How To Seduce A Pirate (The Hawkins Brothers Series) (15 page)

Doctor Quincy
Hawkins, he mused.
That
would take getting used to.

“I’ve shown you
mine,” he murmured into her ear. “Now show me yours.”

She looked up at
him, her cheeks flushed with color. “If you insist.”

Holly separated
from him and crossed the sitting room, positioning herself beside the shrouded
canvas. She cleared her throat. “Might I have your attention?”

The voices
hushed.

“In celebration
of family,” she announced, “I would like to share with you all my latest work.”

Flowers
, he
prayed.
Please be flowers.

Without fanfare,
Holly pulled the fabric off the canvas.

A tense energy
filled the room. A silent, emotional outburst.

Quincy had never
sensed such a response, not from his kin or anyone else. Some were stone
silent. Others gasped. Still others released soft sobs. What the devil was
wrong? Or right? he wondered.

He searched the taut
expressions of his brothers, his tearful sister. He couldn’t understand what
about the painting affected them in such a profound manner. Aye, the work was
lovely, exceptionally lovely. A portrait of his sister and her infant son.
Well, the babe had dark hair instead of his mother’s golden curls, but the
minor flaw would hardly cause such strain in the room, surely?

As the uneasy
silence progressed, Quincy glanced at his wife. She twisted her fingers in
expectation, and his heart pounded in sympathy with her. If so much as a
negative word passed between a soul’s lips, upsetting Holly . . . 

“It’s exquisite,”
whispered Mirabelle, finally releasing the pressure from the room. She turned
toward James, her eyes overflowing with tears. “Is it like her?”

Quincy frowned.
Her?

His eldest
brother bobbed his head once, his expression still etched in stone. James then
looked at William.

“Just like her,”
affirmed William, his voice unsteady.

Edmund walked up
to the portrait and stroked its cheek in tender regard. “I can barely remember
her.”

“I have to thank
James and William,” said Holly, blushing with pleasure. “I could not have
finished the piece without their vivid descriptions.”

Quincy clearly
wasn’t part of his siblings shared experience
or
his wife’s secret
portrait. He glared at the painted face again, searching for the cryptic “her”
everyone was talking about. He still saw Mirabelle, though. Aye, her brow was a
tad wider. And the lines of her jaw were more narrow. Her chin had a dimple,
but . . .

His heart
seized. Breath trapped in his lungs. He suddenly recognized a woman he had
never seen in his life.

Holly treaded
back across the room. “Do you like it, Quincy?”

“Is that . . . ?”

She embraced him.
“It’s your Mother.”

Quincy struggled
against the tears welling in his throat. As he stared at the beautiful image of
his mother, her eyes warm, so full of love for the babe in her arms, he
trembled.

“She’s holding
you,” continued Holly, her voice ever so tender.

 He shook his
head, resisting the inexplicable swelling in his breast. “That never happened,”
he rasped. “That moment never happened.”

“It should
have,” returned James, voice brusque.

“Yes, it should
have,” affirmed Mirabelle.

His sister’s
umber eyes, still sparkling with tears, weakened him. He looked around the
room, searching for the expressions of resentment he
knew
his siblings
harbored for him, resentment for taking away their mother’s life . . . but he
saw none.

William eyed him
with conviction. “She loved you, Quincy. She loved all of us.”

The poignant
sentiment, from the most reserved of all his brothers, forced Quincy to take
another look at the emotive artwork, and this time he allowed the inexplicable
swelling in his breast to expand.

He glanced
between the portrait of his mother and his wife and soon, unable to distinguish
the love in their eyes for him, surrendered his guilt at last.

“Thank you,” he
breathed.

Her smile
radiated. “You’re welcome, husband.”

“I think the
evening’s over,” from James.

The family
quietly vacated the sitting room, leaving the newlyweds in the intimate
afterglow. The world seemed lighter, thought Quincy. Right. Balanced. And all
because of Holly.

“I suppose we
should retire, too,” he murmured, stroking her spine in sensual caresses. “We
have a wedding to attend in the morning.”

As her smile
broadened, she grasped his hand. “Come to bed, pirate.”

And he followed
her.

Most willingly.

EXCERPT

Turn the page
for a tantalizing preview

of the next book
in The Hawkins Brothers series:

How to Steal a
Pirate’s Heart

Captain William
Hawkins stood on the terrace outside his sister’s fashionable townhouse in the
heart of Mayfair. The noise and frippery inside the ballroom had triggered
another throbbing headache, and he’d escaped the celebration in search of
peace. The secluded garden, awash in milky moonlight, offered him tranquility,
and he observed the gaiety through the glass terrace doors without feeling the
disagreeable effects.

“There you are,
Will.”

His youngest
brother, Quincy, stepped out onto the terrace, two crystal tumblers in hand.

The pup handed
him a drink. “It’s a brilliant affair, isn’t it, Will? A celebration to
remember for a hundred years. Amy looks prettier than a princess. And Eddie
can’t stop grinning. Can you believe it? Eddie!” He sighed. “They’re finally
going to be happy. It’s about bloody time.”

William watched
the twirling newlyweds, both resplendent in their fancy duds. He shared
Quincy’s sentiment. His otherwise surly brother, Edmund, and his dashing bride,
Lady Amy, had suffered enough hardship to last a lifetime.

“About time,
indeed,” said William. The twinge in his head worsened, and he clenched his
eyes, grimacing.

“Are you all
right?”

“Fine,” he
clipped. “It’s just a headache.”

