Harlequin Historical September 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: Lord Havelock's List\Saved by the Viking Warrior\The Pirate Hunter (57 page)

Chapter Twelve

T
orture. Pure and simple torture. It had been the worst night of his life and perversely also the best. He hadn't slept a wink. Mia had awoken a beast inside him as she stripped off in front of him. Through the thick cotton that made up her chemise he'd seen every womanly curve of her body and every detail upon it. He fancied he could even make out the exact berry hue of her nipples.

He groaned at the thought of her nipples. Someone was torturing him and it just wasn't fair.

Then she'd invited him into bed, pressed herself up against him and proceeded to fall asleep. It was as if she were oblivious to his discomfort.

He'd lain perfectly still all night long, watching her as she slept, fantasising about all the wicked things he wanted to do to her. And there were many wicked things, enough to keep his mind churning and his loins in a state of readiness all through the long night.

Mia murmured something in her sleep and snuggled in closer to him. He didn't move. She mumbled something else, frowning slightly and creasing the skin between her perfectly shaped eyebrows.

Will hadn't thought this torture could get any worse, but when Mia inched even closer and hooked her leg over his he thought he might die from the pure agony of desire.

Her smooth thigh rubbed against his trousers and was getting dangerously close to his manhood. The very same manhood that had stood to attention all night, aroused by the woman beside him.

Mia murmured something again and as he looked down at her face her eyes fluttered open.

Her first reaction on seeing him was to smile, a contented smile of someone who doesn't quite grasp the implications of what they are seeing.

‘Good morning,' Will said.

Mia's eyes widened as she realised she was draped over him in such a provocative fashion. Quickly she sat up, blushing slightly as she readjusted her chemise to try to preserve some modesty.

‘Good morning,' she said a little sheepishly.

‘How did you sleep?'

‘I think that was the best night's sleep I've ever had.'

Will couldn't help but smile. He'd imagined all manner of conversations when Mia had woken up to find herself in bed with him. Although it had been her suggestion the night before, he thought she would be regretting it deeply this morning.

‘How about you?'

‘Not bad,' he lied.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither sure what to say to the other.

Mia smiled sadly. ‘Thank you,' she said.

‘What for?'

‘I didn't want to be alone....' She paused as if unsure whether to go on. ‘And I wanted to spend a night with you, even if we weren't together intimately.'

Will wanted to push her back into the pillows and ravish her right there. Her words brought such a fire to his heart he thought his whole body might go up in flames. It was as if she felt she were not good enough for him. This wonderful, kind, beautiful woman. He wanted to claim her for his own and make it so no other man could have her.

Yet the sensible part of him knew she was right. It wasn't that she was not good enough for him, just that they would never have a future. She was a prisoner in his custody and in a few weeks he would be returning to England to take over the running of his estate. He would once again be alone, as he had always been, but he wondered if he would be quite so content with only his thoughts for company after spending this time with Mia.

She would remain in Barbados, serve out what short sentence the Governor thought fit and then return to her work and her friends. If he took her now, laid her back and made love to her like he wanted to, it wouldn't be fair on her. He'd seen how important her virtue was when he'd kissed her before. He had no right to take her virginity from her. She deserved to save that for marriage.

Will also knew he wasn't the right man for Mia, for any woman. He'd spent so many years in his own company, he couldn't imagine sharing his life, each and every day, with someone else. Or at least he hadn't been able to imagine it until he met Mia.

Getting out of the bed he had shared with Mia was probably the hardest thing he'd ever done.

Stiffly he stood and pulled on his shirt.

‘I'll wait for you downstairs,' he said.

Mia nodded. He saw the rejection in her eyes and felt like a cad. He was trying to do the right thing, but at the same time he was hurting Mia, making her feel rejected and unwanted. Surely she could see he wanted her more than anything else.

Before his resolve could falter Will slipped out of the room and down the stairs. He found the landlord cleaning up from the night before and nodded a silent greeting, then he pushed through the tavern doors and exited into the warm morning air.

