To Believe A Buccaneer: Book 2 in The Scandalous Adventures at Sea Series

by Myers, Heather C.

  When they finished, Johnny pulled out his cutlass, and moved so that he was standing shoulder to shoulder with her, his weapon horizontal. “Take it in your hands,” he gently commanded, and Izzy wrapped her left hand around the hilt of the sword, while her right hand remained flat, her palm underneath the cool blade. She stared at it with wonder; she had never before held a weapon in her hands, and while it intimidated her, she was awestruck at the power she was now feeling. She felt in control of herself.

  “This is the hilt,” he told her quietly, placing his hand on hers. The intense energy between them seemed to have come back to surround them; they shared a passion for the weapon in her hands. His had been around the day he had first picked up a cutlass, and hers seemed to have resulted the same way his did. “And this is the blade. These are the two parts that make up a cutlass.”

  “What is the difference between the cutlass and the sword?” Izzy asked, craning her neck to look up at him from behind her.

  “A marvelous question, my dear,” he replied. “The blade of a cutlass is shorter, blunter…easier to fight with. Swords have longer blades, which could very easily get tangled in riggings and whatnot. Swords also feel more awkward, and are not necessarily as damaging as cutlasses.”

  “Teach me,” Izzy breathed. Her eyes looked up to him. “I want to learn.”

  “Good,” was Johnny’s curt reply. A funny feeling pitted against his stomach, looking into her eyes and seeing desire, passion.

  Johnny taught her, and when he stopped for a break every now and then, she would practice until he arrived to resume his lesson. She yearned to learn more, and when he complied with her request, she learned quickly. It was so intriguing for him to watch her because the moves that he taught her were aggressive, and to see her put her feminine grace to it was beautiful.

  When the sun was near the horizon, Johnny stopped, his toned chest drenched with sweat. He studied Izzy for a long moment and found her face was smooth and clear. While there were beads of sweat on her forehead, she did not look like she had just spent hours practicing everything he taught her. He thought it to himself a lot, but she was beautiful.

  “You’re well onto being a pirate,” he told her, taking her hands in his in order to remove the cutlass.

  Izzy smiled, a nodded a couple of times. “That would be unexpected, hmm?” she asked him, raising a brow as she looked at him.

  “That it would,” Johnny agreed.

  “You should put on a tunic,” Izzy murmured, casting her eyes down at his bare chest, changing the subject. “You look cold.” She smirked as she sauntered away, deciding to change into a new set of clothes.

  Johnny looked down at his chest, noticing that, indeed, goose bumps had erupted onto his chest, and his nipples had become erect. Shaking his head, the pirate captain followed Izzy over to his room to find a clean tunic to wear.

  32

  Izzy’s hands were placed on the surface of the banister portside of the ship, her shoulders pushed up as her eyes scanned the sea. It was probably the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. The golden rays of the sun bled into the horizon of the sea, meshing with the bluest water, causing strings of blue, pink, orange, and even some purple to stain the sky. The young woman had never seen anything quite like it. She thought she was lucky for being able to watch the sunset every day at the beach, but this… This was completely different. She had always wanted to experience a true Caribbean sunset, especially on the sea, but she never expected it to be so…perfect.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” a voice mumbled from beside her. Izzy glanced to her right and found Johnny standing next to her, peering out at the horizon, just as she had been doing.

  Instead of saying anything in return, Izzy merely nodded and turned her attention back to the sunset. “You’re so lucky,” she murmured, watching as the sun slowly started to slide behind the body of water. “You get to see these every day.”

  “You realize you do too, right?” Johnny asked, glancing down at the woman next to him. For whatever reason, Johnny moved his left arm so it rested next to Izzy’s left hand while Johnny’s right hand rested next to Izzy’s right one, so the young woman was trapped between his strong arms and her back was caressing his chest. “I mean,” he said, tilting his head down so he could all but whisper in her ear, “you are here…now…with me.” Izzy did her best to ignore the sensation his hot breath caused when it touched her skin, but the way his voice sounded, low and husky, was making the task harder than she had originally thought it would be.

