Love's Vengeance (31 page)

He squirmed under her regard, looking about the room uncomfortably, then growled, “That does it, I’m leaving! You are tormenting me!” When he made as if to rise from the bed, Desiree laughed brightly and he settled back once more, watching her thoughtfully. “Do you know how long it has been since I have heard your laughter?”

“Quite some time.” She sighed softly. She realized then how much she had missed him, his easy charm and silly playfulness. She further realized that she, indeed, wanted him, under any circumstances and she would no longer deny it.

He pulled her gently to him, kissing her long and sound, “Stay with me tonight Desiree.” He whispered, “Stay.” His lips brushed hers as he spoke and his voice was not pleading, simply asking.

Desiree stood and slowly began to unbutton her clothes but Stephen rose to stand before her, moving her hands aside. He kissed her gently, while with nimble fingers he unbuttoned her dress, slipping his hands within and the fabric moved off her shoulders, sliding from her arms and dropping to the floor. His lips caressed her shoulder, where his thumb moved the strap of her chemise and he unlaced the satin ribbon at the valley between her breasts and the garment slipped to join the gown.

He lifted her effortlessly and laid her across the bed, lowering himself beside her. His lips tested hers, while his hand savored her skin, moving from her throat down to her flat stomach and then his kisses ceased and his eyes rose slowly to meet hers. He rested his hand along her waist while his expression was warm and tender, “You will not rush out hating me after?” he pleaded in a husky voice.

Desiree smiled and touched his muscular shoulder, “I fear I must be insane but no—I will not rush out. I am going to trust in you Captain Colter and believe in you and pray that I do not regret that decision.”

He folded her in his arms, pulling her close as his lips savored hers once more. His whisper was barely audible, a commitment spoken between fevered kisses, “You can trust me.”

And he took her with the utmost of care—binding her to him once more with tender, giving passion. They were alone in the world and nothing mattered but this moment.

***

Sometime later as they lay in the warm glow of their spent love, Stephen reclined against a heap of pillows with Desiree’s cheek against his chest and wrapped within his arms as he gently stroked her bare shoulder.

“Stephen?” Desiree questioned, breaking the silence.

“Uh-huh.” He replied in a whisper.

Desiree turned in his arms, propping herself on his chest to gaze up into his eyes, “How old are you?”

“How old would you guess me to be?” he asked with a chuckle.

“I would guess…” She wrinkled her brow, pondering, “Thirty and three.”

He raised a brow in surprise, “Good God—I must be terribly weathered!” he laughed.

“Tell me! You asked me to guess, now tell me true.” She said tweaking his furry chest.

“I’m on the downhill side of twenty-six my sweet.”

Her mouth opened in surprise, “Never would I have guessed you to be so young.”

“Thank you very much.” He replied dryly.

“I’m sorry.” She apologized. “I have never been a very good judge of a person’s age. What would you guess me?”

“Ohhh—I don’t know that I dare attempt it. If I guess low I’ll be accused of doubting your womanhood and if high, you shall believe I think
you
weathered.” He said with a shake of his head and a chuckle.

“No I’ll not be upset, come on then…” She giggled, sitting up on her heels before him and giving him an innocent but enticing view of her ample charms.

With a deep breath, Stephen cringed and sighed carefully, “Eighteen.”

“You are correct. I had hoped you would think me a bit older.” she frowned teasingly; then broke into a warm smile, “How old are your brothers? Older or younger than you?” she asked, curious to see if possibly being the eldest lent to his maturity.

“Well…Daniel would be thirty-one, William would be twenty-eight—Timothy is twenty.” He stated, fingering a strand of her hair that fell over her shoulder.

“Are they all men of the sea as you?”

“Timothy has just taken to running a ship of his own in the last year. Before that he sailed with me.” He offered.

“What of the older two?” she pressed, while slapping at his hand. He was holding the strand of hair and running it along her throat softly.

“Daniel and Will are dead my sweet.” He sighed.

“Oh Stephen forgive me. I shouldn’t have pried.”

He shook his head, leaning up to place a kiss upon her mouth and then fluffing the pillows, reclined again, “Don’t fret sweet, it’s all right. It happened many years ago.”

