Authors: Janelle Taylor
Reading those flames of passion which matched his own, Spencer filled with panic. This wasn’t the time or
place to test her honesty, but he damn well would later! To cool both their fires, he asked, “Didn’t you just vow to kill me if I touched you again? Methinks your words don’t match your fiery blood, Angelique. I’m not a Captain Thackery to be toyed with and then rejected. If you come with me, my reward will be your warmth in my bunk.”
She gaped at him in utter disbelief. How could he speak so at a time like this? “Damn you, Stephen; I hate you! Compared to you, Thackery is an angel! Complete your business and be gone. You interrupted a most enticing adventure.”
Spencer studied her for a time, keenly aware she was deceiving him. “If that is how you hate a man, love, perhaps your love would be so all-consuming as to burn a man to cinders. I shall give this matter some further thought before deciding your fate,” he calmly announced, smugly telling her it was definitely in his hands.
He pulled a strip of cloth from the hem of her dress and gagged her. “Just to make sure you don’t get any idea of telling lover boy who I am,” he sneered, as if she could! He called his man to bring Thackery back inside.
The infuriated man’s gaze went straight to Alex. He wondered at the gag upon her mouth and the stormy look in her eyes, eyes which never left that arrogant pirate!
Mortified, Alex witnessed Joshua Steele assert his will over Thackery. When the rebellious Thackery refused Steele’s demands, she watched in horror as
Steele actually proceeded to castrate the terrified man before her very eyes. Just before Thackery yielded, she fainted.
Spencer glanced over at her and noted the limpness of her body. When Pete rushed over to check on her, Spencer eyed him curiously and resolved to question him later about this mysterious girl. Right now, he and Thackery had some unfinished business…
“Alas, how love can
trifle with itself!”
—
Two Gentlemen of Verona,
William Shakespeare
A curious weightlessness surrounded Alex as she slowly returned to reality. She discovered herself lying upon a plush bed in a strange cabin, a cabin which reeked of strength and masculine charm. She sat up and glanced around. She looked at her injured wrists which were now bandaged. Her eyes widened in shock as she noted her manner of attire: one of her own nightgowns, one whose material just barely concealed her body!
Where was she? How had she come to be in this unfamiliar place? How long had she been unconscious? Who was the kind benefactor who had simultaneously rescued her from Steele and Thackery? Had the pirates been defeated while she was unconscious? Had she been taken aboard an English ship and cared for by some generous English captain?
Befuddled, she sat up and walked around, testing her strength and studying her new situation. Without a doubt, this was the cabin of a very wealthy and well-bred man. But who was he? She opened the tall chest and scanned the costly garments hanging there. Her
keen senses quickly told her he was a gentleman of good taste and high quality. But where were her own clothes? She glanced down at her provocative gown in dismay. Hopefully her attire proved her baggage had been saved; but where had it been placed? Surely these bandages indicated a doctor had tended her…
Alex aimlessly strolled around the neat and comfortable cabin, trying to envision its proud and brave owner. She lifted a book and read the inscription on the first page:
To my beloved son,
Forever remember your name and heritage. Wear them with honor and pride. These things your father and I give to you our only child with great love and confidence.
M.S.F., December 10, 1796
Alex curiously noted the beautiful sprawling script dedicated to “S.S.F.” Alex calmly walked to the porthole and gazed out. Without clothing, she couldn’t very well leave this cozy cabin. She must remain here until the captain came to describe her rescue. What greater honor could any English captain earn than to defeat the notorious scourge of the sea?
Undesirable sadness filled her, then unreasonable fear. What had happened to Stephen? Had he been captured, injured, or killed? How could she brazenly inquire about the fate or condition of an infamous
pirate without revealing a personal interest? But surely it would seem like normal curiosity to ask about the fate of an illustrious rogue who was England’s bitter enemy! She chided herself for even worrying about him. He could take care of himself! Perhaps he had fled at the first sighting of an English ship. She angrily hoped that dastardly Thackery had gotten his just desserts. If not, she would see to it upon her arrival home!
Stephen was Joshua Steele? Who was this mysterious, mercurial man who slipped in and out of her life at will? Stephen…Steele…S.S.! No! It couldn’t be! She rushed to the desk and pulled out the book once more to study it. Could it be possible? S.S. Stephen Steele? But what about the “F”? Had her first impressions by the pond been accurate? Was he some highborn nobleman who had turned to piracy and privateering after some family misfortune? She shook her spinning head to clear it .of such foolish and intimidating ideas. Surely some silly coincidence…
Alex replaced the book and returned to the porthole for some much needed fresh air. The door opened behind her. She almost reluctantly turned to see who had boldly entered without knocking. She closed her eyes and stiffened in panic as he swaggered forward in vivid self-assurance.
