A Pirate's Prisoner Read online

  “What of you?” she asked. “What is a lord doing sailing the seas?”

  His fingers traced her face and for a moment she thought he wouldn’t answer her.

  “I came to make my fortune. Sailing as a privateer seemed like a good way to be—” he stopped.

  “Be what?”

  “Free.”

  She stilled, looking up into his clear eyes.

  “And you?” he asked, demanding an answer for an answer as he brushed her blond locks over her shoulder.

  She licked her lips. “I became a pirate in order to taste something I’d never experienced before.”

  “What?”

  “Freedom.”

  He drew a long finger down her cheek, gazing into her serious eyes. “Looks like we have more in common than you thought, darling.”

  Before she could protest his words, he wrapped his hands around her waist and flipped her backward onto the bed. As his mouth plundered hers, she regretted her confession. The last thing she needed was to have more in common with this man. He was her enemy, after all. She needed to remember that if she had any hope of besting him.

  But when he crawled over her, thoughts of retribution fled her mind. “Mmm,” she moaned, rolling her hips against his. “And here I thought all lords had to be good at was drinking tea.”

  He grinned at her words. “It takes a bit more than that.”

  “How much more?”

  “More than I was willing to give.”

  Natalie arched up to press her lips to his throat. “Many people would give up everything to be a rich lord.”

  “I wasn’t rich.”

  “No?”

  “I’m illegitimate. My father was an earl, mother a maid. She died in childbirth and the countess had me hidden away from polite society in a boarding school for the elite’s mistakes. The professors were not a forgiving bunch.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her fingers stroking his chest. “I know the feeling.”

  “Do you?”

  She pressed both hands against his chest. With a push, she sent him onto the mattress with her atop of him. She straddled his hips, tossing her hair over one shoulder. She should be using this rare time to find his weaknesses, his vulnerabilities. But instead of more questions, when she opened her mouth, she found herself confessing. “The first captain I served under had a cruel streak a mile wide. As a sailor just learning the trade, I made a lot of mistakes. I learned quickly never to make the same ones twice.”

  Reece stilled beneath her, looking up at her with eyes that read more than she wanted to reveal.

  “Your back,” he murmured.

  Natalie smiled slightly, remembering the times he’d traced the faint scars tattooing her from shoulder to waist.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She undulated against him, watching as his eyes glazed in pleasure. “It was a long time ago.”

  “What were you doing on that ship?”

  “My da was a pirate. He ended up on the wrong end of a hangman’s noose. My ma followed soon after of a broken heart, or so James says. Much as I like the romantic allusion, I think it was the drinking that did her in.”

  “You knew James back then?”

  “As a family friend. It was his idea to smuggle me onto a pirate ship. Had to hide the fact I was a girl but it taught me a trade.”

  Reece reached up to cup her breasts. His thumbs flicked over the hardened nubs causing Natalie draw in a harsh breath.

  “I’m glad you had someone to look out for you.”

  “Because you didn’t,” she surmised.

  “My family barely acknowledged my existence until my father died. Turned out he’d bought me a title and left me Merlton. I suppose it was to make some attempt at reparation. In reality the property was in shambles.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I tried to improve it for a few years. But all I wanted to do was run and never look back. When my family tried to force me into an unwanted marriage, it was the last straw.”

  “You decided to come here?”

  He nodded. “I sold my property and went to London to request a letters of marque. Thanks to my father’s name and connections, it was a small matter to get one.”

  “Why would you go so far?”

  He cupped her nape and pulled her mouth down to his. Reece kissed her long and hard, as if savoring the touch. “Haven’t you ever wanted to get away and just leave everything behind? To start over as someone new?”

  “You’re talking to a female pirate. I had to become someone else just to survive.”

  “This is my survival,” he replied. “I used the last of my fortune to outfit a ship and I came here. Looking for a life.” He nipped her lower lip before tossing her backward onto the bed. Flipping her onto her stomach, he ran his lips down one of the faint scars on her back. Natalie hissed in a sharp breath at the contact.

  “You are trying to wring my secrets from me,” he whispered against her skin.

  “You’re making it easy.”

  “That’s because I want you to know me.” His lips ran down her spine. “Don’t you want the same, Natalie?”

  She closed her eyes, knowing it was a dangerous desire.

  “Tell me,” he said, his hands feeling hot against her hips. “Tell me something about you. Please.”

  The soft plea was her undoing. Hearing it, she could almost ignore the fact her left ankle was chained to the bed. She could almost pretend they were real lovers sharing in each other’s confessions.

  “For years I hid my gender. The crew knew me as Nate, the skinny cabin boy who stayed out of everyone’s way. Women sailors are considered bad luck. Without James’s help, I never would have survived.”

  “How did you come to be a captain?”

  “Our captain ran afoul of the law. They caught him a few miles outside Port Royale. The first mate was a weak man who didn’t even attempt to run the ship well. Virtually captainless, the crew fought for dominance.”

  “Let me guess who won.”

