A Flawed Jewel (A Marsden Romance Book 1) Read online

  She knew what desire was as she had inadvertently witnessed some clandestine meetings. Pia had just never really felt it before, and that was one of the reasons she didn’t think she would ever get married. She just wasn’t interested in what a man had to offer her.

  That was until she came across a certain pirate. Why do I have to feel something for a dangerous pirate?

  Losing herself in her own thought, she imagined the many things she would do to him if given the chance. They alternated between kissing him and strangling him, depending on the direction her thoughts wandered. The more she was reduced to keeping her own company, all Pia wanted to do was scream at or kill a certain pirate.

  It was while she was doing her daily pacing the pirate did the unexpected and returned to the cabin in the middle of the day. He generally left her alone until it was time to settle in for the night. Apparently being the captain of a ship kept him busy, leaving little time to entertain her.

  Pia hated to admit it, but she was excited. As her only source of company, she anticipated his arrival every night. At least with him around she had someone else’s voice to listen to. His presence helped keep her sanity in place. If she were left alone any more than she was, she’d have gone stark raving mad by now. Pia had reached a pinnacle in her situation, suddenly willing to give anything a try in order to have a variation in their daily routine. He wouldn’t tell her how he knew her grandpere, and she was hoping to goad him into doing so.

  “Ah. I see you are as busy as usual, Pia.”

  She glared at him, but said nothing. Pia traipsed over to the bunk and sat on the edge.

  “Are you attempting to give me the silent treatment? How novel of you.”

  Thor sauntered over to his desk and pulled out the chair. The stool was the only piece of furniture not bolted down in the cabin. Pia watched as he sat on it and pulled himself closer to the desk. Once seated, he pulled out a key and unlocked the cabinet attached to the side of the writing table. Thor slid open the cabinet and pulled out a piece of paper, followed by a quill, and then ink. It was sad that watching him sit at his desk was entertainment to her. He made a production of setting everything on the table in preparation to write.

  Pia studied the back of his head. His sun-kissed black hair was pulled back in a leather tie. It was the only way she had ever seen him wear it. Her view was blocked from seeing what he was actually doing, but she was happy just watching his shoulders move as he scribbled something across the blank pages.

  When he had entered the cabin, she had been determined to ignore him, but her eyes kept being drawn back. It was too easy to watch him with an unguarded gaze. Pia felt herself wishing they could have met differently. She wanted to give in to the urge to stroke her hands over his shoulders, and it wasn’t long before she started to wonder what he would do if she licked his neck.

  Pia let out a whoosh of air from her lungs, and a loud sigh emerged from between her lips. She couldn’t help it. The cabin was beyond tedious. If she didn’t stop these fantasies about the pirate, she was going to inadvertently act out one of them. By the time the actions took place, it would be too late to change her course.

  Thor was too busy to pay her any attention. Pia wanted to know more about the pirate but was unsure how to go about getting her questions answered. I simply have to find a way to get him to open up to me. No matter how many questions she asked, he never gave her any personal information about himself. Any efforts on her part to gain insight into his persona were met with little success.

  Pia had little recourse but to spend time with Thor. He became the only thing occupying her thoughts. Her days started with him next to her and ended the same way. The in-between hours were spent thinking of ways to extricate herself from the situation she was in. She saw no clear way out.

  Pia lay down on the bunk and tapped her fingers together while daydreams of a dashing pirate floated through her imagination. In her mind, he was really a gentleman caller approved of by her father. The dashing man courted her and asked her to be his wife. Of course she said no. Couldn’t they just have an affair instead? He was shocked, but agreed to her suggestion, leading him down a pathway to sin. He was willing to do anything for her as long as she was his. Pia was such an impious girl, if only she knew what to picture that wickedness to actually be. She could guess, but she was sheltered so she didn’t know.

  Pia had a one track mind and these days it involved her and the pirate in various compromising situations. She stopped being terrified of him. Pia was so used to his company even the fact he towered over her became completely natural to her. She didn’t understand how she could have come to be so accepting of him in such a short time.

  Lost in the world of her imagination, Pia didn’t realize Thor had stopped writing and was watching her. He had placed his stuff back in the cabinet, and she hadn’t heard a thing. Pia often got lost in her mind and drowned out the rest of the world. The only noise that existed was the music of her own daydreams.

  “Is this what you do all day?”

  The pictures running through her mind made it almost impossible to hear what he had said. Unfortunately for Pia, his voice was a huge part of her daydreams so it bled through, bringing her back to reality. Choosing to ignore his question, she kept the images dancing in her mind. He was ruining my fantasy.

  Irritation corded into each word as Thor spoke. “I asked you a question.”

  She hummed her favorite song as she imagined dancing at a ball in his arms. Why can’t he say things I want to hear? Things like: of course I will let you go, no I didn’t kill everyone on board your grandpere’s ship, or how about a kiss, Pia.

  Wait, she didn’t want him to really do that last part, did she?

  “I think that this is quite enough, Pia. I am not going to tolerate your silent treatment for much longer.”

