Within a Captain's Treasure

by Lisa A. Olech

  Alice rummaged through her bag and pulled out the small pouch of powder. “If this works, there’ll be no living with MacTavish. I’m not sure how much to use. You might want to stand back.”

  Gavin did so as Alice tossed the entire pouch onto the fledgling fire. The resulting explosion and red fireball lit up the beach and threw them both back on their arses.

  “Bloody hell,” shouted Gavin.

  Thirty minutes later, Gavin and Alice, together with a six-member crew, were racing back in a skiff as the first pink of daylight began to creep along the horizon. “Put hard to the oars boys. The Royals couldn’t have slept through that.”

  “There’s my bonny lass.” puffed MacTavish as he pulled Alice back aboard the Scarlet Night. Hearty welcomes came from the rest of the men. White, Finch, and Summer led the cheer.

  Alice tossed Robbins a small bundle. “I brought you a present.”

  He held up a pair of fine black breeches and raised a brow. “Satin?”

  Their good-natured reunion was short-lived as the call from the crow’s nest confirmed everyone’s fears. The Scarlet Night wasn’t the only one to witness MacTavish’s red magic.

  “Ship off of starboard. Coming fast.”

  * * * *

  Gavin swung over the gunwales and began shouting orders before his feet hit the deck. “Get the skiff secured and raise the anchor. Full sail, Simons. Glass.” He was handed the largest scope and fixed it upon the coming ship. “Four masts. She’s flying Jack and looks like she plans to blow us out of the water. Hoist every inch of cloth we’ve got, our only chance it to outrun the bastards.”

  A cannon blast from the huge navy warship’s largest gun fell short of the Scarlet Night, but it was a clear warning for them to stand or suffer the consequences. Gavin watched the ship get larger in the glass.

  Above them, the sails of the Scarlet Night filled, and the ship leapt through the water. They were riding high and empty, and they could outrun the heavy warship, but they were seriously outgunned. If the bastards got close enough, their front-mounted cannons could turn the Night into floating kindling with one blast.

  “I’ve an idea.” He grabbed Alice’s arm. “Go below and put on that gown I just paid for.” At her puzzled look, he gave her a gentle push. “Be quick. And let down your hair. Get back up here fast.”

  The rigging began to hum as the Scarlet Night gained momentum. Another shot from the Royals fell short. “They’re getting closer. We’re going to need every bit of speed we can squeeze from her, men.”

  In no time, Alice was at his side having followed his orders to the letter. Her hair was wild in the wind, and her gown was barely on.

  “I didn’t have time to lace up the bodice.”

  “Perfect.” He grabbed a rag. “There’s no time to explain. Put this in your mouth like you’ve been gagged.”

  Alice’s frown quickly melted into a smile. “You’re bloody brilliant.” She put the rag in her mouth.

  “Only if it works. Climb into the main rigging, midship. Put your hands behind you like they’re bound and grip the ropes tight. I’ll keep a hold on you, too. Understand?”

  Alice nodded as he pulled her along after him, and they settled themselves in the ropes.

  Gavin tossed his glass to Simons. “Keep an eye on the commanders, and those lead gunners.”

  Slipping his arm around Alice’s waist, Gavin pulled her tight against him. He drew his pistol and placed the tip of the barrel under her jaw. “My beautiful captive,” he murmured in her ear. “Let’s hope they see you before they fire those guns.”

  “Gunners are at the ready,” Simons called out.

  “What about the officers?” Quinn asked.

  “Got their glasses on us. Wait. One lowered his sight and pulled it back quick. He’s pointing. Seen ye, Tupper. Smile pretty. Got three scopes trained on ye.”

  “Struggle against me, then tip your head back like I made a grab for your hair.” He pulled her tighter and growled low. “This would be much more fun if the bastards weren’t trying to kill us.”

  Behind the loose rag in her teeth Alice said, “I have another idea.”

  Gavin’s mouth was close to her ear. “What do you suggest?”

  “Use the butt of your pistol. Lower the top of my gown.”

  “Bare your breasts to the bloody British Navy?”

  “Just the right side. Show them I’m truly a woman. Don’t worry, my left one will still be yours alone.”

