Page 77 of Too Sinful to Deny
“You don’t have to make your choice now,” the captain continued, once again eerily close to reading Evan’s mind. “I only want those aboard my ship who intend to stay there. I need a crew I can trust. Most of these water rats will join us”—he motioned behind him with a wave of his cigar—“but water rats is all they are and all they’ll ever be. You and Ollie, now... You’re a different breed.”
Evan’s gaze snapped back to the captain’s.Ollie.
“I want one of you for my first mate.” The captain flicked ash from his cigar. “Poseidon’s got that pleasure at the moment... but you boys can work that out yourselves.”
Meaning “joining for life” would be synonymous with “joining for one night” if he didn’t survive hand-to-hand, anything-goes combat with Poseidon, a seasoned pirate, thereby proving his mettle as a single-minded, take-no-prisoners first mate.
Not joining, on the other hand, would mean giving up his chance of ever discovering Timothy’s killer. Evan couldn’t stand the thought of his brother’s murder going forever unavenged. Timothy deserved a proper burial. And justice.
Evan rubbed at his taut neck muscles. “What did Ollie say?”
“Figured you’d ask that next.” The captain blew out another round of smoke rings. “Ollie hasn’t made his choice known. He’s a family man, so he’d have a few loose ends to tie up first. Nonetheless, he’s got the same timeframe as you.” The smoke cleared. The captain’s cold blue gaze hadn’t left Evan’s face. “Be on board in a fortnight, or miss the boat entirely. We won’t be heard from again.”
Chapter 31
Sunday night fell as fast and as hard as the rain accompanying the twilight.
Evan had never been so happy to reach dry land. Well, if you could call the briny puddles splattered throughout the cave “dry land.” Not to mention the icy water pouring from the black clouds for miles.
He headed straight home to bathe, devilishly glad to be able to do so. This time, he hadn’t been certain he’d make it back alive.
The skies had turned stormy within moments of the captain’s announcement, and the torrents had continued throughout the weekend. Rough. Cold. Shot through with lightning. Yet it was the atmosphere below deck that had kept him uneasy. The men were skittish. Worried. With two dead, they had had every reason to be. The change from occasional smuggling to out-and-out piracy—well, such a turn wouldn’t lengthen anyone’s life expectancy.
After bathing, Evan dressed for warmth. It didn’t work. The thought of never avenging Timothy’s death coated his veins with ice. Evan needed answers. Timothy needed justice.
The loss of his brother left an ache in Evan’s heart he was beginning to suspect would never subside. He wished for the hundredth time that he could wear a black armband without being asked questions he couldn’t answer. Like whom he was mourning. Nobody knew about Timothy’s death yet. Would perhaps never know, if Evan couldn’t find his brother’s body. But funeral or no, he would find and dispatch the killer or die trying.
He made his way back downstairs. Forced himself to eat a hot supper. Pushed away his empty plate more slowly than usual. He glanced around his house at all the things he enjoyed taking for granted. No home cooking while the crew was at sea. Not that he’d have much of an appetite if he saw the crew killing innocents in the name of piracy. The thought once again turned his stomach.
Oh, Evan knew why he and Ollie had been “given” a choice. They were the only oneswithchoices. The other water dogs had nowhere else to go. Like it or not, they’d been enlisted the moment the captain had reevaluated his plan of operations. For them, free will was an illusion. For Evan... He shoved back his chair and strode out the door. There wasnothinghe valued more than free will.
Even if he seemed not to exercise much of it lately. He told himself he was headed to Moonseed Manor out of ennui. Not because of a magnetic pull he was powerless to deny. He told himself he was headed to Moonseed Manor solely to confront a certain debutante about her alleged associations with dead smugglers. Not because he missed her company. He’d never missed any particular female over any other a day in his life. So he obviously hadn’t missed sparring—and trading kisses—with Miss Stanton.
Well... notmuch.More like: terribly.
Once at the door, he shouldered past the jaundiced butler and went on the hunt. What had she been doing while Evan was at sea? Had that irritatingly persistent magistrate resumed his pathetic attempts to woo her? Was it possible Forrester had actually succeeded? The little toad was everything Evan was not: polite, respected, boring, pious, interested in escorting marriage-minded young ladies to insipid assemblies. In short, a true gentleman. Whereas Evan...
Evan smelled jasmine. Wafting down from the spiral staircase nearby. He was past the first landing before the thought occurred to him that the only rooms upstairs were bedchambers, which were precisely the sort of illicit location in which a true gentleman would never dream to hunt down a lady.
Thank God he wasn’t a gentleman.
He climbed the last stair and headed into the hall. There she was, peering down one narrow corridor after another, trying the occasional door handle and appearing generally lost.
She heard or saw or somehow sensed it was he who closed in on her, because when she whirled around to face him, her eyes were filled not with fear but pleasure. Which she quickly tried to mask. He did not bother to try and hide his own satisfaction at being alone with her once again. Just seeing her made him want to smile. And devour her in kisses.
“You came back,” she whispered.
“I couldn’t stay away,” was all he said in reply. This was not the time to launch into long explanations of cannon fire and high treason.
She stepped forward, then checked her progress. But her gaze was darkening and her breathing rapid, and Evan could no longer withstand this distance between him.
His lips covered hers, and there was no more talking.
He expected resistance but there was none. Her mouth opened beneath his, kissing, biting, tasting. She seemed as desperate for him as he was for her, so he gave her what she wanted. Took what he wanted. And still he burned for more.
“We can’t be caught kissing,” she breathed against his cheek.
“I know.”
