Page 46 of Escaping Pirates
The clang reverberated in my head as they slammed Harlan’s cell door shut after flinging him inside. He lay in a huddled, bloody mass on the floor, soaked and gasping for breath. As soon as the brig door thudded closed behind the men who’d carried Harlan in, I wrenched the iron bar aside and squeezed through.
A choked cry sprang into my throat. Harlan’s clothing was in tatters, and deep cuts crisscrossed his entire body.
“Harlan, I’m so sorry,” I said, tears welling in my eyes as I gingerly dabbed at his wounds with my skirt. The benefit, and disadvantage, of using my red gown was that I didn’t know how much blood Harlan was losing. “You shouldn’t have…”
“It’s just—just some scratches,” Harlan panted, wincing with every movement. “I’ll be fine.”
“What made you do it?” I asked, softly pressing the hem of my dress down to stem the bleeding. Each time I changed position, he sucked in a breath or flinched.
“I didn’t wanthimtouching you,” he groaned. “I distracted him from you, and that was my goal.”
“Harlan…”
He winced as he propped himself up on his elbow. “Did he hurt you?”
“I hardly think that I’m the one you should be worried about right now. You could’ve died.” I touched the fabric softly to the cut just below his left ear, and he caught my hand. Shivers ran up my spine and tingles spread from where he touched me.
This wasn’t the time for noticing how attractive Harlan was. He was injured and bleeding. He needed treatment and care. I shouldn’t be thinking about anything other than helping him recover…
“Did he hurt you?” Harlan asked again, his voice low and husky.
I shifted my focus to another cut on Harlan’s cleft chin and dabbed, lightly holding his jaw to keep his face steady while I treated him.
“No. I don’t think he intended to hurt me,” I said, heart palpitating frantically, still stroking the cloth across Harlan’s chin. If he hadn’t been in so much pain, I would have quite enjoyed our proximity.
“His intentions were far from pure,” Harlan grumbled.
“Agreed. I wasn’t blind to that.”
“I wishhewas blind.”
“You don’t want him even looking at me?” I teased.
Harlan held my gaze for a long time. “No, I don’t,” he answered very seriously. “I don’t want any man to look at you the way they did tonight.”
I paused dabbing at his wounds. Harlan was so honorable and gallant. He was the type of man girls could dream about riding in on a white horse and rescuing them from danger. He was willing to sacrifice to protect me and myvirtue. If I were to marry someone, I would want it to be someone like Harlan.
“Thank you,” I whispered, finding it completely impossible to stop touching Harlan. Thank the high seas that I had a valid reason to keep my hands on him. “You kept me safe, even though you got…”
“It was worth it, then.” Harlan reached up to hook his fingers behind my head, drawing me in until our lips were nearly touching, his eyes burning with intense longing. My heart flew up into my throat. He was going to kiss me. I dropped my gaze to study his mouth as I realized that I fully intended to kiss him back.
Harlan’s fingers tensed at the back of my head as he let out a gasp of pain and released me, clutching at his side instead.
“What—”
“Don’t fuss,” he panted, eyes closed in a grimace. “I’ve always been a baby about pain. Like I said, it’s just a few scratches. I’m trying to be tough here to impress you, but this kind of hurts…more than a little.”
“You could take off your shirt so I can tend the cuts,” I suggested, trying to keep my voice level. The idea of Harlan without a shirt was enough to make any woman blush.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Harlan said with a small smile. “I need to keep what little dignity I still have left.”
It was all for the best. If I saw Harlan without his shirt on, I wouldn’t be surprised if I became as giddy as Blossom and Sugar.
“Don’t do anything like this again, okay?” I told him softly, stroking his forehead to move his hair out of his eyes. “We need to get you back. Your double won’t last forever.Berkway needs you, and I don’t want to see you hurt any more than you want that for me.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to control my temper around Tyrone. He’s such a—such a word I can’t use around a lady.”
“And I appreciate your integrity. Hold still so I can help you.” I continued to blot tenderly at his wounds. Harlan opened his mouth several times, but on each occurrence, swallowed his words and finally nodded.
