Copyright © 2012 Shunta Montgomery
All Rights Reserved
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
Publisher’s Note:
Pirate’s Treasure is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, event or locales is entirely coincidental.
Books by Capri Montgomery
Shadow Hills: April Showers
Vendetta
Love’s Last Hope
Shadow Hills: M is for Murder
Seducing the Bodyguard
Shadow Hills: No Valentine
Shadow Hills: Fallen Hero
Fahrenheit
Secrets and Lies
Returning Sheba
Saints and Sinners
The McGregor Affair
Dream Walker
The Geneva Project
The Admiral’s Daughter
Dangerous Obsessions
Watch Over Me
Educating Australia
Maid for Hire
Murder Unveiled
The Thirteenth Floor
Ride a Cowboy
And Many Others…
Chapter One
Lindy Wilshire looked out to sea. The ocean was at peace with no storms on the horizon. The warm sun bathed her face as the boat swayed in the cove. She wished she had gone ashore, but this wasn’t a vacation for her, this was work. She was Andrew Bateman’s right hand while he played captain on the Night Owl, a sixty-five foot luxury yacht that she and her father owned. Night Owl was one of the four tour yachts belonging to Pacific Island Tours. The name was out of character seeing as though they were in the Atlantic, not the Pacific, but both father and daughter had agreed the name had a certain ring to it.
Lindy was part owner since the idea and business plan had been hers. Her father put up all the money after he convinced Lindy not to deplete her savings. Had she known she would be signing over the right to captain one of these babies she would have refused. Her dad, Captain Morgan Wilshire, had snuck a clause into the fine print of the contract. His daughter could not captain any of the boats. She should have read the fine print, but this was her dad—the man who had taught her to love the ocean. She never expected he could be so underhanded. So, as he shoved legal paper after legal paper in front of her, she signed on the dotted lines. A week later, when she was planning which boat to captain, her dad broke the news. She lost her temper and yelled several obscenities before she remembered she was talking to her dad, and even though he practically raised her on the ocean with a bunch of foul mouth sailors, he expected her to speak like a lady. He also assured her it was for her own safety. “Pirates,” he said. “I’m keeping you away from pirates.”
She snorted. She had spent her entire childhood on the ocean and at sea with dangerous conditions—she could handle pirates. He didn’t cave so she found another way to stay out of the office. “I’ll be the right hand man…um…woman to whoever captains the Night Owl.” She loved that boat and wanted more than anything to captain it.
He agreed without a fight, which should have been warning number one. Her better instincts should have told her to add a backdoor clause, but she didn’t. When she found out Andrew, a.k.a. Drew, would be the captain, she tried to back out, but backing out would have meant sitting behind a desk. She didn’t like that idea at all.
Andrew wasn’t a bad guy—a little arrogant, annoying and brash maybe. The problem was that she had had a crush on him since she was ten. She was ten and he was seventeen. It wasn’t going to happen, but it hadn’t stopped her from dreaming. It also hadn’t stopped her from making a fool of herself when she turned seventeen. Lindy boldly declared her love and Andrew laughed in her face. “You’re just a kid,” he had said. She was short, five foot one at best, skinny and practically flat in the chest area at the time, but she wasn’t a kid.
Instead of sticking around for more humiliation, Lindy went state side for college where she did her PhD in marine biology before returning home. Andrew was still working for her father when she returned home. She had wondered what their first encounter would be like. She had gained curves while she was gone—nice hips, a slender waist and b-cup breasts. Her breasts were still small compared to the d-cups he dated, but Lindy knew she looked far more mature than the “kid” who had run away. She was also experienced now. Sex might not have lived up to her idea of pleasure, but she was well aware of how to pleasure a man. Nick, her first college boyfriend, and professor, had seen to that.
“Drew,” Lindy had drawled in her newly discovered southern accent. Andrew looked up staring at her stilettos and bare ankles, slowly letting his eyes follow her smooth bare legs, over her curvy hips to her breasts and finally focusing on her eyes.
