Take Me Forever Read online

  Mercy had restless nights. She dreamt the same recurring dream. In her dreams, Mercy would be whisked away to a magical place with a waterfall secluded by lots of trees. Always in her dreams a man would approach her, but she could never see the man’s face. All she knew was that he was the one she was destined to be with.

  After her dreams persisted for a few nights longer, she finally saw the man’s face. It was Cain’s face she saw. It can’t be him! I must be crazy, she thought. During her long lonely days, she thought about her dreams and tried to interpret what they meant. She assumed she was seeing Cain’s face because he was her captor and she feared him, but he was her rescuer.

  However, in her dreams Cain was not a man to be feared at all. In fact, he was a man that she longed to love and cherish for all eternity. She couldn’t let herself be driven by her dreams. Cain was a vile man and deserved to be punished for taking her against her will.

  Mercy was not the only one having strange dreams. Ever since Mercy entered his life, Cain was being tortured by restless nights. He wanted her. He knew she had to remain a virgin in order to get any size ransom or reward for her depending on how he chose to pursue it. There was just something about her and he couldn’t keep his mind off of her. He was finding it harder and harder to keep bringing her food and resisting her beauty wearing nothing but his own shirt.

  One afternoon when Cain came to retrieve her food tray he said, “We will be stopping tonight for supplies at a small port. I am going to give my men a few hours of shore time. If you like, I can have something picked up for you to wear. I am sure you are tired of wearing that dirty old shirt of mine.”

  “Yes, thank-you,” Mercy replied quietly as if she could care less one way or the other because she was already thinking about how she could escape when they landed.

  “When we land, I will leave your guard in place outside in case you get any crazy ideas about escaping.” Cain moved closer to her so that his mouth was almost touching her ear and whispered, “I can’t let you escape me.”

  With a slam of the door, he was gone. Mercy’s body was still trembling by his seductive whisper in her ear. She gathered her thoughts over the next few hours and began plotting her escape. She felt the ship begin to slow and assumed they would be landing soon. She went to the door and watching as the crew began preparing to land. Just as Cain had promised, a man was standing guard outside the door. She watched as the men exited onto the gangplank including Cain. She noticed the man that was guarding her seemed to be Cain’s most loyal seaman, Luke McKay. She felt relieved that Cain had left him because he might be her only chance of escaping.

  Gathering her courage, Mercy knocked on the door to get Luke’s attention. Luke opened the door and stood in the doorway. “What is it?” He growled.

  “I don’t feel well. Can you please get me some water or something to eat,” Mercy asked sweetly.

  “Captain warned me that you would try some funny business. He will be back soon and you can ask him yourself,” Luke grumbled as he slammed the door and returned to his position beside it.

  Mercy threw herself on the bed as she realized there would be no escaping her fate. An hour later, Mercy heard the door open. Luke entered, placed a package on the table, and left just as quickly as he had entered.

  She went to the table and opened the package. Inside, she found a stunning royal blue velvet dress. She hurriedly tried on the dress and it was a perfect fit. It looked like it had been made especially for her. Also in the package, she found a brush, some blue ribbon, and a pair of blue velvet shoes. The shoes were a little big, but at least they covered her feet. She took the brush and combed her tangled hair and then tied it up with the ribbon.

  She didn’t know why she was going to so much trouble to fix herself up for the pirate. She knew it would only entice him more. She looked at his worn shirt on the bed and smiled. She could still wear it to sleep in she supposed as she picked it up and smelled his musky scent on it. What am I doing? Mercy thought as she took off the dress and put Cain’s shirt on again. She couldn’t believe she was developing a soft spot for him. He was her captor for goodness sakes! It was her dreams. It had to be what was making her mind think this way.

  As she tossed and turned during the night, she was awakened by laughter. Suddenly, a woman was thrown into the bed with her with Cain following suit. He was kissing and pawing at the woman, and she was responding like a lady of the night. Apparently, they did not know the bed was occupied by Mercy.

