Once Upon a Pirate: Sixteen Swashbuckling Historical Romances

by Merry Farmer

  At last, she opened her eyes to bright daylight. The ship no longer heaved from side to side, and the pounding of the rain was gone to be replaced by a gentle patter against the window. She could not hear the wind at all.

  The knot securing her to the bunk was easy enough to unravel, and soon she was out of bed, her nose pressed to the glass in the tiny window, looking out at a sea which was relatively calm, though storm clouds rolled across the sky. Still, they seemed to have weathered it intact.

  She turned at the sound of the door opening behind her. The captain entered. He was soaked to the skin and looked exhausted. He sank into the chair beside his desk and regarded her with concern.

  “Are you all right, Ruby? I am sorry, I could not get back down here to check on you again.”

  “I was fine, thanks to your idea of tying me to the bunk.”

  He managed a wry grin. “Always my pleasure. If ever you feel like being tied to my bed again, you need only ask.”

  “Captain!” She was shocked and was quite sure that was absolutely the correct response. Even so, she could not hide her smile. It was not such a dreadful notion. “Are you… I mean, do you have time to stay awhile? You should rest. You have been up the entire night. You must be exhausted.”

  He nodded. “I was hoping to catch a few hours in my own bed, and since you appear to have vacated it, at least for now, I intend to do exactly that.”

  “Oh, yes, of course.” She scurried back to the bed to straighten the covers. “Please, I have kept you from your own quarters long enough. Maybe I could sleep elsewhere, and you would be able to reclaim your cabin.”

  “Ruby, I do not believe it would be a good idea for you to start bunking down with my crew.” He began to peel his soaked clothing away, first the loose-fitting shirt, then his boots. “And, you are staring.”

  “Oh, yes, I apologise.” She faced the wall and tried not to dwell upon the ripple of muscle she had glimpsed as he had drawn the shirt over his head or reached to unlace his boots. And she was quite determined not to even start to imagine the sight he would present once he removed his breeches. “Maybe we could take it in turns to use the bunk,” she called over her shoulder.

  “Yes, we could,” he agreed.

  “Or…or perhaps we could share. I mean, it is a fairly large bunk, and I am sure we could both…well…”

  “Ruby, are you trying to seduce me?”

  “No! Of course not. I would never dream…”

  Liar.

  Apparently, Captain Falconer thought so, too. He chuckled softly and came to stand close behind her. She gasped when he lifted her hair from her neck and dropped a soft kiss right in the nape.

  “Well, Ruby, I certainly wish you would. But not right now. I fear I am too tired to do you justice. When I have had a few hours’ sleep, however, I intend to reopen this discussion.”

  Chapter 6

  He woke, stretched. Despite the labours of the previous night, the running battle with the capricious forces of nature which he and his crew had fought valiantly and won, this time, he felt refreshed. Of late, Will had become accustomed to grabbing his sleep when he could, where he could, usually in the corner of his wheel deck since the comforts of his cabin had been taken over by his guest. It was a luxury to enjoy a few well-earned hours in his own bunk.

  Her presence might be seen as an inconvenience, but his initial concern and urge to protect had deepened in the days she had been in his care. Will found himself more and more attracted to the nameless woman.

  No, not nameless. She was Ruby, at least to him. And she was currently curled up in the chair beside his desk, her attention on a book she must have found among the small library he liked to have about him. Yet more proof, if that were needed, that she was of gentle stock since it was rare indeed for servants or slaves to be literate.

  He propped himself up on one elbow to watch her as she remained oblivious to him. She used her good hand to tuck a stray lock of russet hair behind her ear, then turned the page. He wondered what she was reading.

  “Ruby.”

  She started. “Oh, you are awake.”

  “I am. Come here, Ruby.”

  “Sir?” She set the book aside and got to her feet.

  “It was your suggestion that we should share the bed. Shall we see if you are right and there is, indeed, room for both of us?”

  “But…it is the middle of the day, Captain.”