“Tough luck, old
fellow.”

William snorted
at the “old fellow” bit. At forty, he was seventeen years Quincy’s senior, and
ever since he’d reached the pinnacle year, his tactless brother had found it
particularly amusing.

As music swelled
into the night, Quincy remarked, “Belle really knows how to host a smashing
reception.”

After rubbing
the bridge of his nose, William turned his gaze toward his sister, Mirabelle,
the Duchess of Wembury. She was dancing with her husband, her cheeks flushed,
so full of life. Two short years ago, she had almost died giving birth to her
son. Even now, William’s chest tightened at the agonizing memory.

As they had all
learned at one time or another, life was precious, and momentous occasions
needed to be marked with the proper fanfare—meaning food, drink and merrymaking
galore.

A gust of
laughter filled the terrace through the half opened doors.

“Blimey,” from
Quincy. “Now that’s a sound you don’t hear every day.”

William
recognized the unusual merriment as belonging to his oldest brother, Captain
James Hawkins, the once infamous pirate Black Hawk. The man had the temperament
of a raging bull, and his sudden, spirited outburst could only be ascribed to
one source.

Sure enough,
William located James with his exotic wife, Sophia, ensconced in a tête-à-tête
near the ballroom doors. Whatever their exchange, it had amused the former
corsair to no end.  

The Hawkins
family was happy. At last. Even the pup had much improved. A crippling
melancholy had consumed him for years, but Quincy had also recently wed, his
wife’s healing touch having chased away his nightmares.

“A toast,” said
Quincy, raising his glass. “To happily-ever-after. Though late, ‘tis better
than never.”

William offered
a sardonic smile. Unlike the rest of his hard-drinking brothers, he never
wallowed in alcohol. He didn’t like to lose control of his senses. Ever. But more
and more of late he’d made exceptions. He clinked his brother’s glass before
downing the fiery brandy.

Why not? thought
William. After all, he was dying.

WELCOME!

Enter the
sensual and swashbuckling world of The Hawkins Brothers: four dark and
dangerous pirates who retire their wicked ways after their sister becomes a
duchess. But can the rugged rogues enter high society in Regency England,
masquerading as gentlemen? Or will their true identities be revealed?

Learn all about
the sexy brigands by turning the page, but beware! The Hawkins Brothers just
might steal your heart and never give it back.

MY
HERO

Take the
following personality quiz and find out which Hawkins brother is best suited to
steam up your night!

1. On a warm and
sunny day, I’d be outside:

A.      On a nature
walk

B.      Gardening

C.      Hosting
a BBQ

D.      Playing
sports

2. At a dinner
party, I’m most likely to drink:

A.      Wine

B.      Ginger
Ale

C.      Beer

D.      Anything!

3. My favorite
holiday is:

A.      Valentine’s
Day

B.      Christmas

C.      Thanksgiving

D.      Halloween

4. If I could go
anywhere in the world, I’d visit:

A.      Jamaica

B.      Africa

C.      Las
Vegas

D.      Ibiza,
Spain

5. My idea of
the perfect date is:

A.      A late
night picnic on the beach

B.      An
intimate dinner at a restaurant

C.      Going to
a football game

D.      An
evening of dancing

ANSWERS:
MY HERO

Mostly
As: James Hawkins

Captain James
Hawkins, the infamous pirate leader Black Hawk, is the oldest of the Hawkins
brood and wields the greatest brute strength. As the head of the family, he is
saddled with responsibility and can prove stubborn at times as he struggles to
keep his kin together and away from the gallows. He prizes loyalty above all
other qualities and possesses a lusty appetite for life’s simple pleasures. A
true alpha male, he can communicate an order to a tar (or a desire to a woman)
with just one piercing look. However, he also has a tender side, achingly soft
at times, but well concealed. It is only in moments of great peace that he
drops his iron front and lets the tenderness show. See James Hawkins meet his
match in
Mistress of Paradise
and
The Infamous Rogue

Mostly
Bs: William Hawkins

William Hawkins
is the second eldest and the most levelheaded of the Hawkins brood. Intelligent
and even tempered, he can see both sides of a story clearly. He has a knack for
settling a conflict before it gets out of hand, earning him the status of
peace-maker in the tempestuous family. But William’s sensibility leads to
emotional indifference, making him a stranger to romantic love. Will the
responsible William open his heart at last, and let the wild and stormy ways of
love take root? Find out in
How to Steal a Pirate’s Heart (Coming Soon).

Mostly
Cs: Edmund Hawkins

Hot-tempered
Edmund Hawkins is the middle brother. He enjoys a big meal and a good round of
fisticuffs. Secretive, he tends to keep to himself, talking only if he has
something worthwhile to impart. He is content to let his older brothers rule
the roost, while he searches for amusement elsewhere ... in London’s
underworld. Will the brooding Edmund find a woman who will bring out the
champion in him? Look for his emotional story in
The Notorious Scoundrel.

Mostly
Ds: Quincy Hawkins

The pup, Quincy
Hawkins, is the youngest of the Hawkins brood and the most likely to get into
scrapes. Charming and flirtatious, he makes the ladies swoon. He’s always ready
for fun or adventure—even if it lands him in the gaol. He’s honest (too honest)
and will always tell you what’s on his mind. But the fun-loving rake possesses
another, darker side. Personal demons lead him astray. Will he find a deep and
enduring love to help him reconcile with his tortured past? Don’t miss his tale
in
How to Seduce a Pirate.