by Kimberly Nee
Finn curled her fingers about his wrist. “The Oceania?”
“Aye. The Ramírez family was one of the shipping giants, and I took the greatest of pleasures in blasting her flagship from the water and slaughtering her crew. The gem in the Ramírez crown was captained by Eduardo Ramírez, the very same bastard who destroyed María. Unfortunately for me, Ramírez survived.”
“Oh, Iñigo…”
“She died in my arms in the squalid shack where she’d been subject to unspeakable torture.” His voice trembled slightly. “I have never forgotten the sight of her, back flayed to the bone, blood—” He cut himself off with a shake of his head. “I know you do not wish to hear this, Finn—”
“It’s important I hear it, Iñigo,” she interrupted softly. “It’s why you are the man you are. I would be a fool to think there have been none before me. It’s a surprise, hearing this, learning this about you, but I am not angry or betrayed.” She brought her hand up to rest against his cheek.
He sighed, reaching up to comb his fingers through his hair. “I had made it my life’s goal, destroying all Ramírez holds dear. I sought and defeated any captain in his employ. Any ship sailing under his name, I took great delight in sending to the bottom of the ocean—the Oceania, the Magdalena , the—”
“Smiling Jack?”
“Aye.” His expression softened as she smiled up at him. “And the satisfaction was only temporary. Until I encountered Beauregard's ship. I had no idea what treasure the Smiling Jack carried. And I do not mean those moldy, waterlogged crates in her hold.”
Her stomach flopped, but it was a delicious flop, one that filled her with a happiness she’d only recently discovered. Now, everything made perfect sense and she felt infinitely closer to him. Snuggling into him, she murmured, “I thank you for sharing with me.”
He held her gaze for a long moment, but said nothing. He cleared his throat, leaning over, to trail a fingertip along Aidrian’s cheek. “Hungry little man, isn’t he?”
She smiled, allowing him to change the subject without argument. “Always.”
“What about you, love? Have you eaten?”
She nodded. “Adeline brought me a tray earlier and hovered at my elbow until every last morsel was eaten.”
He grinned. “That’s because she is terrified of me and I made good use of it when I instructed her to bring it to you.”
Finn shook her head, but couldn’t help her smile. “You are terrible, Spaniard. If it weren’t for her and Ennis, things could have ended much differently.”
Iñigo's grin faded. “Aye. You are right, love. But you owe a debt of thanks to Diego. He was the one who made me see through my own bullheadedness. And, I must admit, he owed you a whit of thanks as well. Surprisingly, he seems to have gone sweet on Adeline.”
“Surprises you, does it?” she asked, shifting Aidrian to her right breast and pulling her chemise back into place. “I’ll have you know, amongst those at Eden’s Pass, she was one of the loveliest of ladies.”
“Oh, I meant not that she is unattractive,” Iñigo amended, tracing his forefinger down her cheek. “I suppose it’s simply that she pales in comparison to you, cabin boy.”
Finn laughed. “Please. The cabin boy Finn is dead, I am afraid. I find I far prefer being Fiona now.”
“As do I. Imagine my horror when I realized I was falling in love with my cabin boy.”
“And you fully expect me to—” Finn stopped suddenly as his words penetrated her skull. Lifting her eyes to his, she whispered, “What was that you said?”
Iñigo's eyes softened to molten gold. “Aye, Finn. Imagine the surprise of the dread pirate Captain Sebastiano when he realized he was falling in love with a boy.” His fingers splayed over her cheek, caressed her as he continued, “Te quiero, mi querida Fiona.”
She frowned at him. “English, please?”
He gave her a gentle smile. “With pleasure, my lady. I love you, my darling Fiona. I vowed I would never utter such silly words again, but somehow, they no longer seem quite as silly. I do think some of your dreaminess has rubbed off on me.”
“Dreaminess?”
