Pirate's Ransom

Chapter 13

***Well... I think you ladies are going to like this chapter. I look forward to hearing your reactions. 

Also, not sure if the text is going to look different half way through. I wrote half in Word and the other half in Wattpad at work this morning. Sorry if it's screwy. 

Isabella paced back and forth in the cabin. “Ass,” she mumbled to herself. He’d made such a fool of her twice within a few hours. Why? Better yet, why was she falling for it? She wasn’t an idiot so why was her body and mind giving in to him? He was just toying with her and something about that was clawing at the inside of her.

He had no intention of anything other than a brief encounter with her. One that would surely satisfy him but she knew it would destroy her emotionally. To allow herself to feel for a man that was so clearly not someone who could ever feel the same way about her was preposterous.

Shivers racked through her body at the damp clothing clinging to her body. Even her anger wasn’t warming her enough. Every step she took, her boots made a squishing sound and it was driving her mad.

Eyeing the door, she wondered if he would be down soon. The likelihood wasn’t good since the upper deck was a wreck. But still, stripping herself of her clothing would put her in a vulnerable position that she didn’t want to be in. She shook again and eyed her bedding on the floor. She needed to warm up before she caught her death.

Before she could think about it, she snagged the corner of Captain Arus’s desk and shoved with all her might. The hardwood screeched as it dragged across the floor, her legs strained against the weight of it until she was able to secure it against the door. It would be enough to keep him from bursting in. Enough time to get her clothing back on.

Once in place she pulled off the boots and wiggled her toes. Her toenails were a bluish color from the cold, and her toes were wrinkled. She carefully stripped the shirt and her chemise from her body and rang them out over the bucket she’d washed her hair in. She had to peel the leggings from her body because of how snug they’d been to begin with. Once her clothing had been wrung she hung them over the chairs hoping they would dry quickly.

Hopefully Charlie had been taken care of and he was safely tucked in his cabin sleeping off the night’s events. She couldn’t believe that they were going to leave them. God, it could have so easily been her. She’d thought about jumping in after him, but that had been only a split second realizing how stupid that would have been. Then there would’ve been two dead bodies instead of one.

Wrapping her arms around her naked body she felt the goose bumps cover her flesh from head to toe. The captain would have spare clothes right? There was a chest in the corner and after prying it open she found a few blankets, a small cylindrical chest with a long strap. Digging around, her fingers touched something that felt like cotton. There were numerous shirts and she pulled out a long sleeved black shirt. It was massive, but then again, so was he.

Without another thought she pulled it over her head. The material was thick and the black material kept it from being see through. It hung to mid thigh and while still feeling very naked, it covered her body enough that she’d feel comfortable sleeping in it. Exhaustion was weighing her eyelids down. She’d been sick earlier in the day and hadn’t fully recovered but she wasn’t about to show weakness if she didn’t have to.

Before closing the chest she fingered the small locked box in there. There was an intricate pattern across the outside of it but there weren’t any images. It was some sort of vine pattern embossed in a well-worn gold. “Wonder who he stole that from…”

Grateful that the ship was no longer rocking as violently as it had been before, she moved back over to his desk and returned it to its proper place. She righted a few things on the desk that the waves had knocked over and crawled into her makeshift bed. A long sigh escaped her after the night she’d had. The air under the covers began to warm and her teeth rattling shivers began to subside and within a few moments she fell asleep.