CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
INSTEAD OF PAIN, a glint of understanding surfaced. “Ah, now, mon petite renard, but Saint Louis’s bones still rest in the St. Louis Cathedral. If you ponder it all for a moment, you’ll see I kept my promise.”
She gave him an exasperated laugh. “You are the fox, Drago Gamponetti.”
His devilish smile faded quickly. “Fontaine would have killed us had we not acquired the relics. Even worse, he would have killed you. I could only keep you safe by giving him what he expected, mio amore. I vowed to protect you, Eva, and I always will.” Hope, sincerity and something like longing shone in his mercurial gaze. “You can trust me for at least that much, no? “
Dear God, she wanted to.
She needed to.
She was terrified to.
Still, she found herself nodding.
He smiled and that wicked dimple dove into his cheek once more. She rubbed it with her finger. “I’ll simply have to get better at learning the way you think and scheme. Deciphering your mind will keep me sharp and you out of too much trouble.”
He pulled her to her feet and took her hands. They disappeared in his. His words were gravelly with emotion. “I am lost without you, Eva. You are my light in the dark, my sun in the day, my brilliant star at night.”
She’d never been anyone’s star. The knot around her throat unraveled, the tension gradually easing.
“I love you, Eva Trudeau,” he rasped.
Her heart flipped in her chest so fast it kicked the air from her lungs. She could only stare. He just said he loved her.
Her.
The unlovable one.
How could he? How could he actually love her of all people? Scarred, maimed, hideous.
His hands skimmed up her arms; threads of lightning flickered under her skin. Heat pooled deep in her belly and a deep craving thrummed through her veins. Warm hands squeezed her shoulders. “Eva? Did you hear me?” He tilted her head up and searched her face like he was memorizing every tiny detail. “Eva?” The touch of his thumb on her lower lip jolted her from her stupor.
Her voice was barely a reedy whisper. “Yes?”
He lifted his brows and cocked his head to the side. “I was hoping, well, for a bit of reciprocity of some sort.”
He was serious. She was still in shock. “Reciprocity?”
His eyes flooded with crushing panic. Fear, hurt, sorrow shadowed his features.
He meant it.
He loved her.
Drago’s throat convulsed. The hard lines of his face melted. “I want the type of reciprocity where you grant me absolute and unadulterated adoration, to be bluntly honest.” There was a strained note of teasing in his tone, and he looked like he needed to take a breath, but couldn’t quite manage it.
“Can you?” She had to know.
Two short vertical lines creased between his eyebrows. “Can I what? Absolutely adore you? Unconditionally.” His eyes heated; he drew her hand to his mouth and kissed it, making the hair prickle on her wrist.
Still, she ground her jaws together. “Can you be honest? I cannot commit absolute and total adoration to a lying, thieving pirate.” She bit back a smile, but that statement was shockingly true.
White teeth gleamed with his quick grin. “I resigned that profession. The Guirauds shall deliver my resignation with the bones to the king.”
Wings fluttered in her stomach and stretched to her chest, sending a delirious current of joy through her body. “Truly?”
He finally took a breath. Gray eyes softened, and he gave her a tender smile. “Yes, il mio amore.”
She captured his face in her hands; the short scruff from a day’s growth tickled her palms. “Then I shall bestow upon you complete and honest reciprocity.”
The corner of his mouth jumped up. “Completely and honestly?”
She circled her arms around his neck “Yes. I completely and honestly love you, Drago.”
He bent down and kissed her. His lips moved with a surprising gentleness, both insistent and seductive. When his tongue slid along the seam of her mouth, a hot jolt of desire twisted through her veins, warming every part of her body, filling her with a scorching passion. His tongue swept across hers and she dug her fingers into the hard corded muscle of his shoulders and kissed him back, letting the passion he stirred orchestrate every movement. He groaned in her mouth and took complete possession.
Their bodies caved into each other, vibrating with want. He combed his fingers through her hair, then traced the scar from her ear across her cheek until he cradled her jaw in his hand. He pulled away, his eyes flaming with both heat and exhilaration. “If I give you my vow to love you until the end of my days, will you trust me with your heart, Eva? Will you marry me? Will you become my wife?”
