Harlequin Historical September 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: Lord Havelock's ListSaved by the Viking WarriorThe Pirate Hunter

by Annie Burrows

  She smiled at him again, this time trying to hide her disappointment, and patted him awkwardly on the arm. Before he could say anything at all a cart lumbered round the corner and the old man who was taking them back to Road Town raised a hand in greeting.

  * * *

  He didn’t know what to say. Suddenly his relationship with Mia had gone from friendly flirtation to fantastic sex to a declaration of love to this awful awkwardness. She’d told him she loved him. He hadn’t known how to react. What did a man say in response to such a declaration? ‘Thank you very much’ didn’t really seem to cut it and most other responses were pretty inadequate, too.

  When she’d said it he’d wondered if she’d expected him to tell her he loved her, too. He’d been too stunned to say anything at all. In truth, he didn’t know how he truly felt about Mia. She seemed to occupy his thoughts every waking moment of the day. He either wanted to discuss an idea with her, make her laugh or rip her clothes off and ravish her. He hadn’t thought about a single other woman since he’d met her.

  He certainly cared for her. Never before had he wanted to look after another person quite so much. But love was a big word, a big emotion. Will had never felt love for a woman before. Lust and desire undoubtedly, but love?

  For as long as he could remember, Will had been on his own. Certainly he’d had friends, family who cared for him and whom he’d loved back, but no one who had taken over his world like Mia. He’d always assumed he would be on his own, a bachelor until the end—it was just in his nature. He lived alone and worked alone. It was just how it was, how it had always been.

  A rebellious part of him asked whether it really had to be that way in the future. Maybe sharing a life with someone else would be more fulfilling.

  ‘Lieutenant Glass won’t be happy we upped and left without taking him with us,’ Mia said cheerily as if she hadn’t just rocked the foundations of his world a few minutes earlier.

  ‘Mmm.’ Will had never been great at holding a conversation whilst deep in thought. When his mind was stuck on one thing he found it difficult to engage with another. At the present time his mind was very much locked on trying to untangle his feelings for Mia.

  Even if he did love her, did that change anything? They didn’t have a future. In a few weeks if all went well with his mission they would be on opposite sides of the world. He would have returned to England to run the family estate, once again alone.

  ‘He might have called in the Navy,’ Mia persevered.

  ‘Mmm.’

  ‘Or maybe he’s jumped into the sea and got eaten by the kraken.’

  It took a couple of seconds for her words to sink in and another few to process them.

  ‘We can only hope,’ he said with a grin.

  They emerged over the top of the hill and started the descent back to Road Town. Mia seemed quite content to sit in silence for the rest of the ride, allowing Will further time to ponder on his feelings. The problem was there was no easy answer. He rather thought a man should know when he fell in love, so maybe he didn’t love Mia. On the other hand, he cared for Mia more than he had anyone in the world since his brother and that was after just a few days of knowing her. If they were in each other’s company much longer, he could only see his feeling growing.

  It would be easier not to love her, Will decided. If he loved her their inevitable separation would be agonising. He glanced over at Mia sitting serenely beside him and realised if the mere thought of being apart from her was agonising, the reality would be pure hell.

  Chapter Fifteen

  ‘Where the hell have you been?’ As soon as they’d stepped back aboard the boat, Lieutenant Glass had sought them out, looking extremely angry.

  ‘Gathering intelligence,’ Will said calmly. And making love to Mia. And probably breaking her heart.

  Glass looked the pair of them up and down and his lips curled into an unattractive sneer.

  ‘Gathering intelligence. I see.’ He took a step towards them. ‘And this occupied you through the entire night.’

  Will felt the anger boil up inside him. Normally he could control his emotions so well, but Glass had a way of bringing out the worst in him.

  ‘I understand why you are here aboard this ship, Lieutenant, but can we get one thing clear? I do not report to you or your precious Navy. I am a free agent brought in to do a job you have been struggling with for far too long. So whilst I am very pleased to share any intelligence I uncover, I will not report my every move to you. Is that clear?’

  Glass stepped back as though Will had slapped him.

