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She followed his lead and began to sort out her clothes. “I’ll be surprised if my father has even noticed my absence. ”
He shot her a look that, even in the dim cabin, she could see was doubtful. “I don’t want you compromised. There’s no better time than first light to dock in Aberdeen harbor. The sailors are still drunk, and it’ll be just fishermen roaming about, and they’re not the ones who have me worried. ” Pulling his shirt over his head, he added, “I don’t trust Fraser, and I don’t think he’ll be taking this change in your wedding plans as well as you believe. ”
“Do you think he’ll have men at the docks?”
“I’m certain of it,” he said, stepping into his trews. “I’d like us to avoid the lot of them. He’ll suspect something is at the root of your decision, and he’ll have men sniffing around for some clue about what caused your change of heart. Which
means you especially must stay away from him—no more visits to the erstwhile fiancé. ” He helped her shrug into her vest. “Have I your word?”
“You’ve my word. ” She smiled.
Turning her to face him, he finished tying the laces of her bodice. “Now,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, “I imagine you have needs to attend to. ”
She darted her eyes down. How mortifying to be discussing one’s bodily needs with one’s… pirate rogue.
Aidan chucked her chin. “I’ve spent the last hours studying … nay, Beth, tasting every last inch of you. No need to be shy on account of this. ”
He led her up the stairs, pointing her to the side of the ship. “Just beyond the sail, luvvie, and over the gunnel you go. ”
She was to relieve herself over the side of the ship? Dawn had begun to turn the sky gray, and she eyed the monochrome silhouettes of railings and hatches. “Surely you don’t mean that I should just … hang there?”
“I do, and you shall. ” With a pat on her rump, he sent her on her way. “You’ll need to hold on, mind. ”
“Obviously. ” She headed toward the gunwale, considering. He’d set the sails, heaving to for the night, and the water was calm beneath them, the boat bobbing gently. She looked over her shoulder to ask, “And it’s safe?”
“’Tis,” he said, but his back was already to her, busying himself on deck, and, she imagined, about to take care of his own needs.
She needed to go, and there was nothing for it. Hoisting her skirts, she set about her business, and couldn’t help a quick giggle at the exhilarating freedom of it. “What can you do with a drunken sailor,” she belted out in her best singing voice, “what can you do with a drunken sailor, errr-lie in the morning?”
“You’re a wee daftie,” he called out, laughing.
Ducking back from behind the sail, she returned to him, smoothing her skirts in an exaggeratedly ladylike fashion. “I am no daftie. I’m a pirate wench. ”
“Are you?” He put his arm around her and nestled her close, startling her as he stole a deep kiss. With it came a rush of sensation—his morning beard scraping against her skin, the familiar stab of longing in her belly—her body’s response to him immediate.
He finally pulled from her, leaving her breathless. He wiped the damp from her bottom lip with a sensual sweep of his thumb. “Pirate wench, is it? Aye, I think you speak truly. ”
She beamed, pleased beyond reason.
He opened a hatch to retrieve a woolen blanket then led her to the rear of the ship. “If you’re a pirate wench, that would make me a pirate. And you know what pirates are known for. ”
She watched as he made a cozy nest of the stern. “Ravaging?”
“Aye, ravaging, ravishment. All those. ” He lay down, patting the space beside him, beckoning.
She joined him on the blanket. “How very treacherous it all sounds. ”
“A menace, I am. Particularly to fair maidens. ” He cupped her head, leaning them back to watch as night turned to day. “So, beware. You’ve requested a sunrise, but I cannot guarantee your subsequent safety. ”
With a hand on his chest and a leg twined between his, she cuddled close. “I wish we could just stay here, like this. ”
He sighed, stroking her hair. “Soon, Beth. ”
They lay in silence for a time, watching as the sky faded from slate to indigo, to blue, and the rising sun cast strangely vivid slashes of light on soft rolling clouds overhead.
He took her hand in his, idly threading their fingers. “It’s like we’re floating away. ”
There was such romance in his voice, she fancied her chest might expand with her light heart, and it made her playful. “And you call me the daftie?”
