Sea Hawk’s Mistress
Ellora’s Cave – www.ellorascave.com
Copyright 2007 Marianne LaCroix
All rights reserved.

Shelley awoke, her vision blurred and her head still spinning. She felt like she’d been on an all-night beer binge and was now paying the price with one hell of a hangover.

Blinking, she saw faint light from a nearby window. She tried to move to see better, but couldn’t.

Dear God, I’m tied down!

Ropes secured her wrists to the small headboard and her feet were tied to the footboard. How the hell did she end up here…tied down…and naked?

She was completely naked. A thin sheet covered her—barely—and she was very aware of the linen brushing against her sensitive skin.

Glancing about the small, dim room, she noted it was sparsely furnished with a bed, a small table and two wood chairs, all stained in the same dark hue. In the slight breeze she could smell the ocean, the salty air mixing with the scent of well-oiled wood. If she didn’t know better, this seemed to be a cabin in some ancient ship.

I must be dreaming. I’ve been reading too many books about sunken galleons and pirates bent on plundering.

When the room rocked with a gentle motion, she realized this was more than a dream. She was indeed on a ship.

In bed.

Tied down.

And naked.

What the f—

The only door in the room opened and in walked a very tall figure, powerful and muscular, judging from his shadowy silhouette.

“I see you’re awake,” he said in a clipped British accent.

He stepped into the small cabin and the walls seemed to close in about her with his mere presence. Shutting the door behind him, this hulk of a man stood at the foot of the bed, staring down at her.

“Where am I and why am I tied down to a bed?” Her voice shook as she watched him move to the table.

Without a word he reached for a lantern—an oil lamp?—and struck a match. He lit the lamp and the gloom of the room lifted a little.

What the hell happened? Last she remembered she was on the dive with the Maritime research team. How did she get to be in this situation?

And who was this hunk of a man who gazed at her with eyes of the darkest chocolate? His dark hair was pulled back into a hasty queue and his skin glowed with a healthy tan—the mark of a man who lived and worked in the sun.

He stood silent, staring. Again.

He obviously was not going to answer her questions.

“Excuse me, but could you please say something?”

Instead he reached over and snatched off the sheet, revealing her naked body to his dark, alluring eyes.

“Hey! Put that back!” she ordered, wriggling in her restraints.

“Yes, keep moving like that, luv. You have fine breasts that bounce and sway with you.”

She instantly stilled, and he laughed.

The vibration of his laughter tickled her skin, like a shiver running across the surface and gathering at the apex of her thighs.

He turned and pulled over one of the chairs, then sat down next to the bed. He sat in silence as he examined her with his eyes. She felt his gaze roam slowly over her exposed body. Every inch was bare and she lay still, wishing he’d cover her again. The sheet wasn’t much but at least it was a barrier to those eyes.

“What do you call that…thing you wore when we found you?”

She assumed he meant her diving suit. “It’s a rubber skin suit.”

He cocked his head. “Skin suit?”

“Yes.”

His expression was hard and she trembled beneath his gaze. Her body was alive with desire, a tangible heat that seemed to pump throughout every cell. Why did she want him to touch her skin so much? The warmth from those steely eyes made her temperature rise—and her cunt ache with a need she couldn’t explain.

“How did you get to be on the Santa Rosa?”

Her gaze snapped to his. “What do you mean? I was on a dive.”

“Dive?”

“You know…a research dive.”

He shook his head in confusion.

“I was part of a team studying the Santa Rosa.”

“How come we didn’t find you aboard before it sank?”

She paused. Before it sank? “What do you mean?”

“We boarded the Santa Rosa and took all the cargo in the hold and searched all the cabins before it sank. You weren’t there, yet we found you floating in the wreckage that surfaced.”

The small cabin closed in about her even more. It was then she noticed his clothes. He wore tan pants that buttoned in the front, and brown leather thigh-high boots. His white linen shirt was open at the collar and he wore a brown leather vest, unbuttoned and loose. Sexy and alluring—like a swashbuckling movie hero.

What the hell was going on?

“Who are you?” she croaked.

“I am Captain Jason Flint, and you are aboard my ship, the Sea Hawk.”

Captain Flint? Dear God, he lived almost four hundred years ago! She remembered reading about him. He was one of the more curious buccaneers that sailed the seas—born into wealth, second son of a British lord, Flint turned to a life of piracy when his father died and his brother inherited the title and the estate. It was believed that bad blood between the brothers drove Flint out of England, and fate made him a pirate. He carved his legend into history by attacking ships bound from Mexico to Spain…

Wait. The Santa Rosa had distinct cannon damage. Pirates—Captain Flint—had sunk the Santa Rosa! Well, it certainly answered that mystery.

