Karen Michelle Nutt (22 page)

"I never took a first aide class?"

"No’ that I know of, but again there be things I am just now learnin’ aboot ye.” Keldon poured her a drink, too and took a seat next to her on the bunk. She tried to refuse. "This will take the edge off of yer injury. It's what I learned in my first aide class."

Arianna’s lips twitched.

"Drink it up," he insisted.

Raising the cup to her lips, she choked it back as if she downed poison. “There.” She nervously glanced at Keldon, his intense gaze making her squirm uncomfortably. "You’re doing it again.”

“What am I doin’?”

“You’re looking at me as if you want to devour me.”

He chuckled. “Only ‘cause I do. Ye taste good right here.” He leaned forward and kissed her neck.”

“Mmm.”

He caressed her face. "What I am to do with ye? I should by all means tan yer backside, but I see yer beautiful blue eyes lookin’ at me and all I want is to ravish every inch of ye.” He glanced at the cap she wore and shook his head. “Will ye remove that absurd hat of yers now?"

She lowered her eyes and slid the hat off.

"By thunder!” He jumped from the bed hitting his head on the railing above. “Ouch!” His hand flew to his head. He stared for a full two seconds. “There’s practically nothin’ left of yer beautiful tresses. What have ye done? Yer hair is a mite shorter than mine. Who did this monstrous thing to ye?"

Arianna looked up sheepishly. "No one did this to me. I needed a disguise. I couldn't very well mingle with the crew with my hair flowing down my back. Surely, they would have noticed."

She was right. Her lustrous hair would have been a dead giveaway that she wasn’t a lad. “Ye shouldna have been on the ship in the first place,” he growled.

"My hair will grow back.” Arianna ran her fingers through her chopped strands.

"I ken that verra weel.” He sighed as his gaze wavered over her delicate features, taking note of the two red blotches on her cheeks. He hadn’t meant to shame her. "Ach. Ye’re still a bonny lass. The shortness of yer hair only startled me.” He approached the bunk once more. Being careful not to bump his head again, he sat down beside her. "Although yer hair was soft to the touch, it wasn’t why I care for ye so."

Arianna really looked at him now. “You care for me?”

Her surprise made him smile. "Aye, with all my heart," he said as he took the empty glass from her and placed it on the floor. He gathered her into his arms and leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose. “I adore every inch of ye.”

She smiled and placed her hand on his firm thigh, slowly inching her way underneath his kilt. “I have been wondering, since the first time I saw you in your highland outfit— what exactly do you wear underneath it?”

Keldon chuckled and his eyes twinkled mischievously. “If yer hand goes any farther, ye’ll find out soon enough.”

“I’m prepared to take the dare.”

“Ye’ve become a brave lass.” He gasped as he felt her hand grip him.

“Hmm. Maybe you should wear a kilt all the time.”

“Sweet Jesus.” He closed his eyes.

Arianna watched the pleasure on his face as her fingers circled him. He was thick, velvety smooth, no wonder he filled her so completely.

She helped him remove his clothing and with swiftness she could never match, he removed hers. He stretched out next to her and her gaze slid over him, admiring his muscular body. A trail of hair started at his navel and traveled down to his groin, framing his member.

He rolled over, but she placed a hand on his chest. “Uh uh. It’s my turn.” She smiled at his surprised expression. “You promised, remember?”

He settled on his back. “So I did.”

She pleasured him, as he had done her, leaving none of his flesh untouched. She smoothed her palms over his chest as she kissed a trail down the hard plane of his stomach. She heard his intake of breath as she took him in her mouth.

“Ye’re killin’ me, lass.”

He died many deaths before she granted mercy and lowered herself on him, accepting the thick fullness of him. Thrill after thrill filled her, as she possessed his body.

His gaze caught hers and held. He grabbed her hips. A slow throb pulsed through her as shudders racked him.

She lowered herself stretching the length of him. She rested her chin on her arm and looked at him. “Just what I needed.” She sighed with satisfaction.

His chuckle vibrated against her. “I’m glad I could be of service to ye then.” His hands slid over her back.

With a sigh, she enjoyed his loving caresses. It wasn’t too long before her lids grew heavy and she drifted to sleep.

****

Keldon had his pipe in his mouth and he carried his ancient bagpipes with him. Vincent watched his friend closely and noticed the tension that emanated from him had melted away to contentment and he had a good guess to why.

"You have made amends with your wife? No?" Vincent asked.

Keldon removed his pipe from between his lips and returned the smile. "Aye. All is weel... for now.” They were silent for a moment, as they listened to the water lap against the side of the ship. The night was clear and calm and they both hoped the good weather would last. Keldon looked at Vincent again. "Ye best get some rest."

He nodded. "See you in a few, Buchanan."

****

Nicholas knew Keldon would be busy above deck for a while. Even so, it was dangerous to sneak into the captain’s quarters, but he thrived on risks and taking one to see how Annabelle fared was nothing he couldn't handle. He quietly entered the room, closing the door behind him. He made his way to the bunk, where she slept peacefully. He sat down beside her and touched her long slender arm. She rolled toward him in slumber and he couldn't resist planting a kiss on her lips. She responded and put her arms around him. He nuzzled his mouth against her neck and she moaned with pleasure as she murmured her lover’s name.

Nicholas stopped cold and pushed her away. His sudden movement caused Arianna to wake fully. She grabbed at the blankets and held them to her chin, her eyes betraying her wariness.

"Bloody inferno! You share his bed, again," Nicholas accused barely able to keep his voice controlled.

"He's my husband," she shot back.

"I bloody well know who he is. You don't have to remind me. But you told me it was over between the two of you, long before we started our affair. You lied to me. Are you playing me for a fool?"