“Hey, kid.” He said and she wanted to deck him.
Instead, she smiled sweetly and said, “Fortunately the men in Florida didn’t look at me like a kid.” She took satisfaction in the way his jaw locked in place.
“Baby—you’re practically jail bait.”
She exhaled sharply, rolled her eyes and walked away. She had been twenty-seven at the time. Now, she was almost twenty-nine and he still called her kid.
“Bastard,” she snorted.
Lindy wasn’t sure if she were angry at Andrew for not wanting her, or if she were angry at herself for wanting him so much. “Pathetic,” she mumbled. “There are other men out there you know.” In fact, one of those other men had asked her to a beach dance party. She hadn’t said yes, but she hadn’t said no either. Maybe she would go. Maybe if Andrew saw her with another man he might acknowledge her status as a woman. Men always wanted what somebody else had.
She stomped her foot on the deck and stood quickly. “Get over him, Lindy.” It wasn’t that simple. As much as he could annoy her, as much as her friends would try to get her to pursue an “educated man,” she had long ago fallen for Andrew. He might not have gone further than two years at junior college, but he had a lot more going for him than many of the so called “educated men” she had met. Andrew knew the ocean, could navigate by the stars, knew how to live off the land and could shoot like a sniper. He was an alpha male who dominated everything. She wondered if he dominated in the bedroom too. He never seemed to have a problem getting a woman in bed with him.
“Kid,” Andrew tossed her the rope to the small raft. He still insisted on calling her kid. Since he had paying customers with him she refrained from saying anything inappropriate. She smiled and helped the daughter on board and then assisted the parents. She didn’t bother to assist Andrew.
“I hope you all enjoyed your picnic.”
“It was great!” The happy teen found a spot near the helm to sit while her parents preferred to stay inside. Lindy walked over to Andrew.
“Don’t ever undermine my position again,” she said through gritted teeth. “You can call me Doctor Wilshire or Lindy, but not kid. Understand, Andrew?”
His eyes flashed with a hint of devious suspicion before he smiled coyly and said, “sure thing Doc.”
She blew out a sigh. “You’re too old to be such a jerk,” she retorted.
“City living cleaned up your mouth,” he chuckled.
“Jack a—,” she caught herself. “Hurry up and finish that so we can pull out.”
He stood up straight, standing almost a foot taller than she was and glaring down at her. “Let’s not forget w
ho is captain of this vessel.”
“I’m your boss.”
“On land, yes. But out here you take your orders from me. Now get your sweet ass up there and tend to our guests.”
Her cheeks bulged and she would have sworn she turned tomato red. Lindy took a deep breath, trying to nullify her anger. “And to think, I used to like you.”
He cocked his eyebrow, “used to?” His question didn’t seem much like a question. It was more like he was flaunting her unrequited love in front of her.
“Go to hell.”
“I’m already there,” he smiled.
“Damn-it!”
“Watch your tone, Babe, or I’ll put you in the raft and let you row back home.”
Her eyes widened. “You wouldn’t dare.”
He gave a slow grin. “Insubordination will not be allowed. Not even from you. Now, I gave you an order. I suggest you get to it.”
She was furious—absolutely furious. He knew it too. She could tell he was laughing at her. The jerk. She was so over him. Out here he gave the orders; well if he thought being captain gave him the right to be a total dick then being co-owner gave her the right to put him on the schedule from hell. Two could play the game, but she was going to win.
Andrew stood with both hands on the helm. Sparring with Lindy was a lot of fun. She had changed while away at college. Sure, the obvious breasts, hips, butt, but it was more than that. She was confident and feisty. Sexy is what she was and he was rock hard. Lindy was turning into the kind of woman he wouldn’t mind taking to bed. Only she was floors above the other women in class, but she was the Captain’s daughter and it wasn’t going to happen—ever. He could have a quick—well, not so quick, roll with any other woman on the island, but not Lindy. Lindy was off limits. He would bet anything she would be a tight entry, but a hell cat once he got her purring. Damn, he needed to stop picturing her flat on her back with her legs spread for him.