  “I fail to see the relevance. The bunk is the same size, regardless of the hour.”

  “I meant, we cannot both be in bed, at this time of day. It is not decent.”

  “I have never claimed to be decent, Ruby. Come here, or I shall be obliged to come and fetch you.”

  He waited, held his breath. Then, she moved. Slowly, one bare foot after the other, she made her way to him. He slung back the blanket to enable her to settle beside him, then drew it over the pair of them when she lay at his side.

  She was rigid, staring at the ceiling. Will took a lock of her hair between his fingers and enjoyed the silky softness of the strands. His gaze was drawn to the open neck of the shirt, borrowed from him. He wondered what her reaction might be if he was to slide his hand beneath…

  “I… I do not think I have ever done this before.”

  He raised an eyebrow at her hesitant admission. “Are you starting to remember?”

  She shook her head. “No, but I am convinced of it. I have never shared a bed with a man not my husband.”

  “You have a husband?”

  “I… I cannot remember. It is just… I know what is to happen, between us. How would I know such things if I was not married?”

  How indeed?

  But she was probably correct. Will sensed that his Ruby had been, in some other, previous life, a lady of some social standing, respectable and law-abiding until fate intervened and dropped her in his path. Still, there were worse fates, as she had already discovered.

  “Nothing will happen between us unless you wish it, Ruby. I have never forced a woman in my life, and I do not mean to start with you.”

  “I know that. I… I am willing. It is just…difficult.”

  “Difficult how?” He nudged the open collar of her shirt with his fingertips.

  “You make me feel…not myself.”

  “Mmm. How so?” He pushed the fabric away from her shoulder and kissed her delicate skin.

  Ruby shuddered. “Like that. You make me tingle. I am quite sure I do not regularly feel such sensations, nor such urges.”

  “You should. Every woman should tingle.” He opened his mouth to suck on the point of her shoulder for several moments. “Tell me of these urges you are experiencing.”

  “I want you. I want…this.” She tilted her head to expose more of her neck to him. “I like it when you kiss me. When you touch me…”

  He unfastened a button, then another. Now he was able to open the front of the shirt to expose one delicate, rosy-tipped breast. Since she raised no objections, he left a trail of kisses from her shoulder to her nipple, then flicked the pink bud with his tongue.

  Ruby gasped and arched her back, then winced.

  Will paused. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No, I hurt myself. I should not have moved so quickly.”

  He cursed himself silently. She was still so fragile. What was he thinking?

  “It is my fault. Too soon…”

  “No! No, it is not. Please, please do not stop.”

  “I do not wish to hurt you.”

  “You will not, I know it. You will be gentle and kind, as always. And you will make me tingle, as you did in the bath. Please, Captain…” She lifted her good hand to caress his cheek. “Please, I do want this, I truly do.”

  Will was not a man to ignore such an invitation. He lowered himself over her and brushed his lips across hers. Ruby opened her mouth and touched her tongue to his. He deepened the kiss, slanting his mouth over hers, and spearing his tongue into her warmth. Exploring, dancing, tangled together, they
played. He rolled onto his back, pulling her with him so she lay on top.

  Now, she was kissing him, and he allowed her to take the lead for a short while, just enough time for him to dispose of the remaining buttons on her shirt and ease it from her shoulders.

  As soon as she was as naked as he was, apart from the strapping which still encased her torso, he eased her back onto the mattress. Now he was able to peruse the length of her body, and he did so, his appreciation apparent in the further hardening of his cock which now nudged the side of her bare hip.

  She must feel it and know the effect she had on him.

  Some residual bruising left smudges and shadows on her porcelain skin, but otherwise she was quite, quite perfect. He cupped her breast and rubbed the nipple, then bent to take it between his lips. He suckled on her, and she writhed beneath him. If her ribs were tender, she ignored that minor detail. He shifted to the other breast and treated it to the same gentle teasing.

