by Merry Farmer
Chapter 6
Excited for another day aboard Callum’s ship, Ruby finished lacing up the bodice of her burgundy dress and slipped on her leather shoes, ready to join him on deck. Though she had enjoyed wearing breeches, Ruby had decided to don her dresses once more. Callum had seemed rather unhappy about her clothing choice the day before and even more upset about her being around his men. She could not understand why he cared so much but decided to call a truce and wear a comfortable dress.
Walking out into the sun, another glorious spring day awaited her and Ruby took a deep breath, knowing her days of freedom drew to an end with every hour that passed. She was not certain when they would reach London, but enough time aboard ship as a child had taught her that her home was not very far from London.
Spotting Callum speaking with Samuel, she smiled and felt the sun warm her face while anticipation warmed the rest of her body with each step bringing her closer to him. He was a Scot and though most English were bred to consider them primitive and violent, Ruby knew better. They were a proud, repressed people who fought for what they believed in and preferred death over being controlled by a monarch they did not call their own. Though, there was more to Callum than she understood, it was a story he kept buried deep within. She longed to know his truths yet feared she never would.
When he saw her approaching, there was a look in his eyes and he raised his brow. Appreciation was written in his features but she was not certain if it was because of her decision to wear a dress or for how she looked in it. Though she hoped for the latter, it was only the night before that he had rejected her. Although, something had changed between them this morning. He had seen her nearly undressed and he did not seem displeased. And though she knew that a maiden should feel ashamed, she felt only excitement, which proved to her that she was more wicked and wanton than perhaps she should be. Yet, it had been an accident, a situation that arose unexpectedly, and feeling his hands on her, even if by mistake, had made her tingle all over, as did the feel of his hard rod pressed against her backside. And the look in his eyes told her he was remembering those moments, as well.
“Good morning,” she said with a smile to Samuel, who tipped his hat and took her hand up to his mouth for a quick kiss.
“Mornin’ to ye, Miss Berry. ‘Tis a lovely day, is it not? But my keen nose smells a storm brewing. Make no mistake, we will feel the sea’s wrath by nightfall.”
Ruby nodded and took a deep breath, having sensed the same, yet too focused on Callum to have truly recognized it until just now.
“I believe you are correct,” she said, looking at Callum who now intently looked out to the horizon. Though he played at studying the weather, Ruby felt he was intentionally avoiding her. Most women would pine for a man’s attentions, but Ruby knew better than that. She had no need to, for she was to marry another man. But for now, she understood that the man wanted what he could not have. Deciding to avoid him as well, Ruby turned away and stepped up to Samuel, linking arms with him and smiling up at his mature yet handsome face. “What else do you sense, Mister Smith?”
Samuel gave her a wide grin and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a fatherly embrace. “I sense an opportunity, ye ken.”
Looking up at him quizzically, Ruby shook her head in confusion. “I am sorry, but I do not ‘ken’,” she replied, liking the sound of the Scottish word on her tongue. “An opportunity for what?”
“For riches, perhaps. Freedom for ye…” leaning in, Samuel whispered into her ear. “And mayhap even love.” He waggled his brows and she frowned, not understanding. He gestured over his shoulder with a nod of his head, and she followed his cue, seeing Callum standing close by intentionally ignoring them.
“Oh, well. That is impossible. You know I am to be married once we reach London.”
Making a tsking sound, Samuel guided her over to the rail of the ship and they stared down at the water splashing against the hull. “I dinnae ken what ye marrying that Englishman has to do with loving Callum, or him loving ye.”
Feeling her face flush, Ruby cleared her throat. “Oh, no. You have it all wrong, Mister Smith. I am here because Callum invited me to have a few days of freedom before I marry William. He felt for my plight, and that was all.”
“Whatever ye say, Miss. I can tell ye that I have kenned him his entire life. I was his father’s first mate before his. He has never invited a woman to sail with us. Make of that what ye will.”