He nodded. “Aye. You are a dreamer, my love. And before you can argue, know this. I would not want you any other way. I love you for that dreaminess, Fiona, for your spirit and the fire burning brightly within you. I thank God each day for crossing paths with you and bringing you into my life, for bringing this little angel into my life. I never knew how I needed both until it happened.”
“Does that mean you married me not out of honor, then?”
He leaned in to brush her lips with a kiss. “No. It was my excuse and it served me well until I could no longer deny what it was I felt for you. You needs understand, my lady, I vowed I would never allow myself to love a woman again. I would never be foolish enough to risk that loss again. I fought as best I could to deny that which stared me in the face.
“Then you left and what I felt took me by surprise. I was angry, of course. But I was more worried than anything. I was faced with the very real possibility you were gone forever and it terrified me to my soul. More than anything else.”
“Oh, but let us not forget, you had Honoria.”
Iñigo's brow furrowed, but then smoothed and he smiled. “There is nothing to forget about her.”
She gave him a long look. “And you expect me to believe that nonsense? I know she shared your bed, Spaniard. I know that is why you sent me off to mingle with your men—to have a whit of privacy. With her.”
Husky laughter rose to his lips. “Finn, I sent you off to enjoy some time with your friends. There was no ulterior motive and I did not sleep with Honoria. Even if she had not chosen to take her leave of us, you would have naught to fear. True, I will admit I used her—ah—interest to whet your jealousy, but I neither dallied with her, nor did I wish to dally with her.” At her scowl, he leaned close to nuzzle her. “It was childish, I suppose, but I did it because you were most amusing when you tried hard to hide your jealousy.”
“I was not jealous and what do you mean, you did it apurpose?” she sputtered, jerking back to glare at him as she toyed with the notion of shoving him off the bed.
His arched eyebrow told her flatly he did not believe her. “I suppose you ought to rethink your anger, love,” he replied, his voice light and teasing, “If I had slept with her, it would have been only because you’d left. Up until then, she held no interest for me. I was far too fascinated by my adorable little cabin boy.”
“Do not lie. You were repulsed by me.”
“Only when I knew you to be a boy. And you can hardly fault me for that.”
She smiled. “No. I don’t suppose I could. It was beyond foolish of me. Running away as I did, I mean.”
“No. It’s what I should have expected. You would never settle for anything less than what you wanted and it was my idiocy which almost forced your hand. We are very much alike, my lady, and I would have done the same thing.”
She smiled as he kissed her again. “Aye. I suppose you are right,” she murmured when he pulled away. “And it was my idiocy which very nearly ruined everything. Had I but admitted it myself, I could have spent the rest of the time convincing you why you simply had to love me in return.”
“And I’ve no doubt you’d have done your damnedest to do that.”
“Oh, of course.”
“And what of captaining your own ship?” he asked softly, reaching down to stroke a fingertip along Aidrian’s pink cheek.
Finn chuckled. “Somehow, I do not think I belong at the helm of a ship.” She lifted her eyes to his. “And I know I’ve no desire to bind myself flat again.”
His eyes sparkling with mischief, Iñigo said, “I will give you command of one of my ships, Finn. And mayhap one day I will allow you to sail from here to one of the nearby islands.”
She shook her head. “I thank you, but no. I have no need to wander any longer. I’ve all the freedom I ever dreamed of right here. Though, I would like to lea
rn a bit more where swordplay is concerned. I was doing quite well, and would hate to lose what I’ve already learned.”
“Going to try to best me again, Finn?”
“Hardly. I know better now. But I must confess, it was rather nice, when you pressed up against me that way. Very nice, indeed.”
“Is that so?”
She nodded. “I would need another sword, though. Since you sent mine to the bottom of the ocean. Would you be agreeable?”
“I will see to it that you have the finest steel on the island. I’ve always felt badly about striking yours from your hand. You were quite impressive with it. Especially for a woman.”
“I’m not so certain that is a compliment.”