  Ruby twisted her fingers in his hair. He moved lower, leaving a trail of light kisses across her stomach, pausing to dip his tongue into the pretty little dimple of her navel, then continued on to stroke his knuckles through the soft, red-gold curls at the apex of her thighs. The colour intrigued him. Even here…

  He nuzzled the downy softness, then reached to place his hand beneath her right knee and lifted it to open her for him.

  She did not resist. He paused again to admire the silky sweetness of her nether lips, already glistening with moisture. He trailed the backs of his fingers through her folds, then raised his gaze to meet hers. “You are truly lovely. I am sure you have been told this before, but I felt the moment called for it.”

  “I am not, but you are kind to suggest such a thing.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You are beautiful. Why would you think otherwise?”

  “I am too thin. And I have the body of a boy.”

  He halted his explorations, surprised at her words. “Madame, you do not. You most certainly do not.”

  She managed a wry laugh. “You know what I mean.”

  “I cannot even start to comprehend what you mean. You are slender, elegant, sensual, and utterly exquisite. Any man who would suggest otherwise is blind or a fool, probably both.”

  She stared at him, clearly wanting to believe his words but hesitant, too. Will determined that the usefulness of this conversation was exhausted, it was time for action. His gaze still holding hers, he lowered his head until he was able to draw his tongue the length of her slit.

  Ruby stiffened and would have closed her legs but for his arm holding her knee high.

  “Sir! Captain, you should not—”

  “I should, and I will.”

  “But—”

  Her protests dissolved into a deep, low moan when he parted her inner lips with his fingers and circled her entrance with his tongue. She drew in a sharp breath, then exhaled. Her next breath was slow, through her nose. Her rigid body relaxed, softened, and she let out a contented sigh.

  Will continued to taste, to tease. He lapped at her juices, savouring the sweet, musky taste of her. Soon, Ruby’s fingers were entangled in his hair, and she writhed against the mattress. Her arousal grew, built, then erupted in a crescendo of shudders and gasping moans. He allowed her a few moments to settle again, then slid two fingers deep into her hot wetness.

  “Oh, dear Lord!” Ruby let out a ragged cry and convulsed again.

  He thrust his fingers in and out, noting what manner of stimulation seemed to bring forth the strongest reaction. Did she respond better to fast and deep, or to slower, shorter thrusts? His fingers did their work, while the pad of his thumb found her clitoris. He rubbed, caressed, stroked, and had his reward when she soared for him again.

  She lay motionless, her eyes closed, her breathing deep, a slight smile playing across her lips. Will eased himself over her, his hips between her thighs. He reached for his erection and positioned himself at her entrance.

  “Ruby,” he growled. “If you are to say no, it has to be now.”

  Dear Lord, let her not say no.

  Her smile widened. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

  “Yes,” she breathed. “Oh, yes, please.”

  The sensation as he eased his solid cock into her was familiar, though in a distant and indistinct way. She was reminded of…something…yet this was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. He was big, stretching her. but achingly gentle as he entered. Her body, already aroused beyond her imagining, parted to welcome him.

  She lifted her legs, wrapped them around his waist, and crossed her ankles in the small of his back. He pulled almost fully out of her, then rocked his hips and filled her again. Curious sensations assailed her. Waves of pleasure surged from where their bodies joined and rushed out to the tips of her fingers and toes. She squeezed her inner muscles tight, seeking more friction, greater intensity.

  He seemed able to read her thoughts, interpret her desires even when she could not. He teased her with several short, jabbing strokes, then buried himself deep again. She was amazed to recognise once more the first stirrings of a climax. It grew, gathered strength, built, and suddenly flooded her veins in a surge of white-hot bliss. She hung on to him, her legs clinging to his body, her arms tight about his neck. He was her anchor in a maelstrom of swirling lust, solid, dependable, her protector and pleasure-giver.

  I could love you.

  She clung to him harder, hung on as though her life depended upon it. Her senses reeled, she was spinning, floating, drifting. Eventually she sank slowly back down to earth.