  “Bloody hell, woman,” he growled.

  “Gunners leveling the barrels, Capt’n,” shouted Simons.

  Alice nudged him with her elbow. “Best be quick about it. If they ruin this dress….”

  Gavin pressed the brass end of his pistol’s hilt to her skin and dragged it down catching the edge of her bodice and pulling the wide lace trim past the peak of her right breast. With her flagrantly exposed, he pointed the barrel of the gun to her heart. “First man on this ship to so much as glance in this direction is dead.”

  “Damn wind,” Alice mumbled against the rag as she shivered pretending to struggle.

  “I’ll warm ye later.”

  “If we have a later.”

  “Five glasses now,” called Simons. “Shoutin’ orders. Gunners at ease. They be droppin’ two mainsa’l. They’re fallin’ back.”

  Chapter 30

  A cheer went up as the Scarlet Night began to add distance between them and the British. Adrenaline pumped in Alice’s veins. The hum of the rigging set off a humming within her. Gavin kept a tight hold on her as he lifted the top of her gown back into place and they moved down out of the rigging.

  He called the order. “We’re going to thread the needle. Simons, pull every ounce of speed we’ve got.”

  God, she’d missed him. His commanding presence, the way he captained his crew. The strength of his jaw. The smell of his skin. “Can I kiss you now?”

  “They’re still watching.” He jerked her closer and moved toward the ladder way. “They won’t shoot on us now they’ve seen you, but they’ll pursue us to attempt a rescue. If we can lose sight of them long enough, there’s a place we can lie low. Let them chase their tails for a few days.”

  “Foolish men, don’t they know I don’t need rescuing?”

  “Go below. I’ll be down soon.”

  Alice slipped back into the rest of her clothes in the galley way where she’d changed in haste. Activity top deck rumbled down as the men sent the Scarlet Night flying over the water. The clamor was like coming home. The creak of the wood, the rush of the sea. She was back.

  But what did that mean? Indecision crept over her. She and Gavin hadn’t shared more than two score words between them. Yes, his kisses left her knees weak, but he’d pushed her away one too many times to assume they meant anything more than a moment’s desire. He’d come for her, but there were still many things left swinging in the breeze.

  There was one thing she was certain of, however. Alice went in search of Bump. Regardless of what happened between her and Gavin, she would not be leaving that sweet lad again.

  She found him tucked away in a corner of Gavin’s cabin polishing a pair of Gavin’s boots—one-handed. What had happened to his arm? He hadn’t noticed her when she entered, and so she stood in the doorway and waited.

  His face looked thinner. Dark smudges visible beneath his eyes. His hair stuck out in every direction. The sight of him filled her heart and made her want to scoop him into her arms and never let go.

  Bump looked up from his work. His eyes met hers and he frowned. Rubbing them with the back of his hand, he looked at her again. Bump jumped to his feet, knocking the boots to the floor, and ran to her. Midroom, he came to an abrupt stop. Eyes wide, he stared.

  Alice stood her ground. She’d rushed to him before and embraced him against his will. She needed to be patient. Tears pinched the backs of her eyes. She opened her arms out to her sides and held her breath.

  Bu
mp tucked his chin, gave a great sigh, and leapt into her arms. He encircled his good arm around her neck and held tight. Alice wrapped her arms around the boy as she buried her face into his slight shoulder and wept.

  Gavin entered a short time later. Alice lowered Bump to his feet and wiped at her face. “This was not coddling.”

  “I didn’t say it was.” Gavin touched Bump’s shoulder, and when the boy looked at him, he made a few odd gestures with his hands. Bump smiled and gestured back before giving Alice another quick hug and leaving the cabin.

  Alice wiggled her fingers. “What was that you did?”

  “Do you remember the books we acquired from the Spanish merchant ship?” Gavin lifted a book from his desk. “I found this.” He handed it to her. “Priest, named Bonet, has a way of talking to the deaf.”

  Alice looked through the book. Each letter of the alphabet represented by a different position of the hand to spell out words. She practiced forming the letter A. “This is wonderful.”

  “It’s slow, and in Spanish, but it’s a start. Bump’s smart. He’s catching on.”

