Pirate's Pleasure (Sentinels of Savannah)

by Lisa Kessler

  Harmony pulled John closer, keeping her voice low. “This is a bad idea. I’ve never met Robin, the founder of the Digi Robins, and after Chris set me up to steal Pandora’s box, I’m not confident about their mission anymore.”

  John nodded. “I agree.” He met her eyes. “Maybe I can rein this back in.” John took a step forward, addressing the crew. “Since one of the Digi Robins double-crossed Harmony, perhaps it’s premature to foster a partnership.”

  Flynn arched a red brow. “Their money is all that matters.”

  “They could expose us all,” John countered. “Think with something other than your wallet, Captain.”

  “And what of her?” Flynn gestured to Harmony. “What’s to stop her from exposing our secret to the world?”

  Before he could stop her, Harmony stepped forward, facing off with Flynn. “What makes you think the world would ever believe your secret? I saw John heal from a gunshot wound and still had a tough time believing his story.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at John and then back to the captain. “But for your peace of mind, I love John Smyth, and I would never hurt him. And if I ever betrayed anyone on this crew, I’d be doing just that. John is loyal to every one of you, and I respect that. I won’t break your trust.” She turned to Colton. “That’s why I need to make it clear to everyone before you vote that, when the time comes, I’m not going to lie to my brother when he starts to notice I’m not aging. He won’t betray me or any of you.”

  Colton came into the center of the deck, making space between Harmony and Flynn. “Enough.” He focused on Flynn. “If you want to bring the Digi Robins issue up for vote with the crew, it needs to go through me first, Captain.”

  The two men stared each other down, tension sparking in the air. Finally, Flynn spun around, facing the crew. “Perhaps I’ll explore the possibility of a partnership further before I present it to the crew.” He narrowed his eyes at Harmony. “But this woman has already stated she’ll betray our secret. The vote seems clear to me.”

  “I’m not betraying anyone. I was honest and upfront.” She squared her shoulders. “But I have a feeling maybe you haven’t been. Who have you told about the Grail, Captain?”

  Flynn pressed his lips into a tight white line for a second before shaking his head. “You’re not worth my time.”

  John struggled to bite back a grin. Harmony was now on a very short list of people who had ever left Captain Flynn speechless. Maybe she’d been right. Maybe some of the crew had shared their secret.

  Colton raised his hand, signaling he had the floor. “Boatswain, we’re ready to hear your petition.”

  John scanned the crew as he pleaded his case. “You all know Harmony Andrews. She’s proven herself on board the Sea Dog as well as ashore. She bested Drake and Greyson on the lines, and she has computer skills that could be an asset to us on future endeavors with or without Department 13. I call for a vote to add her to our crew.”

  Colton nodded slowly, glancing at Harmony and back to John. “If she’s voted onto the crew, will she be wantin’ a sip from the Grail?”

  John met her eyes, and she gave him a solid nod. The dark selfish part of his soul rejoiced, but his heart also ached, still worried that she might one day regret her choice and resent him for luring her into an inescapable existence. But in the few days since she’d made her decision, her determination hadn’t wavered.

  He focused on the crew again. “Aye. She seeks a drink from the Grail as well.”

  Caleb, the ship’s navigator, frowned and took a step forward. “Bale warned us if we allowed anyone else to drink, the government would come for the cup.”

  “Aye.” John smirked, scanning the crew as he raised his fist, his true accent coloring his voice. “And I dare those lubbers to try. No one steals from the Sea Dog crew and lives to tell the tale.”

  Cheers erupted from the crew, stoking the fire in John’s spirit that had gone cold before Harmony came into his life. This was his family, his crew, and, he met Harmony’s eyes, his love.

  Colton took the center spot, calling for the vote. Every man and woman on the crew gave Harmony an “Aye.” Everyone except Flynn.

  “We have a majority.” Colton turned and held a hand out to her. “Welcome to the crew, lass.”

  He walked her into the center as the pirates stomped their feet and cheered. John clapped, drinking in the joy on her face. She’d been busy with her brother’s rehab and diving back into work at Privateer. Seeing her smile was a gift.

  Tonight offered him a glimpse into their future as partners, lovers, friends, and crewmates. One-Eyed Bob came forward with the ancient wooden cup clasped in his gnarled hands. He grinned as he handed it to Harmony.