It wasn’t just the fact that she was the daughter of a man who had been his mentor and captain. Lindy was well educated. She was a doctor and she needed somebody more scholarly to keep her interested. He had gone to the local junior college at the Captain’s insistence, more like ultimatum. “Go to college or work another ship,” the Captain had said. Andrew valued Captain Morgan’s skills and knowledge and so he went to college in order to stay in his employ. He did the basics and declared astronomy as his major. It was the only topic he found interesting. He already knew the stars, but majoring in something like literature would have been torture for him. Lucky for him, two years had been enough to satisfy the Captain. He thought of Captain Morgan like the father he never had. Unfortunately, he didn’t think of Lindy as the sister he never had.
Andrew pulled into port, made his usual captain’s speech to the disembarking guests and set his eyes back on Lindy. She had already started to clean up the sitting area for the next group.
“One more for the day,” he said. She didn’t turn around. “Not talking to me?” He saw the deep breath she took move her shoulders up and then down as if she were trying to will herself to be polite.
“I’m not going with you. I have the afternoon off.”
“What?” She never took time off. “Is everything okay? Are you sick?” He stepped closer and she shifted away from him.
“I’m fine. Sofie’s going out with you for the afternoon since the North Star is docked for the week. She needs the money.”
“So you gave up your shift?”
“No. I needed the afternoon off and she graciously agreed to work.”
He leaned against the wall. His instincts told him she was holding out. “I hope you’re not planning on getting in any trouble.”
“Do I ever?” She mumbled, but he heard her.
“You’re not interviewing for that teaching job are you?” He’d seen Roger Hardy, the director of the science department at the local university talking with Lindy. Andrew wasn’t stupid. He knew the college would want somebody with her credentials.
“I own my own business. Why would I interview elsewhere?”
Why? Hell if he knew. What he knew was she hadn’t answered his question. “Lindy.” His tone came out much harsher than he intended.
“You know, maybe I should teach. “ She shoved a napkin into the small trash bag. “Leave the water behind and take on the classroom. I was the TA for Nick. I could do it.” She giggled.
“What’s so funny?”
“TA,” she laughed. “It always makes me think of T and A. Although, I guess I was that for him too.”
Andrew felt every muscle in his body tense. He didn’t have a right to be angry that another man had enjoyed touching Lindy’s breasts. She wasn’t his and he didn’t want her to be. “Great guy.” The sarcasm didn’t go unnoticed.
“He was okay. Smart—very smart. I learned everything…well almost everything, I know from him.”
Andrew didn’t miss the underlying meaning in her words. Lindy wasn’t just talking about academics. He refused to be jealous—or maybe he just refused to let her know he was.
“You miss him?” He managed to ask.
“Some nights.”
He searched for a hint of devious baiting in her tone, but found none. His jaw locked and his teeth clamped together. Restraint, he needed restraint. He had asked the question; she hadn’t volunteered the information.
“Maybe you should invite him out here.” His tone was anything but pleasant.
“Maybe I will.”
He watched as she walked out on deck. He followed tightly behind her. “So where the hell are you going?”
She turned sharply. “None of your damn business.”
He wanted to grab her and pull her close. He wanted to posses her so no other man could. He reminded himself she was the Captain’s daughter. “Fine.” He grunted and walked away. He didn’t need to know where she was going. He didn’t even care. No; he did care. That was the problem.
Andrew looked Lindy over. Her smooth brown skin had been darkened slightly by the sun. Her dark, curly hair fell softly above her bra line. She had developed late in the game, but the late bloom had been good to her.
He had to stop thinking about her, stop torturing himself. He needed to get laid. He had a date with Dona Durraini and she was always up for sex with him. It would have to be enough. He watched Lindy disembark and disappear around the corner. She had changed—a lot. He couldn’t ignore it, he couldn’t ignore her.