  ‘Is that clear?’ he repeated, his voice dangerously low.

  The Lieutenant nodded and looked around him. Nearly the whole crew had stopped what they were doing to listen to the exchange. Humiliation and hatred flared in Glass’s eyes and Will realised he’d just made a powerful enemy.

  ‘We found where The Flaming Dragon has been sheltering,’ he said in a conciliatory tone.

  ‘Good.’

  ‘And it seems we just missed it when we sailed around the island.’

  ‘Wonderful.’

  ‘But it does mean we can get an idea of Del Torres’ schedule. It feels like we’re closing in.’

  ‘Wonderful.’ Each word was delivered in a flat monotone by the Lieutenant. ‘Unfortunately whilst you were off “gathering information”, The Flaming Dragon has attacked another merchant ship.’

  Out of the corner of his eye Will saw Mia shift uncomfortably.

  Lieutenant Glass turned to face her. ‘It seems this time your brother has killed twelve of their crew.’

  The pain was so apparent in her eyes Will wanted to reach out and embrace her. Normally Mia’s face was brimming with happiness and barely controlled mirth, but now all he could see was misery.

  ‘What a lovely family you come from, Miss Del Torres,’ Glass said with a sneer.

  Will felt the fingers of his hand bunch into a fist and it was all he could do to stop himself punching Glass squarely on the jaw. Mia must have seen the miniscule movement as he clenched the muscles of his arms and stepped to his side, resting her hand on his sleeve in a restraining manner.

  ‘If we have the coordinates of where my brother has attacked the second ship...’ Mia trailed off as Will spun to look at her.

  ‘Genius!’ he exclaimed and couldn’t help planting a kiss firmly on her forehead.

  Glass looked puzzled by their interaction. For an instant Will had the urge to exclude him from their discovery, but he knew that was petty and would only bring trouble in the future.

  ‘We have the position of The Flaming Dragon yesterday morning and her position today. From that we might be able to work out where she’s heading next and when we have a chance of intercepting her.’

  A look of comprehension dawned on Glass’s face and for an instant he looked almost excited.

  ‘Meet me in the mess room in two minutes,’ Will commanded, and hurried off below decks to his cabin to fetch the maps.

  * * *

  When he reached the mess room Glass and Mia were sitting in uncomfortable silence. Mia looked close to tears and he wondered what hurtful things the Lieutenant had said in the few minutes he’d been absent. Half of him wanted to pick Glass up by the collar and pummel him until he apologised to Mia. Will hated seeing Mia upset, but he knew now wasn’t the time to set things straight with Glass. Time was of the essence; they might have a real lead on where Del Torres was and a chance to catch up.

  He spread the map of the Caribbean out on the dining table and placed a finger on Smuggler’s Cove in Tortola.

  ‘We know The Flaming Dragon was here yesterday morning. Lieutenant, where was the merchant ship attacked?’

  Glass checked the coordinate readings on the top of the map and then placed a finger just west of the island
of St Martin. Both Will and Mia broke out into wide smiles. They had him.

  ‘Care to share your revelation?’ Glass asked frostily.

  ‘From past sightings and attacks we’ve worked out a proposed route Del Torres might take through the Caribbean, places he may shelter, that sort of thing.’

  Glass sneered. ‘Del Torres doesn’t follow a route. If he did, the Navy would have recognised the pattern and caught him.’

  ‘He follows a route,’ Mia said quietly. ‘My brother likes to have a plan.’

  Will pushed on. ‘We’ve got two points of reference and two sets of timings. We can work out the direction Del Torres is heading in and how far he will be from his starting point.’

  ‘Sounds very unlikely.’ Glass remained unimpressed.

  Will turned to Mia and together they pored over the map. She was standing close to him, so close he could smell her sweet scent radiating from her skin. He had a sudden flashback of when she’d pulled her dress over her head and given him his first view of her beautiful naked body. He swallowed and tried to banish the image from his head. Mia naked wasn’t a picture that helped him to concentrate.

  Her arm brushed against his and the soft contact conjured more pictures in his mind. Mia lying back in the sand, gasping in pleasure as he touched her breasts and giving herself to him completely as they climaxed together.

