Free Bound by the Buccaneer by Normandie Alleman Page B

them. Too late Gaston realized he’d missed Freddie’s departure. Now, as he stood under the swaying palms, his head pounded and he felt a longing for Frederica that could only compare with the desperation that scrawny excuse for a cat must have experienced only days prior.
    Kicking a pebble across the walk, he wondered how he could possibly have agreed to subject his precious Frederica to the carnal demands of a group of men? Pirates even! On the surface the captains appeared civilized enough, but under the surface he knew twisted, even cruel intentions could lurk in the hearts of men. Men, as a lot, were savages, he decided running a hand over his dreads. What had he done?
    A crash came from the building that served as a kitchen for the inn. The noise brought him back into the present, reminding him that when Frederica and her lovers left the building he would have to make himself scarce. It would not do to have the men suspect he harbored excessive concerns over Frederica’s welfare, or worse that he was jealous of their attentions to her. No, he must come across nonplussed, unruffled by the affair.
    He stroked his chin, not at all certain that he could exact an indifferent countenance on the outside when he was a churning tangle of emotions on this inside. He felt as if he would choke on his jealousy, and his throat threatened to close. This had him constantly tugging on his collar searching for more air. His normally hearty appetite had left him, and he wasn’t sure he had eaten anything since the agreement.
    He balled his fists. The thought of the other men touching Frederica, kissing her, entering her, fucking her… He stopped himself for fear he would retch. When he’d offered her up for the other men’s pleasure he’d been thinking with his head, searching for a solution that would quash their last-minute objections. Sadly, in doing so he had ignored his heart.
    It took some time for what he’d done to sink in, how he’d sabotaged his own relationship with Frederica. He was accustomed to her being the one who pined for him. Now the shoe was on the other foot, and it infuriated him. Because something deep inside him told him that even though she had agreed to perform these duties at his behest, the entire situation had made him realize how much she meant to him, how much he needed her, and wanted her all to himself. And it irked him to feel so intensely about a woman.
    His mind wandered back to what must be happening inside. Even though Hatch was present as a bodyguard for Frederica and he knew the giant would not allow her to be harmed physically, Gaston worried about how the tryst would affect her mentally. This morning she’d been frightened. What if the experience proved too much for her? God forbid he ruined her, his precious Frederica.
    He shook his head as he paced. There had been no choice in the matter. Had he allowed the other men to witness his true feelings for Frederica, they would have walked away from the bargaining table—they’d said as much. His counterparts’ ships were crucial to the survival and protection of every man aboard the Ocean’s Knave , as well as Frederica herself. It was an untenable situation, and he could think of no other recourse other than to allow the men to use her for their amusement. Wiping his brow, he only hoped he’d be able to pick up the pieces that were left when they were finished with her.
    He heard the creak of the door opening and he hid behind a large palm tree. Men’s laughter carried over to him and he peered around the tree’s husk-covered trunk. The three men were exiting the inn. They had the distinct look of men leaving a whorehouse. Pugwash lit his pipe and clapped Chatham on the back. Chatham laughed, and Appling adjusted his breeches.
    Gaston felt an infuriating mixture of anger and helplessness bubble up in his blood. He wanted to rush over and cut the men down where they stood, but he forced himself to stay hidden. Summoning every ounce