AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She’d always battled self-pity for her own situation—a lone daughter set up as the de facto head of an impoverished household—but her childhood had been the lap of luxury compared to the horrors he’d experienced.
There was a clattering and the boat heaved, and she gripped the edge of the bunk to steady herself, panic seizing her chest. Were they leaving the dock? Was she to find herself indentured to some distant tropical isle?
Forcing her breath to steady, she made her way back up the ladder, her skirts an awkward tangle around her legs. With a calming inhale, she peeked onto the deck.
Aidan. Her pulse leaped at the sight of him, jauntily perched on a rail, one hand resting on the helm. His easy smile met her.
“Afternoon, luvvie. You’ve always said you wanted a sail. ”
Chapter 26
“A sail? Truly, Aidan, you’re taking me for a sail?” Elspeth spun in a circle on deck, taking it all in. A gray-and-white plume of water trailed them as Aberdeen harbor receded into the distance. It was breathtaking. A sharp gust snapped life into the sails, and she studied them, regretful concern stabbing her. “But don’t you need men to help?”
“A sloop this small, one man can handle her. ” He stood and, tying a rope over the wheel to steady it, stalked toward her. The look in his eyes sent a shiver across her skin. “But you. ” He swept his knuckles along her cheek. “How readily I can handle you is another matter entirely. ”
Her wind-chilled cheeks turned hot. She, an unmanageable sort of woman? Never had she been paid a higher compliment. “Are you saying I require management?” She was proud of the coy lilt she heard in her own voice.
He seemed to give her question honest consideration. “I think that is precisely what I’m saying. ”
She laughed, but was interrupted by a loud racket as the largest of the three sails began to snap and clang in the wind.
He ran to it, hauling on the winch to tighten the sheet. His shirt strained over his broad back and arms as he spun the handle as easily as she might stir a pot.
“She needed a bit of luffing,” he said, cuffing his sleeves as he strode back to her. His hair was a windwhipped tangle, and he raked it from his face.
Her breath caught. Aidan truly was a rogue, a man alone in the world. Like a hero on a quest, he could go anywhere, be anyone. And with him, she’d finally become the pirate bride she’d always dreamed of being.
“Now where were we?” he asked, studying her.
The smile in his eyes emboldened her, and feeling mischievous, she pointed up the mast to the crow’s nest. “I think you were readying to take me up there. ”
“Was I?” He looked up, shielding his eyes from the glare. “That was a fool thing of me to consider. ”
“Well?” She raised her brows. If she were to live out one dream, she might as well realize every last one. And she’d always dreamed of climbing the rigging, soaring over the waves like a bird in flight. “Will you?”
“Will I take you up to the lookout?” Widened eyes spoke to his amused disbelief.
She nodded gravely. She’d show him she was not an object of amusement.
His eyes grazed up the thin rope ladder to the rickety perch situated high in the air. “It’s just a barrel, Beth. Lashed to the mast with a bit of line. ”
But she was determined to climb as high as any pirate. Sensing that pride might be Aidan’s weakness, she asked, “Are you saying your ship isn’t secure?”
“You know I’m not,” he said, his eyes narrowed.
“Then why not take me?”
“Because it won’t fit the two of us. ”
“Then it’s a good thing you don’t seem to want to go up there. ” She smiled, proud of her logic.
“I’m not letting you climb that alone,” he said quickly, disbelief in his voice.
“Good, then we’ll climb it together. ” She hiked her skirts. “Shall we?”
He shook his head at her. Gritting his teeth, finally he said, “If you must. ”
She beamed. “I must. ”
