The Pirate Captain - By Kerry Lynne Page 0,288

up to me high standards.”

“I would say she is willing to suffer the deficiencies.”

They watched Prudence and her new suitor stroll away. Heads tilted together, the two youths were a stark contrast: blonde and dark, bright and faded, refined and barbaric—but, in spite of it all, bonded by the exuberance of youth.

“Young love,” Cate mused.

“Nothing like it.” Nathan’s countenance darkened. “Should she be going off like that ? You said she doesn’t know anything about lads.”

“Watch; she knows exactly what to do.”

As if on cue, Prudence coquettishly tilted her head and laughed, the delicate sound drifting on the breeze. Her hand fluttered to the neckline of her bodice and her hips swayed in a measured increment.

Nathan made a rude noise. “Aye, I see your point. A real man-eater that one, and the poor bugger doesn’t have a clue.”

Shaking his head, the frown returned. “Still don’t like the idea of them going off like that.”

Cate turned to give him a curious look. “Since when do you sound like the protective father?”

Growling under his breath, he lurched to his feet and stomped away.

Cate shifted in discomfort. Since the incident with Bullock, in spite of his intention to be covert, she had been aware of Nathan’s increased vigilance. If there had been no secrets before, she had even less privacy now. A watchful eye was on her every move, as evidenced by Nathan’s relieved look when she came out of the privy—err, roundhouse—and a “I was wondering where you were.” The concern was touching, but it was a bit tiresome and extremely constraining.

When they had first landed, Nathan had been forced to tip his hand when he insisted that she was not to be alone, ever…even when answering the call of nature. It was irksome, not to mention embarrassing, to have to announce her needs, and then be watched over the while. Given Nathan’s precise personal barriers, it was a level of intimacy for which she was not prepared, not to mention the difficulty of trying to time when she needed to go with intervals when he wasn’t otherwise occupied. Granted, there were no secrets on a ship when it came to bodily functions, the seat of ease right off the salon, but having someone waiting within a whispering shout away was altogether too awkward.

Feeling the need just then, Cate checked up and down the beach. At the moment, Nathan was occupied, as was everyone with the raucous festivities. And so she rose, confident she could sneak off and return before she was missed.

The moonlight shafted through the forest, reducing its verdant palette to tones of silver, grey, and black. As Cate picked her way through the bushes, she ran through a mental litany of the do’s and don’ts as given by Pickford and others. It was a delicate balance between finding the proper seclusion, while on alert for poisonous plants, insects, and reptiles, and yet not venturing too far. Since childhood, she had possessed a strong sense of direction, but was still careful to keep the bonfires within sight.

The snap of a twig was her only warning, before a hand shot around and clamped over her mouth. She was driven forward to the ground with a whomph!. The force of her assailant coming down on top of her knocked the air from her.

Stunned, her clarity of mind returned with the wind rushing back into her lungs. The two tumbled and thrashed, the fingers at her mouth gouging her face. His wild eyes inches from hers, he seemed roughly her size, but wiry and considerably stronger. His breath hot on her neck, she was engulfed by the smells of rum, arousal, and fish stew.

The knife in her pocket was unreachable in her tangled skirts. She clawed, gouged, elbowed and kneed. The hand drew back and clouted her across the face, and then clamped back over her mouth. She was punched once, and then again in the stomach. She drew up her knees and curled into a defensive ball. The hand at her mouth gave a cruel wrench and flipped her on her back. He rose up and drove a knee into her gut. The pinpricks of light swirled before her eyes and her ears buzzed.

The hand loosened a fraction, and Cate bit down, until she felt the grind of bones between her teeth. He yanked free and swore. It was enough of a distraction for her to slam the flat of her palm against his ear. He yelped and swung out, his fist