“Yes, sir.”
“And, Cam… Nice punch.”
With a quick nod she ran to her cabin, securely barricading the door. Flopping onto her bunk she shook out her sore hand, speculating on what motivated men to drink. At least Curtis drank coffee instead of rum.
Six
Hours later a heavy pounding on the cabin door drew her from a deep slumber. “Coming,” Cadence croaked toward the door, working to disentangle herself from the bedding. Stumbling to her feet she was thrown brutally against the bulkhead as the ship rolled violently into a deep trough. Fighting through the darkened cabin she snatched the hatch inward to find Curtis standing drenched before her door. The sight may have been erotic had she not become painfully aware of the raging storm threatening to swallow the Heavenly Mistress and her crew into oblivion.
“Jesus, Cam!” Curtis exclaimed. “You are the only man I know who can sleep through a goddamned hurricane!” Water poured in rivulets from his muscular frame. “Davy Jones himself could crash through your door and I doubt you’d be the wiser.” A glass lantern cast a meager glow of yellow light through the gangway. Curtis jerked his head in the direction of his quarters. “Get in there and find me some dry clothes while I give you your instructions.”
Struggling to maintain her footing against the precarious heaving of the ship, Cadence followed him from her quarters, nearly falling flat on her face.
“Cam!” Curtis whirled, grabbing her about the waist and hauling her against his side. “Try to walk on the deck and not my heels.” He dragged her bodily down the narrow passage into his cabin where he set her on unsteady feet and peeled the wet sweater from his glistening torso. He chucked it against a bulkhead as she stumbled forward and pitched against his naked back. He spun her around, until her cheek pressed against the broad expanse of his rain slicked chest. She was unable to form any sort of coherent thought or statement.
“Dry clothes,” he barked and she jumped backward to land heavily upon a wide backed chair and stared in wide-eyed wonder, horror, and fascination as the object of her only romantic interest proceeded to strip the remaining water-logged garments from his body until he stood in naked glory before her.
Oh, my God, she thought, unable to tear her innocent gaze from his glistening male form. If it was a sin for him to look so good fully clothed then it must be blasphemy to look so good without them. She took in every robust swell of his incredible body, the bronzed skin… the muscles… the scars… He positively sparkled in the pale glow of the lanterns, and she knew an intense desire to run her hands over that oh so trimly muscular body.
Her cheeks burned so hot even the poor lighting in the cabin couldn’t mask her embarrassment. Her salvation was in that Curtis was far too busy barking orders to note her shock. If he’d looked into her eyes at that precise moment he would have seen the innocent countenance Cadence Jamison not ‘Cam.’
She dove forward, jerking open one of the drawers under his bunk. After a moment of rifling, she hauled out a thick sweater, a heavy pair of trousers, and a brown slicker. She tossed them at him.
“I don’t want this,” he said, and tossed the brown oilskin back to her. “You wear it.”
She pulled the garment over her shoulders and followed him across the cabin. She bashed into the bulkhead, fighting a roiling of fear as the sea threatened to overwhelm the ship. Water crashed down the companion-way as she struggled to reach the deck, nearly washing her back down the stairs and onto the flat of her back. Gritting her teeth in growing determination she held fast to the wooden railing and dragged herself up and out. The heavens had unleashed fury upon the small ship’s crew and Cadence shrank away from the walls of water crashing over the deck. She watched Curtis cling to the rigging as he yelled briefly into the mate’s ear before turning back to her.
He grasped the front of her slicker. “Change of plans. I don’t want you up here. Go below and join MacKenzie and Grimm. We have to make sure the cargo is secure!” The roaring wind snatched the words from his mouth and he braced an arm protectively around her as a brutal gust nearly swept them both away. “Watch for sprung planks or any kind of leaks. If you see any, report back to me immediately, then lend old Jack a hand in the galley. These men,” he hollered, gesturing at the figures struggling along the deck, “are going to need food.”
Drenched to the bone despite the slicker, Cadence tore the useless thing from her body and made her perilous way into the belly of the ship. The hatches in bulkheads had already been well secured and she had to undog each one as she made her way to the different cargo holds, and dog it behind her until she caught up with the other two hands, both quite elderly compared to the rest of the crew. She was touched that Curtis had cared enough for the safety of ‘Cam the cabin boy’ and these older, not-so-strong and lively sailors, to get them off the deck. Grateful for the mate’s tutelage in basic seamanship, she helped the old hands as they added what lines were needed. Her hands were nearly as deft as theirs as they knotted and fastened the cargo nets to heavy hooks on the bulkheads and deck soles.
When she arrived at the galley, old Jack was already bustling about preparing thick sandwiches of meat and slabs of bread.”
“Captain sent me to help,” she stated matter-of-factly, and immediately set to work beside the burly man. Old Jack had obviously worked hard to secure his galley against the inevitable fury of mother-nature and everything appeared in its usual right fine order.
“Good, I could use the help!” Jack smiled and moved about the galley with an ease that bespoke surviving many such storms. “You look a might worried, boy.”
She nodded but never looked up from her work of hacking thick slices of meat from a still slightly warm leg of beef Jack had clearly cooked up before the storm got too severe.