  Just as she was about to announce her presence, Cain glanced over and saw her staring at him with a disgusted look upon her face. Mercy could tell by Cain’s behavior that he was drunk out of his mind. He was acting the same way he did the night he kidnapped her. The woman was still unaware of her presence as Cain picked her up and carried her out of the cabin.

  Mercy was shocked at what she just witnessed. She couldn’t believe that he would have the audacity to bring another woman into the same room with her. She was jealous. She had no idea why, but she was jealous.

  Moments later, Cain came back into the cabin alone. He looked at her with wanting eyes. She knew she could not stop what was about to happen, and a part of her didn’t want to stop it. He took off all of his clothes and stood at the end of the bed. She stared in silence.

  “I can’t hold back any longer. I want you and I will have you now,” Cain slurred as he climbed into bed with her.

  “But, but, what about the money?” Mercy stammered nervously.

  “I have a feeling this will be well worth the loss of a few coins,” he replied as he began pawing at her.

  “No. Please stop,” she begged.

  As he looked into her pleading eyes, Cain came to his senses and stopped his sexual assault. He knew he wouldn’t remember anything in the morning due to his drunken state of mind and he definitely wanted to remember taking her virginity. Cain wrapped his strong arms around her and whispered, “Soon,” as he passed out.

  At least for tonight she was safe. She watched him sleeping peacefully and part of her felt safe wrapped in his arms. Sleeping, he was nothing to be frightened of. She could see beneath his scruffy exterior there was a man with a soft heart. She touched his stubbly beard and caressed his cheek. She thought he would look extremely handsome without that awful beard and his matted hair was in desperate need of a comb.

  She had her back to him as he arose and donned his trousers. He walked over to the basin and splashed some water on his face. Cain noticed in the mirror that his hair looked different. It had been brushed. The woman must have done it last night. Funny, I don’t remember a damn thing from last night, he thought.

  “What did you do to me last night woman?”

  Startling her by his tone she answered, “I only brushed through your hair. It looks much better.”

  “If I want my hair combed, I’ll do it my damned self,” he defended.

  “Perhaps you should consider shaving that ragged beard off too,” Mercy stated knowing she was pressing her luck with him.

  “What? Who are you to tell me how I’m supposed to look?” Cain yelled.

  “I just thought…,” she trailed off.

  “You thought what? You don’t like the way I look, so you thought you could change my appearance. Who do you think you are? You are my captive and don’t forget it,” he yelled as he stomped out of the cabin after grabbing his shirt and boots.

  Mercy couldn’t believe how he was acting. She knew she shouldn’t test her boundaries with him. He could easily ravish her, kill her, and dump her body overboard and no one would ever know what had happened to her. Perhaps she should try a different approach and kill him with kindness before he snapped and really killed her.

  Hours later, Mercy washed off in the basin and dressed herself in her new blue dress. She brushed her hair several times to get out all of the tangles leaving it silky and smooth. She pulled it up and laced ribbon through it. She left a few strands hanging loosely in her face and on her neck.

&
nbsp; When Cain returned, he stared in silence at her beauty. She was gorgeous. He let out a low groan and pulled her into his arms.

  “If you keep looking like that, I know I will steal your innocence,” he whispered as he kissed her neck.

  Mercy froze in his arms. She had never experienced the sensations she was feeling at this moment. She was enjoying these new sensations. Her lips yearned for his kiss. She softly groaned as he dipped his hand inside her dress and squeezed her breasts. The woman inside her was eager to surface as she moaned louder getting his attention.

  “You like that don’t you?”

  “Yes,” she answered so low that he had to strain to hear her.

  He could no longer harbor his passion. He picked her up and carried her to the bed. He slowly took off her dress and stared at her exquisite body. She was everything he fantasized she would be. He began undressing himself and realized that she wasn’t acting so much like an innocent anymore.

  “Why aren’t you fighting with me and begging me to stop?”

