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Chapter 7

Elise spent most of the next four days locked in her room trying to decide whether to be angry and upset. Between fear for her father's safety and the withdrawal of the Commodore, she was nothing but a bundle of emotion.

She'd tried to approach Norrington several times to explain that her engagement was not what he thought but he was staunchly avoiding her. Every time he saw her he took off in the opposite direction. She'd taken her meals with the crew in hopes of getting to speak to him but he'd turned and left when he saw her.

She had managed to corner him yesterday afternoon at the bow of the ship and had just began trying to reason with him when the lookout interrupted to warn the Commodore of rough waters. He had ordered her to her cabin and dashed off with relief. Apparently rough waters were easier to deal with than her.

Her only comfort was that they were on a ship. There was only so many places he could hide. He had to return to his cabin for clothes sometime and she figured he must be doing while she was at dinner with the crew.

Hope flared in her that he was so bothered by the fact that she was promised. It meant that he realized he had some kind of feelings for her. But if he wouldn't let her get close enough to explain then they would never get to explore what was blooming between them.

She'd never met a man like him. He was handsome and tender yet incredibly virile and masculine. He made her feel safe from the world yet he himself was a danger to her piece of mind. He unlocked things in her that she didn't even know she was capable of. One look into his searing green gaze had her knees buckling as she struggled to remain standing. A single touch and her skin seemed ablaze as she fought against groaning aloud.

The kiss they had shared had been enough to haunt her dreams for the following nights but had also whet her appetite for more.

More kisses. More of James.

He had resisted her kiss of course but she had felt the instant he had accepted it and that's when she had pulled away. But not before she had felt his checked passion boiling beneath his calm exterior. When that man lost his control...well she planned on being there.

The thought of what she wanted to do to him was completely improper. She was the eldest daughter of the wealthiest merchant tradesmen in England complete with the best upbringing available . She was a born and bred lady of society...technically an engaged born and bred lady of society at that. But she was also a woman who knew what she wanted and she wanted James fiercely. Not just physically but mentally as well.

That of course was where the problem lie. It was hard to tempt a man and show him that he needed you when he was determinedly avoiding you at every turn. But she was determined too and she was going to use every feminine charm she possessed to make him want her as she wanted him. Hence, she had hatched a plan.

Step one of course was to look irresistible She had bathed and dressed with the utmost care this afternoon. Her scratches and bruises had healed thanks to the salve that James had brought her and her skin looked like smooth porcelain. She had brushed her hair so that it was falling in soft thick waves down her back and she had donned her new blue dress that was the exact same shade as her eyes. It flattered her figure like no other gown she had ever owned and she had to admit the cleavage it created was very impressive indeed.

The second step, which she was in the middle of, was to let the Commodore see her on the way to dinner. Lulling him into a false sense of security. Third was to follow him back to the cabin to trap him and make him listen.

Luckily, she did pass him on the way to the galley. She didn't glance his way but she was very aware that his eyes were on her. She stood at the top of the stairs and only then did she turn around. Sure enough, Norrington took off in the direction of his quarters and she moved to follow him.

"Ah, Miss Gold. Splendid. I was just coming to look for you. I thought perhaps we might dine together."

She whirled around in surprise at Lieutenant Gillette's voice. While Norrington had been avoiding her, she had doggedly been avoiding the Lieutenant. The man was a simpering weasel who had been trying snake his way into her bed since he had learned who her father was. To be quite honest she was running out of polite excuses to get away from him. Eventually brutal honesty would be her only option.

"Wow. Don't you look fetching this evening. I've never seen anyone quite so lovely." He continued, reaching for her hand to kiss it.

Not even your wife, she asked to herself, biting her tongue as she pulled her hand away.

"How kind of you Lieutenant but I've already eaten. I was just on my way back to my quarters." She lied.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Perhaps you'd like some...company?" He said wolfishly smiling at her.

"No thank you. I'm actually not feeling well. I'm going to go lie down." She replied repressing the urge to roll her eyes. Letch she thought.

"Allow me to escort you back." He said and reached for her waist.

Elise spun out of his grasp quickly and gave him a smile before answering.

"Don't be silly. I will not be the interruption of your dinner. You go on." She said and backed away. She could see that he wasn't used to being rebuffed and this wasn't going as he planned but used his pause as her escape. "Good night Lieutenant."

"I'll check on you later." He called in a slightly lost voice.

She ignored him and kept walking quickly until she reached the captains quarters. Commodore Norrington had left the door open and she stepped inside and silently closed it. She leaned seductively against the door jamb with her hands behind her back and her breasts thrust out and watched as he rustled around in the chest where he kept his clothes.

"Good evening Commodore." She said in a soft voice, enjoying the shocked look on his face when he whirled around, dropping all the clothes he was holding.

"Lady Gold." He acknowledged stiffly, his mouth going dry at the sight of her, resenting that she still affected him in spite of his anger.

"No one calls me Lady Gold except the servants. Lady Gold is my mother." She laughed.

"Yes well...if you'll excuse me" He replied as he stooped to retrieve his fallen items.

"No."

"No what?"

I won't." She said.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked with confusion, standing back up empty handed and trying not to notice how beautiful she looked.

"I won't excuse you. We need to talk and you're going to listen to me Commodore." She clarified firmly.

"I don't need to know anything more. You said enough the other night. " He said, looking away from her piercing blue eyes and spell they always seemed to cast over him.

"What I said and what you heard are two different things." She replied softly and moved to stand directly in front of him.

"What do you mean? You're engaged. I heard you just fine." He said, shifting away from her uncomfortably. He was already having a hard time stopping himself from hauling her into his arms, he didn't need her any closer.

"You heard engaged but I said betrothed. Engaged indicates a willful choice. Betrothed means intended. I've been promised to Lord Andrew Devereaux since infancy. My father arranged it, I had nothing to do with it and I don't want anything to do with it. He's a respectable man to be sure but I could never love him. I want a man who can make my heart sing at the sight of him." She said, reaching for his hand to force him to look at her.

Norrington's skin prickled at her touch and he felt himself softening toward her.

"You ought to believe me Commodore. It's the truth." She implored.

"Why were you on your way to Port Royal if not to be married?" He asked, still not ready to quite give in to the hope flaring in him yet.

"My father saw how unhappy I was and agreed to call off the engagement. We were on our way to inform Lord Devereaux." She replied, sensing his mood change.

"So your not getting married." He asked moving closer to her.

"Absolutely not." She answered, hearing the relief in his tone.

"I'm glad." He said softly and took another step toward her.

"Why is that Commodore?" She whispered and took a step backward, finding herself pressed up against the wall.

"Because now I'm free to do what I've wanted since the moment I met you Elise." He replied, taking the final step toward her and placing a hand on either side of her head, pinning her to the wall.

Her stomach dipped in anticipation of what was coming and she bit her lip before asking "What would that be?"

"This." He said before he captured her lips in a breath stealing kiss.

Just a fair warning the next chapter is going to rated M for sexuality.