Page 87 of A Pirate of Her Own

Kristen straightened up from the tub with a deep frown creasing her brow. “But I thought—”

“Morgan and I barely get along,” Serenity said in a rush. “We fight over everything.”

A knowing smile curved her lips. “He makes you insane, doesn’t he?”

“Absolutely.”

“And you love to irritate him? Live for it, in fact?”

Now Serenity frowned. Did Kristen possess second sight? “How did you know?”

Her smile widened and she gave a light laugh. “I feel the same way about my husband.”

“I didn’t know you were married.”

“For six years now,” she said. “It was love at first sight. The moment I saw George, I knew he was the one for me. You feel the same for Morgan. I saw it on your face downstairs when you arrived.”

“Nay, really, I couldn’t love Morgan. He’s a pirate.”

Kristen shrugged as if the matter was completely unimportant. “So was George. So was my father. Men do many things that they later regret. Even at his worst, Morgan was never as bad as many others I’ve met. In fact, I’ve known so-called privateers and naval officers who were far more cruel than even Jake. And believe you me, there are times when Jacob Dudley could give the devil himself a run for his money.”

That was a statement Serenity didn’t doubt.

Kristen moved to her stays and started unlacing Serenity’s dress. “What’s in a man’s past doesn’t matter nearly as much as what’s in his present, and most importantly, what’s in his heart. Morgan loves you,” she said, stepping around to where Serenity could see the bright earnestness of her gaze. “I’ve never seen him stare at a woman the way he does you. His hand even lingered at your waist before you followed me up here.”

Serenity laughed. “You don’t miss anything, do you?”

“Not much. My mother calls it my own special curse.” She circled around Serenity. “Tell me, if he had never been a pirate, how would you feel about him?”

Serenity bit her lip as she thought the matter over. “He is handsome, isn’t he?”

“As sin itself.”

“Charming,” she said with a wistful sigh.

“Absolutely. Don’t forget debonnaire, kind.”

Serenity barely heard the words as she continued to tally Morgan’s finer points. “He makes me laugh when I’m not angry at him.”

Kristentsked. “Oh, sweet. It’s too late for you. It’s true love if ever I’ve seen it.”

Serenity shook her head in steadfast denial. “Oh, I don’t know if I believe in true love anymore,” she said with a sigh. “There was a time, not long ago in fact, that I believed in romantic fairy tales, but these last few weeks I’ve learned that life—that people, aren’t the way I want them to be. They are the way they are, and no amount of wishing will change that.”

“Yes,” Kristen said lifting her brows, “but we don’t choose whom we love with our heads, we choose with our hearts.” She lightly touched the area on Serenity’s chest where her heart pounded in spite of her denials. “We love in spite of faults and sometimes because of them. Correct me if I’m wrong, Serenity, but when you’re around Morgan do you feel breathless?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Jittery?”

“At times.”

“Do you find yourself begging for his mere touch?”

Serenity’s face flooded with heat. How could she ever admitthatout loud?

“So you do.”

“Well, what has that got to do—”

“It means you’re in love, Miss James. The next question is, what are you planning to do about it?”

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