Her heart clenched so hard with emotion it hurt. A warm tear slipped over her cheekbone. Joyful laughter bubbled from her chest. She cradled his face, darkly tanned and angular in her herb-stained hands. The pale white of her skin almost glowing against his. Their eyes met and in his she saw rolling thunderclouds clashing with a stormy ocean, raging for her, and suddenly felt the intensity of his emotions crash through her like violent waves against a sheer rock face, each one pounding the shell around her heart, drenching her, sweeping away the fear and the scars and the dark memories before striking again. “Yes, I will marry you, Drago Gamponetti, you wonderful, honorable, brave, sly, protective pirate.”
His face split into a grin; he lifted her up, and twirled her in a circle, laughing at her squeal of delight as she clung to his neck. The world kept spinning even after he stopped and lowered his head and kissed her again, tangling his tongue with hers. She answered the kiss with all the need and love in her heart, eliciting a sound of raw desire from him that caught in her throat. The warmth of his palms seeped through the fabric of her robes, creating streaks of fire as his hands moved along her ribs and brushed the sides of her breasts and all she could think about was how it might feel if the garment wasn’t there.
As if his thoughts connected with hers, he swept her into his arms and gently placed her on the bed. He knelt and removed her boots while her heart hammered an uneven staccato in her chest.
He caught her gaze again and she marveled at the way it turned molten, then flashed with heat when she didn’t stop him or object. Her mouth went dry and she licked her lips. His nostrils flared as his eyes dipped to follow her tongue before flicking back to hers. He attracted her to him with an invisible magnetism and before she could register what she was doing, her mouth covered his and her fingers wove around his neck.
He answered back with such savage tenderness the center of her belly coiled tightly, spreading warmth everywhere and sending a pool of moisture surging along with it. He still knelt between her thighs, one hand twisted in her hair, the other splayed across her back, covering half of it. She pushed his coat from his shoulders, her fingers craving skin. He dragged his lips down her neck creating a searing path of fire, pausing to lick her beating pulse. She lost all sense of space and motion, overcome by swirling sensations darting around her throat and tingling her spine.
“I can’t believe I finally have you,” he rasped, sending heated words over her skin. “You are everything to me, Eva. The sun, the wind, the earth and the sea.” He shrugged out of the coat and pulled his shirt over his head.
Mesmerized by the dark, chiseled chest with its light coating of hair she reached out and touched him. Crisp curls, not coarse. Drago sucked in a sharp breath then stopped breathing as she lightly swept the pads of her fingers across his fiery skin and over his nipple then down the ridges of his ribs. Exploring. Hard steel coated with hot velvet. He was warm and smooth and smelled like sun-warmed sand and leather. Just the contact with his hard chest and steely arms had her longing for Drago in places he’d never seen, but at the same time, the unknown made her mouth dry and her pulse erratic.
“Eva.” He whispered her name like it tortured his lips. Sword-roughened palms skimmed over her knees, taking her tunic and robes with them, making her breath catch in her lungs. As his hands moved upward, he made small circles with his thumbs on the tender skin of her thighs. Fear and desire warred each other; she forgot to breathe.
Things pulsed inside her and the coil in her center tightened with need. “Drago, please...” Words were useless. The ones she needed didn’t even exist. There was no way to tell him what she wanted; she had no idea.
He pulled her to her feet and took off her robes, releasing her gaze only when her garments pooled on the floor. His eyes took in every inch of skin, and as they moved with the speed of summer-warmed honey from her face down to her toes and excruciatingly slowly back up again. Every hair on her body seemed to vibrate.
He reached out and settled a hand on her ribs before sliding it up to the underside of her breast. “So beautiful,” he breathed.
His words were so raw and honest, his gaze so thoroughly enraptured, Eva almost lost her ability to stand. Things warmed and glowed inside her. Beautiful. He called her beautiful, and even more amazing...he believed it.
When his thumb rubbed over the sensitive peak, it hardened and a delicious ache spiraled through her chest and stomach. He palmed her breast before he trailed his hand up along her neck to cup her cheek. He pulled her to him for another fiery kiss, wrapping steely arms around her and pulling her against him until she felt his arousal pressed against her belly.
