Talon shoved a hand through his rumpled hair in disgust. “It shouldn’t surprise me, but it’s obvious you don’t know a damned thing about women. If your goal was to get Kate into my bed, I’m afraid you’ve made a big mistake.”
“I don’t think so. But we’ll see, won’t we? You’re running out of time, you know. We’ll only be at sea another week or so. You have to do this soon.”
“We’ve had this conversation before,” Talon said, refusing to admit he’d already come to the same conclusion. “I’m not going to seduce her. There has to be another way.”
“Maybe our father isn’t so smart. Maybe you don’t care as much about those men of yours as he thought you did.”
“You can’t begin to know how I feel about those men.” Talon fisted his hands at his sides, concentrating on the pain of his split knuckles instead of the responsibility he felt for his crew. “You’ve never held another man’s life in the palm of your hand. You don’t know the meaning of the words honor or loyalty. I will save them. But I’ll do it without hurting Kate. She doesn’t deserve this fiasco you’ve made of her life.”
Daniel sat back down, his eyes widening in disbelief. “My God. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. You’re in love with her. Aren’t you?”
Talon flinched, feeling as though McGuire had punched him in the gut yet again. “Of course not.” He shook his head in denial even though he was terrified it might be true. “Don’t be a bloody ass.”
Daniel laughed again, but this time there was pity in the sound. “I’d hate to be you, my friend. What a decision to have to make.”
“Why don’t you just leave me the hell alone?” Talon lay back down and stared sullenly at the ceiling. He pretended to ignore Daniel, but his brother’s words would not give him any peace.
What a decision to have to make.
A decision. In the end, that was all it really came down to. Kate’s innocence, or the lives of seventy men. It should have been so easy.
Kate was strong. This would hurt her, but she would go on. She would lavish all that love and affection on the child he would give her.
The child he would never see, never hold. He imagined a son with Kate’s beautiful eyes and quick laughter. He pushed the thought away, determined not to torture himself that way. It was better if he didn’t think of the child.
Long after Daniel had blown out the light and climbed into the bunk above him, Talon continued to stare up into the darkness, both dreading and anticipating what tomorrow would bring.
After a long while, his brother’s soft snores filled the silence. Talon clenched his jaw against the sound and planned the seduction of his sister- in-law.
* * * * *
Kate was getting ready for bed the next evening when someone knocked on her door. She’d already changed into her nightgown, but she shrugged, deciding it was probably just Daniel come to say goodnight.
She welcomed the thought of a little conversation. Her husband had been quiet today, lost in his own thoughts. And Talon had been up and gone long before sunrise. In fact, she hadn’t seen her brother-in-law all day, and it had been hard to contain her disappointment.
She’d hoped Talon had enjoyed spending the day with her and Daniel. She’d even thought she’d noticed a lessening in the tension usually so prevalent between the two brothers.
Her thoughts trailed off when the knock came again. When she opened the door, she was stunned to find Talon dressed in elegant, black evening clothes, the effect only slightly tarnished by his battered face. He looked as though he’d arrived to take her to the opera. He held one perfect red rose in his hands, which he must have gotten from the rose bushes he’d brought with them.
She flushed, stunned by his masculine beauty, but confused as well. She’d grown accustomed to seeing him dressed as a sailor, shoeless, shirtless, bronzed skin damp with sweat. She could think of only one reason for him to be here bearing a rose and dressed in his finest.
“May I come in?” He smiled and entered her cabin before she could answer, shutting the door behind him. “Close your mouth, Kate. You’ve seen me in a dinner jacket before.”
She swallowed and took the rose he offered, bringing it to her nose and inhaling deeply. Her heart pounded, and she couldn’t give voice to the questions stuck in her throat. She was afraid she already knew the answers. Where would she find the strength to deny him anything he might ask?
“You shouldn’t be here. I think you should leave before we both do something we regret.”
Talon lifted one dark brow, his eyes glowing with inner fire. “Would you really regret making love to me?”
There. He’d said it. The words hung between them. Shocking.
Potent. Laced with promise and dark secrets. Dear Lord, she wanted what he was offering. She’d wanted it ever since she’d first laid eyes upon him.
“Of course, I would regret it.” She turned away, unable to look at him while she denied what was in her heart. “I would regret it for the rest of my days.”
“Is it because of what Daniel told you yesterday?” He moved to stand behind her, his heat permeating the thin layers of cloth that separated his skin from hers. “Are you sorry you let me touch you with my filthy pirate hands?” As he spoke, he cupped her breasts, his breath rasping in her ear and sending a delicious shiver down her spine.
“Are you a pirate?” she whispered, her voice shaking. “I told him I didn’t believe it. You’re too good, too fine to make your living that way.”
