A Pirate of her Own Page 17

  “Clean up the room?”

  He nodded.

  She gathered her clothes and stopped by his side. Her gaze darted along the pieces of the door before she looked back at his face. “I guess I won’t be locking the door tonight, will I, Captain?”

  He growled a low warning in his throat.

  Serenity decided it would be best to make a hasty retreat. She practically ran down the hallway until she reached Barney’s room and knocked on the door.

  “Who is it?” Pesty asked.

  “It’s Serenity. Is Barney in there?” she asked before she realized how foolish it was to have a conversation with a bird. She waited a few minutes and when no one said anything, she eased the door open. The room was empty except for Pesty.

  With a sigh of relief, she entered and shut the door firmly behind her. Only then did she allow the horror of what had just happened wash over her.

  The man was insane! He had come after her with an ax!

  No, her mind quietly chided. He had come after the door with an ax.

  I have never in my life known a girl who could push a man to the limits of his sanity, she heard her father’s voice in her head. But you, gal, you take it all. I’ll never know what your sweet mother was thinking when she named you Serenity. It must have been wishful thinking on her part. If I had my way, I’d have named you Incense!

  Really Serenity, her brother had once said, what is it about you that you have to push people when you can plainly see they’re ready to kill you?

  It was a terrible flaw in her personality. One she’d never understood, but it was true. She did so love to aggravate people. Especially arrogant men.

  A small smile hovered at the edges of her lips as she again pictured Morgan standing in the room with the ax in his hand, his face etched with fury. It had been a funny sight.

  But it was definitely one she never wanted to see again.

  “Just two more days and then you’re safe,” she said to herself as she began dressing.

  “Two more days,” Pesty repeated. “Two more days.”

  Yet for all the safety, a tiny part of her hoped the end of those two days would never come.

  Later that night, Serenity was just about ready to go to bed when she heard approaching footsteps.

  Footsteps that heralded the approach of Morgan.

  As he had promised, he had cleaned up the remnants of the door from his cabin. She had spent the rest of the day in the galley with Mr. Rodale and Court.

  By unspoken, mutual agreement she and Morgan had avoided each other all day. Especially once word had gone around the crew about what had happened between them.

  At first she’d thought Mr. Rodale would have Morgan’s head, but she and Court had finally talked sense into him.

  Now Morgan stood in the doorway with a bedroll hanging from his left hand.

  “Is there something you need?” she asked, her voice frigid as she stepped away from the bunk.

  He shook his head and without a word to her, began unrolling his blanket and pillow. He stretched out on the floor just outside her door.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Serenity asked, arms akimbo as she approached him.

  Morgan pulled the blanket up around his chest and looked up at her. “I’m about to go to sleep for the night, if you don’t mind.”

  “Well, I certainly do mind your sleeping in my room.”

  His gaze traced the outline of the door frame, then he looked directly into her face. “I believe I am outside the cabin.”

  “Inside, outside, what difference does it make now that there’s no way to bar your access to my bed? Do you think me foolish enough to sleep with you so close by? You forget, Captain. I know what manner of man you are.”

  He gave a tired sigh. “I’m in no mood to fight, Serenity. Go to bed. I’m here simply to make sure no one disturbs you.”

  Did she dare believe it?

  As if sensing her doubt, he rolled over and gave her his back. “Go to sleep, Miss James.”

  Hesitant, she returned to her bed and carefully crawled in, making sure to keep her eyes on him all the while.

  He never moved.

  All night, Morgan listened to Serenity toss and turn in his bed. Every time she moved, his body reacted, aching for hers. Too easily, he remembered the passion of her embrace, the sound of her ecstasy.

  She’s killing me, he thought sourly.

  Slowly but surely she was absolutely killing him with want.

  Sighing, he realized he wouldn’t get any sleep this night, and from the sounds of it, neither would she.

  Determined not to yield to his body, Morgan said quietly, “I’m sorry about the door. I shouldn’t have overreacted.”

  There were a few seconds of silence before she responded to his apology. “I’m sorry I goaded you to such anger.”

  Well, it was a start, he thought. At least she was able to see her own part in his idiocy. “You certainly have a way of doing that.”

  “So I’ve been told. My father claims it’s my greatest talent.”

  They fell silent for several minutes.

  Serenity thought about the fact that once they got to Santa Maria, she would never see him again.

  Why did that thought bring such a surge of pain to her breast? She should be delighted to go home, yet she couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing his face every day.

  But that was the way it must be. She had to go home sometime, and the sooner, no doubt, the better.

  “Morgan?” she asked.

  “Yes?”

  “Just before you came, I was remembering how alone I felt after my mother’s death. My father was so grief-stricken that he almost completely forgot about us.”

  She gave a sad half laugh. “You probably wouldn’t have liked my mother very much. She’s the one who taught me my mutinous ideas.”

  “What did your father have to say about her views?”

  “While she was alive, he was very supportive of her. They had a few memorable fights, but all in all he found her unorthodox views…tolerable.”

