James kissed a path starting below Samantha’s left earlobe and moved with a desired determination down her neck, along her shoulder, and between the pale tender fullness of her breasts. She whimpered her approval and pushed her fingers into his hair. Her body arched into his touch as she raised one beautifully seductive knee.
Her skin was still damp from her bath and smelled of warm honey and cream. He swirled his tongue around the sensitive firmed peak of her breast before pulling it into his mouth with a gentle suck.
“James…,” Samantha gave a tiny gasp before sighing into a delighted moan fisting the back of his hair and holding him to her. “I still can’t believe you had Archbishop Tenison marry us in the middle of the night. Poor man had such a nasty cough. I hope he’s well soon. My father nearly fell over when he realized who he was.”
He raised his head. “Two things I cannot discuss while I make love to my wife are her father and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s cough.”
Samantha flushed pink and pulled him back for a kiss. “I’m sorry. I’m just so happy.”
“That’s all I ever wanted.” He began his path again. Perhaps her right earlobe this time. He murmured against her skin, “Happy.…” God, she smelled like a garden in the warm sun of summer. “Safe….” He cupped her breast before lowering his mouth again. “Loved….”
“I loved my gown, wasn’t it beautiful?”
“Beautiful…” He rolled the tightened tip of her nipple between two fingers.
“And your parents. I adore them. I was afraid they were going to miss the ceremony. Whatever kept them?”
“Wouldn’t tell me.” He brushed his lips down her belly to trace her navel. “Something to do with lightening Tupper’s sentence. They said I’d hear soon enough, and the less I knew, the better I’d like it.” James gave an impatient nip to the inside of Samantha’s thigh before abandoning ship and giving up with a groan. “I’m trying to make love to you.”
“You’re doing a wonderful job.” She smiled and ran her fingertips over his chest.
“And yet you choose now to talk?”
“I’ve missed our talks.” She cupped his face before kissing him. “I missed you.”
James rolled to her side and gathered her in his arms, pulling her half on top of him. She stretched out along him and rested her cheek on his chest. He loved the feel of her naked skin against his. Did anything feel as good?
“You saved me. You brought my family back to me. I’m so grateful. I’ll never forget it.”
“That was Ducky’s gift. He was the one to ride all the way back to South Oxbridge to fetch them and Alicia.” As soon as he mentioned his sister’s name, he knew why Ducky had been so generous with his actions. Here he’d thought him noble for making that long journey again.
Samantha traced her fingertips over his chest, leaving a trail of sparks along his skin. “You told them you met me at a ball.”
“It was the truth. We did meet at a ball.”
“But none of the rest. You didn’t tell them the rest.”
“Not my story to tell.”
Samantha moved against him, lifting her knee to drape her leg across him. Desire surged through him. She raised up on one elbow. “Did I mention how happy I was?”
James tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “I do believe you did.”
She sighed gently and looked about the room. “I almost miss the creak and roll of your ship.”
He pulled her fully atop him, running his hands over the flair of her hips and the round firm flesh of her behind. “I’m very content to keep to dry land for a while.”
Samantha kissed the place over his heart. “But you can’t give up your commission for me. That’s an order.”
Each brush of her lips sent a rush of heat to his already impatient cock. “I thought I was the captain?”
“You are. And I’m the captain’s wife.” She gasped as he quickly changed their position. In one smooth move, her tossed her onto her back and settled over her, positioning himself between her thighs. Her chest rose and fell in rapid response. “I promise, no more orders. No more talking… for now. Forgive me?”
* * * *
Tupper drew a great breath of fresh sea air into her lungs. Overhead, the wind caught the sails with a snap as the last bit of canvas was dropped and the Scarlet Night hit open water. A dozen men borrowed into service from Ric Robbins’s own crew had volunteered to man the ship. Strangers, all of them. It felt odd without the others.
MacTavish had decided to keep his balls in dry dock only until he could return safely to Scotland. He’d heard the latest political rumblings and thought the Jacobites could use another good man—to the horror of his son, the duke, of course.
And speaking of horrified sons, wouldn’t she like to hear the explosion when James Steele found out his parents had a hand in her escape? It still tugged at Tupper’s heart to have seen Annalise. How could two be so distant, and yet totally and completely joined? She lifted her hand and rubbed a thumb over her ring. Completely and forever.
Tupper set course with the helmsman whose name she couldn’t recall. There was time enough to learn. She left the quarterdeck and made her way to her favorite spot.
Standing in the bow, she filled her lungs yet again. The moon was high. There was a lot of sea to cross before dawn’s change of the guard found the Lion’s men they’d stripped naked and tied to the dock pier.
Behind her came a soft thump, thump. Her first mate came alongside and handed her a tankard filled to the rim with the finest sweet rum she’d ever stolen. Even navigating with a new crutch, he hadn’t spilled a single drop.
She lifted it to her nose and breathed in its sweet scent. How long had it been? Near a month of forced sobriety? Granted, her head had never been clearer nor her senses more sharp, but there was something to be said about the many benefits of her demon rum.
They raised their mugs and tapped the rims. Tupper tipped the mug to her lips and drank, closing her eyes as the blessed warmth spread its way clear to the tips of her worn boots.
She opened her eyes with a smile and, with a wide hand, tapped her thumb against the side of her chin before squeezing her hand twice.
Bump fixed her with a stare and repeated the sign, ‘Mother’s milk?’ He tapped his thumb against the side of his chin and moved his hand to cover one eye.
‘Only if your mother is a pirate.’