Ruby pursed her lips and nodded, not at all sure she agreed with his version of events. It was clear Callum was attracted to her. But what he spoke of—love—was something else entirely. She and Callum shared an adventurous spirit and a love of the sea, but that was all. There was no love between them and she was quite sure he could not wait to be rid of her.
“Mister Smith, when will we reach the harbor of London?”
“Oh, Capt’n believes we shall arrive by tomorrow night. From there, we will secure ye a carriage to take ye to yer man.”
Tomorrow? Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest. This journey had only just begun and already it was at an end. And, though Callum may be glad to be rid of her, she felt a keen pain at the thought of never seeing him again, never knowing his mysteries, or feeling his kiss again. Looking over her shoulder, Ruby caught Callum watching her and Samuel, but he quickly looked away and scowled once more. No, he did not love her. The man did not even like her. She was a burden, stuck by his side until they reached their destination.
Sighing, Ruby looked at Samuel and leaned in. “I assume you can manage the ship for a few moments without Callum? I have a few things I would like to discuss with him in private, if I may.”
Raising a brow, Samuel grinned at her. “Of course I can, Miss. I think ye and the Capt’n have much to sort out, indeed.”
She was not at all certain what Samuel believed she planned to discuss with Callum that would require such a reaction, but in the end, it was not his business. Ruby only had one day left with Callum, the man who had risked much simply to allow her some freedom for a few days, and not only did she wish to thank him, she had some questions for him that needed answering before she disembarked from the ship.
Walking over to Callum, who stared determinedly out to sea, Ruby stepped in front of him to snap him out of whatever deep thoughts had him in such a daze. “Callum?”
“Aye?” he replied but did not break his concentration or look at her. It was as if he looked through her, as if she was naught more than an insect buzzing around his head that he wished to swat away. Well, damn it all, he had invited her onto this ship and seemed determined to keep her near, yet at arm’s length all the cursed time, and the tension between them was becoming more than she could bear.
“I wish to speak with you.”
“Speak, then.”
“In private, if you please.”
“And if I dinnae please?”
Putting her hands on her hips, Ruby got on her tiptoes, trying fruitlessly to reach his eye level. “We can discuss our… situation this morning in front of your crew, if you prefer.”
“’Tis not as if they havenae kenned me to awaken with a lassie’s breasts in my hands.” He shrugged and finally looked down at her, giving her a smug grin. Was he trying to anger her? Perhaps make her jealous? Oddly, it was working and that only raised her hackles more.
“Curse you, Callum! Will you come speak with me or not?” Ruby stomped her foot in frustration and stormed down the steps onto the main deck and toward his cabin without looking back. She did not even care if he followed her or not. He had offered to take her to London, had promised her the right to make her own choices during the journey, yet he constantly went to war with everything she asked for.
Opening the cabin door, Ruby stepped in and tried to shut it behind her, but Callum stuck his booted foot through just in time. When he stepped in and shut the door, turning to look at her with his large arms crossed over his chest like a man interrupted, she rolled her eyes and turned away.
“I had wished to thank you for offering to take me, you lout! I am trying to get along with you, but every time I think we can, you grow sour once more and treat me like I am no more than a stowaway! But make no mistake, I am here because you suggested I disappear until William’s ship was gone! Yet nothing I do or say can satisfy you, and so far every decision I have tried to make has been rejected!”
Callum stepped closer with his arms still crossed and looked down at her with narrowed eyes. “Ye mean like yer decision to wear breeches that form to yer arse like a second skin and then dance and drink ale with my men? Or yer decision to ask fer another kiss from me as we sail toward yer betrothed? I apologize if I am only trying to save ye from making mistakes and having regrets.” His tone of voice was cold and somehow, without even having raised his voice, he had scolded her in the worst way possible.
“I have been coddled and protected for years, forced to wear painfully heavy dresses with tight bodices that restrict my breathing, never allowed to decide anything for myself! I used to be allowed on the ships, but after my cousin died on her father’s ship, my father grew worried and protective, doing all he could to keep me away from the family business and tucked away indoors! ‘Tis why he betrothed me to William, who vowed to keep me as a little wife who does naught but bear his children and mend his clothing while he sails the seas and has his own freedoms!”