Minutes later Mia joined him, looking as fresh and beautiful as ever. He dreaded to think what he looked like. After a sleepless night where he'd been racked by unfulfilled desire he doubted he was at his best.

‘We forgot about Tubs,' Mia said quietly.

‘I'm sure the old boy's absolutely fine.'

They walked in silence along the waterfront, the gap between them strange to Will after their closeness throughout the night.

‘What are you planning on doing next?' Mia asked after a few minutes of silence.

Will remembered Mia's artful questioning of Brave Pablo and his revelations about
The Flaming Dragon
anchoring in Smuggler's Cove.

‘We should head over to Smuggler's Cove,' he said, glad to have something to distract him once again. ‘I'm sure someone must live around there. They'll likely be able to tell us more about the ship and when it anchors in the cove.'

‘Good morning, sir,' Tubs said as they approached the end of the jetty. The old sailor looked content and rested. ‘Hope you had a satisfying night.'

Will ignored the innuendo and stopped just short of the boat.

‘Miss Del Torres and I had a very productive evening, thank you,' he said. ‘We've uncovered some information which might help us in apprehending the pirates.'

Tubs looked as if he were about to make another suggestive comment so Will ploughed on.

‘We shall be going across the island to Smuggler's Cove, if you would row back to the ship and inform the Captain. We shall be back later in the day.'

‘You enjoy your trip, sir.' With a suggestive wiggle of an eyebrow the old seaman even made that innocuous sentence seem dirty.

‘We will. Thank you, Tubs.'

Will abruptly turned and led Mia back down the jetty.

‘We're going on our own?' Mia asked.

‘Yes.'

In truth he hadn't thought that part through. Another few hours with just Mia for company. It would be torture for sure, but exquisite torture.

* * *

Mia looked down at the stretch of golden sand and smiled. She'd been feeling on edge all morning, unable to relax with Will within hand's reach but still so out of bounds. The bright blue of the Caribbean waters lapping up against the golden sands wasn't enough to make her forget about the man standing beside her, but it was enough to make her smile.

‘It's beautiful,' Will said.

They started walking down the hill towards the beach. The owner from the tavern where they'd stayed had arranged for one of the local men to drop them off in his cart. He'd left them on the hill just above the beach and had promised to return in a few hours to pick them up. He had also pointed out the small cottage perched on the hillside overlooking the cove.

They walked in companionable silence. Most of the awkwardness of earlier that morning had evaporated on the journey to the quieter side of the island and now Mia was left with a deep longing once again.

She stole a glance at Will. He looked deep in thought. She wondered if he was thinking about her. It was more likely he was deciding how to proceed with questioning the man who lived in the cottage.

She'd asked the impossible of him last night. She had needed him to hold her, knowing that physically he desired her, but nothing could come of it. Mia had expected him to refuse, any lesser man would have, but he'd seen she was distressed and he had sacrificed his own comfort for hers.

They reached the cottage and Will raised a hand to tap the door. It opened immediately and a tall man with skin the colour of the night's sky peered out.

‘I don't want any trouble,' were the first words he uttered.

‘And I don't want to bring you any. We're here to ask you for help.'

He looked them up and down suspiciously.

‘Who are you?'

‘My name is Will Greenacre and this is Mia.'

‘I didn't ask your names. Who are you?'

‘I'm a pirate hunter and this lovely lady is Mia Del Torres.'

Mia thought he was going to slam the door in their faces, but eventually he stepped outside. It wasn't quite as good as being invited in, but she doubted many people would ask the sister of the infamous Captain Del Torres into their homes.

‘No one likes pirates,' the man said slowly, ‘but I don't want any trouble.'

‘No one has to know we've spoken to you.'

Then man snorted. ‘It'll be all over the island by now.'

‘Then what's the harm in helping us?'

The man contemplated this and after a few seconds held out his hand to shake Will's. ‘My name is Alberto.'

