Page 46 of Pirate's Intent
She was startled to realize what caused her sudden fear of dying was being separated from Luke. Losing him all over again.
“Let ‘er go,” Luke growled, his gaze thunderous. “Let ‘er go, and yer death will be merciful.”
“That might not have been the best argument,” she squeaked, flinching when the blade pressed tighter. Curse her and her need to talk when she was nervous. To talk at any time, really.
“I’m lookin’ for a brooch,” the man replied. “Hand it over, and the wench is yours.”
“I amnota wench,” she said tightly, then considered those who had given her shelter. “Not that there is anything wrong with being a wench, or whore if you will—”
“Enough.” The man pressed the blade tighter still. “I’ll ask ye one more time—”
That’s all he got out before he was ripped away by Robert, who had snuck up from the side. He’d barely gotten the pirate off her before Luke slammed the lout up against the building and started strangling him with his bare hands. She had never seen him so infuriated, lost in unrecognizable rage.
“Cap’n, we need him.” Robert gripped Luke’s shoulder and leaned close. “Ye’ve got to pull free of yer fury so we can get information.” He shook his head. “We need to know what Big Devil’s intentions are.”
Yet Luke kept squeezing, and the pirate’s eyes bulged in distress.
“Luke,” she exclaimed, trying to get through to him. “You need to listen to Robert. We must find out what Big Devil’s intentions are if we are to keep your brother and my sister safe.”
When he kept squeezing, she rested a hand on his other shoulder and stepped close. Where she could soften her voice and keep pleading, she knew what he responded to better. So she kept her tone stern, went for his jugular, and challenged him. “You cannot do it, can you? You cannot take control of the situation.”
Initially, his grip only tightened, his features contorted in fresh rage before she mentioned his lack of control again and finally got through to him.
Visibly shaken, he released his hold, raked a hand through his sopping hair, and turned his thunderous regard on Hannah as Robert dragged the pirate inside for questioning.
“What were ye doing out here,” he groused, still very much the pirate rather than the man from her past. “Ye could have bloody well gotten yerself killed!”
She backed away but didn’t get far before he had her against the wall where he’d held the enemy moments before. The man in the bedroom earlier was not the one standing in front of her now, so she knew the rules were different. What she did not know, unfortunately, was how to handle him. He was not back in control as she’d hoped but still very much out of it.
“I—” was all she got out before he yanked her close and his lips crashed down hard on hers.
He had never kissed her on the lips before.
That was not part of their dynamic.
At first, she froze, unsure how to respond, but when his tongue forced its way into her mouth, and she finally tasted him for the first time, she melted. That was the only way to describe it. Their tongues danced, and the kiss grew hungry, desperate. It was almost as if they had wanted this all along, but neither of them pressed it. She had craved it on more than one occasion but feared it would change them somehow. Morph what already worked.
“Cap’n, ye’ll want to come in and hear this,” Robert said. “Straight away.”
His lips lingered against hers for another moment before he dragged his mouth away and strode inside, without so much as a backward glance. Breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath, she stood there, stunned, trying to work through her emotions.
“Come on in then, ye little troublemaker,” Abigail said, her voice kinder than Hannah expected given what she had done. “Yer place is by his side now to be sure.”
When Hannah frowned, unsure what to say, Abigail went on. “Cap’n don’t kiss anyone on the mouth.” She shook her head. “Never. It ain’t the way he’s built.”
Though mildly miffed the woman felt she needed to explain Luke to her, she was surprisingly relieved that he’d saved that kiss for her.
“I can see by the relief in yer eyes ye’re glad to hear that.” Abigail gestured that she follow. “Get in here and dry off then sort through yer feelings as ye need to, aye?”
Hannah blinked, finally free of her stupor and glad for Abigail’s kindness.
“Thank you.” She met the woman’s eyes. “And I am sorry for...well, you know.”
“Aye, I know all right.” Abigail shrugged. “’Tween us, I’d rather see a woman be able to steal my dagger so quickly and slip free of my grasp.” She winked. “That means she can do the same to a man if she finds herself in a precarious position.”
They were in full agreement there.
She stopped at the threshold and spoke softly, not sure why she shared. “He taught me that, you know.” She met Abigail’s eyes. “How to take care of myself...how to defend myself.”