“You needn’t say more…”

“I don’t mind speaking of it,” he began, “it was one of my early voyages as a lad. We were transporting powder and flintlocks from England to the colonies and it was the day we were to sail from Glasgow. Ham and I were returning from taking our morning fare at an inn and as we approached the docks, a tremendous explosion rattled the windows. We looked up ahead to see our ship going up in flames.”

He paused, his eyes distant as if reliving the day and Desiree sat patiently, waiting on him to continue.

“Will was killed instantly, as were many of the crew but Daniel had been at the helm, away from the initial blast and was severely burned. He lingered for days before he finally died. I was with him until the end.” He finished softly.

He seemed to still be in the past and Desiree sat quietly, watching his face, allowing him his private thoughts.

Stephen had only gone lightly over the details but now remembered the scene with horrible clarity. The force of the explosion had turned the docks into a madhouse. Smoldering debris fell in a shower from the sky—people were running to and fro. In terror, animals broke free from their tethers and dashed frantically about. Ships were being hustled out of their berths, away from the burning vessel and in the confusion; he and Ham had tried to make their way to the ship. They were a good two hundred yards away, stumbling through the chaos, when up ahead, walking from the acrid sulfur smoke—very slowly and unhurried, came Daniel, his entire body ablaze.

He remembered now how no one seemed to notice him—only he and Ham. All were caught up in their own terror, while Daniel stumbled numbly along the dock. He had felt as if running in place, as if an eternity had passed before they made their way to him. Ham grabbed a burlap cover off a wagon as they passed and they fell upon him, smothering the flames.

He knew their efforts had been in vain when they lay him upon a bed after carrying him through the streets of Glasgow to a nearby inn. He was burned almost beyond recognition and charred; blackened flesh came away with the rough burlap covering when they gently removed it. It would be days of agony before Daniel finally gave up and quietly stopped breathing.

He had stayed by his side, awaiting the end, in tears most of the time. He could remember the ragged rattling of his breathing, the agonized moans, and the smell of burned and gangrenous flesh and how he had prayed over and over for him to die quickly. He had cursed himself for not having the courage to take up a weapon and end Daniel’s misery and he remembered begging Ham to do what he was unable and being refused. So he had sat by Daniel’s side, watching his once vibrant older brother die slowly, in solitary torture.

“Stephen?”

He lifted his gaze to Desiree, being brought back abruptly from the past. Desiree could see the pain in the dark shadows moving across his face, “I am so very sorry. Forgive me for bringing up past pain.”

He shook his head, “I am fine sweet. I just had not thought of that for a very long time. Now it seems as if it were yesterday.” He smiled warmly, sitting up and pulling her to him for what began as a reassuring hug but became a tight embrace.

“How old were you?" she asked softly.

“Sixteen.” He sighed, releasing her and placing a soft kiss upon her lips, “Will was only eighteen and Daniel—twenty-one. When I think now of the two of them, how I had looked up to them as so old and worldly, modeling myself after them, it’s hard to believe how young they were.”

“It appears we have both had our share of loss.” Desiree stated.

“Aye, that we have.” He agreed pulling her down beside him, then moving atop her, “Come with me my raven haired beauty, cleanse my mind of the pain and the past.”

Each kiss, every caress of his hands was measured. Desiree felt as if being devoured with every contact. He seemed to know every inch of her body and yet at the same time he was discovering, savoring her, causing her to tremble with his touch as he made her feel so very feminine, so vital and
so
needed as he reaffirmed that he was alive.

He came to her slowly and she gasped with emotion as he filled her and his mouth possessed hers with all the passion he had within his being. He began to move, bringing her with him as they built to spiraling heights, until neither could endure another moment and their combined urgency drove them to the gasping summit. Their breath was warm in one another’s mouths, their embrace powerful, desperate as though they might draw one within the other.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Desiree’s first sight upon waking was that handsome face, next to her own, sharing her pillow. He lay upon his stomach beside her and she was quick to notice that he was uncovered. She leaned up on one elbow as her eyes roamed over him, past the broad brown back, to the narrow hips where dark skin met light, over the firm buttocks and long straight legs. Even relaxed, the muscle of his body was defined and the rugged power he possessed brought a stirring to her. For despite the power, his touch could be as gentle as a whispering wind. Her eyes came back to his face and she smiled at his innocence in slumber, admiring the handsome features for a time. Then taking a strand of her hair, she touched it to his cheek and he stirred, wrinkling his brow in annoyance. She touched it along the bridge of his nose and he swatted the thin air and then covered his face with a hand, mumbling inaudibly and she choked back a laugh. His fingers separated and he peered at her from between them.

