“And whose fault is that?” Tink rose up on her knees, a poor attempt to make herself intimidating. “You brought me here, you—” A scream swallowed up her tirade as the ship canted to the side. Before she could steady herself, she careened off the bed, right into the captain.
They toppled to the ground. Hook groaned as he smacked against the floor. Tink’s face smashed against his wet shirt and the hard chest underneath. For a moment, a blur of color swarmed her vision. Buzzing rang in her ears. All at once, her senses returned. She straddled Hook—hard, wet, and very much a man. Tink shoved her now damp hair out of her face as she sat up.
He made a sound low in his throat as she moved. Not in pain. No, she’d heard this sound before, the moment she’d crawled into his lap the night they first met. Tink went still as her gaze caught his. Hooded, stormy grey eyes stared up at her. The captain made no attempt to move as his lips curved into a slow smile.
A strong hand slid up her leg. Heat blossomed low in her belly. The wetness growing between her legs had little to do with the rain soaking into her breeches from Hook’s drenched clothing. Her wings fluttered as his thumb rubbed a slow path up and down her thigh. She forgot where she was, the rocking of the ship, the shackle on her wrist, everything but the man below her.For the briefest moment, she even forgot who he was and why she loathed him.
His gaze traveled over her, and his eyes widened. “Your wings are shimmering, love.”
He may as well have dumped her into the sea.
She shoved off him, leaping away as if burned. The rope binding her to the bed held firm as she tested its limits to get as far from him as she could.
Hook groaned again as he sat up, a wet heap of man on the floor. “Care to tell me what that means?”
Tink turned away as her cheeks flamed. “No.” Absolutely not. Never. She chanced a glance back at her wings.It isn’t possible, is it?
She rubbed her hands down her face, a poor attempt to scrub all thought of him from her mind. Only then did she notice the ship had stopped rocking. “We cleared the storm?”
“Aye, feels like it. We should be near the Azure Lagoon by my estimate.”
She bobbed on the balls of her feet, not caring about the way her stomach still flipped and flopped. It would settle soon. She’d be out of this room, back in the fresh air. On land! Blessed land.
A hard rapping on the door made her jump. She whirled around to find Hook on his feet. A brief flash of annoyance faded from his features.
“Captain!”
“What is it, Smee?” he called back.
“Another ship anchored outside the lagoon. Looks to be theSiren.”
Tink stiffened. “More pirates?”
Hook nodded. “Run up the flags. Anchor farther out.”
“Right away,” Smee called back through the door.
Great, just what she needed—more greedy pirates who’d undoubtedly want to use her for their own supply of pixie dust.
“It’s best if they don’t know what you are.” He gave a meaningful glance at her wings.
For once, they agreed.
*****
Tink followed Hook onto the deck, savoring her freedom. She’d bound her wings and tucked Hook’s billowing shirt into her breeches. A cloak over her shoulders further hid her wings, and a bandanna over her hair kept her ears tucked away. To anyone they encountered, she’d look like a simple deckhand.
Thunder rumbled from the storm nearby, a mass of dark clouds and pounding rain at their backs. The island was a peaceful oasis, as if they’d sheltered in the eye of a hurricane. Beyond it, more dark clouds loomed in the distance.
Rowboats hung ready to be lowered into the calm sea just outside the merfolk’s lagoon. Hook gave orders to his crew, pointing them this way and that. “You four, with me.”
Tink straightened. Two of them were female. She slid closer to Hook. “You were worried about my safety with your crew, but not theirs?”
“Anne and Sage?” He chuckled as he looked over at the two women climbing into the boat. “They can take care of themselves. Besides, Sage’s one of the ones who might have pulled you into her bed.” He winked.
Tink notched her chin higher. “And I can’t take care of myself?”
“Can you?”
