Or two people so completely ignorant of that fact.
The coldness in the captain's heart wouldn't be able to withstand his unrelenting desire for Nicole. And he wouldn't try to diminish her passion and fire because he craved it. Nicole, so full of impulse and mischief, needed the reassurance of strength of a iron-willed man. She also needed his dark sensuality to sate her.
As she had thought, the man hadn't been able to get her out of his mind. That, coupled with Derek's behavior with Juliette, rendered her decision settled.
Backing toward the door, Maria smiled. "I think, my little amantes, that I will just leave you two in here and let you work it out for a bit."
She slammed and locked the heavy oaken door.
Chapter 12
Y es, sweet, she's left you unattended, and I assure you I'll take full advantage of that fact." His lips curled as he slowly moved closer to her. "Unlike you, I could not be happier with our circumstances," he said in a low voice.
She couldn't believe it. He'd just satisfied his lust with one of the women next door. He'd admitted that he'd come here to visit the brothel--not her. Just how many times could a man be with a woman in a single day?
She'd be damned if she would find out this way. She could just imagine him comparing her body and face to the beautiful courtesans inside the bordello. She would fall far short.
"Stay away from me. Let me pass to the door."
"Let you go? As easy as you please?" he scoffed. "I don't think so.... I've waited for a month to touch you again." He reached out and stroked a stray curl. "Do you know how much I've thought about our night together?"
Before she could stop herself, she stammered, "Y-you have?"
"Of course I have. I want you."
She came close to asking whether he'd just had a good enough substitute, but she did not want him to think she was jealous. "Why can't you leave me alone? I don't want this."
He surveyed her with hooded eyes. "You might think you don't want this, but your body is telling me something different." He ran his hand over her breast, just a swift, fleeting brush, and heat bloomed inside her. She jerked away from him, stifling a gasp.
"Damn you, Sutherland. Just leave me alone."
"I can't seem to do that," he said slowly, as if he surprised himself by his admission.
"Well, you'll have to. Even if I were attracted to you--which I'm not--I could never let down my guard with you. We're opponents. Although this race means nothing to you, it means everything to my father and me."
"I know the race is important." He ran his hand through his hair. "That ass, Tallywood, has the lead."
"What?"
"I found out this morning. I know I should leave and go catch him, but for some reason, where you're concerned..." He trailed off before grabbing her wrist and pulling her to him. He bent down to give her a light kiss on her neck, a bare flick of his tongue that made her tremble. "In fact, even though I know I should sail soon, I'm still spending the rest of the afternoon in bed with you."
She couldn't stand this. Thoughts of the race, of Tallywood leading, dissipated with each of Sutherland's slight touches. She imagined what they could do together for an entire afternoon.
What kind of wanton was she? The bastard had just finished making love with someone else; yet he was kissing her a few minutes later. Hadn't she learned the first time that she was merely one woman out of a long line of many? It infuriated her because she knew, she wasn't sure how, she simply knew that she wouldn't experience the same wonder and fire with another man. Whereas he probably enjoyed those feelings every night.
She made herself remember that if she won the race, if she defeated the man holding her now, she secured her future, as well as her father's and Chancey's. She needed to get that animosity growing between them again, because she couldn't trust herself to hold firm against him.
She backed away from him, glaring at his hand firm on her wrist. He scowled and released her.
"Are you navigating your ship?" she asked abruptly.
He looked nonplussed. "Of course."
She swallowed, then said arrogantly, "Excellent. It will be that much sweeter when I beat you."
"Are you insinuating that you're directing your ship?" He gave a quick, humorless laugh, then added snidely, "No wonder you lost your rudder."
Her blood boiled again, fortunately this time from fury. "I won't be there to clean up your careless calculations again," she taunted. "You'll be lucky to get out of the harbor."
"Those were rough..." His words lagged as his expression turned to realization, only to be replaced by one of annoyance. But his eyes never stopped showing hunger.
"Your ploy won't work with me, Nicole. The fact that you have to contrive a fight tells me you want me as much as I want you."
She shook her head in weak denial. His long arm shot out to secure her again.
No thought, she just reacted.
Grasping a chair beside her, she simultaneously leapt away from him and yanked the chair between them. The spindle of the chair back caught him squarely between the legs.
His jaw clenched as his eyes slid closed, and he stood motionless as if waiting for the pain to set in. When it did, his eyes opened to a murderous glare. Just before he dropped like a rock.
"Oh, my Lord!" she squealed as she sank down beside him. "I'm so sorry.... I only wanted to get away."
This only aggravated him even more. He groaned out with effort, "You...will...pay..."