  What did he expect me to say?

  Pia stuck her tongue out at him in defiance.

  He laughed at her as he pulled her up and off the bunk. The sound echoed across the cabin walls, amusement filling the room with each chuckle that escaped his lips.

  “I think you need a lesson on some things you can do with that tongue. If you stick it out at me again, you can expect this...”

  The only thought Pia had as he pulled her toward him was: be careful what you wish for.

  He plundered her mouth in ways she could never have imagined. Fantasy? What fantasy? Reality was much more exciting and fulfilling. If she was capable of thought, she would have started planning on ways they could do this again.

  When his tongue intertwined with hers, they danced to a tune only they could create. Any thoughts of remembering how to breathe failed to find their way into her befuddled brain. Her hands wrapped around him, and she pulled him closer. Pia felt a strong need growing inside of her. She felt Thor’s hands as they roamed across the back of her head, locating the braid secured at the nape of her neck. Once he had it securely in his palms, he pulled her tresses, tipping her chin up. With her head tilted back, he placed soft kisses along her décolletage. He kissed her neckline and stopped at the base of her ears. He trailed his lips across her cheek, placing little kisses along the way, and then plundered her mouth all over again. Their tongues entwined for what seemed like hours but were no more than mere minutes. Surely there wasn’t anything better than this?

  He whispered in her ear. “You taste so much better than I could have imagined.”

  Oh he did too—so so delectable.

  She enjoyed kissing him just as much, but it had to stop before she did something irreversible. She began to pull her face away from his, but he still had his arms wrapped securely around her. Pia wasn’t going anywhere just yet. Thor settled her firmly against the wall of the cabin and lifted her up so her bosom was level with his mouth. His tongue found the crevice between her breasts and licked upward. He brought his mouth to hers for one last mind blowing kiss as he eased her down the wall and swung her toward the bunk.

  He stepped away
from Pia, putting some much needed distance between them. Pia lost her balance and fell backward onto the bed. She sat there in silence and stared at him. Words escaped her, as she had no way of describing all of the emotions flowing through her body and soul. Her mouth was swollen from his attentions, and she felt a tingling in her lower regions. Her breasts were tight and heavy, and she knew what true desire was for the first time in her life. None of the books she had read had described it with any kind of accuracy. So this is why it was forbidden.

  A wide grin spread across Thor’s face as he gazed at her. She felt heat stinging her cheeks, and her heart raced wildly beneath her breasts. The mirth shining in his eyes told her all she needed to know about how she appeared to him. She had been well and truly pleasured by everything he had done with his mouth and hands. What that man did with his tongue should not be permissible.

  “Do you still insist on giving me the silent treatment?”

  Oh yes, absolutely if you kiss me as punishment. More please, oh I am quite certain, I want you to punish me more.

  Pia was equally certain she had a lot of horrible ideas lately. She was a bad girl. She needed to talk to him before he did more than kiss her breath away. He finally was doing instead of implying. Maybe, just maybe, she could get some actual information out of him. So she decided to take a nonchalant approach to the whole situation.

  She shrugged. “What is there possibly to talk about?”

  “Perhaps you would like to know what I have planned for you.”

  “Oh, you think I have finally earned the right to know that?”

  He shook his head. “No Pia, dear, you won’t know exactly what my plans are for you until the very last second.”

  There was no other person alive who could frustrate her more than her pirate. Yes, he really was her pirate in her mind. He still needed to talk about things that mattered to her, or she wouldn’t be held accountable for her actions. With as much indignation as she could muster, Pia looked up at him. “Then why are we discussing this?”

  “Because your life is going to change forever in a short time.”

  What an asinine statement. Pia let out an unladylike snort. Hadn’t it already changed forever?

  “And that is different than the past week how? Why don’t we talk about you instead? Like what a murdering fiend you are for what you did too everyone on that ship.”

  Thor folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against his writing table. “Because my plans for you will be irreversible once everything is in place.”

  Damn, that didn’t sound good. Pia frowned. She had to try to get him to talk more. Her life depended on what he was going to do. So she needed to do something to get him to tell her what his plans actually were.

  “Seems like that is also already true, what could be so different today? One thing is certain, you are very good at evading questions. Why don’t you tell me why you needed to kill everyone aboard my grandpere’s ship?”

  “I never told you I killed everyone on that ship. You just assumed I did.”

  “An assumption that you never corrected. You wanted me to believe the worst in you.”

  Thor shrugged. “It suited my purposes at the time.”

  “So are you going to tell me anything else, since you are in such a sharing mood today?” Pia inquired.

  “I grow weary of your persistent questioning. I have answered all you need to know for now.”

  “You answered nothing, you only implied you didn’t kill anyone, much the same way that you insinuated you murdered a whole ship of people.”

  “Believe what you want Pia. The truth will be evident when it matters. I don’t need to confirm or deny anything.”

  “Okay, I’m tired of your non-answers. Why did you come in here to bother me?”

