Chapter 27

D AMNED WOMAN COULD HAVE TOSSED ME SOME BEDDING , Drew fumed as he sat on the hard wooden floor of his cabin. It was raining outside—pouring, actually—and a cold draft seeped into the room from under the door. Usually Drew found the sound of rain soothing. He even enjoyed taking over the steering of his ship during storms. There was something primal about them that stimulated all his senses. He wasn't going to get the opportunity tonight.

He couldn't sleep. He'd tried, with his head against the wall. It wouldn't be the first time he'd slept in an uncomfortable place, and sitting up, for that matter. But it just wasn't going to happen here, not with a beautiful woman sleeping in a soft bed only a few feet away from him.

Actually, that was just one of the reasons why sleep was eluding him. The emotions churning in his gut were a bigger deterrent. He couldn't remember ever feeling this angry and he was having a difficult time dealing with it. But then, he'd never had his ship taken from him before.

He couldn't believe Gabby was doing this. She was so angry at him that she couldn't just ask him for passage? He'd been heading to his usual trade routes and he could have easily been persuaded to bring Gabrielle Brooks along. Well, maybe not easily. She was the reason he'd decided to sail a few days earlier than he'd originally planned. He'd wanted to get as far away from her as he could because of the temptation she presented.

That temptation had grown stronger over the last few weeks. As soon as she'd stopped being disagreeable, he'd started thinking of how nice she'd look in his bed. It got to the point where he'd wanted her so much, he'd thrown caution to the wind and actually tried to get her to come to his room. Stupid thing to do, that. It had just made him want her more. And she hadn't come to him. Instead, she'd continued her husband hunting. That was like adding a spark to the smoldering fire, and was probably why he'd gotten so drunk those last two nights in port, and why he had gone to that ball and foolishly tried to sabotage her husband hunt. And then seeing her with Wilbur at that ball, the one suitor she seemed to favor the most…he wasn't surprised he'd embarrassed her as she claimed he did. He couldn't recall exactly what he'd said, but he certainly remembered his sister scolding him for it.

He sighed to himself. It appeared that he'd succeeded and she'd revealed her true colors now. Damned woman really was a pirate. Like father like daughter. But he should have had her amenable to him already. She was attracted to him. He'd noticed it from the beginning. He could have at least cajoled her into a better sleeping arrangement. But his anger was getting in the way. The thought of trying to charm her was abhorrent to him right now. Because she held the upper hand? Because she'd stolen his ship, cracked him over the head with his own pistol, chained him to the blasted floor? Or because despite all that, he still wanted her?

He'd tasted her again, that was the trouble. Why in hell had he done that? He'd been so close to his freedom, to getting his ship back and turning the tables on these pirates, and he had to go and get tempted by a pair of lush lips. He'd simply been unable to resist kissing her with her mouth that close to him, her derriere squirming in his lap, the scent of her filling his nostrils.

He felt his manhood stir just thinking about that kiss again. Blasted wench…

"Broke a hole in one of the cabins," his first mate whispered. "Didn't think you'd mind, Captain."

Drew abruptly sat forward away from the wall. He was so incredulous he nearly laughed out loud. He'd been so deep in thought that he hadn't even heard Timothy Sawyer sneak into the cabin, and apparently he'd done so without waking the lady pirate sleeping across the room. He couldn't see his first mate. No light came in through the bank of windows because of the rain, and Gabby had extinguished the lamp again before she returned to his bed, so it was pitch dark in the cabin. His bed. Damn, that infuriated him, that she was sleeping in it—without him.

"Not at all," he said in the same low whisper Timothy had just used. "What took you so long?"

"Had to make sure no one was on the other side to give warning."

"Did you release the crew yet?"

"Figured I'd cut you loose first."

"I knew I could depend on you, Tim."

"Was the least I could do, Captain, after I let them get the better of me today," the man said gruffly.

"Well, actually, I doubt anyone else would have thought to break through walls," Drew pointed out.

He was grinning, though Timothy couldn't see it. The man had been with him for quite a few years now, was usually a quiet, amiable fellow who never caused any trouble. For all his size, he had one of the milder dispositions Drew had ever come across—unless he was riled. And when that happened, all hell could break loose.