“I am awake. You may cease at any time.” He suggested with feigned annoyance.

He moved his hand and smiled sleepily, “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” She whispered with an impish grin.

He reached over and pulled her arm supporting her weight out from under her and scooped her into his arms, tasting her lips with a throaty growl, “You are really here.” He said in amazement, nuzzling her neck, “I am not dreaming.”

His passion flared as it had, more than once, through the course of the night and Desiree pushed back with a laugh, “You can not be serious Stephen! I believe you are impossible to satisfy! Please—not again, I can’t! I’m exhausted.” She jumped as his teeth nibbled lightly at her shoulder, “Behave—please!”

She wriggled away to the opposite side of the bed and he fell onto the pillows with a sigh, “Come back here—for I haven’t the energy to come after you.” he chuckled.

“You act as though you are starved, instead of well appeased. I am not going anywhere Stephen—you needn’t kill us both trying to make up for lost time.”

She sat up and moved warily to the foot of the bed, keeping her eyes on him all the while. The movement seemed to go unnoticed by him until he turned over and lunged to a sitting position, grasping her about the waist. She shrieked with merriment as he pulled her back down and pinned her beneath him. He kissed her deeply as he leisurely fondled her breasts, teasing and enticing her to respond. She pulled away from his kiss and sank her teeth into his shoulder, gently.

“Ouch, why you little—
that hurt
!” he said in jest with a chuckle.

Her lips kissed the supposed injury and traced along his neck to his ear where her teeth nipped at his lobe, causing him to shudder. Then she moved along his jaw with gentle, fleeting kisses until her mouth met his once more and his kiss was heated and insistent.

A sudden light knock at the door brought the intimate interlude to an abrupt halt. Desiree’s eyes widened in horror and she pushed against his shoulders, until he moved off of her, then she jumped out of the bunk, retrieving her dress from the floor. Holding it before her, she turned in circles, looking for an escape while Stephen melted into laughter, watching her frantic performance.

“Just a moment.” he called to whoever might be on the other side of the door, while his eyes continued to regard Desiree warmly.

She scampered on tiptoes across to him and whispered harshly, “You can’t let anyone know I am here. Stephen you can not—
please
!” she pleaded.

He placed his index finger across her lips, hushing her and looked about for his breeches, donning them. He strode to the door, opening it only enough to allow his exit and walked out into the hall. Desiree could hear Ham’s voice but was unable to make out the words and Stephen opened the door a moment later, entering with a tray in his hands. He kicked the door closed behind him and set the tray upon the table.

Desiree had slipped her shift on and now stepped into her dress, buttoning it while she approached the table. Stephen grinned, set a plate before her and then sat down to his breakfast. He watched her face as it slowly sank in that two servings had been prepared, including fresh brewed tea for her.

It dawned on her then—Ham had known; he had known full well that she was within the cabin! Her mouth fell open and she sank into the chair, covering her face with her hands, “
Mon Dieu
.” she whispered and then looked up into his eyes, “He knew I was here didn’t he?”

Nodding, Stephen sipped at his coffee.

“What must he think?” Desiree groaned, rolling her eyes in total mortification.

“He is probably thinking he will no longer have to put up with my foul moods.” he chuckled, “He is a gentleman as well as one of my most trusted friends—and I might add, a great admirer of yours. He is aware of what transpired before…” he saw her eyes widen, then narrow accusingly and he rushed on, “I assure you it was purely by accident that he discovered that occurrence! He came to my cabin that night before I had a chance to tidy up after you had tried to take my head off with most of the contents of my desk. He kept that secret as well, so have no fear sweet—he is most discreet.” He grasped her hand and kissed it tenderly, “Now can we please eat? I must take the helm soon and I would enjoy your company.” he said with a wink.