Page 47 of Enchanted By a Pirate
Dinner? She immediately saw several courses of the most delicious food in front of her. "It's too bad that lately, I can only manage to eat half a biscuit and five berries."
He laughed. It was a warm, deep laugh and she liked it. "Just watch what Johnny conjures up. He knows what you can tolerateand will prepare a meal that will have you consuming more than you can imagine."
"Seriously? Can he do that? What's his secret?"
"You tried to get that out of him before, but he kept it to himself, knowing full well that I'd cut off his hand if he revealed it." He grinned.
"Why?"
"Whatever tricks keep you with me must remain mine." He winked at her and laughed, which made her smile. If her friend Nele could see what a great man she was involved with, she might stop man-hunting and obsessing about being thin. The memory pained her. How was Nele? Was she worried? What day was it, anyway? She had been abducted on Sunday night and then had spent another night there. That meant it had to be Monday. Her colleagues and boss would have been surprised that she hadn't shown up. She was always punctual and hadn't had a day off since… well, since when, actually? Apparently it actually hadn't been ages, as she had always believed, but since someone had banished her from this land.
"What is it?"
Chris's voice brought her back to the here and now. Should she tell him about the other world? He was genuinely interested, she could tell.
"I was wondering if my friend was missing me, my colleagues, and my boss…"
"The slave driver? He's lucky I haven't gotten my hands on him yet!"
Anna smiled. "Not a slave driver, although you are somewhat correct. But my friend Nele will be missing me. She will be terribly worried. I wish I could send her a message that everything is okay."
The captain skillfully steered them past a rock, spraying water up next to the Fortuna. "What would you tell her about where you are?"
"I could tell her that I ran away with a fierce pirate. She would be happy." A grin spread across her face and Chris's eyes glowed.
"That would be true. Just wait, Ani. Once we expose the spell that sent you to the other world, we will find a way to notify her."
"Aye aye, Captain." When she saw his expression, she added, "Aye aye, Chris."
"That's it." He pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers. She felt dizzy again, but this dizziness was different. She snuggled up to him trustingly. She knew this was where she belonged. By his side.
"Would you rather I take the helm?"
The captain reluctantly released her from his arms. When Anna glanced up, she spotted Jack. His red pirate scarf was sitting askew on his head, almost covering one eye. He grinned widely, revealing a gap where a tooth was missing. Why was his lip swollen?
Worried, Anna approached him. She completely forgot that he was actually a stranger to her and examined the lip. "What happened?"
"Oh, a little harbor brawl isn't uncommon for me." He waved it off. A harbor brawl? No, she didn't believe that. "What really happened?"
Furtively, he glanced at the captain and then laughed loudly. "Oh, it's not worth mentioning."
What was that about? Why wouldn't he tell her the truth? One look at Chris was enough to see that he knew what had happened. The captain focused on maneuvering the ship past another rock before waving Jack over. "Come here and take the wheel. We are out of the worst of the danger zone."
"Aye aye, Captain." The pirate eagerly took the helm and fixed his gaze on the vast sea. Chris led her away from Jack and down the steps between the decks, but Anna wanted to know the truth.
"What happened to him?"
"He got roughed up."
"So, it was a harbor brawl? Why did you two exchange looks?"
He paused and glanced back at the coast, which rose in the form of a steep cliff. The sea pounded wildly against the high cliffs, and the bay was barely visible anymore. "Because it's my fault he was hurt."
Anna frowned. What was he trying to say? "You didn't…?"
The captain snorted. "What do you think of me?"
What kind of question was that? The only thing she could do was trust her heart that he was a good man. She had forgotten everything else. "Even though we were together before, I don't know you well, you have to understand that. So? Tell me!"
