“But you won’t.” Still, her heart dropped at the stark reminder of his job. Why she needed to stay away from him.
He stared hard at her. “I don’t want to. But if you leave me no choice, I will do what my position requires of me.”
She shifted on her feet.
“I’m giving you a chance, Red. A chance to turn your life around. To start over.”
“No.”
His fists bunched at his sides. “I have more men. More ships on the way. This little resurgence piracy has seen is over. I will finish what I started.”
Her toes curled in her slippers. He would too. She didn’t doubt it. Everything her family had worked toward, all of her dreams. He would crush them.
How dare he?
A bitter taste filled her mouth as the urge to put distance between them tugged at her legs. Tension radiated up her arms and she glanced down to where her hands had curled into tight fists.
“I will give you my word that you’ll never see my ships again.” It was the best she could offer—after all, it wasn’t like she’d be seeking him out. She certainly wasn’t going to give him what he wanted.
The frown on his face deepened. “That’s not enough.”
She shrugged. “So be it.”
“Red, this isn’t a game.”
This time, anger flashed hot and quick. “It never was.”
He took a slow breath. “It doesn’t have to be this way. Why are you making this harder than it has to be?”
Ha. Only one way to make things easier. Get him away from her. Out of her life for good. So she threw his words back at him. “You forget who I am.”
Christian lifted a dark brow and she leaned in, her lips nearly brushing his ear. “Your enemy.”
He stiffened and she drew back, took one last breath of clove and sandalwood, and walked away.
Once inside the warm light of the ballroom, Abigail pounced, grabbing her arm.
“Did he kiss you? Tell me he kissed you!”
Samantha jerked her arm free and swallowed against the lump in her throat. “No.”
“He stood awfully close.”
Good lord, had everyone watched their little encounter?
Abigail sighed. “It’s so romantic. Him saving you. And the way he looked at you while you danced, I thought he might start a fire.”
Samantha rubbed her arms. “Don’t be silly.”
Her friend pulled her to their familiar spot by the wall. “What if he’s in love with you, Samantha?”
She laughed. It was the only thing she could do. The lieutenant, in love with her? Ha. Definitely not after their little altercation.
“I hate to disappoint you, but no.”
Abigail stared at the door with wistful eyes. He must have walked back in. Samantha refused to look.
“What was it like?”