He broke the kiss and touched his forehead to hers. “I love you.” His whisper rolled over the skin of her cheek, tickling her ear, sending shivers down the side of her neck. She sat while he removed his clothes. Eva watched fascinated. Strong chiseled chest, lean tapered waist with an enticing angular dip at his hip...her perusal stuttered. Apprehension flowered in her stomach.
This wasn’t going to work.
He must have seen the trepidation in her expression because he knelt in front of her and pulled her down for a kiss that scorched her ears. Warm hands caressed her hips, making slow circles on her back before caressing her breasts, sending a delicious sensation shooting through her body on threads of heat. He trailed kisses down her neck and along her collarbone, she tilted her head and closed her eyes. Every touch heightened awareness, intensified a hunger growing deep inside like a gathering storm. When his tongue stroked her nipple, a spark shot straight through her stomach.
Little flames ignited every place his lips touched. Her eyes fluttered closed, nervousness momentarily forgotten. A soft puff of cool air told her he moved away. She opened her eyes, just as he lowered his mouth between her legs and she jumped. “Drago!”
His big hand covered her stomach. “Shhh, love. Let me taste you.” His words heated her skin, the sweep of his tongue kindled tiny fires everywhere. Her fists clenched the sheets, his hair, his shoulders. Something needed to happen, but she wasn’t sure what or how to control it. Everything was too sensitive, too hot, too...
“You have to stop! It’s too much, Drago!” she panted. He was making her crazy with need. Delicious flames licked the same delicate nerves his tongue and mouth touched until she imploded. Waves crashed, throwing her into a delirious whirlpool of euphoria. He rose up and claimed her lips in a hungry kiss had her pulling him closer. She wanted more. Needed more. The satin skin and ridged muscle quivered under her fingers. Drago’s chest rumbled with a guttural groan.
Gently, he pushed her further back on the bed and covered her body with his, careful to shift most of his weight to his arms, his hard length against her thigh. She sucked in a quick breath and stared into his eyes, now a molten charcoal.
Without breaking eye-contact, he nudged her knees apart, settled between her thighs, and lightly pressed against her opening. A mild panic gripped the muscles of her stomach. He kissed her jaw. “I understand the first joining may hurt. I promise to be as gentle as I can and to make it quite pleasurable after that. I need you to trust me.” He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “Do you?” He stilled.
He was giving her a chance to change her mind. She could leave if she wanted. Or wait. He studied her, his gaze smoldering with desire and barely leashed restraint, evident in the lines around his mouth and the sweat beading on his brow. She exhaled a shaky breath, traced his face, and ran her fingers over his lower lip. He trapped it with his teeth and sucked it, making her insides flutter. This beautiful man loved her. He didn’t care what scars she had outside. He cherished her simply as she was.
Trust him? How could she not?
Finally, she nodded. “Yes, I trust you.” She closed her eyes and waited, but he didn’t move. Why was he hesitating? She opened her lids to find him still staring at her, his expression simultaneously swelling and shattering. Eyes bright with victory and dark with emotion.
Trust. Now he understood.
This was new for her too. “Hiding in a convent for nearly ten years allowed me to learn about love, compassion forgiveness and trust for the first time in my life. While it was easy to apply those to the nuns, it proved a greater challenge outside.” She reached up and stroked his face, the rough rasp of his short beard abrading her palm. “This kind of love is new to me. It’s terrifying to be so exposed after hiding my face and my body behind the abbey walls for years. You’re the only one who wants me for who I am inside. I’ll always trust you with both my body and my heart, Drago.”
He swallowed and continued to search her face as if he needed to see her to breathe. “You are beautiful Eva, outside and in. I love you because of who you are here.” He kissed her heart. “And here.” He kissed her temple then rested his forehead against hers. His warm breath caressed her lips.
She smiled. “I love you too, Drago.” She combed her hand through the dark curls caging her face.
He dropped kisses everywhere. Beginning with enticing nibbles along her neck, behind her ear, scattering shivers through her body, stirring the craving deep inside. She pulled his mouth to hers. Together their lips connected, tongues tasted and danced. She skimmed her hands over the hills and valleys of the muscles in his shoulders, marveling at the contours and the smooth heated skin.
