Bound by Decency

Author:Claire Ashgrove [Ashgrove, Claire]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Historical, Romance, C429, Extratorrents, Kat
ISBN: 9781477535820
Google: 8Gd3MAEACAAJ
Amazon: 1477535829
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2012-07-31T21:00:00+00:00

20

“So the maid is still intact, I see.”

The goading humor in Drake’s observation snapped Cain from slumber like someone had stuffed a hot poker in his side. He yanked his head up from the tabletop, bolted upright in his chair, and blinked the sands from his eyes. When his bleary vision cleared enough that he could make out the amused twist of Drake’s mouth and his laughing eyes, Cain scowled.

“Leave off!” He winced as his bark set off drums inside his head. On a miserable groan, he buried his face in his hands and pressed his fingers to his closed eyelids to stop the racket behind his skull.

With his usual penchant for making Cain’s life miserable, Drake laughed. “Leave off? Now what way is that to greet the man who’s about to save your sorry arse from humiliation?”

Save him? Cain dragged his hands down his face and arched an eyebrow in reproach. “It’s you who will need the saving if you don’t close your trap and leave me be.”

Drake reached across the edge of the table, picked up Cain’s tankard, and turned it upside down. One fat drop of liquid clung to the lip, which Drake caught with his index finger and set upon his tongue. “Brandy? When I retired last night, you were three mugs into the rum.”

Vaguely Cain recalled breaking open the bumpkin with Cleaver after the mess cleared. But how many mugs he’d enjoyed, or what had become of the small cask, he couldn’t say. He glanced around in search of the container but found only empty tables and a handful of abandoned tankards. He assumed the cook had restored his private supply within the kitchens.

“Cleaver told me I might find you here. Woke me up to advise I should haul you out of the mess before the bells toll and the crew catches sight of your miserable state.” Drake set Cain’s mug back on the table. “I weren’t too keen on the interruption.”

He leaned a hip against the edge of the table and folded his arms across his chest. “Though he’s right. It wouldn’t be wise to have the men knowin’ a woman’s got the better of you.”

Cain dismissed the lecture in favor of filtering through the jumbled mess of memories and the thick haze that plagued his mind. “What time is it?”

“A bit past dawn. Four bells into morning watch.”

As Cain tried to fill in the gaps in his memory, Drake laughed once again. “Up with you. There’s work to be done. Treasure to log, shares to be assigned, and Nassau waits for us tonight.”

Work. As if he could think about work, when he couldn’t get his brain to send the right messages to his body. But nevertheless, Drake was right. Duty demanded his attention. He should have been in the hold recording shares last night, as opposed to drinking India off his mind.

An attempt which hadn’t worked in any meaningful manner. Her face rose in his memory at the mere thought of her, and her throaty murmurs of pleasure filled his ears.

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