“’Tis the way of the world and has been for centuries. Ye cannae expect much more.”
“Why do you hate me?” Ruby whispered, feeling herself shatter as his words cut her like a million shards of broken glass spraying down on her body. “I know you do not believe that. You would not have brought me here if you did. You said you understood me. Now you wish to simply treat me the same way every other man does. What have I done to make you treat me so?”
Callum growled and spun away from her, pacing the floor of his cabin for a few seconds before facing her again. “What have ye done? Ye really want to ken the answer to that, Ruby?”
“Yes! I do! What have I done to earn your perpetual scorn, Callum Campbell?”
Striding over to her, Callum grabbed Ruby’s waist and pulled her against his body, making her gasp when his lips crashed down on hers almost painfully, like he was a man dying of thirst and she was the only oasis in a vast desert. She wanted to melt into his arms, wrap herself around him and feel his lips on hers all night long, but instead, she pushed him away. “What are you doing?” she whispered, quivering so fiercely she feared her knees would give out on her and she would fall to the ground like a ridiculous woman.
“I am kissing ye, just as ye asked!” he shouted, and she pulled away even more, feeling anger and resentment building inside her gut, making her feel ill inside with some unknown emotion. It felt like need, the need for acceptance, like longing for companionship and love… but not from any man. She wanted all of it from this man who only kissed her because she asked, not because he felt the same. In the end, he was naught more than a womanizing pirate, incapable of such things.
”So, that is all then? You are angry at me for asking you to kiss me? Well I am sorry, Lord Argyll. I vow never to put you in such a position again. I did not believe you were a man of such morality. I am sorry I offended you. By the morrow, I will no longer be your problem.”
Ruby turned up her nose and spun on her heel, marching toward the door, determined to be away from Callum before he witnessed her weakness as tears began to flood her eyes.
Before she could make it to the door, she felt herself being dragged back by the arm once more and quickly turned around to scold him. “Callum!” she cried. “Just leave me alone! You have made yourself perfectly clear!”
His large hands wrapped around her waist as he slowly guided her backwards until she felt the wooden wall pressed against her back.
“Have I? I dinnae think I have, lass.” His forehead pressed against hers and she looked up into his light green eyes, her heart beating wildly as she tried to catch her breath. His tanned skin was a contrast to her alabaster English tone, but it only stood as testament to the lifestyle he lived upon a ship, with the warmth of the sun shining down on him all day. It was exciting yet it saddened her to know she would never share that life.
“Then what is your point, Lord Argyll?” she whispered, feeling his breath fanning her face as hers escaped in short pants.
“Ye have caused me a problem, indeed. That is my point.”
Ruby struggled to break away, wishing to kick him in the shin. Must he always insult her very existence? “Then do leave me be! And I will cease to cause you trouble.” More tears rolled down her cheeks and she hurried to wipe them away, but it was futile. More continued to flow until she could hardly see. Curse this man. If he hated her so much, why would he not just let her go?
Shaking his head, Callum narrowed his eyes and bit his bottom lip in a way that made Ruby tingle from toe to scalp. “The problem is that I cannae stop thinking of ye, Ruby!” he nearly shouted, and Ruby crinkled her brow with confusion. “Curse the devil, ye have consumed my thoughts!”
“I… I did not mean to…” she stuttered, shaking her head slowly and looking at him carefully, feeling something tug at her heart. It could not be joy, for there was no hope for them. She would be gone from him on the morrow and William’s wife a few days after that. But to know he reciprocated her feelings made her stomach flutter as if a hundred butterflies took flight simultaneously.
“I ken ye didn’t. That is what makes ye even more exasperating!”
