The Pirate Ghost
Page 19
“Aye, lass, that it is,” he agreed. “But as I was freed from the spell, so might he be one day, and whoever lets him out could well be the next one captured by it. Better to abandon a scoundrel now than to risk a better person being trapped next time.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Oh, yes, I am right. Besides, he might learn a bit of humanity after a few hundred years of watching the fish swim by. Shall I drop the accursed thing and be done with it, Mrs. Dyer?”
“Yes, Mr. Dyer, for I don’t want him watching over us tonight,” she said with a grin. “I don’t want anyone watching at all.”
“Aye, privacy we’ll have, milady. And tomorrow, I’ll teach you how to sail this marvelous sailboat of ours.”
“And we’ll sail around the world together forever.”
“Yes, my love, forever.”
He let the amulet slip from his hand to the waves and then took the centuries-old ribbon and placed it in her hand. “For you, love, to bind your beautiful hair.”
“She wouldn’t mind?”
“She would surely approve. I love you, Tess, and love grants its approval.”
The sun disappeared beneath the horizon as they embraced. Above them, the stars came out like the thousand eyes of ancient benevolent gods, keeping watch over the lovers in the night.
Weddings by De Wilde
Since the turn of the century the elegant and
fashionable DeWilde stores have helped brides
around the world turn the fantasy of their
“Special Day” into reality. But now the store
and three generations of family are torn apart
by the divorce of Grace and Jeffrey DeWilde.
As family members face new challenges and
loves — and a long-secret mystery — the lives of
Grace and Jeffrey intermingle with store
employees, friends and relatives in this fast-
paced, glamorous, internationally set series. For
weddings and romance, glamour and fun-filled
entertainment, enter the world of DeWilde...
Twelve remarkable books, coming to you
once a month, beginning in April 1996
Weddings by DeWilde begins with
Shattered Vows
by Jasmine Cresswell
Here’s a preview!
“SPEND THE NIGHT with me, Lianne.”
No softening lies, no beguiling promises, just the curt offer of a night of sex. She closed her eyes, shutting out temptation. She had never expected to feel this sort of relentless drive for sexual fulfillment, so she had no mechanisms in place for coping with it. “No.” The one-word denial was all she could manage to articulate.
His grip on her arms tightened as if he might refuse to accept her answer. Shockingly, she wished for a split second that he would ignore her rejection and simply bundle her into the car and drive her straight to his flat, refusing to take no for an answer. All the pleasures of mindless sex, with none of the responsibility. For a couple of seconds he neither moved nor spoke. Then he released her, turning abruptly to open the door on the passenger side of his Jaguar. “I’ll drive you home,” he said, his voice hard and flat. “Get in.”
The traffic was heavy, and the rain started again as an annoying drizzle that distorted depth perception made driving difficult, but Lianne didn’t fool herself that the silence inside the car was caused by the driving conditions. The air around them crackled and sparked with their thwarted desire. Her body was still on fire. Why didn’t Gabe say something? she thought, feeling aggrieved.
Perhaps because he was finding it as difficult as she was to think of something appropriate to say. He was thirty years old, long past the stage of needing to bed a woman just so he could record another sexual conquest in his little black book. He’d spent five months dating Julia, which suggested he was a man who valued friendship as an element in his relationships with women. Since he didn’t seem to like her very much, he was probably as embarrassed as she was by the stupid, inexplicable intensity of their physical response to each other.
“Maybe we should just set aside a weekend to have wild, uninterrupted sex,” she said, thinking aloud. “Maybe that way we’d get whatever it is we feel for each other out of our systems and be able to move on with the rest of our lives.”
His mouth quirked into a rueful smile. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”
“Why? Because you’re the man? Are you sexist enough to believe that women don’t have sexual urges? I’m just as aware of what’s going on between us as you are, Gabe. Am I supposed to pretend I haven’t noticed that we practically ignite whenever we touch? And that we have nothing much in common except mutual lust—and a good friend we betrayed?”
ISBN : 978-1-4592-7568-3
THE PIRATE GHOST
Copyright © 1996 by Laura Pender
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
“The only warmth I can feel is your warmth,” Gabriel whispered huskily.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Books by Laura Pender
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
Weddings by De Wilde
Copyright