She couldn’t—not with what she’d heard below—and her face heated under his scrutiny.
He turned from her long enough to order his men back to work, and he was revealed to her fully in that moment, for he was within his element at last, feral and magnificent. Despite herself, the sight of him stole her breath away; his features hard and hawk like, and with his dark, unbound hair flowing, he wasthe Hawk. With his snug black breeches and loose white shirt billowing in the breeze, he’d never appeared more ominous than he did at the moment. Evidently his men thought so as well, for without him having said a word, all eyes turned from them at once.
Satisfied that their conversation would no longer be overheard, he returned his gaze to her. “In future,” he told her, “I would suggest you refrain from bedeviling Ben—trust me, love, a man can only take so much.”
There was nothing of the man she’d thought she’d known in him now,nothing. She truly didn’t know him. Had she ever? she wondered bitterly. “How dare you speak to me so rudely?”
“Had he been himself last night,” he continued coldly, ignoring her angry objection, “and not beset with fever and pain, you’d no longer be virgin—I assure you, cousin or nay. Or,” he suggested, his tone fierce, “perhaps that isn’t a concern any longer.” He narrowed his eyes, and asked softly, “Is it, Jessamine?”
Jessie’s face flushed a bright crimson. “Oh! That is none of your concern—though I assure you my cousin is a gentleman through and through—unlike you!”
“Is that so,” he replied evenly, giving her a ruthless smile.
Christian had to suppress the urge to grin outright.
He’d managed to discover what he’d needed to know, and the truth was that he was well pleased with the answer. Ben hadn’t touched her, he was certain of it, and neither had anyone else for that matter; for she wore a virgin’s blush.
“I really must insist you take me back to Charlestown!”
Christian shook his head, sighing. “Nay, Jess. The fact is that your uncle has already bandied word that you and Ben have sailed for England.” He grinned at her then, unable to suppress his glee. “It seems you have developed a nasty case of homesickness. As you see... I cannot allow you to go back, forin doing so you’d raise suspicions now, and I will not permit you to do that, my love. After all, ’tis my father’s life you would endanger, as well.”
Christian could see the fierce determination leave her features, though it was immediately replaced by resentment.
Was his company so disagreeable to her?
Did she truly loathe him so much?
He couldn’t allow himself to believe it, for if he did, a part of him would shrivel and die. He thought to put the issue of her leaving at rest once and for all, and he said, “We’ll be gone only as long as necessary, and if you endeavor to stay out of the way, ’twill pass all the easier for you. Rest assured, Jessie. I am no more thrilled for your company than you are for mine.”
Her expression became mutinous suddenly, her green eyes reflecting the depths of her animosity, buffeting him as surely as though she’d struck his cheek with her palm. “I—well—and—truly—despise—you!”
His jaw grew taut, and his chest tightened, but he managed a nod. “Despise me all you wish,” he allowed, “only stay the hell out of my sight.”
He felt little satisfaction when she stiffened as though she’d been cuffed, and less when she turned and stalked away. He forced himself to let her go, telling himself that her anger was a welcome barrier between them.
Without it, he was lost.
19
Sweating from his labors, Christian made his way back to his cabin. He’d not intended for the Mistral to set sail again so soon, and so there had been a number of things he’d had to see to before leaving Charlestown harbor. It had been a near miraculous feat to resupply his ship in the course of a day, without earning suspicion, and he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish the task at all without the generous help he’d received from the men of the Wilkes club. Ben was obviously well thought of among them, for they’d rallied together without thought for their own safety, procuring supplies and hauling them aboard.
His intent now was simply to sail down the coast to the West Indies, collect a payload, then return to Charlestown, arriving in the dead of night. Fortunately, because it was hurricane season, they wouldn’t be the only ones departing the harbor, and his only true concern was that he was sailing directly into hurricane territory, but there was nothing to be done for it. He’d have to take his chances.
And then there was the matter of their return...
They would be back long before the harbor became congested once more, and because Jessie and Ben were to have sailed for England, he’d need to steal them down the Ashley to Shadow Moss as quietly and covertly as possible.
He chuckled suddenly, for it would likely mean muzzling Jessie until they arrived at his plantation house—impudent wench that she was. And then again, he reconsidered, for Shadow Moss was nowhere near to completion, and Jessie would likely squawk all the louder when she discovered that fact—most females would, he didn’t doubt—so perhaps he would consider leaving her gagged until Ben healed...
He turned the knob to his cabin door, gave a little shove, and then again to be certain before slamming his fist upon it.Locked!
Damn it all! “Jess! Open the blasted door!”
The deafening crack startled Jessie, rousing her at once, though she remained disoriented, having awakened to foreign surroundings. It took her a full moment to regain her faculties. The room swayed gently and swells of water could be heard smacking the side of the ship. They were no doubt at sea by now.
“Jessie!”
Recognizing Christian’s thunderous voice, Jessie smiled triumphantly and stretched lazily, refusing to be cowed merely by the sound of his voice. Raking her hair from her face with her fingers, she rose and went to the door as quietly as she was able, smiling at her ingenuity. She’d used Christian’s very own sea chests against him, piling them against the door, and then further braced them with her own hefty trunks. It had taken much time and toil to accomplish the master-work, but now she was certain the only door to the cabin was truly impenetrable. To her mind, it was a fine job... and this was precisely the moment she’d been awaiting. She fully intended to savor it.