“I see you’ve finally decided to rejoin us,” he murmured in a vital and stirring tone, stopping before her and assuming a masterful and commanding stance. “Needless to say, you had me quite worried, Angelique. You’ve been unconscious for several hours,”
he commented in a disturbingly gentle tone.
Alexandria opened her eyes and gazed up into his arresting features. “I see you no longer have need of your disguise, Captain Steele,” she acidly remarked.
“Nor you, yours,” he promptly retorted. “Your little adventure doesn’t seem to have tamed that wild spirit of yours in the least,” he playfully teased, tugging upon a lock of spun gold.
“I had the mistaken impression you had been sent scurrying and I had been rescued by an English ship,” she informed him. “This isn’t exactly how I imagined a pirate’s style,” she caustically sneered, pointing to their slightly elegant surroundings.
“Evidently I’m the only pirate you’ve met so far, or perhaps the only one to enjoy your company in his cabin,” he lazily remarked, grinning mischievously.
“Under the circumstances, your cruel teasing is misplaced, Captain Steele. Who are you, Stephen?” she suddenly asked.
He eyed her strangely, then asked, “What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re obviously not Stephen whatever. And I seriously doubt Captain Joshua Steele is your real name either. No man would intentionally blacken his family name. Who are you, and why did you become a pirate?” she inquired in an entreating tone. She decided not to tell him about reading his book and certainly not to ask him what the “F” stood for!
“Stephen is my real name,” he casually replied, to her great surprise. “But my last name must remain a secret. I’m sure you understand why. Family honor
and personal safety…I took the name Steele when an enemy once told me I was as cold and hard as that deadly metal. It seems a befitting name, so I use it. As for Joshua, it belonged to a good friend long ago.” He shuddered and glanced down at her. “Call me whatever you prefer for the short time you’re here, ‘ he stated. “As for you, I still lack your last name, Angelique.”
She met his probing gaze and stated bravely, “The day you give me your last name, I’ll give you mine. Until then, let’s leave it with Stephen and Angelique. When do we reach the first port?”
He chuckled. To demand an answer might reveal too much interest in her, so he didn’t. “Content yourself to remain the coy and mysterious siren, love. Your name or identity hold little interest for me. Perhaps you’ve some reason to be ashamed of it,” he hinted.
“You’re wrong, Steele. I merely see no reason for you to know it or where to find me again,” she retorted in rising annoyance at his nonchalance.
“You flatter yourself, Angelique. I seek out no woman to warm my bed or heart,” he vowed with a fierce coldness which was frightening.
“You possess no heart or soul, Steele! As to any future pursuit of me, I have no illusions about you in that area. But the mere fact you selfishly seduced me long ago and then took the trouble to rescue me speaks for itself,” she sweetly asserted to vex him. “For a man who doesn’t seek out any female, you certainly come in and out of my life at the oddest moments…” She smiled provocatively, her eyes merrily taunting him.
“If memory serves me correctly, Angelique, it is you who recklessly and brazenly invades my life when I least expect it. You were the one lying naked and inviting by the pond. You were the one being held prisoner by Thackery. And, I might add, wearing a most enticing dress and with liquor on her breath. Tell me truthfully; did I interrupt a private party?”
Her eyes widened. She stammered, “I was not waiting by that pond for some roue like Joshua Steele to happen by to ravish me! As to my attire and breath in that scoundrel’s cabin, he forced me from my cabin to his. I only sipped the sherry to calm my nerves when he began acting so…so unpredictable and frightening! I am not a harlot! You of all men should know that since you were the first to…” She flushed scarlet and hushed.
“Since I so wickedly claimed your purity,” he triumphantly finished for her.
He tenderly caressed her rosy cheek. “Dear, sweet Angelique, you do possess a rare talent for rashly wandering into the most unusual and perilous situations. Don’t worry this time; you’ll be home safely before you know it,” he encouraged the distraught girl who was close to tears.
“No, you don’t understand, Stephen. How could you possibly know what heart-stopping fear and utter helplessness are like? I seriously doubt you’ve ever experienced either! I hate being a defenseless vulnerable woman,” she childishly stomped her foot. “If I were a man, I would have killed Thackery!”
Spencer laughed softly this time. “If you were a
man, love, Thackery wouldn’t be interested in you,” he tenderly murmured, his gaze appreciative and serene.
She automatically smiled at that statement. “I suppose you’re right,” she admitted absently. His manly aura and compelling smile enchanted her. How many times had she dreamed of meeting him again? But never under these dangerous, stimulating, and suspenseful circumstances!
Her radiant smile and alluring eyes tugged at him. Her state of dress—or undress—didn’t help matters either! She was so bewitching, so close, so…He cautioned himself against her magical charms. But even as he raised his guard, he played with a lock of tawny hair which wound itself around his finger. “What happened to Thackery?” she unexpectedly asked, calling him back to reality.