  Mia coughed, startling him from his memories.

  ‘I said we can probably intercept The Flaming Dragon,’ Mia said slowly.

  Will nodded, trying to focus on the mission ahead.

  He did a few quick calculations of speed and direction, then leaned closer to Mia. He plucked one of her hair pins from her head, allowing a few silky strands to fall free, and placed it triumphantly into the map.

  Glass looked at him as though he’d grown two heads. Mia self-consciously tucked the stray strands of hair behind one ear. Will had to resist the urge to reach out and stop her. He wanted her to shake her entire head of hair free from its constrictions.

  ‘There,’ he said triumphantly.

  Glass snorted with amusement. ‘You truly think you can waltz in and pinpoint the whereabouts of Del Torres after a couple of days? You’re deluded. Or mad.’ The last part was said under his breath, but loud enough for Will to hear.

  He just grinned. ‘Maybe,’ he said, ‘but it’s a damn sight closer than the Navy have been in two years.’

  The Lieutenant turned bright red and his eyes narrowed. He’d suspected it before, but now Will knew—he’d made an enemy for life.

  ‘Go on your wild goose chase,’ Glass said, his voice dangerously low. ‘And when you’ve spent all the Governor’s money wasting time sailing around in circles whilst you bed this whore, let’s see who the saviour of the Caribbean is then.’

  Will felt the insult like a physical punch. He’d called Mia a whore. His body reacted instinctively, his right hand balling into a fist and drawing back. He felt the power in his arm as it began to straighten on its way to make contact with Glass’s jaw.

  ‘Stop,’ Mia said calmly and placed a gentle hand on his right arm. He felt the power being sucked out of his punch and let the arm drop to his side.

  ‘He’s not worth it,’ Mia said, her eyes holding a gentle plea.

  ‘He insulted you.’

  Mia shrugged. ‘I’ve been insulted many times before,’ she said with a small smile. ‘I’m sure my pride will survive.’

  ‘Apologise,’ Will commanded, turning to Glass.

  ‘For telling the truth? Never.’ With that the Lieutenant stalked out of the room.

  Will was all set to follow him and make him apologise.

  ‘Leave it,’ Mia said. ‘Honestly, he’s not worth it.’

  ‘He called you a whore.’

  ‘I’ve been called much worse.’

  Anger and indignation on Mia’s behalf boiled up inside him.

  ‘By whom?’ he asked, picturing himself hunting down every person who’d ever insulted the wonderful woman standing beside him.

  Mia laughed. ‘By too many people for you to fight.’

  Will felt some of the anger melt away at the sound of her laugh.

  ‘Sit down,’ Mia commanded, ‘or I won’t relax, thinking you’re going to run off after the charming Lieutenant at any second.’

  He sat and felt Mia sit down in the chair beside him.

  ‘You’re not a whore,’ Will said, turning towards her. ‘You know that, don’t you?’

  ‘I know exactly what I am,’ she said, ‘and comments from idiots like Glass don’t bother me.’

  He wondered how much she was saying to calm him down so he didn’t go and beat Glass to a pulp for insulting her.

  ‘I’m the daughter of an Afro-Caribbean runaway slave and a Spanish sailor and I’m the sister of a Bajan pirate. But that’s not who I am. I’m Mia Del Torres, I care about other people, I like to laugh and I’m kind to animals.’

  Will grinned at her assessment of herself.

  ‘You’re much more than that,’ he said. ‘So much more.’

  He felt his body inch towards hers and had the overwhelming urge to kiss her. He remembered the sweet taste of her lips and wanted nothing more than to press his lips against hers and get lost in the heady sensation that overcame him every time their bodies became entwined.

  Will reached up and tugged the strand of hair he’d set loose earlier from behind her ear.

  ‘So soft,’ he murmured.

  Mia’s mouth opened just slightly and he knew she wanted to be kissed. He twirled the strand of hair between his fingers, wondering if he could pull out all the pins and set her hair free before Mia realised what he was doing and stopped him.

  He leaned forward and was dismayed to see Mia pull away from him.

