Hart's Desire (Pirates & Petticoats Book 1) (20 page)

“You were made to be worshipped, Keelan,” he said. “I want to show you how a man should pay homage to a goddess.”
 

“Landon…” she breathed. “What is this? It…oh!”

He increased the pressure against that small sensitive place, until she moaned his name. Her cheeks flushed with passion and her eyes went limpid. Keelan’s full, lush lips parted, and he had to taste them. She entwined her fingers in his hair and opened her mouth against his, accepting his tongue, warm and slick against her own.
 

He wanted to devour her.
 

Taste her.
 

Please her.
 

Claim
her.
 

He caressed her and she ground her hips into his hand until he slid a finger inside her.

“Please,” she whispered. “I don’t know why, but Landon, please.”

 
“Just let go, Keelan.” He pushed down the shoulder of her dress enough to expose her breast and he cupped it while he traced his tongue down her throat.
 
She smelled of rain and sunshine all at once. The musky scent of a woman pulled at him, and he struggled to keep himself from breaking his earlier promise. Every beat of his heart made his body throb with need.

He trailed kisses along her collarbone, then licked the pink peak. She shuddered and arched against him, her hips pressing harder into his hand, clenching his finger inside her. Her lids fluttered shut and she tilted her head back, revealing the creamy skin of her throat as he slowly sucked her nipple. She clenched again as a small cry burst from her beautiful mouth.
 

Sanity had abandoned Keelan’s mind. Even as warning bells began to bang harshly in her head, her body continued to fight them. She wanted to experience more of this; she wanted Landon to be the one to teach her how to make love. And she was only a caress away from begging him to do so.

What next, then?
Her mind asked sluggishly.
A wedding? Followed by a farewell? Would he still make you happy, then? Or perhaps no wedding for you and no commitment from him. Remember his game; you may be nothing more than a pawn, insignificant and expendable.

Where was her head? Why was she so weak around this man?
 

She finally caught her breath enough to speak. “Landon, please stop. We can’t…”

He brought his lips to hers and kissed her. She wanted to stop him before she lost herself again, but this kiss was different. Gentle, barely probing…tender. It was tender. It mesmerized her like a cobra to a lute. It took a long moment, but she managed to brace her palms on Landon’s chest and push. It wasn’t a particularly strong push, but it worked and he released her.

“I can’t let this happen,” she gasped. “No matter—”

“No matter how you feel about me?” His words were soft and quiet, but they hit her hard.
 

She fumbled with the fabric of her skirt, pulling it down as she scooted away from him. Her chest heaved as if she had run for miles. The heat still consumed her. His touch had done things to her that she could never have imagined possible. She tried to slow her breathing and compose herself. She had acted like an addle-brained fool. Was a moment of bliss, the rapture of a touch worth the cost of her future happiness? Who was she to him, anyway? All he had done was seduce her and then remind her that she wanted him. Perhaps he had accomplished his goal. Shame and anger hit her full force.
 

“Your word as a gentleman…” she choked, still barely able to form the words. “You lied.”

Landon quirked a brow. “I promised to only touch you. I promised your virtue would remain intact.”

“You promised to protect me from….” The shame at what she had allowed him to do pulled hot tears from her eyes. “You took advantage.”

Landon peered at her closely. “Are you saying I am solely responsible for what happened between us?”

“Yes.” Keelan sat up and scooted further toward the wall behind her. Thinking back to the way she had pressed her hips into his hand made her feel weak and vivacious at the same time. “No…not entirely. But… I should have been stronger. I shouldn’t have let you manipulate me. I know to never trust your kind. I knew that, and I still…”

“My kind?” Landon’s eyes narrowed. “What is my kind… exactly?”

