Locand stepped farther into the cabin, his eyes never once leaving Miranda’s. “What do you think you are doing?” asked Locand, his voice calm and eyes steady upon their prey. His sleeves now rolled to his elbows, his muscular forearms were ready for a fight. His long black hair hung to his shoulders as he moved, his body anticipating Miranda’s next move.
Miranda watched as she saw Locand’s transformation. Deep inside she felt a slight attraction for him. She found him incredibly handsome and brave. When she read his journal, she had almost wished she were with him on his adventures. He had described every detail vividly, and there were times when Miranda felt she were with him, standing by his side, seeing what he saw. Now, though, Miranda felt almost intimidated by the man. The way he was watching her made her feel like she was going to lose the fight she was about to start. She tried to stand tall and arrogant, turning her head slightly as if she were pondering her next move.
“You could have asked me to leave your cabin instead of forcing me. I would have done it, but now I’m not in the mood.” Miranda lowered her sword slightly, but not all of the way.
“Will you leave then? Your punishment is over, and I wish to spend my nights sleeping in my own warm bed. You have decided to take refuge in here, but you cannot hide from your worries and fears any longer. I see what you are doing, and it’s not wise.”
“What is it that I’m doing?” asked Miranda, allowing Locand to move closer to her.
“This, for starters,” said Locand as he grabbed her sword and threw it on the bed. His motion was so quick that Miranda wasn’t fast enough to stop him. She then started backing up until her back pressed against the wall, feeling vulnerable without her weapon.
“I can use that sword, Locand. I know how,” spouted Miranda convincingly.
“I’m sure you can use it well, but now is not the time to prove it. These men will one day save your life, do not end theirs because of your stubbornness.” Miranda folded her arms in front of her chest as her brown eyes gazed into his.
“I wouldn’t have hurt them, but I would have if they were to hurt me. I was merely threatening them. I do not wish to leave the solace of this cabin, please?” The way Miranda blinked her eyes so innocently pulled at Locand’s heart. However, he knew that he should not give in to her.
“The only way I would let you stay in this room is if we were to sleep in the same bed together. I will admit that it won’t be very comfortable for you. There is a reason why I have a big bed. I like to spread out and would most likely lie partly on top of you or push you from the bed. Also, I don’t think Lord Hammil would appreciate our bodies intertwined in an embrace. I know for a fact that he would like to keep you for himself. However, if he asked me, I would be more than happy to share you with him.” Locand lifted Miranda’s chin with his hand and forced her to look at him, his body moving closer to hers pushing her farther against the wall. Locand had a playful look in his eyes, knowing that Miranda wouldn’t take him up on his offer. He knew there was more than one way to get what he wanted, and he was in the mood to play the game. Miranda stood firm and unyielding until Locand grabbed her backside playfully, causing her eyes to widen and mouth to open in shock. When she saw the smirk on his lips broaden to a full smile, she merely scoffed at him and pushed him away from her.
“Fine, fine, get off me. You’ve made your point, I’ll leave.” Miranda brushed passed Locand as she made her way to the door. For a moment she thought he was going to kiss her. The prospect certainly held her attention and yet when she realized that he was only fooling with her, Miranda felt silly.
She started to shake her head, feeling foolish for thinking that a man as strong, handsome and virile as Locand would have an interest in her. Before she could open the door Locand began to speak again, “By the way, while we have this moment alone together, I would like to speak to you about invading my privacy. You were reading my journal for entertainment. Inside that book are my personal thoughts, feelings and adventures. I would appreciate it if you would be considerate enough to leave my things alone. I know that I put you in my environment, but please restrain yourself from looking through my things. You don’t see me going through your belongings or trying on your clothes, do you?” Locand placed his hand on his hips, the smile once on his lips now gone. Miranda couldn’t help but to smile at the thought of Locand wearing one of her dresses.
“Yes, I would love to see you wear one of my dresses. Try wearing a corset, you wouldn’t be able to breathe for at least three days afterward.” Miranda laughed as she moved to sit on the bed, her legs hanging off the side. “If you wish to look through my belongings by all means do so, I don’t care. I have nothing to hide from you.” Locand cocked his head to the side, a smirk upon his lips.
“What are you saying, that I’m hiding something from you? I am under no obligation to share with you any information involving anything. I am just a man who likes his privacy.” Miranda clucked her tongue as she smiled at Locand’s remark.
“Men and their privacy. I think your whole gender has some serious issues.” Locand couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Excuse me? What do you mean by that? What do you know of men, for your gender makes men’s issues seem like nothing! You are more complicated than I’ll ever be.”
“I know enough about men to know that you are not the marrying kind, or probably even the faithful type. From your journal I have surmised that you have a great lust for life and women, but none for love. Not once did you ever speak of love with a woman or anything else, at least not yet.” Miranda then pulled out his journal from underneath his pillow. “However, I haven’t finished reading your entire journal yet. You may have found love on a different page.” Locand looked around the room for a moment and then back to Miranda. “I found it in the bottom drawer buried beneath a bunch of things in the galley when I went in there the other day.” Locand rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief.
“Are you a thief, too?” asked Locand sarcastically.
“When the time calls for me to be, but I will tell you this. You will be a lonely man, Captain Riveri, if you don’t let love in your heart.”
“And you can speak of love?” sneered Locand as he moved back and forth on the floor in a rocking motion, his weight shifting from side to side. When Miranda nodded her head, Locand laughed.
“Why do you laugh at me?” Miranda asked as she stood up from the bed, feeling mocked.
“Don’t you dare tell me that you love Lord Hammil, or I will laugh in your face right now.” Miranda placed her hand on her hips.
“Is it that obvious?”
“It is obvious to me, and I don’t know you that well. I have spent little time with you in the past month and my thoughts about you are still unclear. However, you do not dote on the poor man like a woman who loves him would. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when you appear to be very devoted, but it is only when he is partially weakened. Otherwise, you avoid him at all cost and are using my cabin as an excuse to avoid him. Do you call that love?” Locand stopped his rocking as he awaited his answer, “Because if so, then I’ve been behaving incorrectly all of these years. In my eyes, when two people truly care for each other, they show consideration, forgiveness, kindness, and love.”
“I do not love him, but it does not mean that I don’t care about what happens to him. He has wealth, power, and if you look beyond all of his strange obsessions, he’s not a bad man. He deserves happiness in his life just like anyone else.” Locand thought about Miranda’s words for a moment, feeling they held much truth.
“Do you always look beyond what a person shows you