Page 43 of Devil of the High Seas
“Sit.”
That was one command she was glad to obey. Perhaps now they would get to do the thing she’d been wanting to do from the moment she’d set foot on this ship. The excitement at the possibility had her spirits and energy rallying.
Gavin took a professorial stance as he stood in front of her. “Now, there are three sciences, orartsif you prefer, that define the core of a sailor’s life—or a pirate’s. They are seamanship, gunnery, and navigation. Each is a vital part of getting anywhere safely in a ship. Can you tell me what dead reckoning is?”
She nibbled her lip, thinking hard, but she was certain of her answer. Perhaps she could use her knowledge to her advantage somehow. As if he sensed her thoughts, Gavin spoke, his voice more seductive now than instructive.
“For every right answer you give me,Iwill remove one piece of my clothing,” he said. “For each incorrect answer, I will remove one piece ofyours,” Gavin added with a rakish grin.
That was surprisingly motivational to Josephine. She liked the idea of seeing Gavin without his clothes, but if she lost hers she would end up tied to his bed again and something carnal would happen. While she liked that idea, she sensed that this was really about him maintaining his control somehow. He seemed to want to resist his feelings when it came to her, and she didn’t want him to control himself. If this time with him on thePixiewas all she was to have, she didn’t want either of them holding back. She needed him to lose his own control and be free with her.
“What if... the first one make the other lose all their clothing wins something,” she suggested with a mischievous grin.
Gavin’s eyes flared with interest. “Wins what?”
“Um...” She wished she knew more about lovemaking to know what would entice him. “Well... Whoever wins can kiss the other person wherever they want to.”
At this, Gavin’s eyes darkened. “Anintriguingprize. I agree.” He held out a hand and they shook on it. “Now, to the test. Dead reckoning. What is it?”
“It’s a ship’s position from its headings and the distance traveled. It’s really a sort of educated guess that takes into account leeway and currents and other factors but is not as accurate as using a sextant or other navigational tools.”
“Correct.”
Grinning, she leaned back in her chair. Confident in herself, she pointed at his leather vest.
“Remove your waistcoat.”
He held her gaze as he unbuttoned it and slid it off, letting it fall to the floor.
“How is the position and distance traveled calculated?”
She searched her memory for those moments when she’d pestered her father about sailing. “It’s calculated by measuring the ship’s speed and adding it to the time traveled at that recorded speed,” she said hopefully.
Gavin gave a wolfish smile. “Close, but not quite. Youmultiply, not add.” He came toward her, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe as if deciding which part of her body he wanted to bare first. “Your boots, if you please.” He nodded at her feet. She pulled off her boots and stood barefoot before him.
“How do you use a ship’s log?” he asked.
“It’s a piece of wood... tied to a long strip of light cord. It’s knotted at precise intervals and the cord is wrapped around a freely rotating reel. You toss the log over the side and watch it run out from the ship’s wake. You count the number of knots that roll out from the reel against a log glass that drains sand in about twenty-eight seconds. If you count, say, six knots passing a particular spot in that amount of time for the log glass to run, you can estimate the ship at a speed of six nautical miles an hour.”
Gavin’s eyes widened. “Why... that’s correct.”
Josephine chuckled. “You seem surprised.”
“I am, a little. How on earth—?”
“A pirate doesn’t reveal her secrets,” Josephine declared. Of course, the answer was obvious—she’d read it in a book—but where was the fun in that if she couldn’t tease him?
He made a soft sound of disbelief in the back of his throat that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.
“Very well. Let’s make these questions harder.”
“Not so fast, Captain. You owe me a piece of clothing. Hand over your shirt, if you please.” She held out a palm and wiggled her fingers at him. He pulled the shirt over his head and handed it to her. She almost buried her face in the cloth to breathe in the scent of him, but she reminded herself to stay clearheaded if she wanted to win this game.
“How many points of sailing are on a compass?” he queried.
“Four,” she answered confidently, but when she saw him smirk, her confidence faltered. “Blast. It’s eight, isn’t it?”
“Try thirty-two,” he said. “There are fourcardinalpoints, north, south, east, and west. Then there are cardinal half-points, northeast, northwest, southwest and southeast. The other twenty-four points are points in between, such as south-southeast or south-southwest.”