  Her pirate continued to move within her, his thrusts becoming more insistent, his own breathing laboured. He supported his weight on his hands and let out a hoarse shout at the same time as hot semen filled her.

  She did not move, had no desire to. Ever. He was still inside her, though softening now. She did not want to part. This had been, perhaps, the most beautiful memory she had ever created. Oh, she desperately hoped so, and she yearned for the moment to never end.

  The captain moved first. He rolled onto his side, though he kept his arms around her and drew her against his wide chest. He smelled spicy, slightly of sweat, a great deal of male. She detected the aromas of sun and sea and sand upon his skin, and something more, too. The scent of arousal? Of satisfaction?

  Oh God, she hoped so. Please, do not let him be disappointed.

  “Ruby, are you all right?”

  She nodded, her face resting against his chest.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “No, Captain.” Dare she ask him what he had thought of the entire affair? She hauled in a deep, fortifying lungful of air, then, “Were you…were you pleased? With me, I mean…”

  “Ruby?”

  He sounded uncertain. Her heart sank, just a little. “Was it all right?” she persisted. She had to know, regardless of how much the truth might hurt.

  “Hell, yes.” He leaned over to peer at her. “Why would you think otherwise?”

  “I am not sure. I just… I do not think I am terribly good at…at lovemaking.”

  “Believe me, madame, you are.” He kissed her, first on the forehead, then on the mouth.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I have some experience in these matters, and yes, I am absolutely certain.” He settled back down and gathered her close again. “The better I come to know you, the more convinced I am that you have been associating with some very questionable men, that you would even start to imagine otherwise.”

  She lay still, thinking until her skull ached with it, trying to recapture even the most tenuous sliver of recollection. Long after her pirate had returned to his duties on the Falcon and left her in the bunk with instructions to rest and relax, she wrestled with the layers of foggy darkness which enveloped her memories. There must be something, some clue, anything to reveal her true identity and explain why she harboured such a low opinion of herself.

  What certainties did she once hold that were now lost to her?<
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  “We have sighted the harbour at Santa Laura. We should be there by nightfall.”

  She looked up from the book she was reading, a collection of the poems of Ben Jonson. The smile she sent his way was forced. “You will be pleased to see your home again, Captain.”

  “Santa Natalia is not my home, though the place serves me well enough as a base.”

  “No, I suppose it is not. You are English, so I expect you grew up there.”

  He strolled across the cabin and helped himself to a mug of wine from a jug brought down earlier by one of his crew. “Actually, I grew up in New Orleans, though I have not returned for some years. There was a…misunderstanding…with the authorities there, following which I considered it prudent to take my leave somewhat quickly.”

  “Oh, that is sad. Do you have family there?”

  “A sister, that is all.”

  “You must miss her.”

  He shrugged. “Sometimes. She is much younger than I, so we were not close as children, but I was always fond of her and I do wonder how she fares.”

  “If you are correct and I am also from New Orleans, perhaps I know her.”

  The captain smiled and finished his wine. “I doubt she would move in your circles, madame. Now, we must prepare for seeing you safe ashore.”

  “Oh. Yes, I suppose we must.” Her heart sank. Inside, she cringed in fear, though she tried not to show it. How would she manage in this strange land, alone, friendless, with no idea who she was or what she ought to do?

  “I have no lady’s clothing to offer you, but we can purchase some items in Santa Laura. Can you manage for now in a shirt of mine and a pair of breeches? The smallest among my crew is the lad, Tom. I have instructed him to ensure that he washes his spare pants most thoroughly, and I will reward him for their loan with a new outfit.”

  “Thank you, Captain. I… I am sure that will do well enough. If you keep a tally of what I owe you, for the clothes and…and anything else, I shall endeavour to repay you as soon as I am able.”

  “That will not be necessary.” He strode to the door. “I shall leave you now in order to see us safely docked, but I shall have the clothes sent down. Until later, Ruby.”