Falling For The First Mate

Chapter 7

Rooted to the spot, Evanora’s eyes locked onto Kade Skyler’s. She travelled her gaze over his body, finding that she remembered every detail from the poster on the wall. What was it she had thought again? Windswept hair, wild eyes and a definite air of adventure.

That was such a drastic understatement.

The young man who stood before her was ruggedly handsome, with the type of untamed hair that had never seen a brush nor needed to. He stood tall, at least a foot taller than she was, but well built, toned and tanned deeply from the constant caress of the sun. His shirt cut low, Evanora could see the tantalising flat planes of his chest and the dark wood of the cross that hung around his neck on a chain. She also took in his contradictory perfect teeth and his high cheekbones, but most of all she noticed the colour of his eyes. Deep green and bottomless, they resembled the ocean more than any shade of blue.

Entranced, she failed to remember that she had neither responded to his introduction nor made any sound whatsoever for a considerable length of time. She only snapped back to reality when he spoke again.

“Enjoying the view, Treasure?”

A blush invaded her cheeks and she blinked away the daydreams.

So much for demanding answers and holding him at the point of a sword, she scolded herself.

“No.” she answered quickly. “I was just marvelling at how very much better you look on the wanted posters back at port.”

“Of course you were.” he smirked.

“I was!” she insisted adamantly. “And you scared me half to death creeping up on me like that, what were you expecting me to do, throw my arms around you?”

Kade’s smirk widened further. “I wouldn’t have minded.”

Chuckling under his breath at the further darkening of her cheeks, he decided to let the topic slide. After all, he was no stranger to a girl’s admiration, or a girl’s stubbornness for that matter.

“I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that voice.” he changed the subject. “For a ground-hugger, you sing fairly well.”

“You think I care what you think of my voice?” Evanora snapped, her feelings about searching in vain all day beginning to resurface. This filthy pirate was not about to spend all this time making pointless small talk when she had greater things on her mind, more pressing issues like the haunting of the facial scars. It hadn't slipped her mind that Kade was the only one on board the Maelstrom without a red, bloody wound along his cheek.

“You think I care about answering your questions if you snap at me?” he shot back. His retaliation was a whip; quick and stinging.

Evanora huffed as she realised that she wasn’t getting anywhere. She hated having to apologise and saw it as a sign of weakness, yet she put on her best innocent face and blinked up through her lashes at Kade Skyler.

“Alright, I’m sorry.” she amended.

“Much better.” Kade approved, that smirk still playing across that damned handsome face of his. "Although far too easy. Don't give in so soon without putting up a fight! You'll have to learn to be stubborn aboard this ship, rebel, refuse what you're ordered to do. Except, of course, if the one doing the ordering happens to be me."

“Don’t push your luck.”

“Fine, feel free to carry on.”

“With the singing or the interrogation?” Evanora asked, exasperated.

“Either. Whatever you want most, Treasure.”

He was infuriating! They had been conversing, if you could even call it that, for quite a while by then and neither of them had yet mentioned what they wanted to say to the other. Kade was enjoying teasing Evanora almost as much as Evanora was enjoying playing various scenarios over in her head about how best to kill a Captain’s right hand man.