  She peered inside and back to Bob. “It’s empty.”

  “Aye.” The lantern light sparkled in his one good eye. “Faith isn’t seen, lass.” He patted her hands where she gripped the Grail. “Drink up, me hearty.”

  A crooked grin curved her lips as she lifted the cup and drank. Her eyes were wide as she returned it to the ship’s cook.

  One-Eyed Bob winked. “Welcome to eternity.”

  Colton shouted, “Weigh anchor! Hoist the sails!”

  Immediately the crew dispersed, everyone reporting to their positions. The ship groaned with the activity, but everything else faded away as Harmony came to stand in front of John.

  He cupped her cheek and smiled. “How do you feel?”

  She shrugged, but happiness shone in the depths of her eyes. “Different, and the same.”

  He nodded. “We didn’t notice a change, either, until the ship sank and we didn’t drown.”

  She placed a hand over his heart. “I love you.”

  Her words were the greatest treasure he’d ever claimed. He bent to kiss her, devouring the sweet taste of her mouth as her arms encircled his waist.

  “Get a room, ya filthy pirates!”

  John chuckled and glared up at the lines. “Fuck you, Drake!” He glanced at Harmony. “Race you to the top?”

  Her grin stole his breath. “Thought you’d never ask.”

  Epilogue

  Keegan stroked his guitar on the bow of the Sea Dog, crooning a nautical love song in his leather frock coat. The entire crew wore their full regalia. Formal wear for pirates. Harmony, being the newest crew member, didn’t have any pirate garb in her wardrobe, but Skye and Char helped her out with loaners from the Maritime Museum.

  She peered down at her black leather boots and the off-white poet shirt. She’d added a black corset to the ensemble, and John even let her borrow his cutlass and sheath. She glanced his way and caught him staring at her.

  “What?” She messed with the cuffs on the shirt.

  “Ye are by far the sexiest pirate I’ve ever laid eyes on.” He grinned.

  She popped her hip to one side and waggled her eyebrows at him. “Play your cards right, and I might let you lay your hands on me later.”

  The desire in his eyes made her toes curl in her boots. He was sexy just waking up in the morning, but standing beside him on the deck of the Sea Dog in all his pirate glory made it tough to remember they were here for a wedding, not a hot date.

  Captain Flynn and Colton stood at the bow just in front of Keegan, waiting on the bride. When Skye came around the corner in her violet floor-length sheath dress, Harmony’s eyes brimmed with tears. Skye never knew her father, but One-Eyed Bob did a fine job standing in and walking her down the aisle toward Colton.

  It had been six weeks since Harmony drank from the cup and became an official member of the Sea Dog crew. In that time, Skye and Char had become Harmony’s closest friends. Friends. She’d never had many of those. But after the attack on Max, she’d made a promise to herself that she would never take the people she cared about for granted again. And so far, she’d found a new balance in her life. Money no longer demanded center stage.

  Her relationship with Max was improving too. After they released him from the hospital, John invited him to stay in
the guest house out back rent-free, safely within the walls of his property. She hated that he’d be leaving for California soon, but until then, they could be certain the Serpent Society stayed the fuck away from her brother. Plus she got to spend more time with him.

  To say she was happier than she’d ever been was a huge understatement.

  Colton took Skye’s hand, and they turned to face the Captain. John stroked Harmony’s knuckles as he focused on the ceremony again. Harmony studied his profile, memorizing the strong angles of his face. The wind tugged at his hair where it was tied at the back of his neck, making her ache to run her fingers through it.

  Sensing her inspection, he glanced her way, raising a brow. “Is everything all right?”

  Harmony nodded, a smile spreading across her lips as she voiced her best impression of his nautical accent. “Aye.”

  His grin widened, a sexy twinkle in his dark eyes. “I’m defenseless when you speak like a pirate.”

  She leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “I’m countin’ on it, love.”

  He squeezed her hand, turning his head to reply. “The boatswain’s office has a lock on the door.”

  “Think he’ll give us the key?”

  He winked. “Aye.”

  She grinned, leaning against him as she focused on the nuptials again. She’d never wanted a newlywed couple to hurry and kiss so badly before.

