Page 49 of Hired by Pirates

I was going to have to find a way to use my authoritative doctor’s voice in everyday life.

Slowly wriggling backward, I pressed my back into the Captain’s chest, breathing a sigh of relief that his arm automatically wrapped around me. His leg slipped over my calf, as our bodies entwined.

He still wanted me, at least in his sleep.

His snoring sputtered to a stop as I felt him awaken. Turning in his arms, I brought our faces together.

“You didn’t kiss me goodnight,” I forced myself to whisper.

“You were asleep. I didn’t want to wake you.”

“I’m awake now.”

His hand stroked my shoulder, then my hair. But he pulled his face back slightly.

“Sleep, Astor. You need your rest.”

Although it was tempting to just shut my eyes and worry about things in the morning, I knew that I’d just toss and turn all night long. I wasn’t going to allow a man to tell me how to behave when I had questions that required answers.

Sitting up, I lit the lamp hanging from the wall. “Get up,” I demanded.

He looked at me in surprise but did so, running his hand over his chin. “What’s wrong?”

“You tell me, Nick,” I said, not even caring if I sounded hysterical. “Everything was fine, then you suddenly turned cold. If I did something wrong, please, just tell me.”

His lips pressed into a firm line as he stared at me. There was something so odd about his expression, and it was driving me around the bend.

“You correct the behavior of every other member of this crew,” I said curtly. “It’s your job as the Captain. So if I stepped out of line, correct me.”

His long sigh sounded grief stricken. “What does it matter when it sounds like you’ll only be a

member of the crew for a matter of a few more days?”

My mouth fell open in shock. “You…do you still want me to leave?” I choked, blinking back tears. “I was so sure that you were going to ask me to stay.”

His mouth fell open as those beautiful gray eyes widened in shock. “You told the police that you were going home to Toburg.”

“You told me to be polite to them. Friendly. I thought giving them a little information would make them go away.”

Nick gripped my hands tightly, as if he were afraid to let go. “Are you saying that you would stay permanently if I asked you?”

“Why don’t you just ask me, for heaven’s sake?” My cry was frustrated. There was no way to hold back.

He reached up to wipe away a tear that had fallen from my right eye, then squeezed both my hands. “Astor, I would be honored if you would join the crew of the Five Winds . Will you stay here with us? With me?”

“Yes. Of course. Absolutely.”

I was certain that he would kiss me, but he still hesitated.

“But Astor, you were meant to be a doctor. It’s been your ambition for so many years. What kind of man would I be if I asked you to give up your dream of helping many people to simply serve a crew of seven?”

I shook both of our hands. “That little port where I fixed up Captain Searcy didn’t have a doctor. I’ll bet there are many other towns that don’t, either. If you were to trade with them on a slightly more regular basis, perhaps I could drop by and care for people.”

The Captain stayed quiet and still for some time. Once again, I couldn’t imagine what I’d said that was wrong. Perhaps suggesting even the slightest change in the ship’s schedule was somehow offensive.

I wished that there was a book on the etiquette of traders, pirates, and privateers so that I could study. Learning things in bits and pieces and out of order like this was utterly exhausting. I felt like I was always trying to catch up.

And now, as the Captain, the man I loved, stared out the window considering my fate, I genuinely thought that I might go mad if he didn’t choose to keep me.

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