Читать книгу Seducer - Kayla Gray - Страница 11

Kane watched with appreciation as Madelaine stalked away from him, her hips swaying provocatively beneath layers of pale green skirt and petticoat. He couldn’t, for the life of him, imagine such a vibrant woman falling for Hugh. She seemed far too intelligent to be taken in by the man’s shallow words and overblown ego.

But Elizabeth had been intelligent, and she hadn’t seen through him, either. She had paid for her love with her life.

Coming face-to-face with the woman Hugh was to marry had brought a lot of pain back for Kane. Justice had not been served in Elizabeth’s death, and Kane could do nothing to change the magistrate’s findings in the case. He didn’t accept failure gracefully and knew he would have to take control of the matter himself if he wanted to get to the truth.

He had yet to seek retribution, for there was nothing Hugh cared about enough to bring him immense pain. But once Kane found it, he would take his revenge swiftly and as coldheartedly as Hugh had taken Elizabeth’s love. Kane always knew his time would come and he was a patient man.

So Kane had immersed himself in his work these last two years, sailing as Captain Angel and taking out his frustration on English ships. He had become interested in recent rumors of treason surrounding Hugh and had hoped to catch the man in a plot against the Colonies. If he couldn’t prove Hugh had killed Elizabeth, he would bring him down for spying.

But now…now Kane knew he’d found just what he’d been waiting for.

Madelaine.

And the more he watched Hugh’s fiancée, the more he knew he’d found exactly what he needed to make Hugh feel loss of the worst kind.

It would be so easy, he thought, remembering how she had nearly begged him to kiss her. He’d thought to test the girl’s devotion and found that she failed miserably before his lips even neared hers. Either she was a trollop or she didn’t love Hugh. And either way, the lovely spitfire might just enjoy Kane’s revenge as much as he would.

Madelaine had just reunited with Olivia when an explosion rocked the bow of the merchantman. She pulled Olivia down behind a built-in storage box near the stern. Peeking around the trunk, Madelaine could see smoke billowing out of a hole in the deck, sending sparks into the rigging above. She heard Angel’s deep voice over the din, commanding and confident. His men fell into order immediately.

“Cap’n, they’ve crippled her. Said they’d rather see the Oxford sink than for us to have her.”

“Get the men in the longboats. If anyone resists, they go overboard. No one stays on the Oxford. They’ve maimed her for us, so we’re going to finish the job. Hurry up, men—she’s going to sink fast.”

Madelaine turned her attention to Olivia, who was holding on to her as if her life depended on the contact.

“Time to go,” Captain Angel ordered as he approached.

“Let go of me. I can get up without you touching me,” Madelaine snapped. She had hoped to hide the humiliation she still felt over the near kiss, but from the look on his face, she’d failed.

Captain Angel dropped her elbow and bestowed her a chilling smile. “All right, love, we’ll save the touching for later.”

She gasped and glared at him, but he ignored her outrage and turned to call to one of his men.

“Come on, Olivia. Don’t worry. I’ll be with you the entire time,” Madelaine said as Olivia stood up on shaky legs.

“No, you won’t,” Captain Angel replied evenly.

The sailor approached and nodded at the order to put Olivia into the last longboat.

“No!” both women shouted at once. Madelaine stepped in front of Olivia, but Angel easily pulled her aside and the sailor dragged the petite brunette away.

“You’re not going to be difficult, are you, Madelaine?”

“Yes, I am, Captain Angel. I’m not going without her.”

“Be damned, but you are!”

Madelaine started to fight him like a wildcat. She clawed, kicked and bit whatever part of him she could reach. He was using little force to subdue her, and she was manic in her determination to resist. Somehow she was able to pull away from him, and she backed into the railing, holding him off with a dagger firmly in her grasp.

“I underestimated you, Madelaine. Who would have thought a gently bred lady would know how to fight like a street urchin?” he said a bit suspiciously. “Now, where did you get that?”

“I…I took it from the cabin.”

“You little thief,” he accused dryly.

“I will not be leaving here without a fight—unless you agree to bring Olivia with us.”

Captain Angel sighed. “Your loyalty to your servant is unheard of, Madelaine. I wonder if you would give the same to the love of your life.”

“Of course I would,” she answered after a brief hesitation. But in truth, she couldn’t imagine loving a man enough to sacrifice a crumb of stale bread to ease his hunger.

“Hugh would be glad to hear it,” he said mockingly. “Well, then. I’m ready to strike a deal with you.” He moved closer, until the dagger was a breath away from his chest. She lifted the dagger higher, her hand shaking. Before she had another second to think about how far she would go, he took the weapon from her with little effort. “We’ll discuss your punishment for this later. For now, I’m more interested in that deal.”

She was backed against the railing. There was nowhere for her to retreat. His body was so close her breasts pressed lightly against the hard muscles of his solid chest. She could barely breathe with him so near.

“What do you want?” she asked, peering around his large frame. She could just make out Olivia struggling against the man who held her on the opposite side of the ship.

“I’ll let your maid come with us…”

She blew out the breath she’d been holding, which was a mistake. Her breasts brushed his chest and she felt the most unexpected spark of pleasure course through her body.

“…if you agree to spend one full night in my bed.”

She gasped, completely taken aback. Though she shouldn’t have been so surprised. What did she expect? Gentlemen who entertained in fancy parlors and took ladies on chaperoned walks in gardens lived only in books. The only men she’d known were her father’s unscrupulous cronies.

And Geoffrey Townsend.

And now this pirate.

She gathered her courage and tipped her head up to look him squarely in the eye. “As long as you’re not there.”

He chuckled. “Oh, no, I’ll be there as well. It wouldn’t be nearly as much fun your way.”

“Go to hell, pirate.”

“Is your answer no, then?”

She glared at him.

“Put her in!” he ordered over his shoulder.

“No!” Madelaine shouted, shoving against his braced elbows. She cried out in frustration when he didn’t budge. The man was like a stone wall, covered in muscle and warm, tanned skin.

“Have you reconsidered?” he asked, holding up a hand to stop the sailor.

Madelaine hesitated, looking between Captain Angel and Olivia. He straightened and stood in front of her, his confident, arrogant smirk tempting her to deny him to the ends of the earth. But Olivia’s frightened, pale features called out to her. She had put her friend in this position, thinking only to protect her, and it had backfired.

“Madelaine, we can’t stand here all day. The ship is burning and taking on water at the same time, or haven’t you noticed? I don’t like to get my boots wet.”

“Don’t tease me! This isn’t funny. What you are asking of me—how could you?”

“You should be grateful that I’m asking for what I want and not simply taking.”

“Madelaine!” Olivia cried as the fire crept ever closer.

She was losing this battle and she could see the arrogant man knew it. “They should call you ‘Devil.’ It’s much more fitting.”

“Do we have an agreement?”

She bit her lower lip hard. A moment passed. Then she crossed her arms and nodded stiffly.

“Not good enough. I need to hear you say it. All of it.”

She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, but the vision of Olivia stranded on one of the tiny islands nearby with a hundred or so sailors from the Oxford burned into her brain. She took a steadying breath.

“Yes, I agree…to spend one night with you.”

“Where?” he asked, his brow rising in expectation.

“In your bed,” she hissed.

“Bring the maid!” he shouted to the sailor. He then swept Madelaine up in his arms and hoisted her over the railing and onto the smaller vessel alongside.