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ver dealt with something like this.
Wade sighed heavily. He didn’t want to deal with this, but then, he was a captain. He had to. This was his ship and these were his men. If there was to be a mutiny, he needed as many bodies on his side as possible. He didn’t believe Buck would betray him. That was the problem with betrayal, though. It never came from your enemies. Enemies you could trust to go for the throat. You never expected it from your friends.
Wade told Buck about going to port, about meeting Julianne, and about his return to the storage room.
“Rupert said he had information about the lost treasure. He wanted to talk to me alone, he said, and it seemed as good a place as any.”
“It’s quiet down there,” Buck agreed. “Private. You know, Rupert used that room for his indiscretions.”
“I’m well aware,” Wade said dryly. Only three people had keys to the room, but he wasn’t oblivious to the fact that Rupert took women to that room or that he occasionally “loaned” his key to other pirates to use the space. The men didn’t get much privacy. They took it when they could.
Wade finished telling Buck about the murder attempt, but he still didn't know what to do next. And as a captain, not knowing was a luxury he couldn't afford.
Buck just stared at him, a look of bewilderment on his old face. Even his wrinkly skin couldn’t hide the shock in his eyes.
"She was hiding here this whole time?"
"Aye."
"And you fucked her?"
Wade nodded.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Captain, but this ain't no hen frigate. We can't keep a woman on board, ‘specially not a pretty one. What are ye gonna do?"
That seemed to be the question of the hour, now didn't it? What was Wade going to do? Logically, he should hang both Nelson and his sister. Logically, he should kill them to send a message to his crew. He should, but then, logic was rarely involved when it came to Wade's cock. And for some reason, it liked Julianne very, very much.
Wade thought of the way she had danced for him, of the look on her face as she watched him. Her hips had swayed slowly in time with a song only she could hear, and Wade had loved it. He had been mesmerized by her beauty, but especially by her eyes. They were wide and bright. She had a smile that was full of life, and an air of joy surrounded her. It seemed that Julianne’s privileged upbringing hadn’t sucked away her ability to enjoy the simple things in life. She didn’t know how lucky that made her.
He didn’t have to kill her, but he couldn’t keep her: not as a stowaway and certainly not as his lover. If the men knew how deeply he cared for her, it would give them something to use against him, and pirates weren’t the most trustworthy of folks. They stayed as long as they were paid, and as long as there was food, and as long as the sailing was good, but if they could use the captain’s woman as a bargaining chip, they would do it.
And the Saucy Devil wouldn’t stand for that.
Wade slammed his empty glass down on the table and looked at Buck.
"Here's what we're going to do."
10
Julianne was sitting quietly on the bed when Wade returned to his cabin. She hadn’t been surprised to find him gone when she woke. He was the captain of a huge ship, after all. He probably had captain-y things to do that didn’t involve spending hours wrapped around her.
She hadn’t tried to leave the room when she woke, but she had gotten redressed. While she felt tempted to further explore his space to see whether she could find a weapon to defend herself, she didn't. She just stayed put. Wade had been kind to her that evening and though he had been angered to discover that she was sleeping on the ship, he had not been cruel.
Though Julianne hadn't been certain at first, she thought now that he might show her mercy.
Just maybe.
If she were lucky.
So while he stormed off, she sat still, thinking about her life and her decisions and how even if she did get hanged, at least it wasn't going to be by Vince. At least she had gotten to see the world. Well, a little bit of it, anyway. Had she gotten married, Julianne knew she would have been an ordinary housewife, plagued with chores and children and cleaning.
At least now she was free.
Wade entered the room silently. He carefully closed the door behind him. His movements were quiet and calculated. He never did anything without thinking about it, Julianne noticed. Even the most minute movements were carefully calculated to bring Wade closer to whatever goal he might be currently pursuing.
Wade placed the key to the door on the desk and looked at Julianne thoughtfully. She wondered where he had gone and what he was going to say to her. She hoped he hadn't killed Nelson. He looked relaxed, but not in the way a man looks after a kill, so she thought her brother must be fine.
Then Wade walked over to Julianne and sat next to her on the bed. His weight pressed the mattress down and she slid closer to him, their bodies touching side-by-side. She tried not to feel aroused, but it was nearly impossible. He smelt of whiskey and of man and she thought of the way his hands had explored her body just hours before.
