The Captain of All Pleasures Read Online Free PDF Page B

he’d expect. In fact, he couldn’t place her accent at all. With a twinge of unease, Derek realized he could determine nothing about her speech except that, barring the colorful phrases, it sounded very cultured and very affronted.
    He dismissed his misgivings. He had seen her in a tap house known for its whores, leaving for the night with a man twice her age. Not exactly the nocturnal activity of a lady.
    Whoever this girl was, he would take her repeatedly this night and enjoy figuring her out later, sharp tongue and all. This couldn’t have worked out better, with the race in five days. Just enough time to enjoy her.
    And then, as always happened with him…to tire of her and sail away.
    Â 
    With Nicole easily draped across his shoulder, Captain Sutherland stepped onto the deck of his ship and waved casually as he strode past two bewildered guards posted outside. Nicole’s position embarrassed her, but the sight of the Southern Cross was enough to make her suck in a breath and briefly forget about cursing him. She’d never been so close to his ship, and as they boarded, she couldn’t help but look around in awe.
    She’d always scoffed at the sailor’s fancy that a captain resembled his ship. But massive, bold, and dark, the Southern Cross was a credit to the idea. It was hard-planed and sharp-lined.
    And forbidding.
    Just when she’d decided she would attempt another escape, Sutherland reached the companionway. He dropped her to her feet and looked her over, as if making a decision about her. Finally, he said, “Go down the steps.”
    She answered him with a disbelieving look. Of course she wouldn’t. Did he think she was insane? She didn’t know why he’d taken her back to his ship, hadn’t determined whether he’d realized who she was by now, and, most important, she didn’t like taking orders, especially from a man like him. She was opening her mouth to decline, thank you, no .
    â€œDo it now.”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œNo?”
    She guessed from his look of open surprise that the word was seldom used with him. “N-o,” Nicole spelled out. “Not until you tell me why you’ve brought—”
    â€œNow,” he boomed, and all thought of rebellion ended. His tone made her jump to the stairs to get to the belly of the ship.
    He didn’t scare her, she assured herself; he’d just startled her.
    Swinging down easily after her, he walked to her slowly, assessing her. He bent down deftly to miss a rafter in the ceiling, reminding her of his great height. She should be nervous after he’d just yelled at her. Afraid after all she’d heard of him. Chancey, her father’s first mate, would say she had too much pluck for her own good. She supposed he’d be right, because she just couldn’t make herself be wary.
    Yet Sutherland didn’t look as though he’d hurt her. No, he looks like he wants to eat me for dinner. His gaze stroked her like a physical touch, and she shivered. Those eyes, gray and dark, could easily be called cruel, but they held no anger toward her. She convinced herself that she could detect the promise of something more in their cold depths. Could that be the reason he’d taken her back to his ship? To kiss her?
    For most of her life, Nicole had been uniformly rewarded whenever she’d done something forbidden. And if kissing Sutherland wasn’t forbidden…
    Irrationally, a part of her was thrilled at the prospect. But all this was crazy—Sutherland, the rogue who’d probably bedded a legion of beautiful women, desiring her, a scrawny girl with strange looks?
    Nicole backed away, absurdly keeping some polite distance between them. She passed a door, and before she could prevent herself, she curiously scanned it. She did the same at the next door down, taking in the details of the ship.
    He saw her flitting eyes, and then, seeming to realize what she must be