“I put his crew in lifeboats and sunk his ship,” he casually announced.
“You what?” she blurted out. “But I thought you never sank ships!” she argued.
“Only those who challenge me. I have a reputation to uphold,” he asserted. At her stunned look, he went on, “It helps to have a colorful reputation, love. They know I’m a man of my word. No fight; no trouble,” he remarked smugly.
“You actually depend upon your infamous name to win battles for you?”
“It usually does. But Thackery was a fool. He was probably afraid I would find you in his cabin and steal you. Which I did,” he arrogantly announced. “If he
had given quarter, he could have sailed away unscathed.”
“But you attacked him! Surely a man’s pride would demand he protect his ship and men?” she argued in bewilderment.
“To give quarter is wiser, love. That way, he could save himself, his infernal ship, and his crew. I’ve worked long and hard to be known as a generous victor. Whenever possible, I never shed blood or sink a ship. But if I didn’t make examples of those few defiant captains, my word wouldn’t be worth a tinker’s damn,” he snarled.
“But why did you bring me along?” Alex asked. “Aren’t you afraid I might give away your real identity?”
“Being the gentleman I am, I couldn’t very well leave you in the evil clutches of Thackery, could I? As to revealing my identity, you can’t because you really don’t know me. Plus, it wouldn’t be to your advantage to do so. Like me, you also have a reputation to protect,” he humorously enlightened her. “I doubt you wish history to record you as Joshua Steele’s mistress.”
“You’re very sure of yourself, aren’t you? Still, it might be fun to sail with the infamous Joshua Steele for a few weeks. Perhaps I’ll discover if your vile fame is well-deserved. Whatever will my grandchildren say when they hear about this one day?” she mused in humor.
The subtle hint of wedlock nagged him. “Have you married since I saw you last?” he asked from nowhere.
“Heavens, no!” she shrieked, insulted. “At least not yet,” she worriedly added, sighing in dismay.
“I take it you’re planning to be married soon,” he implied, intrigued and nettled by images of her future.
“If Papa has his way when I get home, yes! But not if I can stop him,” she angrily vowed, hardly aware of their curious conversation.
“Does he know about me?” he abruptly asked.
“About you?” she echoed naively, their gazes fusing.
“I should say about us and that day at the pond?” he clarified.
“You think me daft! He’d never had allowed me to leave home for one hour! As for you…he would have searched heaven and earth to hang you! I haven’t told a single soul about that day!” she declared.
“Why not?” he calmly demanded.
“Tell them what, praytell? A stranger took advantage of me while I was…indisposed? Who would believe such a wild story? I would sound like a fool, a dunderhead who was guilty of some…whatever!” she said peevishly.
“Captain Joshua Steele and a water nymph frolicking by a tranquil pond…Yes, it would sound like some fairytale,” he playfully agreed.
“I’m not a water nymph, Captain Steele. Besides, we were merely at the same place at the wrong time. Evidently neither of us expected anyone else at the pond that afternoon. Why did you seduce me that day? You hardly seem the heartless, bloody scoundrel your reputation paints you to be,” she complimented
him, hoping she could manipulate him into quickly releasing her.
He took her face between his hands and murmured tenderly, “How could I resist such beauty? Never have I looked into a face of such perfection and enchantment or eyes with such a powerful enticement. Every time I remembered you, I was amazed by my good fortune and how you had remained untouched for so long. Surely you have trampled upon countless hearts, my lovely Angelique. How could such loveliness be so cruel and cold?”
Entranced, she repliod dreamily, “I have danced upon no more hearts than you have, Stephen. I was so afraid I had hurt you badly. Every night I prayed for your survival. I’m so glad you’re all right, but I was too cowardly to return to the pond to discover the truth. I have never known a man such as you. If Papa would bring home a suitor like you, I would happily have yielded to his demands that very day,” she unknowingly confessed, mesmerized by him and his closeness.
“Then yield to me now, Angel. I’m here and I want you beyond all reason,” he huskily coaxed the wavering girl who had lost the knowledge of where she was or why.
His mouth came down on hers, hungrily and pervasively. His arms went around her slender, shapely body and drew her tightly against him—and Alex had no choice but to return the intoxicating kiss. Her arms slipped around his waist and up his strong back. Clinging desperately to him, she helplessly surrendered her will to him and to those longings
which had haunted her since their first meeting.
Her gown slid to the floor, as did his shirt and pants. She was gently and mindlessly placed upon his bed. He whispered stirring endearments into her ears and deftly explored the body and face which had plagued all his hours. For all he knew or cared, his ship could be attacked and he couldn’t answer the alarm.