  She could feel him smile against her skin. “I’d built quite a reputation for myself by that point. Even so, it was a bloody dispute. In the end, I was the one left standing. I’d honed my skills throughout the years and had a vicious streak my male shipmates couldn’t rival. With James’s help, I took control.”

  “I doubt such a crew wanted to follow a woman,” he murmured.

  “Which is why I’m known as Captain Nate,” she replied. “I hid my identity for years to sail. It was only after we lost the old ship that I decided to break with the pirate tradition.” She rolled onto her back, draping her arms around his shoulders. “That was right around the time I met you. I was toying with the idea of sailing as myself so I commandeered a ship and took on a new crew. Together we went back to the seas and I captained as a woman. But the old name stuck. Half the ships I take still expect me to be a man.”

  His lips smiled. “I, for one, am glad the rumors got it wrong.”

  “There I was, just starting to make a name for myself as a woman and an upstart lordling swooped in,” she sighed. “Suddenly the only name on anyone’s tongue was Captain Reece Denworth. You had the Spanish running scared and the pirates envying your takes.”

  “Privateering is the first thing I’ve ever been good at.”

  “You took to it well.” Natalie traced a finger down his cheek, studying his expression. “Do you ever hear from your family?”

  “No,” he replied with a shake of his head. “But it doesn’t matter, Natalie. That world has nothing to do with me. I left it behind. Everything I want is here.”

  A slow smile curved her lips. “Everything?”

  His eyes sparkled as he watched her. “A ship,” he qualified.

  “Well, of course. Hard to be a buccaneer without one,” she agreed.

  “Gold,” he added, lowering his head to take one nipple into his mouth.
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  “Certainly,” she gasped. Her hands reached out to tangle in the sheets around them. “You wouldn’t be very successful without it.”

  “A reputation to be feared.” His hands slid down her smooth skin.

  “You sound like a pirate.” Natalie bit back a cry as his fingers moved between her thighs.

  “I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” Reece ran his lips along her jaw before moving down the strong column of her throat.

  If only he was a pirate, she couldn’t help wishing. Then they wouldn’t be on different sides. They could fight together instead of apart.

  “Of course, none of that is anything without someone to share it with.”

  Reece’s words froze the breath in her chest.

  “What?” Natalie whispered.

  His fingers rotated gently against her sex, touching her with soft pressure. “You heard me,” he replied.

  She closed her eyes to block the seriousness in his. “Don’t,” she commanded.

  “Why?” he whispered in her ear.

  “Because we can’t think like that. We can’t make plans. Not ever.”

  He caught her ear lobe between his teeth, sending shivers of pleasure racing through her. “Because we’re enemies.”

  “Yes.”

  “I wish—” His words were cut short when Natalie covered his mouth with her hand.

  “Don’t,” she repeated. “Just be here with me now.”

  For a moment, she thought he would argue but eventually he pressed his lips against the palm of her hand. “All right,” he acquiesced.

  She replaced her hand with her lips. Reece’s groan of surrender rang in her ears even as his mouth pressed roughly against hers.

  Natalie’s hands traced over his shoulders as she pulled him close. She was no stranger to his body, not after all the time she’d spent exploring it, but something felt different. This time when he touched her, she didn’t feel simple lust. Instead, she felt special, treasured. He touched her as if she was infinitely important to him. He said with his hands what she wouldn’t let him say aloud and it nearly destroyed her. It was incomprehensibly unfair. She’d finally found the perfect man for her and she could never have him.

  “You look sad,” he whispered.

  She closed her eyes to hide her thoughts from him.

  Reece kissed his way down her abdomen before moving between her thighs. She hissed softly when his lips touched her sex, the pleasure banishing her morose thoughts. At least she had this night with him.

  She’d make it enough.

  Chapter 6

  NATALIE was ripped from a sound sleep by an incessant pounding on the door.

  “Make ‘em walk the plank,” she muttered, burrowing deeper into the covers.

  “Come in,” Reece groaned, pushing himself up.

  Rupert burst into the room, looking haggard. “Captain, a Spanish war ship has been sighted. It’s making straight for us.”

  “Hell,” Reece said, leaping from the bed. “Man the braces.”

  “Aye, sir.” The man dashed from the room.

  Fear flooded Natalie, banishing the sleep from her mind. They were under attack and she was chained to the bed.

  Desperately she clawed out of the sheets. “Reece, stop,” she commanded.

  “I don’t have time now,” he replied, shrugging into his shirt.

  “This is madness.”

  “Tell that to the Spanish.”

  “Stop,” she ordered. “Think about this for a moment. You cannot go into this fight.”

  He glanced at her with incredulous eyes. “Are you of all people telling me to run?”

  “Wouldn’t do you any good,” she replied, gesturing at the porthole in the door. “Look at our sails, they’ve got the wind. Besides, that’s not what I’m saying at all. You don’t know this ship. You don’t know her peculiarities like I do. She leans to starboard when caught in a strong wind. The lower cannons have idiosyncratic timing.” She pushed to her knees, gripping the bedpost. “You are facing a fighting vessel and this ship is not yours. You need a captain to go into battle.”

  He paused, his hand on the doorknob. “We have a captain.”