It didn't happen often, but like Drew, Timothy didn't like confinement. They'd caused too much ruckus one night in Bridgeport and ended up spending the night in jail to sleep it off. After Timothy had sobered up, he'd been like a bear in a tiny cage, frantic to break the bars, and damned if he hadn't bent them. Drew had had to pay for those damages, too.

"Let's get your ropes undone," Timothy said.

"No ropes. I got out of them once, so I'm wearing an iron shackle now."

"Now, that may pose a problem. Does the lady pirate have the tools to get you out of it? Or was it padlocked with a key?"

"There's no key, and one of her men has the…" Drew didn't finish. He was facing the door and saw the light appear under it. "Careful," he softly hissed, "I think we may have company arriving."

There was no time to prepare for it. The door was shoved open even as he was giving the warning. The handsome pirate stood there, the one Gabby had attempted to kiss that afternoon. Unfortunately, he wasn't alone. The tall Chinaman that Gabby seemed to be fond of was with him, and two others. One of them must have seen what was happening, or had come across that hole in the wall, and had the presence of mind to bring along reinforcements.

It was an utterly tense moment. The four pirates were armed, had come just inside the door, and all four pistols were pointed directly at Timothy's chest.

Drew was afraid this was one of those times that his first mate wasn't going to back down. He could feel his tension, and his anger, that he hadn't accomplished what he'd set out to do. And it wouldn't be the first time the big man had plowed through unrealistic odds. He was probably too angry to even notice the damn pistols and was going to get himself killed.

Gabrielle suddenly shot out of the bed, her body wrapped in a blanket, and placed herself directly between the two groups. And she was bristling with anger herself.

"I've bloody well had enough excitement for the day, gentlemen," she snarled. "So you're all going to rethink this situation and realize that sleep is much more appealing right now than spilling blood."

Drew let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. But it didn't sit well with him to suddenly be feeling gratitude to the lady. He had to admit, though, that had been quick thinking on her part, to realize that Timothy wouldn't try to get through her to get at her men. The big man had no trouble cracking a dozen male heads together, but he'd never harm a woman. She'd been in a sound sleep, but apparently had no trouble waking alert and ready to make instant judgments like that.

"Damned women pirates," Timothy mumbled in a subdued tone. Drew knew then that the danger was over.

"I have had just about enough of you, Mr. Sawyer," Gabby remarked. "Do you really have so little care for your personage that you'd ask to be shot?"

"Is that what I was doing?" Timothy said with an abashed look. "My apologies."

She tsked in disgust, but glanced behind her to tell her men, "Take him back—"

"To where, chérie ?" Richard cut in. "There is a hole next to the door of the cabin he was in."

"He broke through the bloody wall?" Gabby asked incredulously. And then she sighed as she looked back at Timothy. She even gave him a disappointed look. "You, sir, are an outrageous nuisance. What am I going to do with you?"

Drew was incredulous to hear Timothy say, shamefaced, "I won't cause anymore trouble, miss."

Drew groaned. Scolded by a pretty woman and the man was a complete pushover!

But Gabby wasn't done. "I'll have your word on it."

This time Timothy just stared at her. Perhaps he was debating whether he would have to keep his word if he gave it to a pirate.

But Gabby was too annoyed to allow Timothy much time to think it over. His prolonged silence prompted her to comment, "I'll take that as a no," and she marched over to the table by the bed to pick up Drew's pistol.

Since the woman had fooled him once, trying to pretend she wasn't a pirate when he knew now that she was, Drew really had no idea what she was capable of. For all he knew, she just might shoot Timothy to keep him from being a further "nuisance," as she'd called him.

So he hissed at his friend, "Answer her, damn it!"

She heard him but didn't remark on that, nor did her annoyed expression change. She merely pointed out, "A standoff isn't going to let any of us get back to our beds. Will you at least give your word that there will be no further trouble tonight so we can all get some sleep?"

"That I can do."

Gabrielle mulled that over for a few moments. Frankly, she looked too exasperated to agree to only half of what she'd asked for. And Drew hated to admit it, but she looked much too fetching standing there clutching his woolen blanket around her, with her long dark hair disheveled and falling around her shoulders. But then her expression changed. She nodded. And it took Drew only a moment to guess that she'd just remembered what her young friend had told her earlier, that there were two shackles in the hold. Drew was wearing one now, but there was one left for Timothy.

Blast it! The wench wasn't happy with one man in chains, she had to shackle two!