  “Can I ask you something?” Izzy asked, releasing the banister once the sun had fully set and turned around so she could look Johnny in the eyes. She just wasn’t expecting him to be so close, his lips mere centimeters from hers, the corners curled up in that cocky grin he was famous for.

  “Anything,” he said in the same tone, his dark eyes focused primarily on her lips. Goodness, he wanted to kiss her. How long had it been since he had last been familiar with her lips?

  “What is this war you’re destined to lead other pirates into?” she asked him, her voice soft. A touch of worry laced through her words, and her brow was pushed together to indicate that she was indeed worried for him.

  Johnny had to pause his response, in hopes to memorize every inch of her face at this precise moment in time. He had never seen somebody so worried about him. This, of course, was his fault if anything due to the conscious choice of forgoing friendships, but seeing it so clearly in her brown eyes caused something warm in him to spread throughout her body. He, of course, had already admitted that he loved her, even aloud, even to somebody else, but was it possible to love her more than he already did? She didn’t even know that he cared for her, and yet she was still worried about him.

  “It’s a war,” Johnny replied, trying to think of a way to respond to her question. “And I am destined to lead pirates to it.” He winced slightly, knowing that wasn’t exactly the answer Izzy was looking for, but he realized just how hard it was to explain. “It’s a long time coming, darling. I really don’t know exactly what to say or how to explain it. But it’s something I’ve known my entire life.”

  “But why you?” Izzy asked, cocking her head to the side very slightly. “Why not some other pirate? Is this karma from some past life?”

  “Love, to be completely honest, I have no idea,” Johnny replied. “All I know is that it’s me, which is why I chose to run away.”

  “If you know you’re supposed to lead this group of people,” Izzy began slowly, her eyes scanning Johnny’s in hopes for some kind of answer, “Do you know the result? Do you know if your side wins or loses? Do you know if you…?” She let her voice trail off, unable to finish her thought before biting her bottom lip. “Is that why you choose not to have any friends or anyone close to you? You’re not sure if you…survive?” Izzy wasn’t sure if the whole line of questioning would offend Johnny or not, so her voice was light and wary.

  Johnny opened his mouth, ready to refuse her query before pausing. Was that why he didn’t have any friends? Why he chose not to depend on anyone because he knew that if he were to die, it wouldn’t matter. “In all probability,” Johnny began, “yes. I do not know the outcome of this particular war.” He pushed his brows together, an idea suddenly popping into his head as he gazed down at Izzy. “But you, my love, you are from the future. You must know the outcome. What is it?”

  “I didn’t even know there was a war between pirates and the Royal Navy,” Izzy told him, uncomfortable at the fact that she should know this, but oddly enough, never learned of it. “I mean, I guess if Jack Sparrow was based on you, and if Pirates of the Caribbean was based on your encounters and your life, then there is a war in the third movie. But you don’t lead the war. Elizabeth gets voted Pirate King, by Jack’s vote. And she leads everybody in war.”

  Johnny looked at Izzy in disbelief. “Elizabeth?” he asked her. “You mean that girl who gets kidnapped? How could she possibly be a Pirate King (which, there is no s
uch thing, by the way) in a span of two movies? How could she lead pirates to war?”

  “Well, the pirates don’t want to go to war, to be honest,” Izzy explained. “But it’s Elizabeth who manages to talk everyone into going to war.”

  “But it’s Jack’s vote that allows her to order it, is it not?” Johnny asked.

  “Yes, but the only reason he wants to go to war is because he’s up to no good,” Izzy said, rolling her eyes before quickly adding, “As usual.”

  “Ah, but he looks so good pillaging, plundering, and the like, hmm, love?” Johnny teased, perking his brow slightly.

  “Johnny Depp does, yes,” Izzy said, amusement twinkling quite clearly in her eyes. Before she realized it, Johnny’s hands slipped off the banister and grabbed a hold of Izzy’s waist, gently pinching her as she let out a contagious set of giggles. “Hey!” she managed to exclaim as his fingers continued to tease her skin. “Not fair!”

