De Warenne Dynasty 04 - The Prize by Brenda Joyce

Author:Brenda Joyce [Joyce, Brenda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Provided by pisces_abhi @ ebookdownloadsforfree.blogspot.com, The de Warenne Dynasty; The Prize; Brenda Joyce
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

"I think you should go below," he said tersely, still refusing to look at her—and it

was as if he knew.

"Is that an order?" she asked. But she knew her dazzling insight was right.

He finally turned his head and their gazes locked. He seemed to hesitate. "No."

"No?"

His jaw was most definitely flexing. "The nights are long."

She began to smile. "You don't mind my company."

"As long as you are quiet."

Her smile widened—how quickly he could make her heart sing and dance! "You

want my company," she teased.

290

She thought she saw him hold back a smile. "I hardly said that. But I do not mind

it, if you are quiet." He stressed the last word.

"I promise." She grinned, and she leaned on the siding, gazing up at the stars.

Tendrils of stray hair whipped her face; she loosened her pelisse. "If I were a boy, I

could have been a sailor," she mused.

"No, you couldn't."

She turned, leaning her back on the ship, facing him. "You dispute me?" she

bantered, praying their conversation would remain light and thrilled with it this far.

"You love the land." He added thoughtfully, "One might think you are like the

sea, a flighty mistress, ebbing one way, then another, forever free, but you are really

like the dark, deep earth, solid and immovable."

She stared. "How wrong you are, Devlin. You are like the earth, not I."

He started.

"Did you always want to be a sailor?" she asked, aware of the depth of the

tension between them. The light conversation, as brief as it was, had not done

anything to dispel it.

"No."

She tilted her head. "No? Do you care to elaborate?"

He seemed to caress the helm, steering the ship.

"Devlin? Has it ever occurred to you that it is easier to converse than to be in a

speechless war?"

He sighed. "Askeaton has been in my family for centuries. I thought to do what

Sean is doing."

She became still. Suddenly she realized that she was touching his wrist. Desire

crashed over her but she ignored it. "And then your father died and it all changed."

"My brother has a big mouth. What else did he say?"

"He said you used the navy to become rich, so you could destroy your father's

murderer—my uncle."

He looked directly at her. "And he is right."

She stared boldly back. "If you expect me to swoon with hysteria and fear, then

you do not know me at all."

He seemed to smile in the darkness. "I would never expect you to swoon,

Virginia," he murmured.

She went still. She had not misheard the sexually seductive tone of his voice, oh

no. And she trembled, reminding herself that she must never allow herself to wind

up in bed with him again. He truly thought to hand her off to his brother and a few

moments of pleasure would not change anything.

He cleared his throat. "And what will you do after the ransom, Virginia?" he

asked, surprising her with the question.

But she knew what he was doing—he was changing the subject to distract her

from the attraction she could not ignore. She met his careful regard, wetting her lips.

"I will go home, of course."

He turned and stared at her.

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