Sofie climbed aboard. “Hey, Drew.”
“Hey,” he grumbled.
“Bad trip?”
“No.”
“Okay,” she mumbled.
He was in a bad mood, which meant this was going to be a rough trip. Of course he could just man the helm and let Sofie keep the guests entertained.
“Maybe you need to relax a little before we go.”
He felt Sofie’s arm wrap around him and her free hand slide down to his crotch. The delicate pressure assured him she knew just the way to help him relax. He closed his eyes and gripped the helm. He felt her fingers trace the zipper on his khaki shorts. Sofie was probably the only woman in a hundred mile radius that he wouldn’t even consider having sex with. It wasn’t because she was a little on the thick side. He liked his women with a little weight—although he liked them in better shape too. Sofie drank like a fish and screwed anything with legs. He wanted a woman with more pride in herself, more style and more class.
He gritted his teeth. His dick didn’t seem to be as partial. “Sofie,” he lowered his hand to stop her enticing assault and at the same time he opened his eyes. There stood Lindy, eyes wide with betrayal.
“Lindy.”
“I forgot my bag.” She picked up the small straw bag with the little Daisy on the front. The look of disappointment in her eyes was gut wrenching. He wanted her to move on. He had done everything he could to keep her from falling in love with him. This was the perfect solution because the look in her eyes told him her pining days were over. He should hav
e been satisfied, but he wasn’t.
“Lindy.”
“Bon Voyage.” She turned on her heals and walked away.
“Lindy!”
She didn’t stop. He couldn’t let this go—not like this. He disembarked.
“Drew! We have a tour in ten.”
Damn, he did. He could take care of that. “Vincente!” He ran to catch up with Vincente. “Can you take my load?”
“It’s my day off—courtesy of the North Star.”
“I know. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t an emergency. I’ll take one of your night trips too.”
“Sure.”
“Thanks. She’s gassed up and ready to go. Sofie’s on board.” Andrew watched the grin encroach on Vincente’s face. “No sex on my boat.”
“You’re spoiling my fun.”
Andrew jogged off to the parking lot just in time to see Lindy’s blue VW pull away. He hopped in his truck and went after her. He would fix this.
Chapter Two
Lindy sat patiently waiting all the while the image of Andrew and Sofie attacked her senses. How could he—with Sofie? Lindy wasn’t oblivious about Andrew’s sexual conquest. The man had always had an appetite for women. She remembered how he would always have one waiting for him when they docked…usually the same one. Back then it was a red head. Lindy had nicknamed her Red. She was fully aware that the men liked to come home to a warm bed. Her father had done the same after her mother left them. Knowing didn’t make it easy to accept.
With Andrew, she had always assumed one day she could be the woman he wanted to come home to. Now, now she knew about Sofie. Sofie wasn’t even his type!
“They’re probably doing it right now.” She hadn’t realized the words escaped her mouth until Dr. Wilson covered the mouth piece of his phone and said, “What?”
“Nothing.”
They were doing it on her boat! That jerk! She was going to have to disinfect every crevice of the Night Owl. The thought “how could he,” hung on her mind. Then she remembered that he didn’t feel anything for her. He thought of her as a kid. She didn’t have a shot in the dark with him and yet she had set herself up for the fall. Well, she was through being the idiot. She was educated, respected, attractive, maybe even a little sexy. She could find a man who would appreciate her. Or maybe she would forgo men and stick to her work. Maybe she would take a teaching job. Maybe she would go back to Florida again and take a research job. No, she couldn’t do that. She had just opened a business. Of course, the business seemed to be doing just fine with her dad running the show. The Captain was always perfect at business matters. Maybe that’s why she wanted his help. Everything he touched turned to gold—except his marriage. That had been as much his fault as her mom’s. Still, she loved her dad more than anything. She didn’t want to leave again. She wouldn’t leave again.
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