“Don’t you worry none. Captain Langston and the crew know how to get the ship through the storm. She’s got sturdy oak timbers. I seen plenty of storms in my thirty or so years at sea. This is just a little squall.”
The “sturdy” oak timbers of The Heavenly Mistress groaned with the abuse and despite the cook’s soothing words, she trembled at the thought of being drawn forever into the inky black abyss.
Cadence threw herself into her work assisting the crewman who stumbled, exhausted, into the galley.
Where was Curtis? He was the one man she hadn’t seen pass through the galley. If any harm should befall him… she would be wrecked.
As though prompted by her thoughts Curtis suddenly appeared behind her. “Cam, I need your help out here.” Turning quickly to comply she was filled with an overwhelming relief at the sight of his powerful form unscathed.
Just as she stepped from the galley onto the companion-way leading to the deck, the hatch blew open, allowing a crush of water to sweep down the ladder-well. The sheer frigid water pummeling through the hatchway was a shock that quite literally took the air from her lungs. Swept unmercifully from her feet there was no time to react as a second torrent of water crashed through the narrow walkway washing her along the steep slant of the deck. A fleeting sense of impending doom flashed through her mind as her skull cracked sickeningly against a bulkhead.
* * *
“Cam!” Curtis cried out in sudden horror. God, but he should have followed his instincts and left the boy in the galley with Old Jack.
Rushing to the still form he reached with bated breath for the flutter of a pulse. A sigh of relief escaped Curtis’s lips as he scooped the young man into his arms, whisking him into his own quarters where the medicine chest was stowed. Setting him gently upon the bed he set to removing the boys sopping wet clothes. To closer inspect the head wound he gave the tweed cap a gentle tug. The oversize cap didn’t budge. Leaning closer, Curtis found the hat pinned into place.
Odd… crossed his mind but there was no time to dwell on it. He pulled out the pins and tugged the cap off. Curtis dropped straight to his knees as a shock of blond curls spilled forth framing the youthful face.
“Cadence,” he wh
ispered, reaching out to cup her delicate cheek. A multitude of tumultuous emotions filled him as he gazed upon the fragile features of the woman who’d captivated his mind since his last visit to Charleston.
Christ! To think I prided myself on never forgetting a face. How could I have been so stupid? So blind?
The worst of it was the bitter acid of being used rising in his throat. Curtis raked a hand through his wet hair, turning quickly to close the door. It wouldn’t do to have the rest of the crew find there was a pretty young maid in their midst. Returning to the bed he checked for any sign the girl had roused and the stillness he found caused his heart to constrict with cold dread. A rap on the door could not be ignored. He quickly covered her golden locks with a towel before opening the portal.
“How be the lad, Cap’n?” Mr. Bowen inquired anxiously.
Curtis gave a slight shake of the head. “I don’t know yet, but I’ll keep you posted. Fetch me the smelling salts from the medical case, then you’d best be back on deck. I’ll stand watch till the lad recovers his senses. Moving back to the bed he stood over the slender form of Cadence Jamison, wondering if it was a stroke of divine intervention or evil that had brought her to his bed. Wiping such thoughts from his mind he set to work tending the injured young woman.
Seven
Raising a tentative hand to the tender area at the back of her head Cadence cringed and burrowed more deeply into the cotton sheets enveloping her. Blissfully content and sleepy she inhaled deeply of the masculine cologne wafting through her senses. The ship rocked serenely indicating the storm the storm had gone.
“Good morning, Cadence.”
Her eyes flew instantly open as she shot bolt upright in bed. A searing pain exploded in her skull and she instantly regretted the movement as a wave of dizziness consumed her. Strong arms banded around her, easing the descent as she fell back onto the bed. When the world at last stopped spinning she opened her eyes and found herself mere inches from the handsome visage of Curtis Langston. One storm may well be over, but another was surely brewing right here in this cabin.
She snapped her eyes shut again.
He was seeing her, not Cam, and his eyes glowed with accusation.
“I thought there was something familiar about you from the beginning.” Curtis tapped a thoughtful finger against his jaw. “Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out?”
Cadence gulped, his words dripped with sarcasm, but really what had she expected?
With guilt laden spirits she met his gaze. “Curtis, I…” What could she say? There was really nothing to say. With a shrug she rose gingerly on an elbow. In that moment it dawned on her that she was not wearing her cabin boy attire. She shot to a sitting position once again. A large shirt with buttons down the front covered her and beneath it she was entirely bereft of clothing.
Her eyes widened in horror as she turned an accusing stare on Curtis. “You!” she squealed, clasping the sheet over her poorly concealed breasts, or rather poorly concealed body. “You undressed me, didn’t you?” No man had ever been allowed, much less taken, such liberties!
Pure mischief twinkled in Curtis’s eyes, toying at the corners of his mouth as he fought back a lopsided grin. His gaze roved leisurely over her breasts, no longer strapped flat by binding cloths, and down to her waist and legs covered by nothing more than his sheet. Cadence flushed beneath his heated stare. She may as well have been naked for all his suggestive leer implied and suddenly she missed her baggy canvas trousers and loose denim shirt.
