Page 40 of A Pirate of Her Own

Chapter 7

By noon the sky had turned a dark, ferociousgray. The winds whipping around Serenity felt like giant hands trying to pull her in different directions. The ship pitched, sailing over the water like a stone skimming the surface, and every time it hit the ocean, it jarred her to her bones.

“All right, men,” Morgan shouted above the howling winds. “Batten down.”

He moved to stand by her side. “And that also means you, Miss James. I need you to go below deck before you get swept overboard.”

She looked over the side at the swelling waves that appeared to be nearly the size of the boat. “Since this doesn’t appear to be swimming season, I tend to agree,” she said.

Morgan guided her across the deck with one firm, strong hand at her spine. She had learned from talking to several crewmen that this was what had kept Morgan and Jake busy all day—discussing the storm and how best to deal with it.

It didn’t take them long to reach Morgan’s cabin. “Will the ship hold up?” she asked, her voice cracking from nervousness.

He nodded, and she saw the concern deep in his brown eyes. “We’ll be fine. I’ve seen much worse.”

She tried to be strong. Really she did, but the sudden reality of what could happen to them hit her full force. “TheWillowoodwent down this time last year,” she whispered. “They were just miles off Savannah’s coast when they sank from a hurricane. Pieces of the lifeboats washed ashore, but no one ever found a body.” She swallowed. “Ever.”

Morgan took her hand in his and gave a comforting squeeze. “Don’t light a lantern, and stay in the bunk, and I promise you you’ll be fine.”

She gave a half laugh. “Do you always make promises you can’t keep?”

Against all his better judgment, Morgan took her in his arms and held her tightly against him. She shook in his arms, and if the truth were known, so did he, only the tremors of his body weren’t from fear. They stemmed from the demanding ache that throbbed through him for the warmth of her body.I could make you forget your fear.

If only he could.

“Believe me, Serenity, if there’s one thing I know, it’s how to survive.”

“Then I shall trust you, Captain Drake. And I must say that I shall be terribly disappointed if you’re wrong.”

He laughed at her humor. “I’ll be back to check on you as soon as I can.”

Reluctantly Serenity let go of him and watched him leave. She took a deep breath to fortify her courage.

Oh, who are you fooling?she asked herself.You’re scared witless.

Who wouldn’t be?

Her teeth chattering from her raw nerves, she headed for the bunk and took a seat. She had barely secured herself when the door to the cabin opened.

Barney poked his balding head in and grinned at her. “Scared, are ye?”

“Terrified,” she answered honestly.

“That’s what the captain said, so I thought me and Pesty would come down here and see if we could help you any.” He entered the cabin with a…well, it looked like a bird that had been plucked clean for dinner.

Only a few feathers remained on the poor creature. “I take it the bird is Pesty?” she asked.

“Aye. I got her back in…” He frowned and stroked his chin as if trying to recall a specific year. “Well, it was a while back, to be sure. Probably before you were born, now that I think about it. I was on theMerry Tideback then, and we used to ship all kinds of exotic birds to England for them rich folks to buy.”

He pulled a chair up to sit beside the bunk. Pesty shifted her bare wings and made a quick squawk. “Butter beans, butter beans,” the bird said.

“Sh,” Barney snapped, then raised a gentle hand to touch her head. “I’m telling a story.”

The bird shifted on his shoulder. “Story. Story. Whale of a tale.”

Serenity pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at the bird.

Barney smiled warmly. “What can I say? She keeps me in line.”

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