Chapter Twenty-Two
Kate moved into the circle of Talon’s arms, her heart hammering at the thought of learning the truth. She wanted to know what he’d been hiding from her, but she was afraid he’d disappoint her, afraid she’d learn her faith in him was unwarranted.
“Where shall I begin?”
She sighed and snuggled closer, determined to listen with an open mind. “Begin at the beginning.”
Talon reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers, squeezing tightly. “I never knew who my father was until the night my mother died. She told me the whole story then, how she’d been his mistress, how he’d cast her aside when she had become pregnant. But she wanted me to go to him. Even after all the pain he’d caused, she thought he’d take one look at me and be unable to turn me away. I can’t believe I was foolish enough to believe her.”
“You were just a child,” Kate whispered, her heart breaking already. “It’s not foolish to expect your own father to provide for you.”
“He sent me packing, of course. Offered me a few pounds, but I didn’t take it. Instead I went down to the docks and found myself a job working as a cabin boy.”
She squeezed his hand even tighter, wanting to say something, but unwilling to do anything to interrupt this halting glimpse into his childhood.
“It wasn’t a bad life. The captain was a good man and I got to see the world, places I’d never even dreamed of. I had quite a bit of free time, and he did me the tremendous favor of teaching me how to read.”
Talon looked up at her, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes. “I worked my way up through the ranks. Then, when I eighteen, our ship was attacked by some some American pirates. I was given the choice of dying or joining them.” He gave her a rueful look. “Well, you know my choice. Eventually, I worked my way up there, too. I became first mate, and then, when we took a particularly rich prize, we seized the ship and the captain offered to give me my own command. I gathered a whole crew of men I knew I could trust. Those men were my family, Kate. The only one I’d ever known.”
Kate was surprised by the passion in his voice when he spoke of his journey from street urchin to pirate captain. Perhaps Sutcliffe’s rejection had been a good thing. It explained why he’d seemed so different, so fair and kind compared to his father and brother.
“So, there I was with my own ship and a crew of loyal men. I was making a good living and it should have been enough, but it wasn’t. I was tired of the cramped spaces and the lack of privacy. I started dreaming of a home, a family, all the things I’d never had, all the things I thought my father had stolen from me.”
A home. A family. Dear God, how she wanted to be the one to share those things with him.
“I dreamed too big. I set my sights on a grand plantation a few miles outside of Charleston… Holyoke. The owner had died and the heirs were asking a fair price. I started imagining myself there and decided to do everything it took to buy it. I took some risks, pushed my ship and my men too hard.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know why the British Navy came after us. I didn’t even realize the danger they posed until it was too late. We were charged with piracy and thrown in prison even though I had a letter of marque. I was so desperate to save my men I even sent word to the earl, hoping he’d help, but he didn’t reply. We were found guilty and they executed my crew, but for some reason I was spared. They took me back to Newgate and threw away the key.”
She pressed a tender kiss to the back of his hands. “Oh, Talon.”
“It killed me. I thought I’d lost everything. So, when Sutcliffe told me he’d intervened on my crew’s behalf, saving them from the gallows, I was willing to do whatever it took to keep them safe.”
“He saved them in order to get you to seduce me.” She understood now. She understood completely, but it still hurt to say the words.
A look of utter pain and loss crossed his stark features. “He put my men on one of his own ships so he could control them. If you and I don’t provide him with an heir, he’ll make sure my men really do hang.”
Kate hugged him. “You did what you had to do. There was no other choice. My virtue hardly compares to the lives of all those men.”
“I’m so sorry.” His arms tightened convulsively, and she buried her face against his warm, broad chest. “I wish you hadn’t been caught in the middle of it.”
She lifted her face and brushed a tender kiss to his mouth. “I love you, Talon. I’ve never stopped loving you.”
He gave her a wary look, clearly yearning for her forgiveness, but afraid to give too much away. She thought of the motherless boy he’d been, and her heart bled.
“I’m so alone without you.” She brushed the faint purple bruise on his cheek with her fingertips, feeling the warmth of his skin and the rough, dark bristle of his beard. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”
He shuddered at her touch. “Ah, Kate. It seems like a lifetime since you touched me like this.”
It had seemed like a lifetime to her, too.
Emboldened by his husky words, she let her hands trail from his face to his shoulders. Holding his smoky gaze, she caressed his chest, loving the feel of his hard, thick muscles, thinking of every moment during the last week when she’d longed to put her hands on all this golden, silky skin. “Take off your shirt,” she whispered, stunned by her own audacity.
He quickly did as she’d asked then stood, sweeping her into his arms and carrying her back over to the spot where she’d lain her blankets.
Kneeling, he made short work of the boy’s clothing she wore and then shed his own trousers as well. Naked, he stretched out beside her, giving her a look full of simmering promise.
Her gaze swept over him, taking in his tousled dark hair and scruffy jaw, his blue, blue eyes, and magnificently aroused male body. “You’re so beautiful,” she sighed, tracing her fingertips across his taut, muscled belly.
