Page 60 of A Pirate's Pleasure

Lief smiled. “I wouldn’t know, would I? Not when I didn’t know they were there.” I palmed his crotch, Lief letting out a low groan. He buried his face in my neck, his words husky. “There might be one there. You should search that area extensively. Perhaps use your mouth as well as your hands.”

I dropped one last kiss on his smiling lips before drawing back with what was hopefully a look of consternation. “Seriously though, if they catch you cheating, it won’t be pretty, and I’ll be the one who ends up having to deal with it.”

That earned me a sigh and an eye roll. “Fine,” he grudgingly agreed when all I did was stare at him. “I mainly wanted to see if I still had it, anyway. There wasn’t much opportunity for fleecing unwary people as Lord Cooper.” He turned away to scoop his ill-gotten gains out of his pockets and onto the bed. Placing his hands on his hips, he stared down at them. “Turns out I have. Still got it, that is.”

“Yes, you’re wonderful,” I said in a tone that didn’t match my words. “The best. But find some other men to cheat who aren’t my crew.”

“I’m offended you think they’d catch me.”

“As long as you’re offended and stop, I can live with that.”

“And if they demand a rematch?”

“Have a rematch, but do it without cheating.”

Lief’s brows drew together. “But then I’ll probably lose. That would be…” He strolled over to the cabin window to look out, the rest of the sentence remaining unsaid as he took in the altered position of the sun. “We’ve changed course. Where are we going?”

“Dimhallow. Whitby didn’t realize that my plans—our plans—hadn’t changed.” I watched Lief closely, cursing the fact that I’d answered while he had his back to me, so I couldn’t see his face. Was that tension in his shoulders, or was I projecting what I wanted to see? Because of course, I didn’t want him eager to get off the ship and away from me. I might have displayed a certain flippancy during my conversation with Whitby, but it did bother me that our days were numbered. We might have agreed not to think about the future, but agreeing to it, and being capable of doing it, were two very different things.

I might have imagined the tension, but there was no denying the silence that followed my announcement, Lief still not having said a word. “Lief?”

“Yeah?”

“You do still want to clear your name?”

He laughed. “As opposed to what? Giving myself up and letting them execute me?”

As opposed to staying here. With me. I thought it, but I didn’t say it. Lief knew that was an option. It didn’t need spelling out.

Lief finally turned to face me, his expression neutral. Too neutral to be completely convincing. “Do you really believe it’s possible?”

“Yes. Someone framed you. And there’ll be evidence of that, but we can’t find that evidence without returning to the scene of the crime.”

Lief gave a curt nod. “If they catch me…”

“They won’t. We’ll be careful. Think about it. It’s the last place the authorities will ever expect you to go, and therefore, the last place they’ll look.”

Lief wrapped his arms around himself, the action reminiscent of someone who had found themselves in a cold draught and was making efforts to keep themselves warm. “Maybe we should wait a while. Let things cool down.”

I shook my head. “If the perpetrator has left a trail, it will only get colder. We need to strike while the iron is hot, or at least lukewarm. It’s unfortunate that my kidnap already delayed things.”

“Very inconsiderate of you,” Lief drawled.

“Isn’t it,” I agreed. “You should probably punish me for it.”

A slow smile crept onto Lief’s face. And just like that, as he advanced toward me with a look lodged somewhere between lust and amusement, things were alright between us again. It seemed we could brush the future off if we both made enough effort. And we still had some time together. It would take us at least another week to reach Dimhallow—and Silkdrift, where Lief’s manor lay, was a few more days’ travel from there.

Chapter Twenty-three

Lief

It felt strange to be back in Silkdrift after my rapid and unscheduled departure from there. It felt even stranger to have Zephyr at my side, even if the two of us were currently crouching behind a bush to spy on my house. We’d docked at Dimhallow a few days ago, my cloak needed as a disguise once more as we’d village-hopped our way to Silkdrift, staying in the seediest taverns where no questions were asked, and sleeping rough when no better option had presented itself. Zephyr had outdone himself on that occasion with the lord digs. Would you like me to sweep all the leaves away for you, Lord Cooper? I apologize, Lord Cooper, for the lack of a ceiling. I will see that the servants are severely reprimanded in the morning. Would you like me to prostrate myself on the ground for you, Lord Cooper, so you can use me as a pillow? The last one I’d taken him up on, Zeph, proving to be adequate against both cold and discomfort if you lay on top of him.

“I don’t know why we’re hiding here,” I whispered into the darkness. “It’s my house. I don’t have to skulk in the grounds. I can just go in.” I rose, intending to do just that, Zeph grabbing my arm to drag me back down.

“Wait.”

“For what?”