He sounded as if he were teasing, but that struck such a nerve that she cut in rather sharply, “If you weren’t serious, why the bloody hell did you propose?”
She probably shouldn’t have put him on the spot with such a pointed question. It turned him defensive, and frustrated, to go by the hand he raked through his hair.
“It was the honorable thing to do, all things considered,” he said.
“My acceptance was for the same reason—all things considered. But if you weren’t really serious, then I’ll decline.”
He should have looked relieved at that point. Instead he just looked more frustrated.
“Fine,” he retorted. “Don’t say I didn’t ask.”
She stared at him incredulously. “You call that asking? I’d call that begging me to refuse.”
“You’re not going to worm your way out of this. You accepted. I’m holding you to it!”
He lay down and turned a stiff back to her. She did the same. An hour later, his backside was touching her derriere. Thirty minutes later, their legs were entwined. About one minute after that, they were making love again, and not another word was said about his odd proposal.
Dinner came, and with an annoyed shout from Drew, it was left outside the door. Darkness came, filtered only by a little moonlight through the bank of windows. Sweat came and soaked the sheets, but they barely noticed. And Gabrielle came, again and again, each orgasm more powerful than the last.
It was a day she’d never forget.
Chapter 43
“I’VE NOTICED IT, YOU KNOW,”Margery said in a sage tone. The older woman had been let out of her cabin about the same time Gabrielle had gained her own freedom.
“Noticed what?” Gabrielle asked.
“How happy you’ve been recently.”
Gabrielle was standing next to her friend near the bow of the ship. They were watching a rather large moon making an appearance on the horizon. It was one of the more beautiful things the ocean offered on a clear night, bright moonlight reflected on its waves. She almost wished Drew were standing with her instead. Almost.
“Happy?” Gabrielle replied with a slight frown. “I won’t be happy until my father is freed.”
“Well, of course,” Margery said. “That goes without saying. But I think you’re liking the captain more’n you let on, aren’t you?”
Gabrielle grinned now in answer. She couldn’t very well deny that anymore, or at least she couldn’t deny she liked making mad, passionate love with him. Drew, unprovoked, at his most charming, was devastating to a girl’s senses. And he hadn’t been provoked for a while now. And he’d definitely been at his most charming.
“Have you and he…”
Margery couldn’t bring herself to elaborate, even as outspoken as she usually was, but Gabrielle got the point easily enough, since it was a subject often on her mind. She didn’t even blush when she replied, “Yes.”
“I was afraid of that,” Margery said with a disappointed sigh.
Gabrielle noted the disapproval but didn’t take it to heart. It was expected. While Margery didn’t adhere to the proper way of doing things herself and had had many lovers over the years, she took her role as chaperone seriously and wanted only the best for Gabrielle. But life had its little curves and this was one of them.
“I thought the first time was a dream,” Gabrielle admitted, and at Margery’s doubtful look she laughed and said, “No, really. And I can’t deny it was the nicest dream I’d ever had.”
Margery rolled her eyes, but then her mind went off on a different track and she asked with a suspicious frown, “This isn’t part of your revenge, is it?”
“No, I’m done with that. He and I finally talked about it, and he admitted he didn’t intentionally stir up the scandal. And he’s making amends for it, by helping with Papa’s rescue, and also by not throwingmein jail for stealing his ship. Besides, you know very well I didn’t really want to settle down in England when I consider the islands my home. England was Papa’s idea, not mine, and even so, I don’t think itreallymattered to him. He was thinking of my mother, because it’s whatshewould have wanted for me. So Drew kind of did me a favor in ruining my chances for a match there.”
Margery snorted. “No one butyouwould see it that way now. But why did you get so angry about it to begin with, then, if you felt he did you a good turn?”
“Because that isn’t what I thought a’tall. Not then, anyway. I thought he’d made that remark deliberately, which made it a direct attack against me, and a nasty one at that.Thatwas deserving of revenge, especially since he was sailing off and leaving me there to sink in that scandal. But he didn’t even know his remark made the gossip rounds.”
“Well, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, that anger wasn’t doing you any good, so I’m glad you’ve given it up.”
“So am I,” Gabrielle agreed, and it was the truth. Not being angry and not fighting with that man had some really nice benefits.