“Well… well..” She stumbled on her words, trying to find a way to express how she felt about him, as well. He thought she was exasperating? He was the most complicated man she had ever known! Why would he yell at her for his own feelings? “I feel the same way!” she shouted at him, pushing against his chest and feeling hard ridges of muscle beneath her hands, which only reminded her of how he looked without his tunic on. Her cheeks grew hot and she knew she was blushing. Curse her fair skin for betraying her every emotion!
“You feel the same? That ye think I am exasperating? Or that ye cannae stop thinking of me?” he persisted, locking his eyes on hers, awaiting an answer.
“Yes.”
“To which one?”
“Y-yes,” she responded, knowing she was being stubborn. Why was it so hard to say how she felt? Yes, she was due to marry another man, but was she not allowed to have her own thoughts, emotions, and the right to express them?
“Devil’s bollocks, Ruby! Yes to what?” he shouted.
“All of it, curse you! I have only known you three days and yet it feels like three years! How can that be? I am honestly asking, because it makes no sense to me! Yes, you are exasperating! The most frustrating man I have ever known! And yes, I cannot stop thinking of you for even a moment! I want to be near you, then I wish to run away!”
“What do ye want, Ruby?” he asked with a sudden softness, running a finger over her cheek so gently that her eyes closed and a sigh left her parted lips. “Tell me.”
“You,” she whispered. “I want you, Callum Campbell.”
“Ye already have me, lass.” Leaning in, Callum touched his lips to hers, gentle at first but as she pressed herself closer to him, he seemed to lose all control of himself, deepening the kiss, slipping his tongue inside her mouth. She groaned, loving the feel of his tongue on hers once again. It was the single most sensual feeling she had ever had, the way they melded together, a fever burning between them.
His hands rested on her hips and she wrapped hers around his neck, pulling him even closer. She could feel every inch of him pressed against every inch of her, feel the hard length of his manhood pressing against her belly. She remembered how it had felt against her bare skin only a few hours ago, remembered the feel of his calloused palm resting on her breast. How she longed to relive those moments with him.
When his hand started slowly exploring the rest of her body, in
ching hesitantly toward her breasts, she felt an ache deep within that she had never felt more strongly in all her life. Her nipples grew harder and sensitive, straining to be in his palms once more. Ruby pressed against him, trying to communicate without words that she wanted his touch, needed it.
He moaned and pushed himself into her, trapping Ruby even tighter between him and the wall. Deftly, his fingers tugged at the laces of her bodice and she felt the linen fabric grow slack as he continued to devour her mouth, his tongue dancing with hers, mimicking all the wanton things he wished to do with her body.
“Good God, Ruby,” he murmured when his mouth traveled down to her throat and his hands slid her dress and shift down her shoulders at the same time. “Ye are so beautiful. And ye taste so good.” Never had she heard a man tell her that she tasted good, and something about those words made her want so much more. Tilting her head back, Ruby gave him better access to her neck, shivering when his tongue slid down its length as his hands cupped her exposed breasts.
When his thumbs ran across the hard tips of her nipples, Ruby groaned and instinctively arched her back into his touch. “Ye like that, do ye?” he asked, his mouth now kissing her collarbone, his hot breath trailing over her flesh. “Tell me, Ruby.”
“Yes! God, yes…” Ruby sighed, then gasped when his warm tongue flicked over her nipple, and she looked down, feeling another intense wave of desire wash over her when she saw him gently taking her breast into his mouth. “Oh, my,” she groaned.
“Ye are…” Callum slid his tongue across her breast and over to the other, giving it the same loving attention. “Absolute perfection,” he whispered before latching onto the other breast and sucking it until her knees felt weak and her hands were pulling at his dark hair.
“Callum…”
He murmured a reply but she could not understand his words when he was still fondling her nipple with his tongue. Sliding his tongue back up her neck, Callum took her lips once more in a kiss so full of need that Ruby felt as if she may swoon. She was not at all certain how far this was going or what Callum intended, but she was certain she would allow him to do absolutely anything he wished, even take her maidenhead, and damn the consequences. She may regret it one day, but right now, her body craved to be touched by him.