"No. No," Arianna pleaded. "Let me explain.”

He didn’t like her tone and he sensed he wasn’t going to like her explanation either. He tried to stop her, but she was determined to tell him anyway.

"I don't remember what we once shared,” she blurted out.

He frowned. “What are you saying?”

“I don't have a memory of anyone or anything until a little over a week ago."

He narrowed his eyes. "What do you take me for?"

"Just listen. I fell and hit my head. I lost my memory. You’re a stranger to me, as much as my own husband has been. I'm slowly beginning to learn who I am, or who I used to be. So far, what I’ve discovered isn’t pleasant. Frankly, I don't know why you care for me, other than maybe we shared a common goal of sorts, and an ill advised one at that.” She took a breath. “Nicholas, we were wrong about Keldon. He's not the vicious killer we portrayed him to be. Didn't you see that today?"

"He's fooled you for now, but he'll soon show his true colors. I know what he's done. Have you failed to ask him about Richard Hawkins?” Her silence told him she hadn’t mentioned the man's name to him. "I see. And what should I expect from you? Will you tell Keldon of my plans? Should I plan on being marooned somewhere for being a traitor or worse?"

"I don’t want anything to happen to you. You’re not a bad person.”

“Well thank you so much.”

“Nicholas, please,” Arianna pleaded.

Anger burned through his veins. Their relationship was over and he didn’t understand why. “Please what, Annabelle? Please forgive you for tricking me. Please forgive you for making me fall in love with you when you didn’t give a damn. Am I getting close?” Her eyes pooled and he looked away. “Christ. Just answer my question and I’ll be gone. Are you going to tell Keldon about me?”

“I won't betray you, Nicholas. I owe you that much, but you must give up this quest. We were wrong about Keldon. He’s a good man and he'll give up this life of piracy."

"You seem sure of yourself," Nicholas spat as he wondered how she came to this conclusion.

"I am sure,” she insisted. “After this adventure, I will convince him to change his ways."

Nicholas was silent as he stared at the woman he thought he’d been in love with and realized he looked upon a stranger. She claimed Keldon was a decent man and it held a ring of truth to it. Keldon had shown mercy to his foes and in the battle, he came to his rescue. If anything, he owed the man for saving his life.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with frustration. "For the love we once shared, I'll give Buchanan a chance.” He leveled his gaze on her. “If after this adventure, he swears to never pirate another ship, I'll give you my word that I'll not seek revenge on him.” Without waiting for her to respond, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the cabin.

He went above deck and stood in the shadows, gritting his teeth together tightly as he tried to regain control of his emotions.

He listened to Keldon play the haunting music from his bagpipes. How he loathed Keldon Buchanan, but curse it all, he respected him, too.

Before he had met Keldon face to face, it had been simple. He hated him for changing his life forever. He had made a pledge to take his revenge, anyway he could. He purposely sought out Buchanan's wife. He was going to use her to bring Keldon down, but he found Keldon could care less about his wife, or at least that was what he had thought. To his own dismay, he had fallen into his own trap and fell in love with the beautiful Annabelle Buchanan.

She had started out to be a vibrant distraction and he thought he could forget about what Keldon had done. However, Annabelle then voiced her demands. She wanted revenge of her own. She claimed Keldon mistreated her. Now he wondered if that had ever been true. At the time, it was easy for him to believe her. He wanted to judge Keldon Buchanan a dishonorable man.

He plotted with Annabelle to set a trap for Keldon, knowing in the end the man would dangle from a rope. Their plan was falling smoothly into place. Only now, Annabelle claimed not to remember any of it. She didn’t remember sharing her dreams with him, or that they had planned to run away, once Keldon was out of their lives. If he didn't know better, he would swear Annabelle Buchanan was a different person all together. To make matters worse, working side by side with Keldon made him see the man in a different light.

Keldon’s crew held only admiration for him, not fear. He witnessed the way Keldon dealt with his enemies. He had treated them fairly. Could what he had heard from Richard Hawkins’ crew been an exaggerated fabrication of what had really happened? For the first time, he doubted the truth of the story.

He had made a muck of his life and all in the name of revenge. He was in love with a woman who was never his and he had wasted months plotting to bring down a man who didn’t deserve to die. "What am I to do?” Nicholas hadn’t realized the music had stopped, or that he had spoken aloud until he heard Keldon's booming voice.

"Who's below? Show yerself."

Nicholas moved away from the shadows. "It is only I, Captain, Nicholas Sherborn."

"Sherborn.” Nicholas saw him settle back and his voice loss its terseness. "It is late. Ye should get some rest."

"I was heading down below.” Nicholas turned to leave, but Keldon called him back.

"Ye fought well today. I will no’ be soon forgettin’ the fact. I am proud to have ye aboard.” Keldon’s face showed the admiration he felt.

"Thank you, sir," Nicholas answered feeling like a loathsome rat.

****

Keldon played his bagpipes again. The music drifted down below to where Arianna lay awake. She whispered the words that belonged to the sweet melody, for she knew the song well, though Keldon had insisted she shouldn’t have. He had even insisted she couldn’t play the harpsichord and yet she could. These things plagued her. It didn’t make any sense.

The words to the melody flowed freely from her lips. She racked her brain, trying to remember how she knew them. Nothing about her life seemed to fit. It was like she was living it all for the first time.

She closed her eyes and listened to the music that seemed to call from her past… another time. Arianna fell asleep with those thoughts drifting in her mind. She dreamt of people who she recognized, but she couldn’t recall their names. She tried going to them, but they walked a different path, locked away in another world where they couldn’t see or hear her.