“None. That may have been part of why the bloom wore off so quickly. My mother never actually said so, but I gathered that she thought she could get my father to settle down and give up the sea. She didn’t become dissatisfied with her marriage until it became clear that he would never do that. I do know that she despised the fact that he was always away at sea and never around when she needed him.”
She was touching closer to home, apparently, since his reply was rather defensive. “Comes with the territory, sweetheart. She shouldn’t have married a pirate if she wanted a man in her bed every night.”
Blasted with double barrels! It amazed her how he uttered sensual, provocative remarks so easily and naturally, while she had to work so hard at it. He said things to her that he wouldneversay to a lady. Ironically, she’d heard much worse in recent years and had become immune, or at least there was very little that could make her blush anymore—until she’d met Drew Anderson. He could make her blush without even half trying.
She fought to keep the pink out of her cheeks now by answering him without inflection. “I see you’re under a mistaken assumption. My mother thought she was marrying the captain of a merchantman. She didn’t know what his real occupation was. She died a few years ago without ever finding out. Now it’s your turn. Since marriage has been the subject of your curiosity, care to tell me why you’re so dead set against it?”
He grinned. “Can’t you guess, sweetheart? You’re a pirate. You know what it’s like, sailing from port to port. Most sailors have to come home to a single port for marital bliss, the one they’ve made their home in, where their wife is waiting. And yet how many ports do they sail to where they either drown their sorrows, missing their wives, or are unfaithful, then miserable afterward in their guilt. I’m never falling into that trap. I love the fact that no matter which port I sail into, there’s a woman waiting for me with open arms.”
“Ah, I see. I had thought perhaps you had loved and lost, and that’s why you abhor marriage, but I forgot that you’re merely a true Lothario at heart.”
“I don’t abhor marriage. For some men it’s the perfect state to be in. I just realized long ago that it wasn’t for me. I’m happy in my life. Why would I want to change that?”
She shrugged and said offhandedly, “I don’t know, things happen.”
“Yes, they do. But take my mother, for example. She knew exactly what she was getting when she married my father. She knew he’d rarely be at home. And while she seemed happy enough, raising so many children, I used to catch her in moments when it was obvious how lonely she was, even miserable, missing my father. I was pretty young when I decided I’d never do that to a woman.”
It made her sad to know that hewasserious. He believed every word he’d just said. But that left no room for love. Did he really want to go through his entire life without experiencing true love?
“There were two ways you could have abided by that decision. You could have just decided not to go to sea instead,” she pointed out.
“You’re joking, right?”
She gritted her teeth. “Yes, of course I am.”
“The sea is in my blood, sweetheart,” he added, just in case she missed that point, then gave her a knowing look. “You changed the subject too soon. Were you serious before? Your mother really never knew your father was a pirate?”
“Why does that surprise you? When my father visited us, he didn’t bring his crew along, which might have given her a clue. They are a ribald, rowdy bunch, after all. Besides, he was on his best behavior whenever he was in England.”
“What about you? How long have you known?”
“Not until my mother died and I left home to find him,” she replied.
“So only a few years? My, you adapted very quickly, didn’t you?”
His sarcastic tone was back. She’d told him things she shouldn’t have, she realized too late. “Fortunately, I’m a quick learner,” she replied offhandedly, trying to correct his impression of her.
She stood up, stretched sensually, then walked over to stop near him but just out of his reach. His long legs were stretched out across the floor and crossed at the ankles. His arms were crossed over his wide chest. His expression was actually wary for a moment, with her stopping so close to him, but it quickly turned sensual.
“Ready to ravish me?” he asked.
It was fortunate that his expression had warned her he was going to say something like that. She was able to reply calmly, even with a little feigned regret, “Sorry, but you’re not my type.”
His short bark of laughter said he didn’t believe her. “Then who is? Richard?”
She managed a grin. “Good grief, no. I was just playing around with him the other day and merely took him by surprise. He’s a good friend. We actually joke around like that a lot.”
“Then that pallid English snob?”
“Who? Oh, you mean Wilbur? No, I found him rather boring, if you must know. Besides, even though you’re an American, you seemed a little too at home in the London ballrooms for my taste. I want a man who will go horseback riding on the beach with me, who will dive with me into crystal-clear coves and explore coral reefs, a man who will get as excited as I do about chasing after lost treasure. I want a man who will swim naked with me in the sea on a moonlit night and make love to me on a sandy beach.”
Gabrielle realized dreamily that she really did want all that. But she’d managed to stun Drew. He’d been hanging on every word of her romantic fantasy.
Seeing that she’d turned the tables on him, she said abruptly, “Now, can I get you anything before I leave you to your lonely confinement?”
He replied abruptly, “Don’t leave yet.”
“Sorry, but I have a nice hot bath waiting for me.”