  “You know I can’t stop you. Please don’t hurt me,” she begged.

  Hearing the innocence in her voice now, Cain realized she was not ready for him yet. He couldn’t take her without her consent. Any other woman he could with no qualms about it, but not her. Instead, he decided to tease her body and give her a taste of what she could look forward to if she would only ask.

  His hands trailed over her body caressing each part. Wanting her to savor each second, he slowly descended her body. He left a fiery trial of kisses down her neck, to her stomach, and beyond her curls nestled between her legs. Her body trembled with each caress and each kiss.

  “Mercy, I want you. I will have you one day. You have created a hunger in me that won’t be satisfied until I have you. It is all I can do to keep from taking you now.”

  Don’t stop, she screamed silently. She looked at him with a puzzled look upon her face. Her body was raging out of control. She knew she should not be feeling this good, but somehow it felt so right.

  He gave her a long passionate kiss and left her lying naked on the bed. She was stunned. Why did he stop? Did she do something wrong? She didn’t know what she was supposed to do to please a man. She had always hoped her husband would teach her these things on their wedding night. Since he had stopped himself from ravaging her and showed her what it could be like, she knew he was not the cold hearted pirate he proclaimed to be.

  Cain grinned as he left the cabin leaving Mercy naked on his bed. He knew it would just be a matter of time before she was begging him to take her. After all, he was not only a notorious pirate, but also he was a legend as a lover. He would show her that he was the master of playing mind games.

  Mercy decided it might be best just to wear the old ragged shirt so she wouldn’t look so enticing to the captain. She had just finished dressing when Cain came back with some food. Mercy’s cheeks were red with embarrassment from her earlier behavior and he was acting as if nothing had happened.

  “You should try this orange. It has a sweet taste just like you,” Cain said breaking the silence.

  “Thanks,” Mercy replied as her cheeks burned even more.

  From that point on, the two of them began to chat like they were old time friends. Her resistance was weakening and she wondered if he was messing with her mind in order to seduce her. A couple of hours later, Mercy began to yawn. She was wondering when he was going to leave her so she could go to sleep. When he took off his boots, she realized he had no attention of leaving.

  “Are you sleeping in here?” Mercy finally got up the courage to ask.

  “It is my bed. You can sleep in it with me or sleep on the floor. You decide,” Cain stated as he motioned to the hard floor as he undressed and crawled into bed.

  I can play this game, Mercy thought as she grabbed the blanket off of the bed and placed it on the floor. Mercy blew out the lantern and went to sleep on the cold, hard floor.

  Cain chuckled to himself as he watched Mercy play her game. He would let her sleep on the floor if she was so stubborn. A little while later, Cain tossed and turned. He couldn’t sleep. He glanced down at Mercy and instantly knew why he could not sleep. That woman! He groaned to himself. He got up and scooped her in his arms and gently placed her in the bed before curling up beside her to keep her warm.

  When she awoke the next morning, Mercy found herself in a soft bed instead of on the hard floor. How did I get here? She mused. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound of tapping at the basin. Cain had a straight razor in his hand. He was shaving his beard off. She lay silently in bed watching his every stroke. When he finished, she saw through the reflection in the mirror that he was indeed a very handsome man. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He felt her staring at him and turned to catch her gaze.

  “Does this meet your approval,” he asked as he ran his hand across his newly shaven face.

  “I suppose,” she answered nonchalantly.

  “I thought if I met your approval in the looks department, I might be able to get you to come willingly to my bed.”

  “You thought wrong,” Mercy chided.

  “We’ll see,” Cain chuckled.

  “Don’t think for a second that I will come to your bed willingly.”

  “No problem. I’ll have plenty of women to warm my bed when I return home,” Cain answered. But you are the woman I want, he thought.

  “I just bet you do,” Mercy muttered.

  “Women flock to me like I am their god. If I can’t have you in my bed, then perhaps I can satisfy my lust with all the willing women I’ve had before and will have again.”