But the revelation paled to another very disturbing situation—she was supposedly talking to a dead pirate captain, in his cabin, on his ship, while she lay naked, bound and vulnerable. This wasn’t happening.

But here she was, and he was sitting close, the scent of the sea and male swirling about him, wrapping her in his sensual appeal.

“Speak, woman.” His voice cut into her thoughts.

“I don’t understand this at all.” How could she be here with Captain Flint? Was it possible—no, it can’t be. This had to be a joke. It had to be. Didn’t it?

“There’s nothing to understand.” At her questioning look, he said, “I found you and now you are my captive.”

“What do you mean, I’m your captive?” the woman asked, her temper rising as her skin blushed becomingly.

Jason had to admit, this woman was the best find from his latest victory. Sinking the Santa Rosa was just another notch in his pirating career but this woman, whoever she was, had a quality about her. Even if she had worn strange clothes and spoke to him unlike any other woman of his acquaintance, she obviously had intelligence, as well as good grooming skills.

He attributed her excellent physical condition to the band of ownership she was found wearing. Her former master must have taken special care of this slave. Upon seeing her flawless skin and her shockingly perfect teeth, Jason was mesmerized. His cock had been rock-solid since he’d laid eyes on her. When the beauty opened her eyes, he was spellbound by their dark brown mystery. Who was she and how did she come to be floating in the open ocean?

Surely she will be missed. Her master would want her back. Jason could ransom her, but the thought of giving her over to another man was hard to swallow…

Since when did Captain Flint care if a woman shared her body with several men? It was a way of life on the high seas, and Jason had sampled many willing wenches in his travels. But this woman brought to the surface a forgotten sense of—dare he even think it?—honor.

When his crew had spotted her and dragged her aboard ship bedecked in that odd black skin, Jason felt the need to protect her. He couldn’t let his crew have her, to use her body for their sexual release. No, she would only serve one master on this ship—him.

He reached out and placed a hand over the curved rise of one breast. Her little gasp was a jolt of awareness to his straining manhood. He squeezed and she closed her eyes, as though fighting the arousal his touch sparked within her.

“Stop that,” she whispered.

“You’re mine, luv. I can touch you.”

Her body betrayed her as she arched upward, her breast thrust firmly into his palm. Her nipple was hard and pert and when he pinched at its stiffness, she whimpered.

“Please don’t,” she begged breathlessly.

Jason ignored her pleas, not convinced of her denials when her body reacted so deliciously to his caress. “What’s your name?”

She opened her eyes and he was once again struck by their dark beauty. “Shelley.”

He could easily see her atop a horse in Hyde Park, several suitors following her in hopes of a favorable glance. She brought to life a world he’d left behind. Years living by the speed of his sloop and the skill of his sword, and now he thought of rides in the park, stealing kisses in the moonlight and holidays filled with loving family. What was it about this woman that rekindled those memories from so long ago, from a life he’d rather forget?

“Please, untie me.” She struggled against the ropes. He wasn’t even sure why he’d tied her down to his bed. Where could she escape to? It was more for her protection. He desired her fiercely and he wanted to make sure none would sample her sweet flesh. He’d undressed her from that “skin” and took time to touch her soft curves while she lay resting in his bed. The ropes were to make sure she would stay out of trouble until he made sure she understood the rules.

“Stay here in this cabin.” At her glare, he added, “My men would not think twice in ravishing you without mercy. You are safe as long as you follow my orders and stay here.”

“But I can’t stay in here forever.”

“You can go topside, but only if I am with you. Do you understand?”

She seemed to consider her predicament and he hoped she’d be sensible. A pirate ship full of horny men was a dangerous place for any woman. However, his men would obey his command. The girl was not to be disturbed or touched or the pain of death would be their punishment. Pirates are ruthless and they will only follow a strong captain. If he claimed Shelley as his property, they would stay away…unless Jason met with the sharp side of a cutlass.

“I’ll stay here. I won’t try to run,” she said in a low voice.

“There’s nowhere to run but into the sea.” He stood from his chair, pulled a dagger from his boot and sliced through the bonds on her wrists first, then the ones about her ankles.

Once free, she scurried for the sheet he’d pulled from her body and wrapped herself in it, hiding her creamy skin and inviting breasts.

“Know this—you are my slave. Whatever I want, whenever I order it…” His voice trailed off as he reached for her wrist bearing the silver slave bangle, then said, “You will obey my every command.”