  Johnny stopped for a quick moment, casting his eyes up at the dark sky. “Oh, what was the line?” he asked to himself before he returned his eyes to Izzy. “That’s right. Pirate.”

  Izzy rolled her eyes. “Oh, ha ha,” she said dryly, but found that Johnny had stopped, save for his long index fingers. They were currently under the hemline of her shirt, tracing mindless patterns on either side of her. An odd sort of look occupied Johnny’s dark eyes, and he stared down at the young woman for a long moment. Izzy’s breath hitched in her throat. Was he going to kiss her? Did she want him to kiss her?

  Yes. Yes she did.

  “You are my friend,” Johnny told her suddenly, seriously.

  Izzy wasn’t sure whether she should be happy or upset. On the one hand, he could mean he didn’t see her as more than a friend, or at least, a friend to have fun with. On the other hand, he never really had a friend before, had he? And the fact that he considered her as such was no doubt a grand compliment.

  “A very close friend,” he added, coiling his arms around Izzy’s waist as the familiar sparkle suddenly reoccupied his eyes.

  Izzy once again rolled her eyes, and struggled out of Johnny’s grip, afraid that if she didn’t, she may not exactly ask him to stop. She had so recently yearned for him to kiss her, and knew that if kissing soon became not enough, it would lead to more intimate activities that she probably wouldn’t say no to. As such, she had to stop it before it began.

  “If your refusal is because you wish to remain admirable, I can perform our marriage right now on this ship,” Johnny said, longing to have her in his arms once again, but staying still in hopes to gauge her reaction.

  “Yeah, right,” Izzy said. “You. Married? After all you had to say about how much you didn’t believe in love?”

  “I find that marriage sometimes has nothing to do with love,” Johnny pointed out, refusing to acknowledge his feelings for her as of yet.

  “Maybe for you,” Izzy told him. “But when I—if I—get married, I want to be in love. And since you believe that love doesn’t exist, I”—her voice hitched in her throat, which surprised her because what she was saying was true. Izzy just didn’t realize how much it hurt to admit it. “I won’t be marrying you. Now,” she added quickly, unable to look him in the eyes. “I should probably get to bed. I’m a bit tired….” With that, she managed to weasel around him and head back into her room.

  Johnny watched her go, a frown on his face. He knew that what she said was his fault, but her words had troubled him more than he was willing to admit.

  33

  Don’t kiss him….

  You know you want to though….

  That’s beside the point! The point is, Isabelle, you know how badly if such a thing were to ever occur, you would be screwed.

  Literally! And what a way to go, hmm?

  There is no way you should entangle yourself with somebody who doesn’t even believe in the concept of love or the notion of committing to a monogamous relationship. It’s a waste of time and tears, and practically suicide.

  So we’re admitting that we might have considerably fragile feelings for a certain pirate?

  It would seem that way, yes. And now that we have that out of the way, we can focus on the biggest problem yet. His manners of seduction, because, let’s face it, he’s been trying to get us to bed with fierce determination the last few days.

  I actually find no problem with this current predicament.

  Which is why I’m the willpower and you are the sexually frustrated romantic.

  Oh. Like it’s my fault Zach wasn’t the best in bed and just standing next to that damn pirate causes all senses to go into overdrive with desire because we both know how amazing a night in the sack with the notorious Johnny Clover would be.

  I remember that dream, thank you very much. But this is beside the point, once again. Isabelle doesn’t want to get hurt, and if she gets hurt, then so do we. Face it; Johnny is irresistible because he doesn’t want to be tied down, and the romantic in her wants to do just that.

  Yes.

  But it’s illogical! Bad things are bound to happen. If anyone gets hurt, it’ll be Izzy, and to be honest, the pain is excruciating.

  You know what logic’s problem is?

  This will be great….