Nicole did not have to linger to know what he was about to say. She whirled to the door and hammered it with open palms. Immediately, the key turned in the lock.
Just before she walked out, she turned back. He was right. She'd created a fight, but she hadn't intentionally hurt him. She wanted to apologize again, but convinced herself this was just as well. Finally she said, "I'm not unaware of the pain you're feeling.... I wouldn't have done it on purpose." She wanted to say more, but made her heart hard. "Good luck with the rest of the race, Captain. You will need it."
Derek winced as he took another swig of brandy. He couldn't draw deeply because of the ache in his groin, acute even after two hours. Nicole had definitely given him something to remember her by.
When he'd been able to walk steadily again, he'd searched for her in Maria's home. He approached the bordello, but learned that Nicole had never been allowed inside. Word must have spread about him, because the women in the brothel became openly antagonistic when he demanded to know where she was. A pack of wolves wouldn't defend its cub that fiercely.
So the little chit was navigating. Before, it'd been important only to see her and finally take her as she'd wanted him to in London. Now, with her arrogant taunts, he had to best her.
With halting steps, he walked across the deck to meet the Recife port official, who'd just completed inspecting the ship for any exports. The rough-edged but prospering little port of Recife was unswerving in searching for and taxing goods. Derek had heard once that Maria Delgado was responsible for the port's aggressive taxing and collection initiative. Knowing her business acumen, he didn't doubt it.
When the man finished the record of the Southern Cross's docking and inspection, Derek said, "That was quick, senhor. Not that I'm complaining of course," he added jovially. He'd already decided to garner some information about Lassiter's crew from the self-important little man.
"Yes, I know you are in the Great Race, so I thought I might hurry you along," he said in a magnanimous manner as he handed the papers to Derek.
"My thanks." Derek paused before asking, "Have you already checked the Bella Nicola?"
"Not yet." Twirling his perky mustache, he leaned closer to add conspiratorially, "I also hurry to go see Captain Lassiter's daughter."
Derek forced a benign look onto his face even though he wanted to throttle the man simply for his interest. Apparently, Miss Lassiter had admirers everywhere she traveled. He schooled his features as a thought occurred to him. "She is beautiful, isn't she?"
/> After listening to the inspector's enthusiastic agreement, Derek remarked, "You know...you might want to be extra kind to Miss Lassiter."
At the man's quickening interest, Derek shook his head sadly. "Yes, it appears that the girl developed quite a tendre for me. But when she made her interest known, I had to set her down. Pretty girl, but with my being an earl--well, of course, men of my title and status can't go around marrying commoners, you understand." The man nodded as if he completely understood the myriad trials of being an earl.
Derek had a hard time keeping a sober face. "She was very distraught. So much so that she swore to me she wouldn't wait but would marry the next man who proposed to her."
"Truly?" the official asked in a voice gone higher with excitement.
"Truly. I think she might play hard to get because of her experience with me. But the fact is, the girl greatly desires to be married. And as her father is desperate to get her off his hands, I know he would be only too happy to speak at length about her substantial dowry."
"Thank you, Capitao. Thank you," the official said fervently. He took Derek's hand and shook it with irritating zeal.
After Derek had finally extracted his hand from the man's grip, he added, "And, senhor...Miss Lassiter greatly admires strong, I daresay, domineering men--men who aren't afraid of charting a course and following it unwaveringly. Be warned, the clever girl might try to test your dedication."
"Many thanks. I go now to see Miss Lassiter!" He confidently saluted Derek.
As the man marched away, Derek could swear he heard the official chanting to himself, "Forte, bravo, dominante!"
Derek took satisfaction in the thought that Nicole had no idea the hounds of hell had just been unleashed, and merrily sent panting in her direction.
"The nerve, the utter arrogance of that man! He wanted to make love to me, Maria. As if I would ever. I wanted to slap him. I will win this race, just so he will lose--"
"Nicole! If you could stop cursing the captain for just one moment," Maria began over Nicole's tirade, "I would like to tell you something."
Nicole shut her mouth, frowned, and poured tea. "Very well..." she mumbled.
Maria took the offered cup. "I've been trying to tell you all the way from the house that Captain Sutherland did not touch Juliette. After only a brief kiss, he told her he couldn't be with her."
Reaction exploded in Nicole's heart; thoughts roiled in her head. He hadn't made love to Juliette? Why couldn't she tell he hadn't just been with another woman?
She'd been comfortable as an adversary to the rake, especially when she thought of him with Juliette. But now that Maria had told her the truth, her emotions catapulted to the other extreme. She replayed that last ill-fated meeting between them, imagining that she'd done everything differently. Hadn't wounded him so badly.