Free The Pirate and the Feisty Maid-- Part One—At His Hand by Cali MacKay

Chapter One
     
    18 th Century, Isle
of Aetheria in the warmer waters of the East Sea
     
    Molly hadn’t been expecting Ronan to arrive that day.
Indeed, she hadn’t expected him to return from his journey at sea
for another two weeks’ time. She should have known. Two years
they’d been together, and he always surprised her, weeks early or
weeks late.
    So here he stood before her, not taking her into his
arms like she’d expect from a lover having just returned after six
months away, but rather pacing the room like an animal caged, his
power coiled tight within.
    “I’ve heard rumors, Molly. Rumors that ye
weren’t on yer best behavior whilst I was away.” When he spoke, his
demeanor was one of calm and control, as it always was when dealing
with her. Never had he raised his voice to her, for there was no
need, their understanding of one another complete. “Is it true,
lass?”
    How he managed to hear rumors whilst at sea
had always been a mystery to her. Perhaps he just assumed she’d
misbehave in his absence, for she always did. The months he was
gone left her so lonely, she could not bear it. At the worst of
times, she’d seek comfort in the arms of her maid. However, there
was a part of her that misbehaved on purpose, knowing she’d have to
face the consequences—consequences she would surely pay for at his
hand.
    He came to stand before her, pulling her from
her thoughts. “When I ask ye a question, I expect an answer.”
    She couldn’t look at him, for she knew he’d
see the truth in her eyes, yet it took all she had to not gaze in
his direction, desperately wanting to drink in his handsome form
and face after missing him so. He tilted her chin up with a
roughened finger, so she was forced to look at him.
    “Dear Molly, answer me.” Though she could see
the love he had for her in his bright blue eyes, there was also a
hard glint there, one she was all too familiar with. Captain of his
ship—and a pirate, if the truth be told—he knew how to be stern and
was not a man to be disobeyed.
    Her heart raced, its deafening beat echoing
in her ears as a wave of need swept through her, his effect on her
immediate. “It is true.”
    He was so close, she could still smell the
salty sea on him, and in their time apart, his beard had grown
thick, his skin weathered from the elements and bronzed, despite
his Highland blood. Having him so near made her knees want to give
way with the hope he’d take her in his arms and do with her as he
wished—as long as he was touching her, she cared not how.
    When his face brushed up against hers, her
eyes fluttered shut, his beard rough against her smooth cheek, his
words but a whisper. “Did I not tell ye there’d be consequences?
And yet ye still misbehave. It makes me wonder if ye like me
punishing ye, for I dinna ken a bolder lass.” His warm breath at
her ear sent a shiver over her skin, so it took all she had to not
lean against him.
    She was desperate to feel his lips on hers,
but as if sensing her need, he stepped away from her. “Is that it,
my sweet? Do you like making me punish ye?”
    Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment,
for it was nothing but the truth, even if she could not bring
herself to admit it out loud. She craved his control and
discipline, the pain that flared into a deep pleasure, and how he
pushed her to her limits and then some, so she came through it all
in the end feeling whole and at peace.
    The thought of his firm hand had a pulse
throbbing between her legs, leaving her wet as she remembered the
last time he’d put her over his knee. Already she was squirming
under his scrutiny, both dreading and yearning for what he’d do to
her and how it’d feel to be at his mercy.
    He was the only one who’d ever come close to
taming her. Bold and strong-willed, she’d never thought to let
anyone have such control over her, and yet it was different with
Ronan. From the start, he’d understood her. Understood that she
truly longed to have him