  Tolerable, Morgan thought with a smile. Now, that was an appropriate word. Especially if the woman was anything like her daughter.

  Of course, he found Serenity more than tolerable.

  When she wasn’t making him furious, he actually liked her a great deal.

  At times she was downright irresistible.

  “Did she want to be a writer?” he asked, wondering if that was what had prompted Serenity’s interest in working for her father’s paper.

  “Nay, she actually wanted to be an explorer.”

  For a moment he was stunned. “She did not!”

  “Yes, she did. She said that would be the greatest challenge she could think of. She wanted to be like Sacajawea and go west across the French Territories.”

  “Did she ever get to?” he asked, knowing that if Serenity wanted something like that she would do it regardless. He doubted if anything could stop her from doing whatever nonsense she set her mind to.

  “Nay,” she said with a sigh. “She never got to travel beyond Charleston and Marthasville.”

  “What made her decide to give up her dream?”

  “My father. She said living with him and running after her children was enough of an adventure for her. She didn’t need any more than that.”

  Morgan laughed at the image he had of Serenity as a small child. He just bet she was indeed a huge handful.

  “My mother was the type of lady who never raised her voice,” he said quietly. “I don’t think she ever had an opinion that my father didn’t give her.”

  “I think that’s what every man dreams of having,” she said, and he could hear the bitter disappointment in her voice.

  “I don’t know,” he said in an effort to cheer her melancholia. “I think some men, like your father, appreciate a challenge.”

  Silence descended and hung between them until he thought she’d gone to sleep.

  Finally she spoke,
“And what type of man are you, Morgan?”

  Chapter 13

  Morgan had never answered her question. Not that night, nor the next night. Serenity had waited and waited, but he’d never spoken.

  The silence had dragged on until she couldn’t take it, and when she’d prodded him for an answer, his words had been clipped. “Goodnight, Serenity.”

  Even now, his rejection stung her. Either he was the type of man who did like a challenge and he didn’t want to encourage her, or he didn’t like her at all and was trying to be tactful.

  Either way, she lost.

  Either way meant he had no use for her and that hurt her so much more than she’d ever thought possible. It hurt way down deep in her chest and soul.

  Serenity promised herself to think no more of it. Soon they would part and that would be that. She would go on with her life, regardless. And she would be strong. Never would she let anyone see her pain, most especially not Morgan.

  Her will reaffirmed, she stood alone on the deck, staring at the exotic island of Santa Maria as they drew near it. In truth, she’d never seen anything like it. The land rose up out of the ocean and a fine mist enshrouded it with an enticing veil that added mystery and softness to it.

  “Are we in the Azores?” she asked Kit as he approached her.

  “No, Miss James,” he said, laying down the rope he held in his hands. “This is a relatively unknown island that’s inhabited by…” He rubbed the back of his neck and avoided her gaze. “Well, the types of folks I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be alone with.”

  His words gave her pause. “But Mr. Rodale told me that I could buy passage from a trade ship here.”

  “And he’s quite right. Trade ships stop by often, looking for information and other, less respectable, things.”

  Kit left her and went to join a group of men who were lowering sails.

  Serenity watched the shoreline drift closer. She was almost homeward bound back to Savannah.

  The thought should have thrilled her, and yet…

  What was the use in wishing for what could have been?

  Sure, she’d had a couple of nights of quiet conversation with Morgan. She’d learned much about his parents, about his sister. He had even told her some of his adventures as a pirate, and though she knew she should hate that particular part of his past, she couldn’t quite muster up that emotion.

  Maybe she was just too curious after all.

  But one thing he never spoke of were his years in the British navy. No matter how she phrased her question, he would deftly turn their discussion to something else.

  Looking to where he stood by the helm, she felt a flutter in her heart. He was such a handsome man.

  A thoughtful man, she realized. Even though his views didn’t always mesh with her own, he had at least thought them out and was able to defend his ideals under fire.

  And deep down inside, she admitted that she loved to verbally spar with him on those ideas. Even when hers weren’t contradictory to his, she couldn’t suppress the urge to rankle him and make him fight to convert her to his views.

  But that was soon to end.

  A few more hours and…

  She sighed.

  The ship came around a huge mountain, and there on the other side was the most beautiful sight Serenity had ever beheld. Sunlight danced on the waves that pounded against sand as white as snow. Three ships had weighed anchor just offshore and she could see a small settlement of homes not too far from the shoreline.

  A large pier jutted out into the ocean and several children scurried along its edge, playing some sort of dodge game with two chickens. A myriad of flowers and plants bloomed all around. It looked like paradise.

  “It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” Morgan said in her ear.

  He must have moved up behind her while she studied the area.

  How could the mere sound of his voice give her chills? Banishing the thought, Serenity nodded. “Why do they call it Santa Maria?” she asked.

  He smiled that smile that never failed to turn her legs to mush. “It’s a joke, really. It was named after the same island in the Azores where a number of ships from the Spanish Armada are kept. At the time this island was founded, it was the pirate equivalent to the real Santa Maria.”

  “And now?”

