He dragged his eyes from her breasts to gaze into her eyes. “To be honest,” he admitted, offering a piece of cassava, “I am not sure.”
His pleasant arousal turned to granite when she licked her lips and took the cassava into her mouth from his fingers.
* * *
Heidi wasn’t sure what had come over her. Eating from a pirate’s fingers! By rights, she should be afraid of this criminal who had control of her destiny. It seemed the tight pantaloons stretched across strong thigh muscles and an unmistakable male arousal had set her heart aflutter and addled her wits. When he’d leaned forward and offered the cassava, the open neck of his shirt had fallen open to reveal a chiseled chest, lightly dusted with dark hair. The next thing she knew, the cassava was in her mouth and she’d licked his fingers.
She fiddled with the top button of her blouse, suddenly feeling like a prude. Men like Lázaro weren’t interested in prudes.
What?
She swallowed the cassava, struggling to tamp down the tide of wanton thoughts washing over her. “I apologize,” she stammered, lest he think her a common whore. “The heat…and the events of the day…”
“Of course,” he replied, biting into a slice ofcasabebread with perfect white teeth. “You must be hungry. If you like something hot, try theajicitopepper, or there’s pineapple.”
Already perspiring under his perusal, she chose the pineapple. “Why did you bring me here?” she asked.
“You’d have drowned when we scuttled theHekla.”
The pineapple lost its sweet taste. “You drowned all the passengers, except me?”
He shook his head. “We drove her aground on Culebra. She was close enough to dry land for them to wade ashore. Last I saw of them, they were doing just that.”
Her emotions were all at sea. Pirates didn’t just save women from drowning out of the goodness of their hearts. “No one will pay ransom for me.”
He picked up a napkin and dabbed the juice from her lips, then wiped her sticky fingers. “I don’t intend to ransom you.”
She thought she might drown in the intense gaze of mismatched eyes, but then his smile fled and he moved away abruptly to sit on the chest near the bunk. She concentrated on the food, though her stomach was in knots. She’d either said or done something to annoy him. It would be better to bide her time. Eventually, an opportunity for escape might present itself.
The prospect was oddly depressing. It had been a long time since she’d enjoyed the company of a well-mannered, handsome man.
* * *
Lázaro gripped the lid of the chest, filled with regret, and remorse. No wonderSeñoraJakobsen was nervous, as any woman would be finding herself in the hands of a pirate who professed to not knowing what to do with her.
He chuckled inwardly. He had no doubt what he’d like to do with the voluptuous Dane if he got her into his bunk. Or even on the floor. He couldn’t deny he was drawn to her. In different circumstances…
But his fate had been sealed years ago when he’d taken up the life of a pirate. He’d had little choice if his family was to survive, but his reasons would mean nothing to a woman like…
“What is your given name?” he asked, suddenly frustrated at not knowing.
“Heidi,” she murmured, still staring at the platter.
He inhaled deeply as her name conjured visions of fresh air and faraway fields and forests that played havoc with his male urges. “I’m Maximiliano,” he said.
She looked at him and nodded. “I like that better than Lázaro.”
Haven
Heidi did her best to stifle a yawn, but Maximiliano noticed. “You’re tired,” he said, getting up from the chest and proffering a hand. “We’ll go up on deck for a breath of air, then you must sleep.”
She stared at his long, elegant fingers. “You’re not how I imagined a pirate would be,” she confessed, accepting his help to rise.
“Don’t be fooled by outward appearances,” he warned. “Beneath my good manners lurks the heart of a criminal, a ne’er-do-well, a thief.”
A hint of amusement in his voice reassured her. The firm grip of his warm hand as he led her up a narrow companionway made her feel ridiculously safe. When they emerged into the cool night air, she realized the ship lay at anchor. “We’ve stopped,” she whispered, afraid to disturb the peaceful tranquility of the sheltered cove.
“Beautiful, is it not?” he asked, looking up at the blanket of stars. “It’s almost too still. That means heavy weather on the way.”