  Gavin hung up his coat and baldric. Set each in its proper place.

  “What happened to his arm?”

  “He fell. It’s healing well. Bump being Bump.” Gavin loosened the stock at his neck. Pulled the lacing from his hair.

  Alice hugged the book to her chest. All the bravado from before faded away to nothing. The chasm between them still stood. She drew a shaky breath. “Have we outrun the British?”

  “Aye.” The neck of his shirt open, Gavin stood with his hands on his hips. He was the most handsome, beautiful man she’d ever seen. She wanted to go to him. Kiss that place where his neck dipped into his chest. Feel the beating of his heart beneath her lips. But if he put her aside, pushed her away again, it would destroy her. She’d endured torture, beatings, attacks. She’d faced down fierce pirates and an evil duke and swung her weapon in battle. But standing here, wanting him like this, it was a battle she wouldn’t survive.

  Gavin poured a healthy measure of rum. “Had you not secured your place among this crew before, you’ve surely done so now. You were…amazing.” He handed her the glass. Gray eyes held her gaze. “Of course, now I’ll have to hunt down five British officers and kill them for ogling you.” The corner of his mouth twitched.

  He gave a slow shake to his head, before he ran the backs of his fingers along her cheek. Slipping his hand beneath her hair, he brushed it over her shoulder before capturing the back of her neck and drawing her mouth to his. “Dear Lord, I do love you.”

  Alice released a small cry as his lips claimed hers. He tipped her back, deepened the kiss, and erased any doubt in her mind as to his true feelings. Gavin’s arm circled her waist and pulled her to him as his mouth continued to ravish hers. A deep groan rumbled from his throat. He ground his hips against hers. The firm ridge of his desire pressed against her belly.

  She was beyond thought. He had to feel the pounding of her heart as it tried to burst from her chest. Alice dropped the book and the glass to the floor. Rum ran between the floorboards as the glass rolled away. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

  Gavin ran his hands down over the roundness of her and lifted her off her feet. In breeches, she was free to wrap her legs around his waist as he carried her to his bed.

  They came together like a storm. Clothing tossed aside in haste. Hands and mouths, grasping and tasting. A sexual fire consuming them both. Nothing mattered but being joined with him. Alice cried out when he drove into her. Joy bursting in her heart. Passion surged through her veins as he pushed her higher, sending her full sail into the blinding light of the sun. She screamed his name. Gavin continued to thrust into her until the heat of his release flooded her.

  He kissed her, panting. Rested his forehead against hers. “I love you so much.” He raised his head enough to look into her eyes. “I’m sorry I sent you away. Never again. You’re never leaving me again.” He kept shaking his head. “I only wanted to protect you.”

  “Gavin—”

  “No. Let me finish. This is my life. I’ve lost so much already.” He kissed her. “Promise me I won’t lose you, too.”

  “You can’t shield me against everything, Gavin. I know the dangers, but I belong here. With you. I don’t want a life away from the Scarlet Night. I choose you.” She held his face. “I’m a pirate in love with a pirate. I can’t promise to live until I’m old and gray, to die peacefully in my bed. I can only promise I will love you as long as the moon pulls at the tides and there is water in the sea.”

  “Be my wife,” he whispered.

  Alice blinked at a sudden flood of tears. She sniffed back all the emotion before it poured out and embarrassed them both. She hid it behind a sassy smile. “Is that an order, Captain?”

  Gavin held her cheek and used his thumb to wipe the tear away from the corner of her eye. He shook his head, as he looked deep into her soul. “No. It’s a plea.”

  * * * *

  When the Scarlet Night dropped anchor within the protected shelter known as the Needle’s Eye, the entire crew stood witness to their marriage.

  “I, Alice Louise Tupper take you Gavin Quinn to be my husband.” She wore a skirt the color of mud with red stripes down the back.

  Gavin promised to love her ‘til death do us part.’ He slipped a stunning necklace of gold and oval emeralds around her neck. It was all she wore to bed that night.

  Some time after eight bells, Alice insisted on signing her name to the ship’s Articles. Arguing that Alice Tupper was no more, she signed her name in a large, flowing script: Tupper Quinn.