  You’re afraid. You’re afraid to get hurt. Yeah, it’s smart, but it’s also sad. Sure, in all likelihood, Johnny may not return Izzy’s feelings of something more than heated infatuation, but what if he does? And what if we don’t take that chance? Sure, logic is logic because the first thing it does is protect itself. But you can’t protect yourself from love. What Izzy—what we—need to figure out is if Johnny Clover is worth the fear and the pain we’re likely to experience.

  …

  …

  Even if what you’re saying is true, and we decide to pursue something, we can’t, in good conscience, do it now. Johnny has a war to be a part of, a group of people to save, and so forth. We can’t distract him, and we can’t make him feel guilty for feelings he can’t force, nor could we distract him with a night of sex, no matter how hot it’s going to be.

  Then what do you suggest we do, if you’re so smart.

  We wait…. And when—if—the opportune moment presents itself, we go with our gut instinct. Our heart.

  You know, what makes up the heart is you and me agreeing on something, no matter how crazy it seems. Do you think that’ll happen, that we’ll agree?

  I think we already have.

  Thoughts like these were the reason Izzy couldn’t get to sleep some of the nights, and when she did, her slumber wasn’t incredibly fulfilling. It didn’t help that the man who constantly raided her thoughts with his haunting face was sleeping beside her, usually with an arm strewn around her waist. But at least, slowly but surely, she was working through her troubles….

  * * *

  “Land ho, capt’n!” a crew member exclaimed from the crow’s nest.

  Izzy’s head had snapped from the menial task Johnny had assigned her to do—swab the deck—and she all but rushed to starboard to get a better look at where they would be docking soon. A small frown tugged down the corners of her lips as she took in the sight. Though there were numerous ships and whatnot scattered closer to the island, the island itself was rather small. If the navy was to ever find this place—this secret location only pirates knew, as Johnny had told her—then they were done for.

  Johnny swaggered right up to where Izzy was standing so his shoulder casually brushed hers. He, too, looked at the island, with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. When he glanced down to study to the woman next to him, he immediately noticed the somewhat disappointed frown.

  “You underestimate it,” he told her. It wasn’t a question, and she knew he knew her too well to argue. “There’s nothing to worry about, darling,” he said, patting her shoulder a couple of times. “You’ll be safe.”

  “I’m not worried about me,” Izzy told him, though she refused to meet his eyes with her own. She had always been told that her eyes gave away
more than she expected, than she wanted other people to know about herself, and she hoped that by avoiding contact with Johnny, he wouldn’t recognize just how worried she was for him.

  After the evening where he told her about what was expected of him—his role—in this war, she couldn’t stop thinking about what might happen to him. Either he would lead the pirates to their victory, a triumphant and successful leader, or he would die a hero, sacrificing himself for something he strongly believed in.

  Though if Izzy was being honest, she wasn’t exactly sure he believed in it. Piracy, sure. The right to piracy, of course. But Izzy was certain that Johnny didn’t exactly see himself as a leader, and was uncomfortable with the whole notion of going into battle with men blindly following him.

  Johnny glanced down at Izzy, taking in her profile for a moment before saying softly, “Well, love, are you ready?”

  * * *

  When Johnny and Izzy stepped on the docks, a short, thin-framed man approached them. He told them his name was Pimms, and he was from the English pirate captain Watson’s ship. He was to lead them to the awaiting brigade. When they approached a thinly veiled door, Pimms knocked three distinct times before a portion of the upper half of the door slid opened and asked for a password. Izzy watched this with absolute awe. She thought things like this only happened in the movie, and yet it was happening right in front of her.

  The door swung opened, and everyone was quickly escorted inside. Though many of the pirates currently lounging around in what Izzy thought resembled an eighteenth century lobby took notice of their leader, Johnny’s presence didn’t stop them from continuing their conversation. Izzy was reminded of the Brethren Court from the third Pirates movie, except with many more people in a bigger room. The pirates took notice of her as well. Some leered at her, not expecting to see a woman in their fortress (although there were a few female pirates scattered about), while others were simply curious that one of the most notorious bachelors had a woman as some sort of acquaintance. In fact, one pirate actually commented on the matter.