Her embarrassment had reached its peak. Unable to contain a harsh laugh, she whispered hoarsely, “You know what kind of man you are…one who seduces women for
sport
. It’s a game to you. I’m well-aware I’m nothing more than your current fancy, a way to bide the time while you’re in Charleston.” She dropped her chin and pressed her lips into a thin line. “And I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m weak. And gullible and apparently easy to seduce.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s not a role I want to play.” She closed her eyes and spoke before he could cast his spell on her again. “I want you to stay away from me. Find another to warm your bed. I’ll not sacrifice my virtue for your simple, primal pleasures.” Her voice dropped to a choked whisper, “Please.”

Yet, she was aware that even as she said the words, the image of him touching another woman the same way he had touched her left her stomach twisted and churning. As hard as she had tried to avoid it, she’d allowed her heart to slip a little from her center of logic.
 

Soon, Captain Hart would sail away from the port of Charleston, and she would be left bearing a yoke of misery because she wasn’t strong enough.

He’d already left a mark on her heart.
 

Damn him.

Landon’s voice dropped. “I see.”
 

The chill in his tone made her wince. She lifted her nose and ignored the bite of Landon’s words.
 
She combed them through her storm-blown hair with trembling fingers and tried to push away the thoughts and images of the exuberant sensations he’d stirred in her core.

“Boy, girl, temptress, lady, now shrew, the many faces of Keelan Grey.” The quiet words he spoke affected her more than if he had shouted them. “Which will you show next, I wonder?”

Did he know how each word sliced off another piece of her heart?
 

“Our lives follow different paths,” she whispered. “You’re a man of the sea. I’m a woman who enjoys the busy atmosphere of the city. I want to run a shop and have a family someday.” She wanted more than that, now, thanks to him. Now, she wanted something she’d never have. “A complete one, with a husband beside me, not hundreds of miles away.”

Landon’s voice was low and hoarse in her ear, “Then ’tis a dangerous course you tread now, my
sweet
.” He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, dismissing her from his sight.

Keelan turned her back to him and wiped away the hot tears before they traveled too far down her cheeks.
 

They sat in silence as the wind wailed forlornly; branches and debris hit the outer walls. Gusts clawed and ripped at the shingles around the damaged corner of the roof. The pelting rain found its way further into the small structure, causing the fire to sputter and hiss angrily at the intrusion. Landon jumped up and quickly doused the flames, which extinguished much of the light in the cellar.
 

“Why did you put out the fire?” she cried, thinking there would be no way to dry their rain-soaked garments.

“The hole in the floorboards above served as our chimney, but if it becomes covered with debris, the cellar will fill with smoke,” Landon answered from a few feet away. She could barely make out his silhouette in the diminished light.

Seeking something solid for support, Keelan groped for the wall behind her and scampered backward until her spine pressed against it. The wind sounded like a giant, angry beast and when it ripped away another portion of the cabin, she couldn’t contain her scream. The force yanked a large section of the wall above them and tossed it straight up into the sky. She let out a strangled cry and covered her head as splintering wood shrieked above the howling wind.

Landon’s arms gathered her close, his voice firm in her ear, “I have you, Keelan. Don’t be afraid.” He murmured something else, but a loud screech of twisting wood drowned out his words. He pressed her back to the ground against the wall and covered her body with his as shards of wood and debris rained down on them. Keelan squeezed her eyes closed, wrapped her arms around Landon’s neck and head, and clung to him with all her might.

More of the cabin collapsed above them, covering the hole and plunging them into complete darkness, muffling the sound of the storm outside. Landon held her tightly, and Keelan prayed the floorboards above wouldn’t collapse. They stayed that way for a long time, while the wind and rain lashed the land above them. She pressed her face against the warmth of Landon’s neck and jaw and when she opened her eyes, her lashes flickered against his skin. He shifted and rose slightly.
 

“I remember my mother doing that to me when I was a young lad,” he said with a smile in his voice.

“Doing what?” Keelan asked, confused. She tried to ignore the lovely pressure of his body pressed against hers.

“This.” Landon blinked his lashes against her cheek, drawing a surprised giggle from her. “She called them ‘fairy kisses.'” He dipped his head and did it again.

“I like fairy kisses,” Keelan said, unable to contain her laughter at the ticklish sensation his lashes made against her cheek.
 

