded for a job well done." He slid his hand insinuatingly up her arm to draw her near as he stood.

  His unexpected touch sent currents of awareness racing through Tori, startling her. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him.

  Serad gazed down at her and was lost in the emerald pool of her eyes. With a gentle touch, he nudged her even closer.

  The heat of his body so close to hers jarred Tori back to sensibility. Terrified of the feelings Serad was stirring within her, she stiffened. "I would like to choose my own reward."

  Serad saw a brief flicker of emotion in her eyes that could only be identified as fear before she hid it behind a brave front, and the ardor that had begun to burn within him was thoroughly and effectively doused. His own reaction to her bewildered him. He wanted her. Why should he care what she wanted or thought? Why should it matter that he struck fear in her heart instead of desire? Confused, he retreated from his need to press her for more. "Do not ask for your freedom or your companion's return. Those are rewards I would not grant."

  "Is Miss Jones all right?" she asked worriedly.

  "She is as you are," he confirmed.

  "Then for my reward I ask only for a bath and a fresh change of clothes," Tori then requested, that concern eased.

  Serad found her request not unpleasing. The thought of watching her bathe appealed to him, and though he knew it might prove to be the ultimate in torture for himself, he agreed. "You will get clean clothes, and we shall see what we can do about the bath."

  "Thank you." For the first time ever, she smiled at him, and for some strange reason, he felt quite satisfied with himself.

  Mallah arrived with the food and, after setting up a small table for them to use, he was sent off to bring the tub Serad used for bathing to the cabin. Alone again, they sat down to eat.

  The intimacy of sharing a meal with Serad in his cabin made Tori very nervous. She watched him from beneath lowered lashes as he ate. It was absurd for her to be so mesmerized by him. She knew what he was. But still, she couldn't deny the fact that while he frightened her, he also fascinated her. She wanted to know more about him.

  "Serad?" she ventured bravely.

  He lifted a questioning gaze to hers. "Yes?"

  "Why did you become a pirate?"

  He didn't have to think long to answer that. "I've always loved the sea, and I always wanted to captain a ship. This was the legacy of my people so I, too, became a corsair for Algiers."

  "But you're not a native North African. I mean, anyone can tell by your gray eyes that you're not."

  "I was raised in Algiers. It is my home."

  His tone stopped her from pushing any further on that issue.
"Are you married?"

  He gave her a curious look. "No. I have not taken any wives as yet."

  "Wives?" she blurted out, stunned at his use of the plural.

  "Wives," he repeated with unchallenged male authority. "In my culture a man may take as many wives as he can afford to keep. He can also have concubines and odalisques."

  "Concubines and odalisques?" Tori had never heard those terms before.

  "Female slaves kept in a man's harem for his personal pleasure."

  "Do you have a harem?"

  "I spend too much time at sea."

  Tori found this news oddly pleasing. "If you aren't married, then who is the blond woman whose picture you keep in your desk?"

  Her question surprised him for a moment, but then he realized that she must have seen his aunt's picture while she was putting things away.

  "She is my Aunt Rabi."

  "What of your parents?"

  He was slightly uncomfortable with this question. Malik was really the only father he'd ever known and his aunt the only mother. He had no idea where his real parents were, nor did he care. "As far as I know, they're dead. I was raised by my aunt and Malik."

  "Who's Malik?"

  "He is the dey of Algiers, and Aunt Rabi is his."

  It sounded so much like he was talking about an inanimate object that Tori couldn't stop herself from asking, "What do you mean she is Malik's?"

  "Many years ago Malik claimed her as part of his tribute."

  "Are you telling me that your aunt was taken captive the same way you've taken me?" She stared at him aghast.

  "She is happy with Malik," he said defensively.

  "Why wasn't she ransomed back?"

  "He wanted to keep her." Serad thought it very simple and couldn't imagine why she'd asked.

  "What about what she wanted?"

  "Malik cares for her and has placed her above all others in his household, that should be enough."

  "And you agree with that?"

  "Of course, Malik is dey."

  "Piracy really does run in your family . . ."