He shifted his hips forward, taking advantage of her distraction. She gasped at the slight burn, eyes flying wide at the uncomfortable pressure. Drago claimed her mouth until she exhaled and relaxed enough to curve her body into his. He nipped a sensitive spot on her neck underneath her ear, then circled the tip of his tongue around it, sending sparks shooting beneath the surface of her skin, rekindling the desire that dimmed after they joined. They molded against each other, two bodies fitting perfectly.
Drago rocked on a long slow wave. The slick friction sent ripples up through the center of her body, every one growing in intensity until the tension coiled in her lower belly shattered, sending shiny pieces of bliss everywhere. He captured her cry in his mouth, the sound from deep in his throat fierce and possessive. He tensed, his body rigid and trembling. With a low guttural groan, he shuddered, his release pulsing and hot.
Their hearts continued to slam into each other while he pressed warm kisses on her face, nose, mouth, shoulder and the inner curve of her breast, murmuring reassuring words of love and devotion. He rested his forehead on the side of her neck, brushing his lips against her skin. His exhale warmed her entire body inside and out and she smiled.
He rolled to his side, pulling her back against his hard chest, one hand curved possessively around her hip. Crisp hair tickled the backs of her legs. His words caressed the skin behind her ear. “You have stolen my heart, il mio amore.”
She laughed and rested her hand on top of his. “A high compliment coming from King Louis’ favorite thief.”
The clock chimed on his desk and he sighed. “I have been summoned to attend a special meeting called by General Jackson. Come, I’ll escort you into the back door of the convent first.” He kissed her brow. “I want you safe, in case the redcoats have managed to elude Jackson’s lookouts. We’ll leave at first light if it’s not too late.”
“Leave? To go where?”
He gave her a baffled look. “Downriver, toward Barataria Bay. I want you and the twins out of New Orleans. The British will probably not detain us, and if they do, they’ll find nothing in my hold. We’ll make Lamb’s Tail Island in about three weeks if the weather holds. From there, we’ll fill the Dragon with cane and casks of rum and make the run to Cartagena...” His words trailed off and he slowly released her as she stepped out of his embrace.
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You’re leaving?” Hadn’t Manuel said they were going to stay and fight? “What about General Jackson? Your friends, the Sauvages? Even now, they’re preparing to defend our home. How can you leave when we need you?”
Drago straightened. “I will persuade them to join us.” He sighed and rubbed his brow. “I can’t keep you safe here. It will take the enemy less than a day to decimate the regulars and the volunteers alike. They are a force the people of this city cannot defend against. It’s hopeless.”
“Drago—” Words failed her. How could she run when she was needed here?
He stepped away and paced the room like a caged cat. His eyes were as wild as his hair. “If we wait then my ship will either be attacked or commandeered by the Royal Navy. The best decision I can make for you, my men and my ship, is one that involves taking the Dragon out of the gulf entirely. It’s the only way to save our lives. If the river wasn’t so treacherous at night, we’d already be underway.”
Her fingers curled against her chest where her heart jerked with every painful beat. She treasured the calm security of his protection, but she wouldn’t cower behind it. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“What?” He spun to face her, eyes wide in shock.
She tried to take a calming breath. It didn’t work. How could this be happening? “I’m needed here. There will be a battle, which means there will also be many wounded...”
He spread his hands. “You are not the only healer in this city, Eva.”
“This is my home.” Words caught in her throat. “These are my people. This is my nation. I will not abandon them in their time of need.” She choked, tears streaming freely now. She met his astonished gaze painfully. He didn’t understand. “This country was built on the foundation of freedom. We cherish that foundation. We defend that foundation. We won’t stand idly by while it is threatened. I won’t flee to save my own skin. If I have to pick up arms and fight, I will.”
He released a long breath. “Eva—”
She backed toward the door. “I’m staying, Drago. I love you, but I’ll stay here, in New Orleans. Until the end. And pray for your safety. Godspeed.”
He lunged at her.
She jumped back, whirled and ran from the cabin, choking back a sob that escaped as she hastened down the ramp to the docks. People paused and stared at the crying woman running down the street to the convent. Without her veil, her anguish was as exposed as her horrid face.
For once, she didn’t care.