“My parents died of a fever during the voyage from Ireland to Boston when I was young.”

“Oh,” Keelan said, saddened. “How awful for you. What did you do? Where did you live?”

Landon shifted his weight to the side. “Conal’s uncle took me in and taught me everything I know about sailing ships and bartering for goods. Eventually, Uncle Fynn rented a small space in his hold to me, and I would purchase goods and sell them at a profit. When I’d saved enough money, I bought my own ship. After a few years, Fynn turned his trading company over to four of us: his sons, Ronan and Brendan, his nephew, Conal, and me. Ronan is still a young lad, only fourteen. Brendan was Fynn’s first mate on the
Reward
. We were running a new trade route together a few weeks ago when we were attacked. We continued to Charleston to try to complete Fynn’s original plan while our ships were repaired.”

“And what was Fynn’s original plan?”
 

Landon shrugged. “He never told us the details.”

Keelan already suspected Fynn’s reasons. She took a resigned breath, wishing she didn’t have to admit to Landon an act that might have horribly affected Landon’s adopted family.
 

“I might know why Captain O'Brien’s Uncle Fynn wanted to speak with my father.” She was now grateful for the darkened cellar; Landon wouldn’t be able to see the embarrassment in her eyes, although she was uncertain if she could keep it from her voice.
 

“My father inadvertently gave orders to sink a ship off the coast of Ireland about two years ago. He assumed is was a French privateer being duplicitous by flying American colors. Unfortunately, it was an American passenger ship. Almost everyone on the vessel was killed. There was a rather large public outcry. He was court marshaled, and if it hadn’t been for the influence of one of his old war comrades, he would have even been hanged.”

Her mother had to close and board up the shop after stones had been thrown through the front windows on two different occasions. Less than a week later, she was killed.
 

“We suspect it’s the reason our family has been targeted by an assassin. Someone seeks revenge against my father. My mother was killed, then my aunt and cousin. Papa’s friend managed to help us escape to Charleston, where we hoped we’d be safe.”
 

“So you’re wondering if Fynn Ahern had a family member on that ship,” Landon stated.

“Yes.”

He was silent a moment. “No,” he mused. “I don’t think that was the reason. Fynn was like a father to me, so I know Conal’s entire family. I would know of such a tragedy. I doubt Fynn journeyed to Charleston for retribution,” he added, as if reading Keelan’s mind.

She made a mental note to speak with her father about it at the first opportunity.

The howling had finally eased, and the fierce din of angry hail changed to a more gentle patter of a spring rain. How long had they been talking?

“It seems the worst of the storm has passed,” Landon said, echoing her thoughts. “Let’s see if I can push the hatch open.”
 

As soon as he lifted his weight from her, the cool air shifted away his warmth, leaving her open and exposed. A moment later, she heard the sound of his shoulder pushing against the cellar door, followed by a low grunt. No creaking hinges followed. He tried again and was delivered the same result.

“The door doesn’t even move. If I had to wager on the cause, I’d say the chimney wall above has collapsed on it,” Landon said.

They were trapped in an abandoned, now demolished shanty miles from the mill and the main house. The chances of anyone finding them soon were tiny. And there was nothing they could do about it.

“What about the other entrance against the outside of the cabin?” Keelan hoped she sounded calmer than she felt.

“I checked it first after we arrived. I thought it could be an entrance into this cellar, but when I opened the shuttered doors, they lead to a small walled-off area, barely the size of a wardrobe.”
 

“Maybe if I help you, we can open the door together.” Did he hear the tremor in her voice, as she scrambled to her feet? She reached out in the darkness and when her hand found the wall, she began to feel her way along the cool, damp surface toward Landon’s voice.

“There’s not enough room for both of us to stand on the step.” he answered. “But, I fear our efforts would be in vain anyway. I noticed no give at all.”

The darkness began to press against Keelan’s chest, and her breaths shortened in response. The cellar walls loomed around them in the murky blackness. Something brushed against her hand and she jumped, unable to restrain a surprised squeak.