  “Now you’ll find a lot of retired pirates who wanted to escape their past before the authorities found them. Here they can live in peace and talk about the old days when pirates ruled the seas and they still held their youth.” He came around to stare at her. “There’s actually a lot of trade that goes on here nowadays, thanks to Robert Dreck.”

  “Who is he?”

  “An old friend of mine.” He looked over her head to where Barney stood at the helm. “Bring her about, Mr. Pitkern, and weigh anchor.”

  “Aye, aye, Cap’n.”

  Raw emotions hovered in Morgan’s eyes as he looked back at her. “I suppose you’ll be wanting your things from my cabin…now.”

  Did she really hear the note of sadness in his voice? Looking up at him, she wondered if she could really leave.

  You have to!

  She nodded. “Yes, I better go get my things.”

  Morgan watched as she crossed the deck, his heart heavy. He wanted to call her back, to beg her to let him take her home.

  Why?

  He didn’t want to think about the why. It scared him to think about it. All he knew was that he would give what little soul he had left for another week with her.

  Let her go, Drake, he mumbled to himself. He must let her go.

  Serenity sat quietly in the rowboat as Kit rowed her and several other members of the crew to shore. Morgan was up ahead of them and would reach the shore first.

  Half the crew had been left on board while the other half were all shouting and singing, exuberant over their island excursion. Not that she could blame them. The place was enchanting.

  Islanders had come out to meet them, including a group of ladies whose low-cut sleeveless blouses and hiked-up skirts left very little doubt as to what they did for a living.

  But in truth she did envy them their clothes. The heat here would rival Savannah’s August weather any day. She patted at her sweat-dampened hair and wished she could loosen her stays.

  Kit rowed her as close to shore as he could. Immediately sailors began jumping overboard, rocking the boat as they splashed toward the shore like excited children after a favorite toy.

  “I’m afraid you’re going to get wet, Miss James,” Kit said in an apologetic voice.

  She smiled at him. “Nothing to fret over. I’m sure I’ll dry out in no time in this heat.”

  She stood up, and just as she started to climb out, she met Morgan, who was standing kneedeep in the water. “May I lend you my assistance, Miss James?”

  Serenity hesitated. They hadn’t touched since that night, the mere thought of which brought an unholy amount of heat to her cheeks. “I—I…”

  And then against her will, her body leaned forward.

  Morgan scooped her up in his arms and held her tightly against his chest. It felt sinfully good to be this close to him, to smell the raw scent of his skin, feel his hands cupping her body in a protective manner.

  “I believe I can walk now,” she whispered, her heart hammering.

  “No need in ruining your dress,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse, and she wondered if he felt the same desperate longing she did.

  It was so wrong, and yet she couldn’t stop herself from wanting another kiss.

  From wanting…

  No more, she snapped at herself. A man wasn’t supposed to touch a woman like that. Not without wedding vows, and even then she wasn’t sure if they were supposed to do what he’d done to her that night.

  Still, she let him carry her to shore with only the tiniest edge of her hem sweeping against the waves.

  When he finally stopped and set her down, she wasn’t sure she could hold her own weight. Something about his touch had
made her breathless and weak.

  “Morgan!” a rough voice called out.

  She turned to see a man of about fifty or so years rush toward them. Years of squinting against the island sun had made deep lines around his eyes, but even so, he was very handsome and distinguished-looking. His white hair still held a strand or two of the black it had once been. He wore a flowing white shirt that was open at the neck, and a long, light blue waistcoat. His tan breeches and white stockings looked crisp and unbearable in this heat.

  “It’s so good to see you.” The man took Morgan’s hand and pumped it giddily. “Or are you still going by Marshall? Damn, boy, if I ever know what to call you.”

  Morgan smiled. “It’s been a long time, Robert.”

  The man named Robert turned to Serenity then and gave her a measuring stare that she was sure took in more than just her appearance. There was a sageness to him that led her to believe he could size up her very soul.

  “Allow me to present Serenity James. Miss James, this is Robert Dreck, the governor of the island.”

  Robert laughed. “Governor, indeed. What he fails to tell you, Miss James, is that I won this island in a card game.” He lifted her hand, bowed low before her like a true noble lord, and placed a gentle kiss on the backs of her fingers. “It is an honor to make your acquaintance.”

  Morgan cleared his throat, and she didn’t miss the warning stare he directed to Robert.

  Robert’s smile grew wider. “Tell me how such a lady came into your surly presence, Drake.”

  Serenity answered for him. “Fate and misfortune laid me at his door.”

  Robert started to respond, and then his gaze looked past her and he saw Jake wading ashore.

  “My God,” he gasped. “It’s Jack. I don’t believe my eyes!” He rushed forward to greet Jake.

  “Jake once saved Robert’s life,” Morgan explained. “I know Robert didn’t mean to leave you so rudely, but he hasn’t seen Jake in a long time.”

  “No need to explain. How is it you know Robert?”

  His jaw flexed and he became rigid. At first she didn’t think he’d answer and then after a pregnant pause, he said, “I married his daughter.”