Drake ground his teeth. Heather didn’t look shaken by the captain’s attack. Far from it. The determination in her eyes had him wishing he could toss her over his shoulder and take her home.
Soon.
“The color of my skin has nothing to do with my ability to help this crew.” Her gaze cut over to Drake with a knowing half smile, then back to the captain. “You see, captain, dead men tell me all kinds of tales.”
Greyson’s booming laugh echoed across the deck. “She’s got my vote.”
Cheers and applause followed. The vote to welcome her to the crew was inevitable.
Even Flynn gave her his vote in the end.
When they got back to the house, Drake scooped her up into his arms, enjoying the sound of her laughter as he carried her inside.
“Do you carry around all your new crewmates?”
“Hell, no.” He kissed her as he lowered her feet to the floor with a grin. “You were incredible tonight.”
“I’ve dealt with bullies my whole life.” She shrugged as she slid her hands up his chest. “This is the first time I’ve ever had people in my corner before.”
“You’ve got a whole crew now.” He stepped back and took her hand, walking her to the dining room table. “I’ve got something to show you.”
“In the dining room?”
Sitting in the middle of the table was a new laptop right beside hers. He barely knew how to open the damned thing. Harmony assured him it would have no trouble running the online games Heather enjoyed. That was all that mattered.
She stared at the computers and gave him a quizzical look. “Whose laptop is that?”
“Mine.” He chuckled. “You’ll have to show me how to use it.”
Her eyes shone in the dim light from the living room, but her smile told him all he needed to know. “You bought a computer? Really?”
“Harmony helped me.” He pointed to the new laptop. “I was hoping you might teach me to play Skull & Crossbones.”
She rose up on her toes and kissed him. “I would love to.” Her smile tilted with a sexy glint in her eyes. “We will kick all kinds of pirate ass.”
“Aye.” He took her hand. “But there’s only one particular pirate’s ass I’m interested in.”
She raised a brow. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“Hope it’s mine.”
She swatted his ass playfully. “You know it’s yours.”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged, shocked to realize how much he enjoyed flirting. “Lots of asses were on the Sea Dog tonight.”
“Yours is the only one I want to get naked with.”
He wrapped her in his arms, nuzzling her lips with his. “Good to know.”
Later that night, naked, spent, and tangled in the sheets of their bed, Drake stroked her hair as moonlight filtered through the window. Her breathing deepened as she dozed on his chest. He kissed her hair and breathed her into his lungs. This was love.
And it was the greatest treasure this pirate had ever known.
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Acknowledgments
I have so many people to thank for their support while I wrote this book. I had no idea when I started this one that during the course of writing it, I would visit the emergency room four times, go through surgery, and then lose my mom to cancer ten days later. I was gutted emotionally and physically, but my husband stood beside me through the storm and never lost faith that somehow, some way, I would bounce back.
Thanks so much to all my readers for sticking with this pirate crew even though you had to wait so long for this book. My Night Angel readers’ group on Facebook, you all are seriously the best! Thanks for the virtual hugs and prayers when I needed them most.
I also need to thank my family for rallying around me during the darkest days. I love you all more than words can say.
I’m also so grateful to my intrepid beta readers, Denise Fluhr, Heather Cox and Katie Roberts! This book was such a challenge for me to write, and your love for Drake and Heather was a huge inspiration for me to finish the book. Thank you so much for that!
I also need to thank my amazing agent, Laurie McLean, and the entire team at Entangled Publishing for being so patient with me. Lydia, you were a ray of hope throughout the darkness. Thanks again for the emails and extending my deadline a few times. And I need to thank Liz Pelletier, too, for loving this pirate crew as much as I do!
Thanks to my son, Reno Wilson, who patiently answered all my online gaming questions. Any mistakes were mine.
And finally, thanks to my mom, Allison Benbrook. I hate that you’ll never read this book, but in my darkest days, I clung to the knowledge that I’m your daughter, and you would never give up, so neither would I. I love you, and I miss you always.
About the Author
Lisa Kessler is a best-selling author of dark paranormal fiction. She’s a two-time San Diego Book Award winner for Best Published Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror and Best Published Romance. Her books have also won the PRISM award, the Award of Excellence, the National Excellence in Romantic Fiction Award, the Award of Merit from the Holt Medallion, and an International Digital Award for Best Paranormal.
Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.
When she’s not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, and has performed with San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego.
You can learn more at Lisa-Kessler.com
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