Claimed by the Captain

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An Excerpt From: CLAIMED BY THE CAPTAIN

Copyright © TARA KINGSTON, 2011

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Cathy’s head throbbed. The image of the dangerous stranger’s smile of triumph had invaded even her dreams. She forced her eyes open. The villain had removed the gag and bindings. Did he believe she’d be afraid to attempt escape, or had he eliminated that possibility?

She threw off the scratchy patchwork quilt covering her body and swung her legs over the side of the mattress. Squinting to adjust to the dim light, she scanned the chamber. Dark wood paneling. A single spindle chair. A desk constructed in a stark, unembellished style, so different from her father’s elaborate furnishings. The moon’s rays through the single round window provided the only hint of brightness and beauty. The slender beams danced over an oak chest scarred by years of use.

Her hands smoothed the elegant gown she’d chosen for her father’s ball. The creamy-white silk now bore several dirty stains and a tear along the seam, slashing from the high empire-waist to the hem. The dress was ruined, she thought with a hint of despair. Staring down at the rended fabric, she shivered as the remaining logic she possessed reminded her quite ruthlessly that the destruction of her gown was the least of her worries.

She dangled her stocking-clad feet off the bed. The wooden planks beneath her toes creaked as she stood. The floor rocked beneath her, a sudden, violent motion. She swayed back and forth for a moment until a sharp jolt flung her back onto the bed.

A horrified cry hovered in her throat. She was on a ship. Was this stark chamber the captain’s cabin? Her mind raced as she tumbled from the bed and bolted to the door.

The solid oak did not budge. She’d been locked inside, a prisoner. It seemed Jason Kane intended to keep her for himself, at least until he tired of tormenting her.

How long had she been here? By now her father had surely noticed she was missing. A search party would be dispatched. But how would they find her at sea?

Cathy pressed her cheek against the wood. Tears stung her eyes. Even if she found a way to open the door, where would she find refuge on a ship? She was trapped, utterly at the mercy of the devil who’d abducted her.

A shiver of fear crept along the length of her spine. She was being watched.

She heard him before she saw him. “Sleeping Beauty has finally roused from her slumber. And without so much as a kiss.”

He reclined in a leather wing chair. The amused curve of his lips infuriated her.

“You!” Her whispered accusation echoed like a shout through the cabin. “You’ve done this.”

Jason Kane rose and came to her. Cathy trembled with the desire to claw the smug satisfaction from his handsome features.

“I’ve locked you in for your own protection,” he said in a tone so matter-of-fact, he might have been explaining the logic underlying a business venture. “I doubt the men in my crew would hesitate before slaking their appetites on such a beautiful woman.”

She folded her arms over her chest like a shield. “Unlike you?”

His eyes gleamed like onyx, cold and hard. “I’ve no intention of forcing you.”

“So it’s a ransom you’re after,” she said softly. “My father will pay you, but then he will see you hang.”

He shook his head. A predatory gleam lit his eyes. So near she was aware of his every breath, he swept his thumb over her bottom lip.

“I seek revenge, Catherine.”

His words, steel wrapped in velvet, mesmerized her. He towered over her, the raw power he exuded like nothing she’d ever encountered. He could kill her right then and there. She spun away, pressing her palms against the door. The taste of terror rose like bile in her throat. Kane placed his hands on her shoulders, gently, his breath warm against her nape.

He wants me to plead. He wants to see my fear. You can go to hell, Captain Kane.

She summoned her courage and squared her shoulders. “I have done nothing to earn your wrath, sir.”

“You will be paying your father’s debt, Catherine.”

She swallowed hard, determined not to cower before him. “My father owes you nothing.”

He shook his head. “In due time, I will explain my reasons. But for now, you need only to know I’ve claimed you as payment for a debt long owed.”

Catherine steeled herself against the terrified murmurs deep within her. “Do you plan to kill me, sir?” Her voice was quiet but unwavering.

He cupped her chin. His thumb stroked her bottom lip, his touch almost tender. The pirate studied her for a moment, seeming to ponder her question. “You are lovely, Catherine. Much lovelier than I was told.” His words were a caress. His fingers laced through her hair. He pulled her to him, capturing her mouth with surprisingly gentle possession. The warmth of his lips intoxicated her, the sensual exploration stirring heat deep within her core. Her knees wobbled, threatening to rebel. Shameless, she leaned into his muscular length, drinking in the heady scent of a male in his prime.

Kane released her abruptly. His eyes gleamed with feral pleasure at the intensity of her response. “Does that answer your question?”

Her heart racing, she struggled to catch her breath. The scent of his musk and the warmth of his touch ignited a fire within her. Was she truly wanton? She’d been kissed before. In truth, she’d lain with a man before. Despite her father’s watchful eye, she’d learned more than the correct manner in which to enter income and expenses from the unassuming bookkeeper he’d hired to manage his accounts. Now the memory of that sweet yet tentative man paled beside the brazen pirate who’d stolen her right from under her father’s nose.

He drew back from her, standing at arm’s length. His black silk shirt outlined his muscular torso to perfection. His gaze fell upon her mouth and her pulse quickened as thoughts of his plunder coursed through her. She dragged in a breath, then another, banishing the primitive thoughts to a place deep in the recesses of her mind. He is a savage, a black-hearted scoundrel intent on revenge. The yearning he’d conjured within her only intensified her terror. Even my own senses betray me. She was at the mercy of a man who would ravish her then cast her to the sharks when he tired of her. She could not succumb to her most primitive instincts. She must resist him.

“You don’t want me yet, Catherine,” he said, his voice low and raw. “But you will.”