  Epilogue

  “Damn it man, untie me.” Emerson Blake choked after the gag was removed from his mouth. “Not my ankles, you idiot. Start with my wrists!” He shook his hands under the servant’s nose.

  Carlton Whitmore tossed the strips of sheeting to the floor. “Drummond, saddle the horses. I’ll take King’s Knight. We’ll go after her.”

  “Are you joking? She’s been gone for hours. We’ll never catch her now.” Emerson rubbed at his chaffed wrists.

  “We have to do something,” Carlton insisted. We can’t let her get away with this.”

  Emerson’s head pounded, and he needed to punch something. The whole thing was humiliating. “This is your fault.”

  Carlton raised his eyebrows and straightened his wig. “Mine?”

  “You sent for the chit,” Emerson barked.

  “How was I supposed to know she was a pirate?” Carlton shook his head and pushed a finger at Emerson’s face. “No, what happened tonight was your fault. It was your brilliant idea we get her to turn over Gavin Quinn to us. Your charm is not as persuasive as you imagine. How are we supposed to report this now? We’ll be laughing stocks.”

  Emerson knew the something he was going to punch. “You insisted we follow her upstairs so she wouldn’t try to escape.” His wrists burned. “Did you have to tie the restraints so damn tight?”

  “The woman had a loaded pistol pointed at my head. Do you think she really tried to behead a duke?” Carlton gathered the scattering of gold coins that littered the mattress. “At least she was good enough to reimbursement me for her passage.” He held up two coins, “And a gown.”

  “How perfect for you.” Emerson ripped the cover off a pillow and attempted to wrap it around his waist. He reached over and snatched one of the coins from Carlton’s hand.

  “This will pay to replace my bloody pants.”

  Meet the Author

  Lisa A. Olech is an artist/writer living in her dream house nestled among the lakes in New England. She loves getting lost in a steamy book, finding the perfect pair of sexy shoes, and hearing the laughter of her men. Being an estrogen island in a sea of testosterone makes her queen. She believes in ghosts, silver linings, the power of a man in a tuxedo, and happy endings. For more please visit lisaolech.com.

  Be sure not to miss Lisa A. Olech’s sequel
to Within A Captain’s Hold and Within A Captain’s Treasure:

  Within A Captain’s Fate

  Read on for a special sneak peek of the next book in the Captains of the Scarlet Night series!

  Learn more about Lisa A. Olech http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/31711

  Chapter 1

  June 7, 1692

  Port Royal, Jamaica

  A wicked grin tugged across Henry “Ricochet” Robbins’s face. The Scarlet Night sat secure at the dock, and he was the first one off the ship after the captain dismissed the crew. His boots hit the wide, weathered boards of the pier and he set his sights on spending the next twenty-four hours drinking as much sweet rum as he could hold and enjoying the lusty pleasures of Port Royal.

  The last time he was here was over the winter’s careening of the Night. He’d filled his pockets with winnings from the billiards tables and caught the eye of a dark-skinned beauty who worked as a bar wench at the Rogue Wave Tavern. Ah, Teja. Did she have a last name? Didn’t matter. They’d spent four wild days and nights in her bed. She was the kind of woman a man could lose himself in and take a month finding his way out. Silken hair the color of midnight, whiskey-colored eyes, the sweetest mouth that could do the dirtiest things, and ample curves. More than ample. Just the way Ric liked his ladies. Soft, round, and plentiful.

  After being aboard ship for months, regaining his land legs had put an extra swag in Ric’s swagger. The noise, heat, and smells of Port Royal welcomed him home. This was his town.

  The Scarlet Night and Captain Quinn were on top of the heap, and he was the best swivel gunner there was. He could thread a six-pounder through a knothole at two hundred yards. He’d earned his nickname by cushioning a cannon shot off a rocky shoal and taking out a British mast—that, and he was in the habit of bouncing from woman to woman.

  The day had dawned sultry. After the constant breeze aboard ship, the airless swelter of Port Royal laid steamy upon his skin. Pushing his way through the crowds loitering about the docks, he headed straight for the Rogue Wave.