Page 51 of Of Magic and Rum
Duke folds his arms, shaking his head as if he doesn’t know what to do with me. “I stand by my statement. Strange. Bird.”
Flashing a devious grin and lifting the bottle, I whisper, “We’ve seen stranger.”
“At least you’re happy, son.”
The word takes a moment to process—happiness. After England went to shit, few things have given me glee over the past few years—rum, the oceans, piracy, sailing, gold, the smell of gunpowder, and the rare warmth of a woman’s touch. But if I boil it down, these trivial things keep me satisfied or content. The connection I have with Anne, however,thisis pure pleasure—puremerriment. We’re two drops of water, she and I, despite my mortality and her ethereal background. In her, I’ve met my equal, someone who can go toe-to-toe with me and fancy sex afterward—a woman skilled with a sword in more ways than one. And I’ve seen the loyalty dancing in her gaze. It wasn’t there when she first boarded, but it glinted from her teary eyes when she rescued me, fearing my death. And itpouredout when I questioned my trust in her. Her expression in response to that still stings my heart.
Anne clears her throat behind me, fully dressed in a tri-corner hat, tunic shirt, and cutlass slung on her hip. “Captain.” She fights desperately not to let her eyes linger on my exposed chest, clearly trying to hide the smile from memories of last night dancing through her mind. She clasps her hands in front of her as if resisting the urge to touch me.
How long can she keep this up?
“Bonny,” I answer, bowing my head and not trying to disguise my smile.
Anne folds a piece of hair over her ear, only glancing at Duke long enough to acknowledge his presence. “Duke. I should get to my duties.”
She rushes past me, and I sidestep so my ribs brush her chest. The gasp that escapes her throat and her brief pause to regain her composure has me immediately ravenous for her. And if it wasn’t for Mary calling her over, I may have escorted herrightback to my cabin.
“Are you going to tell her the crew doesn’t give a shit if the two of you are together?” Duke asks, tapping his sword’s hilt.
After taking another long swig from my bottle, I shove the cork in it. “Soon enough.”
Anne won’t be able to last long if she’s anything like me, and I know she is. She’ll eventually find any excuse to sneak a kiss around a hidden corner or nonchalantly fondle my ass, my cock beneath my trousers. The only question is: how long will it take to drive her mad? Knowing she may think the same things about me makes my attraction to her swell.
“Captain,” Red shouts, sprinting with a fishing rod in one hand, his other closed into a fist. “Captain, a word?”
Duke eyes Red suspiciously as he circles his beard with his hand.
“Talk to me, Red.” I press my shoulder to the mast, crossing my bare feet at the ankles.
Red stands straight, fighting the compulsion to salute his superior, as he had countless times in the Navy. “We was fishing as we do. And when the boys hauled the net in from last night, they foundthis.” He opens his hand, revealing a gold piece. The bits left untarnished or chipped catch the sun’s glint.
“Is that what I think it is?” I whisper, as if speaking too loudly would make it vanish. But there’s no mistaking the crossed symbol on the side facing me.
Red grins and nods, dropping the coin in my open palm. “Spanish gold.”
“And where there’s one—” Trailing off, I lick my thumb and rub some dirt away. The sight of such a coveted beauty makes my mouth water.
“There’s bound to be more,” Red finishes for me, rubbing his hands together.
The possibilities race through my mind, and I clutch the coin in my fist. “Get Squid’s attention and have him watch for an island. Whoever found this was bound to be on their way to Nassau tospendsuch coin.”
“Aye, Captain. I’ll do you one better and alert the whole damn crew to be on the lookout.” Red barks a laugh before hurrying away.
“Suppose I should get dressed,” I tell Duke, keeping the coin within my vice-like grip.
“Suppose you should. This could be a hell of a score before a hopefully, much bigger one.” Duke continues to stroke his beard, and holds back a cough.
Grinning, I clap a hand on Duke’s shoulder and turn for my cabin. A slender arm encircles my waist and pulls me to the side. Anne has my face in her hands, her lips pressing to mine before I can take a breath.
After pulling away from the kiss, a guttural chuckle escapes my throat. “Miss me already?”
“Be quiet. You know what you do to me, Jack.” Anne chews on her bottom lip, her petite fingers playing at the top of my trousers.
“Mm, I seem to have forgotten. Perhaps you should remind me.” I slip a hand to her ass, pulling her tighter against me.
Anne gasps, frantically looking around and pushing my chest. “We can’t.”
And here I thought Anne would be the first to break. But if I’m being honest, I want to touch and kiss her whenever I damn well please, andthissimply will not do.
