He ground his teeth together. “No more pranks. Follow a few simple rules.
That way, we all have a good voyage, and you reach your aunt in one piece.”
-41-
Shelley Bradley
His words made sense, and his request didn’t sound too difficult. It didn’t sound very exciting, either. Then again, her stint on a pirate ship had not been nearly as thrilling as she’d hoped. At least he’d finally agreed to take her to Aunt Mary. Perhaps she should agree to his terms, but she was too tired to think clearly. “What kind of cooperation?”
“One, report at six every morning and six every evening for duty in the galley. Two—”
“Six in the morning?” Christina groaned. “Is the sun even up at that hour?”
He laughed. “The discipline will do you good.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve had my share of discipline. I find its value overrated.”
A scowl turned his full mouth down at the corners. “But if you want to stay on my ship in one piece, you will obey. Rule number two, don’t go on deck without me.”
“I cannot breathe fresh air without your permission?”
He cocked a brow above that black mask. “Three, don’t disobey me again.
That doesn’t sound too hard, does it, Lilli?”
Christina tried to meet his gaze. A wave of exhaustion engulfed her and she found herself groping for the support of his desk, instead.
At her silence, he turned his watchful eyes to her. In mute apprehension, she observed his approach and unwavering dark gaze, bracketed by the implacable black of his mask. He came closer, too close. Christina, confronted by his raw power, stepped back.
Her retreat wasn’t fast enough. The Black Dragon reached for her chin and lifted her face to his gaze. He studied her for a long, suspended moment.
Christina wished she could read his thoughts. Did he want to kiss her again, or just kill her?
“You look ready to collapse.”
Piqued, Christina jerked her chin from his grasp. “Your concern is a tad belated, Captain.”
He ignored her sarcasm. “When did you last sleep, Lilli?”
-42-
The Lady and the Dragon
His gentle whisper soaked into Christina’s senses. Closing aching lids over gritty eyes, she struggled to open them again. “The night before I came on board.”
“Four days ago?”
His astonishment was audible, thrilling Christina with a shot of satisfaction, even as her heavy eyes slid shut again.
“Damn it,” he swore as he reached for her. Before Christina could protest, he swept her up in his arms, against his chest, and strode to the door opposite his bed. With a dazed sense of unreality, she noted it opened to another smaller, less colorful cabin.
In two strides, he set her on her feet and turned her about. Before Christina knew his intent, he’d dispensed with the fastenings of her dress with the deftness of a lady’s maid.
The garment slid off her shoulders, whispered down her body, to pool in a heap of stained pink twill at her feet. She looked from her dress to the captain over the ridge of her near-naked shoulder. He stared back wordlessly. The muscles in his jaw flexed as his fingers encircled her waist.
His touch was firm and hot. He nearly encircled her middle with his huge hands. Apprehension and excitement crashed through her. Maybe he had cast aside his intent and decided to ravish her. She should blast him and send him away, a fuzzy part of her mind realized. Instead, she stared.
Behind her, he stood. Memory reminded her of his shoulders, wide and taut. And, peering over her shoulder, she couldn’t miss his chest, inch after inch defined by hard labor and half-exposed by the black vest he wore. His skin rippled like molten gold stretched tautly over muscle and sinew. She swallowed.
“Turn around,” he demanded.
“Unhand me.” She struggled in his grip. Why couldn’t she yell, tell him she would not be manhandled? Blast her weariness!
The captain ignored her. His hands worked at her petticoats next. She tried stepping away to avoid this invasion of her person, but he pulled her back to him with the ties.
-43-
Shelley Bradley
Her back collided with his chest, searing and unyielding. He raised his hands to clasp her bare shoulders and steady her, igniting a head-to-toe spark.
His fingers were gentle as he drew her closer. His warm exhalations on her neck sent a shiver through her. She struggled for her next breath. How could he make her feel so shaky and hot at once?
“Stay still.” His whisper sounded oddly choked.
As soon as the petticoats puddled about her feet, he lent his fingers to her corset. This had to stop. The hot, fluttering sensations swirling through her resembled those her married cousins had tittered about. She refused to believe she could feel so wantonly about a pirate who, according to rumor, ravished nuns. She could not want a man who ordered her about like a child. She was simply tired.
With the last of her energy, she turned to face him, arms crossed protectively over her breasts. “I can finish the rest.”
Heat blazed across his taut face, lighting his black eyes. He drew in a deep breath. “Maybe it’s better that you do.”
* * *
The following morning, Drex lingered around the kitchen, waiting for Lilli to appear. He didn’t want to see her of course, just make certain she followed orders.
Who was he fooling? Visions of Lilli’s naked shoulders, the narrow curve of her waist, the downy skin at the nape of her neck, tortured him all night long.
He still hadn’t quite forgotten the catchy little gasps she made when he kissed her. His imagination fueled fantasies about the sounds she’d make during climax.
If he was smart, he would avoid touching her again. Hell, he should avoid even thinking about touching her. She was too willful, too mischievous. If he wasn’t careful, Lilli could work her way into his head and distract him from his goals.
Six-thirty arrived; Lilli didn’t. He wasn’t surprised.
-44-
The Lady and the Dragon
With long strides, he made his way to his cabin, wondering if the woman could do anything she was told. Subservience clearly wasn’t one of her virtues.
He paused before her door and heard… humming? Temper cresting like a tidal wave, he flung the door open.
With a gasp, she snapped her gaze up to meet his and stood half-naked, frozen in open-mouthed shock. The room seemed to shrink around them, slowly squeezing the air from Drex’s lungs.
In a single glance, he took in the view he had avoided last night: Lilli’s long legs bare below filmy linen. The silhouette of her small waist curving beneath the snowy, oblong chemise. The tips of her breasts outlined beneath the translucent fabric and accentuated by a plethora of pink embroidery that drew a man’s attention.
She definitely had attention…from every part of his body. He leaned against the door for support, fisting his hands. It was either that or strip the damn chemise away with a long, well-placed rip.
With a shriek, she reached for a blanket and draped it across her front.
Unfortunately, Drex couldn’t tear his gaze from the delicate slope of her shoulders…or his imagination from what he could do to the rest of her.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded. “Did no one teach you to knock?”
“I’m not accustomed to having a woman on board.” He told himself to look away. But after he blinked, he found himself still staring.
“What do you want, Captain?”
Dangerous question. What he wanted from her, she wouldn’t give and he shouldn’t fantasize about. Besides, her kind usually exchanged vows for a tumble, and a wedded life with Princess Lilli would be a disaster of epic proportions. She was too much a child, trapped in too womanly a body. They’d kill each other in a week…after spending six days in bed.
He sighed. Damn, this voyage was doomed to be a frustrating one.
“I thought I made myself clear yesterday when I told you to report to the galley at six this morning,” he said.