"Yes! Now if you'll just behave yourself."
"Behave?" She was furious.
My God, the man must be mad, she thought. Without thinking, she doubled her fist and punched him as hard as she could.
Surprised by the blow, Zach immediately released her, his hand going to his bruised eye.
She lunged past him and out into the companionway. Not wasting a moment, she scrambled up the ladder to the top deck.
He reached the companionway just in time to see her bare feet disappearing over the top rung of the ladder.
"Why didn't you stop her?" he yelled at Tobias.
"How?" Tobias snapped. "I don't have a rope," he added sarcastically.
Zach vaulted up the ladder. Rain pelted him through the open hatch. It blew across the ship in great billowing gusts, making the decks slick and dangerous.
Water ran over the deck as the bow dipped through the next wave, then spilled down the open hatch. He saw Sandy at the wheel, shouted, then turned in the direction his second mate indicated.
Elyse stumbled along the deck, rain plastering the chemise to her body, wind whipping at the blanket.
She was only a few feet away, but on the rolling deck of a ship that seemed like miles. Zach lunged after her. If she lost her footing, she might easily be swept overboard with the next wave.
She heard her name, then the wind whipped it away. She turned and saw him coming after her. She wanted to run, to get away from him. But the wind and rain lashed at her, stinging painfully, making it impossible to see.
A strong hand closed around her arm. She clawed at his hand, trying desperately to break his hold.
Zach pulled her against him, the blanket gone, her hair streaming down her back.
She collapsed against him. He grabbed the line at the center mast, his other arm encircling her waist. There was nothing gentle in him as he pushed them both toward the open hatch. His fingers bit into her arms as he almost threw her down the opening.
She grabbed at the top rung of the ladder and made her way down slowly, her hands cold and clumsy, her arms shaking.
Zach shouted to Sandy, saw his mate's thumbs-up sign, then climbed down after her, slamming the hatch into place. He stepped down into the companionway and turned on Elyse. She was soaked to the skin, water puddling at her feet. Bruised from being battered about, she was in no mood for his anger.
At that moment, Zach was too furious to speak, but the expression in those gray eyes could have turned the water she was standing in to ice. He looked first to Tobias, then to Tris and the half-dozen other men staring at them from the crew quarters, who were now on their way topside.
"I don't remember this being a pleasure cruise," he snapped. "All of you have something to do."
Every man except Tobias immediately went about his business. Tris headed for the galley. The others scrambled toward the ladder.
"Well?" Zach turned to Tobias.
The older man was certainly not the toughest sailor aboard, yet he seemed completely unaffected by Zach's temper. His eyes narrowed as he looked from Zach to Elyse.
"I'll be interested to see who wins this round. If you need any help, just give a shout." He turned back to his own cabin.
Zach's hand closed around Elyse's wrist as he pulled her down the companionway. He stopped at the door to her cabin. It was a shambles. Food was plastered on the near wall. Pieces of glass and the metal tray littered the floor.
He pulled her in the opposite direction, kicking open the door to his own cabin, and thrust her inside. Slamming the door behind them, he turned on her. "I'm captain of this ship. My orders will be obeyed and that includes you!"
Tears of anger slipped down her wet cheeks. "Why have you brought me here?"
He was angry, tired, and she'd just scared the hell out of him. Zach grabbed her by the shoulders. "If you ever try anything like that again..."
Whatever she'd planned to say was cut off.
"You little fool! Don't you realize you could've been killed!"