  “You’ve sailed this ship for a day. You don’t know it like I do. Despite the games we play, Reece, the Sea’s Bane has only one captain and it’s me. You need me in this fight.”

  He looked back at her. “My men will not follow you.”

  “They will if you will,” she replied. “Come, Reece. You’re not a stupid man. Free me.”

  Natalie gripped the wood beneath her hands as she awaited his verdict. He couldn’t leave her here. Not when they faced a real challenge. Surely he couldn’t. What they’d had, even if it couldn’t ever be named, must have meant something to him. It had to.

  “You need me,” she tried again.

  Reece clenched his jaw, obviously trying to think of a way out of releasing her.

  “There is no time to waste. I can win this battle. You know I can.”

  He merely regarded her with hard eyes.

  She swallowed twice before whispering, “Please. Believe me.”

  He dragged a hand through his hair. “Bloody hell,” he cursed, stalking back to her.

  Natalie bit back her cry of victory as he fit the key into the lock at her ankle. As soon as the lock sprang free, she jumped from the bed. As she pulled on her clothes, she ordered, “Release my men from the brig. They know how to arm the cannons.”

  “My men can do that,” Reece grit.

  “We need all hands on deck,” Natalie snarled. “Don’t fight me on this. I’m the captain and that’s an order.”

  For a moment, she thought he was going to tackle her back into her shackles but instead he turned and stormed from the cabin.

  Belting her cutlass around her waist, Natalie took a deep breath before striding onto the deck.

  “Full canvas! Ready on the guns!” she bellowed.

  Reece’s crew froze, turning to her with questioning eyes.

  “You heard me, men. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

  The men turned to Reece, expecting some rebuttal. Reece, however, merely faced them with an iron jaw.

  Natalie understood his silence. It was up to her to win control over her crew or there would be no chain of command in the coming fight.

  “Listen to me,” she snapped, striding forward. “You need a captain who knows this ship to face the enemy before us. You will listen to my commands, lads, or be keelhauled at my earliest convenience. Either you are with me or I have no use for you aboard my ship. ‘Tis your lives you are gambling with. When I say ready on the guns, I expect my orders to be followed or will you be giving Spain the opportunity to sink us down to the depths?”

  Rupert stepped forward, his eyes flicking from Reece to her and back. “Ready the guns,” he ordered. “Cap’n’s orders!”

  There were a few grumbles but she heard a steady chorus of “Ayes.” It was more than enough for her.

  A cold smile curved Natalie’s lips as she climbed up to the helm.

  Below she saw her men pour from the lower levels. Alyssa looked livid and Natalie pitied any enemy she met. James stepped onto the deck, bringing up the rear. He glanced up at her and she gave him a reassuring smile. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed her first mate until she’d seen him again.

  Clearing her throat, she shouted to them, “Brace up the yards.”

  Her men nodded their understanding, racing to follow her orders without question. Still, Natalie noticed the cutting glares they threw at the crew who’d imprisoned them. Here’s hoping they kept a handle on their animosity long enough to get through the coming battle.

  “Orders, Captain?” Reece asked, coming up behind her.

  Natalie eyed him, praying he wouldn’t interfere with her command. “Hoist the colors,” she said. “Let’s show those Spaniards who they’re fighting.”

 
He hesitated only a moment before bellowing, “Hoist the colors!”

  As the Jolly Roger flag ascended the mast, Natalie couldn’t help grinning. “Looks like this time you’re on my side,” she told him. “How does it feel to be a pirate?”

  A tiny smile tugged at Reece’s lips. “Ask me after we’ve won.”

  “Fair enough,” she agreed, adjusting course. “Men, full bore. Be at the ready.”

  As she looked out over the helm, she felt the familiar excitement build within her. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she faced down the enemy. The Spaniards would offer her no quarter. It was up to her to ensure they lived to fight another day.

  Natalie cast a critical eye around the deck. Everyone was at their stations, following her orders. While her men may be normally at odds with Reece’s, right now they were one crew. Their only goal was to survive this encounter. Anything else was merely extra.

  “You know what you’re doing, right?” Reece demanded.

  Natalie didn’t even give him the satisfaction of looking at him. “I’ve been running ships down since before you ever dreamed of leaving England,” she replied. “I’ve yet to meet a ship I couldn’t take.”

  “You had a bit of trouble with mine,” he whispered in her ear.

  Natalie shivered, shooing him away. “I got you eventually, didn’t I?”

  “Aye,” Reece breathed, his hands sliding around her hips as he pulled her up against his chest. “That you did.”

  She bit her lip, concentrating on the ship before them.

  “Don’t hesitate,” he murmured to her.

  “I’m captain here,” she replied. “Don’t give me orders.”

  “No,” he agreed. “I’ll leave that for later.” His teeth scrapped her ear lobe. “When you’re back in my bed.”

  “Without chains,” she stated flatly. After winning this battle, no way in hell would she yield to him again.

  She felt his lips against her skin as he grinned. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

  The heat of his body left her as he stepped back, giving her room to maneuver. Natalie shook her head and focused on her ship. Reece and all their troubles would have to wait for later.