  “You sound so confident,” Mercy stated slightly raising her voice.

  “Wait and see how the women swoon over me when we reach Corbin’s Crow. You will be begging me to bed you.”

  “Never! I will never submit to you.”

  “Oh, but I think you will. You might find that once you’ve been with me you will never want another,” Cain said as he ended the conversation and left the cabin.

  Late that afternoon, Mercy could hear thunder in the distance. She peeped out of the cracks in the door and saw the crew scurrying around in a frenzy. A storm was coming and Cain was needed on deck to maneuver the ship through the swelling waves.

  Mercy felt a twinge of motion sickness as the ship swayed to and fro. She needed some air and tried to open the door. Surprised that it was unlocked, Mercy cracked it open. She had a good view of Cain battling the wheel in the wind and rain with his hair whipping across his face.

  She watched him for a few minutes before deciding to go lie down to see if her motion sickness would go away. She slept peacefully through the storm and dreamt about life with her pirate. He was her protector and provider. She kept him happy in bed and kept his household in order during his absences at sea. If only her dreams were a reality. It was a life she could become accustomed to.

  When she awoke the next morning, the wheels in her mind began to turn. Perhaps she could make her dreams come true. She realized now that she had developed strong feelings for Cain even though he was her captor and she could feel the spark between them. He hadn’t harmed her so far and she was beginning to think he didn’t have it in him to harm a woman. She needed to know that she could stay with him and make him love her and only her. I have gone completely mad!

  Chapter 7

  The following morning, Mercy was disturbed by shouts coming from the crew.

  “What the hell?” Cain yelled as he threw on his clothes and ran to the deck.

  All of his men had their attention focused port side as Cain reached them. He looked out across the sea and saw a ship approaching them bearing a French flag. Quickly, he instructed Luke to go to his cabin and keep Mercy quiet until the ship passed.

  “Aye Captain,” Luke answered as he followed orders.

  “What’s going on?” Mercy asked when Luke entered the cabin.

  “Not to worry. Just be quiet or else you will have to answer to th
e captain.”

  As the ship arrived within shouting distance, a young man yelled, “Who is the captain of this ship?”

  “I am Captain Cain Corbin at your service. What can I do for you?”

  “We are searching for a missing woman. There is a handsome reward for information leading to her return. Her last whereabouts were near Herron Bay. We think she may have boarded a ship.”

  “What does the woman look like?” Cain bellowed.

  After the man described the woman in full detail, Cain knew the woman in his cabin was indeed Mercedes McMillan. Cain scratched his head before responding, “Haven’t seen anyone that fits that description.”

  “Well if you do, please contact Michael McMillan in the Herron Bay area or the authorities. The reward is ten gold bards for her safe return,” the man said as he instructed his crew to make sail.

  “Captain, why didn’t you turn her over to them and collect the reward now?” Luke asked as Cain entered his cabin.

  “Their ship was loaded with more arms than ours. They probably have instructions to kill anyone connected to her disappearance on sight. Her father has gone to an enormous amount of trouble to send search ships out this far. I will arrange for her return on my terms. If he is willing to pay ten gold bars, I bet he will be willing to pay double that price. As soon as we land, I want you to take a ship and a ransom note back to her father demanding twenty gold bars.”

  “Aye Captain,” Luke answered as he left Cain and Mercy alone in the cabin.

  “You wouldn’t send me back! Not now. Not after …,” Mercy sobbed.

  “Naïve girl. You know I’m only interested in the money. I don’t give a damn about what really happens to you. I am a fortune hunter and now that I know your father wants you back, you will go back to him and I will be twenty gold bars richer.”

  Mercedes could hear no more as she ran to the bed and buried her tears in the pillow. She could not believe she had been so naive to think this rogue could actually have had some feelings for her. He had just been playing with her. All the things he said about keeping her with him were only part of his game. He didn’t care about her at all.