“Would you have preferred one of the deckhands undressed you?” He raised his hands in casual dismissal of her accusation. “The boys would have bowed and called me god for such a gift.”
A hint of boyish fun rolled across his face so intoxicating Cadence nearly melted.
“But that is beside the point. You were soaking wet, and at the time, I believed you were a young man.” All good humor drained from his blue eyes. “Which brings me back to the situation at hand,” he learned forward clasping his hands together in front of him. “What are you doing on my ship cavorting about as a boy?”
She searched for the words to explain the situation. What had she been thinking? Had she really thought she’d get away with fooling him? “I’m sorry,” she said quietly, looking him directly in the eye. “I just needed to run away from my life. I—I couldn’t take it anymore.” Visions of crimson blood flashed before her eyes.
Curtis shook his head ruefully. “So you stowed away on a ship dressed as a cabin boy?” He stood and began pacing around the room. “I am not as dull witted as our days in the schoolhouse might have you believe,” he said coldly. “Do not assume I will be fooled by meager excuses.”
Cadence swallowed unsure if he expected a verbal response or if he meant to lecture her further.
“If you needed help why didn’t you just ask me for it?”
“And what would you have done?” Cadence threw her arms up in defense of her actions. “I’ll tell you what you woul—”
“How could you possibly have known what I would have done to help you?” Curtis spun on her. “I saw firsthand how your father treated you! If you had asked for my help I would have done—” He paused, blatant outrage sobering as unmistakable guilt filtered across his expression.
“Nothing,” Cadence finished for him.
“That is not true.” He stalked forward, towering over her. “I would have done something.”
Sitting half reclined on the bed—Curtis’s bed, watching him glower down at her, Cadence suddenly felt utterly vulnerable. Scooting to the end of the bed, she stood, flipping the tangle of curls saucily away from her neck she was totally unaware of the uninhibited view of her breasts bouncing beneath the thin fabric of the shirt, and the exposure of her long sleek legs.
* * *
Curtis was not so unaware and swallowed hard against the sudden throbbing in his head… and chest… and loins… he was in trouble.
“What, Curtis? What would you have done for a slip of a girl that you’re hardly acquainted with?” She closed the distance between them, jabbing a finger into his chest. “I didn’t know you well enough to ask for help! What would I have said ‘oh, Curtis please take me away with you on some grand adventure?’”
I probably would have agreed… Damn! He was in worse trouble than he’d initially realized.
“Oh, but sneaking aboard my ship disguised as a boy was certainly a much better alternative!” he prowled a half circle around her, letting his gaze drop to her perfectly round bottom, really he couldn’t help himself. “Or perhaps that was all part of your plan. Perhaps the whole idea was to sneak aboard The Mistress and trap me for your own ends. It’s exactly the sort of thing your sister would have done. Did your parents send you here?”
Cadence blanched visibly. Her violet eyes—the exact color of the sky after a gale—widened… hurt… and it ate at him.
“No,” she breathed, shaking her head vehemently. “No, Curtis, you can’t believe that!” She stepped forward imploringly. “I have no desire to trap you. I just needed to run away. This—” her sweeping gesture seemed to indicate the entire ship, “is my means of escape. You were never supposed to find out!”
“Do you really expect me to believe that?”
Before she could answer the ship rolled without warning and sent her sprawling into his sturdy chest. Instinctively Curtis caught her up in his arms and the contact sent electric shockwaves coursing through them both.
For a moment the contact seemed to suspend time. Their pale eyes locked and their breath mingled in the air. The soft golden tendrils of her thick hair tickled his chin and her full round breasts crushed against his chest chased all anger from his mind. In truth he was unable to form any thought other than how perfect and warm she felt in his arms, or how sweet her lips had tasted the night he’d kissed her in Charleston. A delicate pink blush crept into her cheeks as he gazed at her, the color of roses and ivory, and while she looked apprehensive, she made no attempt to pull aw
ay.
He was going to kiss her again. Cadence was sure of it. Her heart pounded, her palms curled into his shirt, and when he leaned in until there was naught but a hair’s width between them she was sure her heart would shatter in anticipation of the moment. Her eyes fluttered but didn’t close at the gentle touch. Pulling back slightly he gazed almost questioningly into her eyes before capturing her lips in a much hungrier exchange.
Cadence could not breathe as his lips pressed hard and firm, demanding, over her own. She didn’t want to breathe. This exchange was delicious, an exploration, as his mouth moved with confidence over hers. One elbow crooked around her neck drawing her face up and closer while the other locked around the small of her back. Instinctively her arms curled around his neck crushing her against the sculpted contours of his body. It was amazing. His body was hard and yielding all at the same time and in a way that made her hot… everywhere. His tongue dragged erotically across the crease of her lips urging them to part and when it dipped into her mouth she shuddered and emitted a small moan. This kiss went so far beyond the tingling sensation she’d experienced on the porch in Charleston, this kiss left her dizzy, reeling and desperate for more. She wanted to do this every minute of every day for the rest of eternity…
Cadence (Langston Brothers Series) Page 6