  The moment Skye and Colton said their I dos, the crew erupted in cheers, blowing a tidal wave of bubbles. Skye had supplied the alternative to throwing rice or bird seed after Colton reminded her that he had enough trouble with scraping bird droppings off the Sea Dog decks without inviting the damned things to his wedding.

  Harmony pursed her lips, enjoying the way John watched her blowing bubbles. He was open about the power she had over him, even though she often exploited it. She put the lid back on her bubbles and made her way through the crew to hug Colton and Skye.

  “Congratulations, you two.”

  Skye grinned as she stepped back. “Thank you.” She scanned the area and met Harmony’s eyes again. “Where’d John go?”

  Harmony looked over her shoulder, but Skye was right. John was…gone. “I’m not sure. He was just here.”

  Char came in to embrace Skye, and Harmony took a step back out of the way, when someone caught her hips and yanked her through the crowd before she could make a sound. She gasped as John spun her around and kissed her, his lips feeding on hers until her pulse raced.

  He pulled back and scanned the area before bending down and throwing her over his shoulder. Harmony laughed, swatting his ass as he jogged down below the deck. He put her down in his office and closed the door. His lips caressed hers as he turned the lock and pressed her back against the wall.

  Resting his forehead on hers, he whispered, “As long as I’ve walked this earth, I’ve never made love on the ship before.”

  “Me neither.” Her voice was a breathless whisper. “Will anyone miss us?”

  His wicked grin had heat coiling low in her belly. “Not if we’re fast.”

  “Then what are you waiting for?” She laughed as he nibbled at her neck, his fingers making quick work of the ties on her pants.

  This pirate had stolen her heart and given her his in return. And while she’d spent most of her life looking for fulfillment in money, he’d shown her the real treasure was love.

  Did you love this book from Entangled’s Amara imprint? Check out more of our titles here!

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  Acknowledgments

  First off, I want to thank all of you for reading! Without your support for my books, the Sea Dog crew could never set sail.

  Next, I need to thank my publisher, Liz Pelletier, for all her patience and encouragement with this book. Life happens, and while I was writing this one we lost a dear friend to cancer, as well as suddenly finding ourselves moving from the home we’d lived in for twenty years. Through the storm, the Sea Dog crew offered me a precious escape from the pain and upheaval, but as my deadline zipped by, Liz remained kind, patient, and encouraging. Thank you so much for your faith in me!

  Big thanks to Candace Havens for jumping in to help me polish this one, and to the Entangled team for the fabulous cover and support for the series. I’m lucky to work with all of you.

  I also got special help with this one from Shannon Scott of Bonaventure Cemetery Journeys. We took a tour of the cemetery with them over a year ago, and in passing learned about the underground chapels. When the detail popped in my head while writing this book, Shannon patiently answered all my questions about the Bonaventure as well as some of its residents. Any mistakes were all my own.

  As always, thanks to my amazing agent, Laurie McLean from Fuse Literary, for always having my back and cheering me on. You rock!

  Thank you to my intrepid beta readers for this one, Denise Vance Fluhr and Heather Cox. And all my love to my Night Angel reader group on Facebook for your enthusiasm for the Sea Dog crew. You kept me inspired at the keyboard.

  Last but never least, thanks to Ken, my amazing husband, who kept assuring me everything would turn out all right. You’re my rock. I love you!

  About the Author

  Stay up-to-date on new releases and giveaways by subscribing to Lisa’s newsletter here: goo.gl/qaIIiS

  Lisa Kessler is a best-selling author of dark paranormal fiction. She’s a two-time San Diego Book Award winner for Best Published Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror and Best Published Romance. Her books have also won the PRISM award, the Award of Excellence, the National Excellence in Romantic Fiction Award, the Award of Merit from the Holt Medallion, and an International Digital Award for Best Paranormal.

  Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.

  When she’s not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, and has performed with San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego.

  You can learn more at Lisa-Kessler.com

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  Night Walker

  Night Thief

  Night Demon

  Night Angel

  Night Child

  The Moon Series

  Moonlight

  Hunter’s Moon

  Blood Moon

  Harvest Moon

  Ice Moon

  Blue Moon

  Wolf Moon

  New Moon

  Stand Alone Works

  Beg Me to Slay

  Forgotten Treasures

  Across the Veil

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