Mia saw Will relax a little as he shook the other man's hand.

‘What makes you think you can catch Del Torres?' Before Will could answer he asked another question. ‘That is the plan, isn't it? To catch him?'

Will nodded.

‘And you're helping him?' he asked Mia.

She felt her throat thicken up. It wasn't as though he was accusing her of betraying her brother, but his incredulity was just like an accusation.

‘I'm helping him,' she said simply.

‘The Navy have been all over the island, threatening people,' Alberto said.

‘I bet no one had seen or heard of
The Flaming Dragon
then.'

‘They have a way of putting people's backs up.'

Mia thought of the arrogant Lieutenant Glass waiting for them on the ship and silently agreed with Alberto.

‘Help us,' Will said. ‘Del Torres and his crew have been terrorising these waters for long enough.'

Alberto seemed to think about Will's request for a good few minutes.

‘If Del Torres returns to Tortola before you catch his ship, I'm a dead man,' Alberto said.

‘Then help us catch him before he returns.'

He studied Will's face and eventually nodded. ‘What do you want to know?'

‘We've been told
The Flaming Dragon
anchors in this cove every so often. Anything you can tell us about what the crew do, when they were last here, if there is any pattern to their arrival, would be an immense help.'

Alberto smiled wryly. ‘They left at dawn yesterday.'

Mia felt her pulse quicken. They'd just missed them on their lap around the island. A few hours earlier and this could all have been over. Her brother would be in custody and she would be on her way back to Barbados for a life without Will. She felt the tears starting to sting her eyes and quietly turned away so neither man would see.

‘They'd been anchored for four days, which is about normal for them. They had been making some repairs on one of the masts—must have got damaged when some poor merchant ship tried to fight back.'

‘Did they come ashore?'

‘A party of ten men came as far as the trees beyond the beach—I think they must have been sent for a few bits to help with the repairs—but no one ventured further than that.'

‘And did anyone from the island approach the boat?'

‘It's pretty quiet over here. I'm the only one living in this part of the island. I'm not sure anyone else knew
The Flaming Dragon
was anchored here. If they did, I doubt anyone would approach it.'

So they didn't take on supplies in Tortola.

‘How often does the ship anchor in the cove?'

Alberto shrugged. ‘I haven't really been keeping note. Perhaps once every six weeks or so. Sometimes sooner, sometimes longer. And sometimes they're only there for a day and other times four or five. It's as if they're waiting for something.'

Mia thought of the merchant ships now resting at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea and knew immediately what they were waiting for: their targets to get into position so they could sneak up and attack.

‘Thank you, Alberto,' Will said, shaking the other man's hand vigorously. He had a fresh gleam in his eyes and looked excited, as if he had caught a whiff of the scent of his prey and knew he was closing in.

‘No one around here likes pirates,' Alberto said with a shrug. ‘We had a raid on Road Town a few months ago. The town was trashed and two women were taken. If the Navy weren't such pompous fools, I would have talked to them.'

Mia couldn't meet his eye. Her brother was probably responsible for raiding the island this man so clearly loved.

‘And now if that's everything I think I will make myself scarce for a few weeks. No point making it easy for Del Torres to find me.'

Without another word Alberto strode off up the hill away from the beach.

Mia turned to Will to find he was grinning like a little boy.

‘We're closing in,' he said excitedly. ‘I can feel it, Mia.'

She smiled, too, trying to share his enthusiasm. She did want to catch up with
The Flaming Dragon
and help Will apprehend her brother and the rest of the pirates, but she was dreading it, as well. More than that, though, she was dreading the thought of never seeing Will again. In a matter of days they would probably be making their way back to Barbados and Mia would have to face a lifetime on her own. She knew that no other man would interest her now she'd known Will. She wouldn't want to kiss another man, pledge her heart to him, when she would know deep down it was a lie. Will Greenacre, a man she'd shared only a few intense days with, would always be in possession of her heart.