“Then I have the perfect solution for this problem you have.”He raised one brow, a seductive twinkle in his eyes.
Huffing, she shook her head.“Yes?”
He brought both her hands to his lips and kissed them.“Marry me.”
The room spun.Her pulse raced.And she would have stumbled and fallen if Cadan hadn’t kept a firm grip on her hands.
“Not the reaction I hoped for,” he said.
Pulling her hands back, she gaped at him.“I thought you never wished to marry again.I thought you hated children.”
“I find, Lady Fox, those sentiments no longer inhabit my heart.Not since you came into my life.”
“And you want more children?”
“If you are their mother, I want a household of them!I love you, Gabrielle.I’ll love you forever.”He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
Tears spilled from her eyes as her heart swelled to near bursting.“I love you too, Cadan.”She fell into his embrace, and he lowered his lips to hers.
Life and love and hope and promise all swirled together in that kiss as her body responded with a yearning she’d never known, a flurry of sensations that made her insides melt, and a tempest of desire for a life with this man.
After several minutes, they parted, their breath coming fast and filling the air between them.
Withdrawing, he cupped her head in his hands.“Shall I take that as a yes, Lady Fox?”
She smiled.“A resounding yes!”
Footsteps thundered above, followed by shouts and the distantboomof a cannon.
“Cap’n!”Soot burst through the cabin door.“We’s bein’ fired on!Ye’s needed above!”
???
Of all the bad timing!With Gabrielle’s kiss still lingering on his lips, Cadan leapt up the companionway and marched to stand beside Pell at the tiller.Plucking the spyglass from his quartermaster, he leveled it on his eye.
“Two points to starboard, Captain,” Pell said.“She snuck up on us from behind that cay.”
Anger tightened Cadan’s jaw.“Who was the lookout?She should have been spotted long before she got a shot off!”
Swishing brought his gaze around to see Gabrielle and Omphile coming on deck.He’d told her to stay below, but of course she never listened.
“Sorry, Cap’n!”Olin shouted from the main deck.“We was celebrating our victory an’ all the treasure we got, an’ I guess we weren’t ….”—he gulped—“Sorry.”
“No excuse!”Cadan barked back, but he’d have to deal with them later.Wind whipped over him, bringing the scent of the sea, men’s sweat, and gun smoke as theResolute, with the wind on her quarter, crested a mighty wave.
“Three sails, three sets of sail!”The lookout in the crosstrees shouted.Three?Alarm stormed through Cadan as he focused the scope on the horizon.Indeed, three ships headed straight for them.
A jet of yellow smoke shot from the lead ship’s bow.Boom!Cracked the air and billowed over the sea.
“Down!”Cadan shouted, but before his crew could respond, the shot flew over their bow and splashed into the sea.A warning, no doubt.
“She’s signaling for you to dip yer colors, Cap’n!”
Blast it all!Cadan would not surrender.He glanced at Gabrielle gripping the quarterdeck railing.He would not see her or Matthew harmed, or any of his crew.Father?He looked up to heaven and sighed, wondering how long he’d be punished for his crimes.
No answer came.Just the arrows of a hot sun piercing his chest.
Raising the spyglass yet again, he studied the oncoming ships, focusing on their ensigns.Not British or French or any nationality, but rather from the black flags covered with threatening pictures, they were Brethren of the Coast—pirates!A fleet of them.Why had he not heard of a roving fleet of pirates in these waters?
