Julianne had been on the ship for awhile, but she hadn’t experienced a storm quite like the one that came two days after the raid. She hid away in the cabin, throwing up in a bucket with each sway and jerk of the ship. Wade and Nelson were busy on the deck, trying to make sure the ship stayed upright.
They were running around, trying to keep everything in check. The only thing she was doing was regretting her decision to jump into pirate life. This wasn’t really what she had signed up for.
Then again, nothing had really been what she signed up for. When she fled Gunthry, the only thing pushing her was the need to run. The only thing motivating her was the need to get away, to escape from the life being thrust upon her.
And now?
Now she was floating on a giant boat in the middle of a giant ocean during a giant storm.
She wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take. Wade was still set on tracking down this lost treasure, but she wasn’t so sure he was going to find it. Julianne didn’t want to admit that she doubted anyone, especially not her captain, but she was tired of stale food and bad storms, and most of all, Julianne was tired of being stuck in the cabin when she wanted to be exploring the world.
She didn’t have much time to think about that, though. She was too busy vomiting.
**
Wade stood on the deck and shouted orders to his men. He had done this so many times that he could do it in his sleep. Directing his men was not his problem. Doing it while searching for Mad Drake’s ship? That was his problem. If Old Lester’s map was correct, they were on course to find the area the ship went missing in just a few weeks’ time. That didn’t bother him. What did bother him was trying to find the treasure when they kept hitting storms. It wasn’t storm season and he didn’t like the way the sky had been looking lately.
Wade might do a lot of crazy things, but leading his men into disaster wasn’t one of them. He struggled openly with the decision to keep going, to push through the storm. He had been a captain for a long time and a pirate even longer, so he knew the calms and storms of the sea. He knew when it was time to seek shelter. He knew when it was time to push through.
Today, he urged his men forward, through the rain, through the torrents. They would pass several islands that they could land at if they needed to. There were options. What he didn’t want was to stop before they had a chance, to lose their place on the great sea. He didn’t want the ship to crash, to wreck before they had a chance to complete their mission.
His mission.
His dream.
He shouted to Buck to hurry up to deck and help as the rest of the men scurried about. He was soaked to the bone and his men were, too. Casting a weary glance up at the sky, Wade continued yelling to his boys.
He knew they would never let him down.
He just hoped he could do the same for them.
**
When Wade returned to Julianne, she had finally calmed down enough to fall asleep. Like the day before, she slept on her stomach. He smiled a little, knowing her ass was still tender from his touch. Though Wade was not sadistic, by any means, he loved walking the line between pain and pleasure when it came to lovemaking.
And he knew from experience that sometimes, a firm hand could add an entire new level of pleasure.
He stripped out of his wet clothes and hung them over the back of his chair. They would drip on the floor, but he didn’t much care. The only thing he wanted was to wrap his arms around Julianne, to smell her hair, and to relax beside her as he fell asleep.
It had been a long time since Wade found solace in the arms of a woman. It had been a long time since he felt safe enough beside a girl to actually sleep. Since his wife died, he had been with many women and many whores, but he had never felt safe with one. He had never felt complete. He had never been able to relax.
It wasn’t like that with Julianne.
Wade marveled that anyone could try to force her into a marriage with someone who would be cruel to her. Julianne was much too kind for that. He had seen the way she managed to make her way around the ship, the way she had been able to keep the boys in line. He saw how she was always willing to offer a hand to Buck when he needed help in the kitchen. Wade even loved how Julianne was always curling up in his cabin with a book.
She was precious.
Yet somehow, this Vince fellow was going to hurt her. Anger bellowed deep inside Wade when he thought about the man who had almost stolen Julianne away. Though Wade hadn’t even known her during her engagement, he felt protective of her. He felt in charge of her. He didn’t like the idea of some other man touching his woman.
His woman.
Wade thought about that for a moment as he draped one arm over Julianne. She purred softly in her sleep the way a little kitten would, and then snuggled back against him. She didn’t wake up as Wade closed his eyes, she just let out a soft sound of contentment, and soon Wade was fast asleep.