As thanks for his pains, she swiped at him with her nails and elbowed him in the jaw.
“Goddamn it,” he hissed. “Calm down.”
“Let me go!”
The horse shied at all the noise, and Nick, out of patience, pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms about her waist and pinning her arms. He held her tight, so tight that she wouldn’t have enough breath to continue fighting for long.
“Ashley.” He bent his head and whispered in her ear. “If you don’t stop fighting, I’m going to have to bind you. Tempting as tying you up might be to me, I don’t think you’d enjoy it much.”
Whether because of the threat or the lack of air, she suddenly ceased moving. Nick could feel the pleasing weight of her breasts on his arms, and he could picture them in his mind.
Plump and full, sweetly curved, her skin pale and milky as moonlight. Unbidden, more images came to him: the fullness of her hip, the slope of her shoulder, the nip of her waist.
She wiggled against him again, and he felt himself grow hard. She must have felt it, too, because he heard her sharp intake of breath.
“Is that—?”
“Keep moving against me,” he answered, “and I’ll show you.”
“Try it,” she said, voice deceptively sweet, “and you may end up with nothing to show.”
“Play nice.”
She made a show of distancing herself from him—not easy or feasible when they were sharing a saddle—and he spurred the horse into motion. His men followed with Chante gradually taking the lead.
Nick settled in for a long night. As enjoyable a diversion as Ashley could be, he had far more serious concerns. Funny how the life of a pirate wasn’t near as blithe and carefree as he’d imagined it all those years ago as a young officer in the Navy. And still Nick wondered whether had he known, he could have chosen any differently. The Barbary corsair Yussef had been a hook in the Royal Navy’s cheek even then. Indeed, it was Yussef and Nick’s desire for revenge on the corsair that had necessitated Nick’s transformation from honorable Navy lieutenant to detestable pirate.
And here he was, ten years later, faced with another of Yussef’s evil deeds. But this one was personal. There was no doubt of that.
Isla de las Riquezas held nothing of interest for a mercenary like Yussef. The Robin Hood did occasionally store booty and stolen cargo there, but that was a pittance compared to the tributes Yussef exacted from the European countries as protection from him and his kind.
The men might not know what Yussef was capable of, but Nick did. No, Yussef hadn’t attacked the island for treasure. He’d attacked because he wanted revenge for Nick’s triumph over him a few months ago near Tripoli. The two ships had exchanged fire, and the Robin Hood had been the victor. Nick could have taken the Barbary corsair’s ship then, but it would have been at great cost of life. Now Nick swore and wished he’d sunk Yussef in Tripoli. If Yussef had done as Nick feared, he would never forgive himself for allowing the corsair to escape.
Obviously, the loss at Tripoli had only left Yussef humiliated and aware his years of dominance over the sea were coming to an end. The Barbary corsair had plotted retribution against Nick and the Robin Hood.
And against the innocent woman and children of Isla de las Riquezas.
The women and children the men of the Robin Hood called lovers, wives, sons, and daughters.
Nick’s hands clenched on the horse’s reins. Chante had said the attack was only a rumor, but Nick hadn’t needed Chante to tell him what he already knew. Nick knew how Yussef operated.
The corsair was efficient and ruthless. He would have attacked the island under cover of darkness. The sleeping women and children would either have been enslaved or, more likely, have had their throats slit. The corsair would then have burned the cabins and huts, taken any treasure the crew could find, and left the island smoking in the rising sun.
Nick had seen the Barbary corsair’s handiwork before. And he’d lost a good friend because of it. But that loss would be nothing compared to this one.
Nick clenched his fists on the reins and bit back a volley of curses.
If Yussef had so much as touched her, Nick vowed he’d kill the man with his own hands.
Chapter Three
Ashley snapped her eyes open and tried to keep them open this time. With all that had happened this night, she should be too anxious to sleep. But exhaustion had finally overcome anger and fear, and she’d dozed off.
The sky above was black and dotted with stars, but she thought she caught a few wisps of gray in the distance. She could smell the sand and salt of the sea. They’d been riding on a beach for what seemed like hours now, and the crash of the waves had become almost familiar.
Soothing.
Lulling...