  “We will be making port in a couple of days. You will be able to come on deck. Once you are topside you will agree to everything I ask you to do. No matter what it is you will do it. If you don’t, I will personally make sure that your only living family member dies.”

  “Are you saying you would murder my grandpere?”

  Thor leaned down and looked her directly in her eyes his intentions crystal clear as he enunciated each syllable. “In a heartbeat.”

  Pia didn’t want to think he would kill her grandpere. It just didn’t make sense to her why he would do something so evil to someone she loved. “I don’t believe you. Why not threaten my life?”

  “Because it’s clear you have no regard for your own life. I figured, if I threatened someone you love, then you would be more willing to follow my lead and do as I say. It also helps that I have a deep hatred for your grandpere. His death is nothing at all to me.”

  He had her there. She would die before she let him control her. Her grandpere though? Pia had to protect him.

  “You are despicable.”

  “You enjoy it though, love. I could have done whatever I wanted to you earlier, and you would have followed me to hell and back. You were so hot, you seared my skin. Maybe talking with you isn’t the best use of my time? In the future, I’ll just show you what I want instead.”

  Without thinking, Pia slapped Thor across his left cheek.

  Thor’s amusement still hung in the air. His laugher echoed through the cabin as he sauntered out of the room.

  Pia had a lot to think about. Would the pirate actually kill her grandpere? She believed he would. He made sure she knew he harbored no tender feelings for her grandpere. Oh yes, Pirate Thor would follow through with his threat to kill the comte. He left her little choice. If she wanted to ensure her only living family member remained alive, she would have to do everything he asked of her, even if she hated every minute of it. The only option Pia had was to pray she could actually follow through with whatever plans he had in store.

  ***

  He had almost gone too far with Pia. If he had stayed there even a moment longer, he would have ravished her completely. He needed her, and as he got to know her, his plans changed course, moving in a completely different direction.

  She was supposed to fall in love with him. He had blundered a bit there. He would have to make her forget he had threatened her grandpere’s life somehow. Not that Comte Dubois didn’t deserve to die. He was an evil man. If not for him, Thor would never have become a pirate. But that also meant he would never have met Pia. Thor’s conundrum was his constant craving for Pia. It hadn’t been in his plans to want her as much as he did.

  He had intended to offer her some of the things from her trunks. It was clear to him she was restless. Thor would offer her a boon the next time he talked to her. Peace was important to have between them. It did not bode well with his plans to always be so overbearing and obnoxious with her. Although, she did appear to enjoy being kissed.

  He walked up to the deck to check their progress. They should be in Bordeaux in less than two days. His plans would be in full motion once they were in port with the anchor dropped. When it was all done, he would be able to have what he wanted most. Revenge. Thor would also have something he was starting to desire almost more than that. Almost.

  When he got topside, he located his first mate to make sure they were on schedule. Jamieson was at the bow of the ship with his sextant measuring the angles on the horizon.

  “Are we on our scheduled course, Jamieson?”

  “We are, Captain.”

  “Excellent work. Let me know if we run into any problems. I don’t want to have anything spoil the plans I’ve made.”

  “Aye aye, Captain.”

  Thor walked away making his way to the galley. With his cabin occupied by a tempting beauty, he couldn’t spend his leisure time there. He would make the cook get out his bottle of scotch and pour him a glass.

  He was desperately in need of something to assist him while slumbering alongside Pia in their shared bunk. It would prove difficult to find any rest lying next to her later that night in his current state. Thor hoped the alcohol would help him pass out and prevent him f
rom groping her...much.

  Chapter Six

  Thor started to speculate about life and the choices he made. A person’s existence could become their own version of hell on Earth. Sadly he knew more about that than anyone else did. The choices he made often demanded every ounce of his blood, sweat, and tears. The very essence of his soul had been devoured whole, chewed, and spit out with nothing good remaining to maintain its life force. His soul remained on the brink of being lost, never to be retrieved again. At the same time life is inherently full of surprises at every turn, both good and bad depending on which path is chosen. The course he selected determined how much of his soul was beyond redemption or if it had one last chance to achieve salvation.

  Watching the sun rise above the ocean announcing a new day, Thor thought of all of the reasons he set himself on this particular path. Revenge was the course of action he had taken, and he couldn’t extricate himself from it even if he wanted to.

  Pia was a revelation he had not anticipated. When he had heard she was traveling to live with Comte Dubois, all he could see was a way to enact his vengeance. The reality of it all was more of a shock than having his partner put a bullet through his shoulder. He was beginning to need her. He knew he had to alter his course before he crossed a line.

  The port of Bordeaux beckoned him. Some plans already set in motion were irrevocable. Once the anchor dropped, he would need to make some quick alterations to his plans. In the missive he had written in front of Pia, those changes would be hastened. He just needed to send one of his crew to deliver the message of their arrival, and once it was done, everything should go smoothly.

  His heart would never recover if he lost it all because he couldn’t correct some of the mistakes he had already made. As it was, there was still a lot that was unforgivable. Sadly events to come might hamper any effort he made. Pia was still an essential part of his plan, but the difference was how she would be used in his revenge.