“It is. I was impressed when I thought you a boy, but stunned when I learned you were a woman. Yours is a natural talent. I should hate to see it fade. If you wish to learn more, I am most willing to teach. But there will be a price for my lessons, you understand.”
Finn rolled her eyes. “Dare I ask what that price will be?”
His grin was alive with mischief. “Trust me. You will not complain.”
“Is that so?”
“Absolutely.”
She mulled it over for a moment, smoothing her hand over the top of Aidrian’s head. “Well… I did vow absolutely fealty, did I not?”
His laugh was soft. “And you’ve yet to fulfill that vow.”
“Nobody’s perfect.”
Their eyes met and her toes almost curled at the look she received. He leaned in and kissed her again. “I love you, Finn. Ah—that is, Fiona.”
Her smile was wide, almost painful, as she nestled her head on his shoulder and murmured, “And I love you, Spaniard.”
Catching her chin in one hand, he lifted her face to his to meet her eyes. “Silver. Not even a hint of smoke swirling through those beautiful eyes of yours. Ah, love, I do hope the day will come when you will prefer using my name over that disdainful Spaniard you seem to favor.”
Her laughter was as silvery as he described her eyes. “I beg your pardon, then. I meant to say, I love you, Iñigo.”
After Aidrian had been put to bed for the night and they finished supper, Iñigo caught Finn's hand to draw her up from her chair. Without a word, he tugged her into his arms, sweeping her off her feet to spirit her straightaway to their room.
She offered no resistance as he pressed her into the tick and caught her lips in a kiss, fairly snatching the breath from her lungs. Melting into him, she waited until they parted before murmuring, “What do you think you are doing?”
His lips scorched a path up along the curve of her neck. “I do believe I have a sudden, mad urge to make love to my wife. Have you objections to that?”
“I might.”
He pulled away, his eyes a clouded mixture of amber confusion and molten-gold desire. “You do?”
She smiled, bracing her hands against his chest and pushing to topple him onto his back. As he gazed up at her, she whispered, “Aye. Would it be possible for me to make love to you?”
His breath caught at her words, his body tightening against her, Drawing her down into him, he whispered, “Careful, love. Make no promises you cannot keep.”
“Ah, I’ve learned that lesson already, Iñigo. And I’ve learned it well.” As she spoke, she trailed her fingers through the laces on his shirt, letting them skim over the warm flesh of his chest. “And now, you will hush and see how well I keep my word these days.”
Iñigo couldn’t hold back his groan as her lips grazed his skin. Smiling, she rained kisses down his belly, to the waist of his breeches. His heavy sigh sent a ripple through her, a heady rush accompanied it as his fingers twisted in her thick black hair and he growled, “Dios mío, my love, you drive me mad. Know you this?”
She lifted her head long enough to give him a smile as she replied, “It’s only fair. Now, do hush, won’t you? You have been in command long enough now. It’s time you relinquished command and do as I say for once.”
His laugh emerged as an airy sigh as he let his hands fall to the tick, one on either side of his head. His eyes held hers, drawing her into their world of sensual promise as he growled, “As you wish, love. I am yours. Forever.”
About the Author
To learn more about Kimberly Nee please visit www.kimberlynee.com. Send an email to Kimberly Nee at [email protected] or join her Yahoo! group to join in the fun with other readers as well as Kimberly Nee. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kimberlynee.
He captured her body. Now he must capture her heart.
Capture Her Heart
© 2008 Cynthia Breeding
Abducted at sword-point and bound to a bed aboard a fast-sailing frigate headed for Constantinople, Lady Kaitlin Coltan knows she must be mad to be attracted to the handsome Scottish captain. But perhaps seducing him will change his mind about selling her into sexual slavery. If only she knew how.
The last thing Adair MacDouglas needs is overpowering lust for his beautiful captive, but the Sultan will only pay well if Adair delivers a virgin. He pushes his guilt aside, reminding himself that her sale will avenge the rape of his young sister by Kaitlin’s brother, and sets about teaching the stubborn lass the art of being a good concubine.
