Page 2 of His Pirate Wife

“You couldn’t embarrass me if you tried, Mia,” Devin said as she gasped for breath. “I knew what you were when I wed you.” He put his hands around her waist and dropped both his foot and her to thefloor.

“Captain, you thought me to be a pirate and a whore,” Mia said stepping into his embrace as the ship rocked hard. Those first days after her papa forced them to wed weren’t easy sailing. They’d weathered a few storms as they learned to ride the seastogether.

“And spoiled and willful and,” he said then reached for the bulkhead as the ship rocked again, “and stillperfect.”

Mia huffed and slapped his arm. “I’m not sure, Captain, I care for your opinions of my person,” she said and then grabbed him tight as the ship rocked again. They must have entered the breakwaters at the mouth of theharbor.

“Really?” he said reaching for the bonnet she’d tossedaside.

“Really. I’m not spoiled,” she told him as he made to set the hat on her head. His hardy laughter rangout.

“I beg your pardon. You are correct. You’re not at all spoiled,” he said bending to kiss her softly then going back to tying the ribbons of the bonnet under herchin.

She was spoiled, though not in the manner that made the insult hurtful. She’d earned her place as captain in Papa’s fleet. It wasn’t given to her like some toy or pretty jewel. And she knew now when Devin called her spoiled, he didn’t mean it like that. She was spoiled, a little. Her papa spoiled her, the crews on his ships spoiled her and in his own way her husband spoiled her, too. Only he had a limit as to the amount of rot hetolerated.

“I forgive you,” she sighed as he stepped around her and retrieved her cloak from thefloor.

He set it over her shoulders then came around to do the fastenings. “Such a forgiving little wench I have for a wife,” he said and chuckledagain.

“If we still have time perhaps I might show you the naughty whore you wed,” Mia said trying to smile innocently while she did. That her husband liked her willingness in bed, praised her and thanked her for it regularly, only made her want to spend more time there. He’d told her once he thought it sad men had to seek out mistresses, lovers, and whores after marriage. He believed himself the luckiest man in the world to have a wife who’d be everything to him and who enjoyed those roles sheplayed.

“Mia,” he growled, “do you know what you do tome?”

“Aye, I can see it right there,” she said pointing to his crotch where his pants budged. She made to place her hand over it, but he grabbed it and brought it to his chestinstead.

“No, Mia,” he said pressing a hand over hers as she felt the beat of his heart. “This,” he patted her hand, “is what you do to me.” She smiled up at him. For all the rough seas they’d sailed, figuratively and literally, Devin never left her feeling unsafe or unprotected. He was her anchor and compass and she the wind in his sails. “Damn I’m a lucky man,” he said again as he placed one more kiss on herlips.

“Aye, Captain,” she said. Then she heard the bell ringout.

“I think we need to go topside,” he told her putting his hand at the small of her back and ushering her out. “The winds are calm enough Mia, but it’s cold. Keep your coat about you and don’t stand in the spray if you can helpit.”

“I don’t like your island, Captain,” Mia said and followed him to the helm. Leaving behind the only home she knew in the Caribbean was hard. The warm sun and bright blue waters were a stark contrast to the cold fog and black waters of thisport.

“Give it a chance Mia,” Devin said taking the wheel from Mr. Quiggly. “It isn’t always like this. It’s after all November. Winter anywhere is less thanwelcoming.”

Mia shrugged and gave the quartermaster a smile as he stepped off the helm to join the crew around the deck. Even in this early morning Mia could see a crowd forming along the docks. They were arriving with more fanfare than Mia thought. But then her husband and his crew wereheroes.

They’d captured a slave ship, though it was Mia who served that ship justice. And they’d caught a real pirate ship as well as discovered the tactics being used to put victims in the path of said ship. It was still a hard point with Mia that Devin denied her any satisfaction with that incident. The pirate ship and its victim thePied Piperwere worked by at least two of the men responsible for the attack on Mia’s home. An attack that killed her mother and infantbrother.

Mia wanted badly to make the men tell her who’d sent them to attack the peaceful port, and she wanted to use any method in her means to do it. Devin ended her attempt before it began, and they left for England before Mia even heard if the men were at least convicted of piracy and hanged. She’d hear eventually, but she didn’t know if she’d be happy with what sheheard.

“Haul in the sails,” Devin called out and the crew made fast work as only the mainsails were up. One didn’t speed through port, according to Devin. Mia laughed and told him he’d never had to get cargo to market in time. “Man the ship,” he called out and every member of the crew took position either along the rails or in the rigging. Mia shook her head. Navy customs sometimes seemed sosilly.

They were different kinds of captains who sailed differently. Devin straight on by the compass the entire voyage and Mia against the current when she could. Still, she knew as she stepped up behind him and leaned in feeling his hand reaching back for her, they could chart a course and reach port together like no two other captains on the same ship because they each knew when to let the othercommand.

“Here come the lines,” came a call from the water. Mia watched as the ropes from the assist boats uncoiled midair and landed ondeck.

“Hey,” Mr. Brinks yelled back. “Watch the brightworks now,” he warned then used his coat sleeve to polish off a scratch in the brass along the rail created by the roughhewnrope.

“Lieutenant Coventon,” Devin called down and his officer swiveled about. “Come take the helmman.”

“Really, sir?” the man asked before nearly running down thedeck.

“See Mia, even a stiff stem like Jonah can become a boy at Christmas, with the right gift.” Devin said to her. Then to the lieutenant he said, “Aye, man. If you’re going to captain someday, you’ll need to be able to bring her into port and dockher.”

Mia barely suppressed her laugh as the man, who at first detested her being on this ship but was now a strong ally, stepped up and took the wheel with a smile. “Captain, Mrs. Winthrop,” he greeted and then waited for them to stepback.

“Don’t over work the wheel, let the assist boat do the work,” Miacautioned.

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