An Undeniable Passion Ch. 07

He knew she was only pretending to be concentrating on her meal. He caught her furtive glances out of the corner of his eye. Her attention to his movements made him highly self conscious and he tried to act as nonchalantly as possible, but her eyes on him made it very difficult. He could see that she wasn't wearing his nightshirt but a much more feminine garment. Of course she would have brought nightgowns with her, he thought.

When she had finished eating and the tray was cleared away, he pulled his chair up to the side of the bed and resting his elbows on his knees he sternly asked, "So, what are you doing on my ship?"

She didn't quite know where to begin so she told him everything, even the parts he already knew. How her father had gambled away almost all their money, the deal he had struck with Charles and her now impending marriage to him. Her discovery of his unfaithfulness, her father dying and how she felt so alone, Charles' startling and frightening change in character, and then her sudden need to escape which had unknowingly led her to his ship. It all poured out of her along with a good many tears. By the end of it she was sobbing.

Drake sat on the edge of the bed and gathered her into his arms. "It's going to be alright. I won't let anything happen to you on this ship. You'll be safe. I promise."

"I must have been out of my mind to have done this," she murmured. It felt good this time to be held by him. His strong arms made her feel safe and her head fit nicely on his broad shoulders. His strong hands gently stroked her damp hair. It suddenly occurred to her that it was incredibly inappropriate for her to be held by a man while sitting in bed wearing only a nightgown and with that thought she felt the now familiar butterflies that always appeared in his presence. The safety and comfort she had sought in his embrace ebbed away, only to be replaced by a liquid heat that seeped into her veins, causing her pulse to quicken along with her breath.

As Drake held and consoled her, he realized how different if felt to hold her this time. Of course, she's not all done up with corsets and boning and whatever else is under those dresses, he thought. All that's between us is a few thin pieces of fabric. This is what her body really feels like. With that thought he felt a stirring in his body. She had melted against him and the stirring turned into a raw hunger. With great effort he quickly pulled away and stood up. Virginia was so startled by his actions that she did not think to pull up the covers. He could clearly see the outline of her breasts through the lacy fabric and he almost faltered. He stammered something about having to check things on deck and quickly left the room.

At the sound of the key turning in the lock, Virginia again felt very alone but willed herself not to cry again. Everything was going to be all right. With that thought she lay down and tried to sleep, but couldn't. She kept wondering what was happening at home. Charles was most likely furious. She felt sorry for the merchants and servants like Lucy that she owed money to but there was nothing she could do about that. Mostly she thought about Violet and how much she missed her.

Drake stood on deck, staring out at the black sea, and thought about all that she had told him. His heart especially went out to her about her father dying and how alone she now feels. He knew only too well what that felt like. His mind went back to his own childhood. He had grown up in an orphanage, having been abandoned by his parents as an infant. The owners didn't know why he had been left or if his parents would ever come back for him so he was never shown to the few couples who came looking to adopt children. As he got older he helped out, taking care of the younger ones. He was turned out at the age of fourteen, deemed old enough to make his way in the world on his own. He ended up in Liverpool and after hanging about the docks for a couple of weeks found work on a ship. When the captain had found out that he could keep an orphanage full of kids in line and their bellies full he knew that Drake would be perfect as a cook on the ship.

He turned out to be an excellent ship's cook and an equally excellent sailor. He rose through the ranks quickly and saved every penny he made. By the time he was twenty five he was able to secure a loan and buy his own ship. He smiled to himself recalling how excited he had been, acquiring his first shipping assignment, hiring his first crew. He had started out doing short runs along the coast of England from harbor to harbor and after he had earned an excellent reputation he started doing longer and longer runs and before he knew it he had bought a bigger ship and had done his first trans-Atlantic trip.

He recalled the day he had bought the Aurora. She was an East Indiaman, the most popular type of merchant ship. She was in rough shape but he spent what he had to in order to bring her to her former glory. He had been so proud the day he had christened her. He was now thirty-four years old and as he stood upon her decks he thought about the most beautiful and intoxicating woman he had ever met who was sleeping below his feet. He smiled at the prospect of having her close to him for the next two months.

After about an hour of tossing and turning, she again heard the key turn and Drake walked back into the room. He noticed that she was still awake. "Good, you're still awake. We need to talk about sleeping arrangements. This is the safest place for you to be but unfortunately there are no spare cabins and this is where I sleep. I promise to stay on one side of the bed, and if you stay on the other we shouldn't have any problems."

"You're suggesting that I sleep in this bed? With you?" Virginia asked incredulously.

"Yes, that's right," he replied.

"But...but...but..." She struggled to come up with an alternate solution. "What about last night, you said that you slept in the bunks left vacant by the men on watch. Couldn't you continue to do that?"

"No, the watch shifts are only a few hours and it's too disruptive of a night. I have to get a good nights sleep in order to run this ship." he answered.

"And there's nowhere else I can sleep?" she asked desperately

"Well, you could sleep with the crew, but I don't think I want to leave you to their tender mercies." Leaning over her, he placed a finger under her chin tipping her face up to him "I've developed too much of an attachment to you for that."

Virginia was wondering what he meant by that when he continued, "If it makes you feel any better I'll wait until you're asleep before I turn in. I have some work to do, so try to sleep."

With that he sat down at his desk and began writing in the ship's log. But, he thought, how the hell am I going to get any sleep with her lying next to me?

Virginia slid all the way over on the bed until she was wedged up against the wall. All the lamps in the cabin were extinguished except for a small one on the desk. The gentle rocking of the ship was very soothing and before she knew it, it had lulled her to sleep.

Drake looked at her as she lay on the very furthest edge of the bed. He couldn't help but smile to himself as he pulled his shirt off. She looked so beautiful in the soft light of the room. As he pulled a nightshirt on over his head he admitted that she was beautiful in any light. He pulled off his breeches and stockings and thought, I just hope I can sleep. Ebony locks fell about his shoulders as he released his hair from the confines of the ribbon before quietly sliding into the bed.