But when Kaitlin’s life is at risk, Adair realizes his feelings for her run deep as the sea. He captured her body—now he must capture her heart.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Capture Her Heart:
Damn him. Kaitlin glared at Adair. The man was infuriating, standing there with a lopsided grin on his face. Well, she’d show him. She took a deep breath and suddenly darted around him toward the ship’s rail. It was now or never.
In the split second it took him to realize what she’d done, Kaitlin had one leg over the rail. An iron arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her back on deck. Adair spun her around and backed her against the cabin wall, pressing his body against hers.
“What the hell were ye doing?”
She didn’t want to admit—not even think—about how good he felt. “What did it look like? I told you I’d be no man’s concubine, and you can’t make me into one.”
A preternatural glow made his eyes pure gold. “I think I can, lass.” He laced his fingers with hers and brought her arms over her head, pinning them to the wood. With one deft motion, his boots spread her legs just enough that she had no traction to kick him, and then he lowered his mouth to hers.
His tongue exploring her mouth sent ripples of warmth coursing through her veins. The crush of her breasts on his muscled chest made her nipples ache and she sought the friction of brushing against him. His instant reaction was to grind against her hips, causing his granite-like thing to house itself between her thighs. Ahhh! Kaitlin felt a throbbing sensation begin to pulsate through her belly. She had not known she had such a sensitive spot down there, but he obviously did, for he was teasing it now, bucking against her. Her body tingled, tiny pricks of flame igniting her skin everywhere. The area between her legs blazed with desire and need. Her thoughts centered only on the wonderful sensation of his jutting thing banging at her, begging to be released from the confines of his clothing. And then the contraction came, one great convulsive spasm that caused her to shudder uncontrollably. She gasped for air.
When her mind could function again, she slowly opened her eyes to find Adair watching her, an inscrutable look on his face. He still had her hands imprisoned. Embarrassed, she looked down. “I didn’t know I could feel…”
Adair shifted her wrists to one of his hands and tilted her chin up with a finger. “Ah, lass. That was only the first lesson.” He stepped back, but did not release his hold on her. “It’s obvious I can’t let ye roam the deck unless ye’re tied to me, so I’ll have to keep ye confined to the cabin.”
Kaitlin stared at him. “You can’t keep me caged like an animal.”
“For certes I can. It’s my ship.”
I’ll never have a chance to escape! “I’ll go stark raving mad!”
He leaned closer. “Ye’ll have your lessons to look forward to. Every night. By the time Ali Stafa sees ye, ye’ll be a most compliant concubine.”
She had no intention of being compliant at anything, but she shivered in anticipation of what Adair might do. Having seen a stallion mount a mare once before her brothers had pulled her away, she knew where that hard thing should go. She wondered what it would feel like actually inside her and was surprised when a heated rush filled her again and started her nub pulsing. But she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing what her traitorous body was doing. “What if I refuse?”
For a moment he looked surprised and then he grinned. “Then the next lesson will be teaching ye to obey me.”
“Obey you?” Kaitlin sputtered angrily. Even her father treaded lightly when ordering her around, and her brothers gave her a wide berth if her temper was up. “Never.”
“We’ll see,” he said.
There’s more to this man than satin and lace.
Met by Chance
© 2008 Lynne Connolly
Book 3 of the Triple Countess series
After a serious riding accident, Perdita Garland is back in society. Unfortunately the first man who catches her interest, Charles Dalton, Marquis of Petherbridge, turns out to be a popinjay with a spoiled daughter in tow. And his equally spoiled sister is flirting with the same fortune-hunting suitor who almost cost Perdita her life. What’s a lady to do? Warn the marquis of the danger, of course.
Charles knows that English society finds his manners and dress astonishing, but they cover a man broken by a disastrous marriage to a faithless wife. Now a widowed father determined not to be fooled again, he is nevertheless charmed by Perdita and the steely strength of will under her fragile exterior. If only the lady would mind her own business.