  ‘We’d better tell the Captain,’ she said, her voice husky and her cheeks flushed, ‘Otherwise we’ll never get to the interception point on time.’

  Will felt his response get stuck in his throat.

  ‘I’ll tell him,’ Mia said resolutely, then stood up and promptly fled the room.

  Will looked after her with shock. He didn’t think a woman had ever physically fled from him before. Yes, he’d had his fair share of flirtatious rebuffs, but Mia had run as if she were being chased by six wolves.

  He sat in stunned silence for well over a minute, trying to figure out why she’d reacted like that. They’d kissed before. Only a couple of hours ago they’d been doing much more than kissing on the sands of Smuggler’s Cove. He thought about her declaration of love and his silent response and cursed. How could he expect to kiss her again when she’d told him she loved him?

  He was a fool. A damn stupid fool. Will knew he should stay away from Mia, but he felt as though every time he saw her she drew him closer in. He wanted to kiss her. More than that he wanted to lay her down every night and make love to her.

  ‘Idiot,’ he murmured. He’d always prided himself on being so self-possessed, his every action well thought out, yet now all he wanted to do was throw caution to the wind and sail off into the sunset with Mia.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Mia felt her heart pounding, but wouldn’t allow herself to stop and catch her breath. He’d nearly kissed her again. She had seen the unmistakable look in his eyes as he’d inched closer.

  ‘Captain,’ Mia called as she emerged into the Caribbean sunshine, ‘we’ve got a new destination.’

  The Captain smiled and gestured at the brooding figure of Lieutenant Glass leaning over the rail.

  ‘I gathered as much. Although the Lieutenant informed me I was about to set off on a wild goose chase.’

  ‘I think this may be it,’ Mia said, her hands shaking with trepidation. ‘When we arrive at our destination I think the men should know to be prepared.�
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  The Captain looked at her thoughtfully and nodded. Mia gave him the new coordinates and he set about organising his crew.

  ‘We should be there at first light tomorrow,’ he informed her. ‘Make sure you get some rest before then.’

  She was left alone on the deck as the crew busied themselves, readying the ship for departure. She was torn between wanting to stay on deck and feel the sun on her face or retreating to her cabin. If she stayed on deck, there was the risk Glass might seek her out and she was sure Will wouldn’t leave her sitting on her own for long, either. What she wanted right now was some space to think. To assess and plan for the events of the next few days and make her peace with them.

  So she turned on her heel and headed back below decks. It seemed dark out of the direct sunlight and Mia shivered at the loss of the sun’s warmth.

  Back in her cabin she closed the door firmly behind her and sank on to her narrow bed. Over the last few days she’d been thinking increasingly about what would happen when she laid eyes on her brother. She hadn’t seen him for so long she wondered if she would recognise him.

  Mia dreaded his reaction, the shock at being betrayed by his own sister, the anger that he couldn’t even trust his own flesh and blood to stand strong with him. She wondered again if she was doing the right thing, but immediately dismissed the doubt in her mind. Her brother was no longer the little boy she’d known and loved, he was a ruthless killer.

  She’d meant it when she had told Will there was more to her than her parents and her brother. She was her own person and she could make her own decisions, decide what was right for herself. And she knew helping Will catch Jorge and his crew was the right thing to do, even if a pang of guilt sliced through her every time she thought about it.

  Mia closed her eyes and allowed her head to flop back on to the thin pillow. It had been a tiring few days. One didn’t often save a man from drowning, get arrested, and commence a hunt for a pirate ship all in one week, let alone fall in love.

  She tried to push thoughts of love from her mind—they weren’t helping anyone. She was pleased she’d told Will she loved him, otherwise in the long years of loneliness she might regret her silence and wonder how he would have responded if she’d just been brave enough to declare her love. There was definitely no regret in her mind, but she had wanted him to respond. Maybe not with a declaration of love in return, that would have been too much to ask, but with something. She needed to know how he felt about her. Mia thought it was more than simple lust; she saw caring and concern in his eyes when he looked at her and he was always seeking out her company even when there were other people around.