Caribbean Jewel by Jayla Jasso

Author:Jayla Jasso [Jasso, Jayla]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Marcano stood atop the poop deck watching the black clouds rolling across the sky, obscuring the moon’s silvery glow. The lights of Santo Domingo were quickly receding into the darkness as the Amatista sliced its way through the choppy water under the cover of night. He gazed down at the broad expanse of waves churning in the wake of his brigantine, then back up at the sky where tendrils of lightning snaked across the black heavens, too many miles away to hear the thunder yet. He unfolded his spyglass and peered through it at the harbor of Santo Domingo to see if any sea craft stirred to follow them.

For the moment the docks were calm, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He could turn his full attention to guiding his ship through the stormy night. As soon as they reached Kingston, he would finish the job they had been asked to do and set sail for Spain as quickly as possible. The sooner he took Jolie away from Caribbean waters, the better for her safety. Besides the risk of Hauste catching up with them, there was the added danger of pirate attacks; these islands were teeming with bloodthirsty cutthroats this time of year. Marcano would rather die than see another freebooter hold a knife to Jolie’s throat while she was under his care.

He continued to study the billowy clouds rolling furiously above. The wind had picked up quite a bit, and the front of his shirt clung tightly to his chest with the force of it, his sleeves whipping about his arms with the sharp gusts. Soon it would begin to rain; he needed to go down to his cabin to ensure all the windows were closed and everything secured in case things got a little rough tonight.

Thoughts of the cabin brought thoughts of Jolie. He felt an overwhelming, irrational need to protect the English girl from any harm or misfortune she might face. She was such an intriguing combination of innocence and intelligence, compassion and wit, introspection and curiosity. She had no idea how she affected him or any other man, and yet she seemed to know exactly what to do or say to inflame his senses, even with the simplest of gestures—the way she combed her hair, the touch of her petal-soft lips on his cheek…

“Gabriel?”

Marcano whirled around, startled. It angered him that he had been too absorbed in his thoughts—of her—to hear her climbing the ladder to the poop deck. If she’d been a pirate he might have been dead by now, he thought irritably.

“¡Cielos!” he swore. “What are you doing up here, muchacha?”

She stood clutching the balustrade for support. “I—saw the lightning and thought—”

“When you see lightning, jovencita, do me the favor of staying inside the cabin!”

“I couldn’t sleep, and I wanted to see the storm.”

“What do you mean to do to my men, coming up here dressed like that?” His glare moved pointedly down to the nightgown which peeked out from under the edge of his cloak, and below that, her bare ankles.

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