Wrong Kind of Paradise (19 page)

the bed was a dead body. Blac moved forward. A letter opener protruded from the man’s neck and blood

pooled under him.

Blac shot to his feet and strode down the hall, slamming open the door. Nigel, Angel’s grandfather,

sat upright in bed, his head tilted at an odd angle. He was dead, Blac could already tell, for his chest

didn’t move.

He’d turned on his heel but a crash brought him back around. A dark, cloaked figure exited the room

through the opened window. Blac raced after the figure and peered down. The man scrambled down the

trellis to the ground. Blac swung one leg over the frame and ducked out the window. Climbing down, he

made it half-way. But the man was already on the ground.

If the bastard thought he would get away so easily, he was mistaken. Blac leapt the rest of the way,

landed on his feet, and rolled. Agilely, he gained his footing and ran. They cornered the house, the man

headed for the side yard.

Blac increased his stride and within seconds caught up. He reached out but couldn’t quite catch him,

so Blac dove. His arms wrapped around the figure and they crashed to the ground.

A bone-jarring crunch had Blac wincing just before the man’s elbow cracked into his chin. The

figure scrambled to his feet, but Blac’s hand shot out and seized an ankle. With a quick yank, the assassin

toppled back to the ground. Blac scrambled over him and a blow to the face disoriented the assailant

enough he ceased to struggle. “Where is she?”

The desperate eyes sought escape. Another jab to the already bloody nose brought forth a howl.

“Where is the girl?”

“I d-don’t know. I passed out cold, so she got away!”

“Good.” Blac pinioned the man with his legs and bashed his head against the ground until the man

was out cold. “Too bad you won’t.”

He trussed him up inside the house by the front door, hoping someone would find him. Now he

needed to find Angel. So where would she go? The only answer he could come up with was back to the

ship.

He didn’t make it back to the docks until the sun’s early rays fingered across the horizon in soft

pastels. Pinks, yellows, and blues chased the navy blue of night away. Blac raced up the gangplank and

shouted to get everyone up. He relayed the night’s events to his crew and had everyone search the ship

and the surrounding docks. “Until she’s found,” he demanded.

The door to his cabin crashed open and the morning light filtered in through the gallery windows

spilling across the floor. And then he saw her, crouched beside the bunk bed, shivering.

Blac didn’t hesitate. He gathered her into his arms and she burst into tears on his shoulder. He

rocked her, holding her tight against his chest. “Everything’s all right now, Angel. I’m here now.” He

whispered the words against the shell of her ear.

She sniffled and snuggled deeper into his neck. A huge sigh of relief escaped him and he tightened

his hold. “I thought I’d lost you.” Fear released its hold on his heart with a weary sigh. He squeezed her.

“I promise I’ll never let you go again.”

And he realized now how true those words were.

Fourteen

Blac trailed a single digit down Angel’s arm to her hip, following its curve with his eyes as she lay

on her side next to him. She smiled and snuggled deeper into the nook of his neck.

Two days on board ship, and he’d yet to leave his cabin. Rigo had taken the helm and Blac planned

to enjoy this little reprieve for as long as he could. Of course, tomorrow he would have to end this little

foray into sensuality and return to the ship’s helm. Until then though, he planned to soak in every second.

Sunlight poured into the gallery windows and bathed her skin in a soft, peach haze. The steady rise

and fall of the ship could’ve lulled him to sleep if he hadn’t had other things on his mind at the moment.

The warmth of summer arrived and the heat trapped inside the ship baked them. Their flesh

glistened with moisture from their earlier exertions. Even with every porthole open in the room, the slight

breeze didn’t do anything to alleviate the temperature.

Angel clasped his hand and brought it to her lips to kiss the tip of his finger. His body hardened.

How could she continue to arouse him even after being sated so many times? His finger traced her lower

lip and she sucked it into her mouth.

He gave a playful growl and bent to kiss her. She giggled. “Have I created a monster?” he asked.

She giggled. “Perhaps. Would that be such a bad thing?”

His mouth trailed kisses to her chin. “Ask me again in about an hour.”

She laughed and with both arms, squeezed him. Their bodies made a sucking noise from the

perspiration between them. “So, will you tell me where we’re going already?”

A hand captured a bare breast and he whispered against her ear, “Do we have to discuss it now?”

“Yes.” Her mouth gave a pretty little pout and he groaned in defeat.

“All right.” He leaned up on one elbow and peered down at her. “Our heading is set for Port

Royal.”

She paused and sat up on both elbows. Her blue-green eyes widened. “Really? Why?”

Blac frowned at the eager expression on her face, and realized he should’ve already told her. He

shouldn’t have kept her guessing this long about his plans. He’d been selfish to let her believe he planned

to allow Logan to rot in a cell. Hindsight made him realize if he’d told her the truth months ago, they

wouldn’t have gone through any of this. But then again, he may not have had her here, in his bed, naked —

how he liked her.

He sat up and propped against the wall. “I had already made plans to return to Port Royal, even

before I’d captured you, Angel.”

She gasped. “Are you saying you’d planned to get my father out all along?”

He nodded.

“Then why didn’t you tell me that?”

He steepled his hands before him. “I don’t know, honestly. Stubbornness. Anger. Bitterness that

you’d managed to outwit me so many times already.”

Angel rose to face him and the sheet fell around her waist. She appeared oblivious to her

nakedness, and he wished he could be so as well. As it were, his gaze strayed to her breasts again and

again.

“And how do you feel now?”

He grinned. “What do you think?”

The little siren gave a knowing grin. “I think you are relatively happy at the moment. And satisfied.”

She leaned over with her little derriere in the air and propped herself up on her elbows on either side of

his waist. Her body pressed against his lower abdomen. He reached down to sweep her hair over her

shoulder.

“I think you’re very right.”

She sat up and laughed. “So how do you plan to get him out?”

“It’s complicated.”

She waved an arm around to indicate her surroundings. “I’ve got time, Blac.”

He sighed. “I plan to use you as bait.”

She frowned. “The lieutenant still has my father?”

He nodded. “He hasn’t even let the King know Logan is in his custody. Which is to our advantage.”

“So we won’t have to deal with the crown.”

“Yes.” He lifted her chin. “But it means you have to do what I say, when I say it. No buts, Angel.

I’m not taking any chances on losing you or having you get hurt. We do this my way or you can forget it.”

She grinned and crawled back up his body to perch her little fanny atop him. “Will I be punished?”

He tried to look stern. “Angel,” he warned. “Do I get an answer?”

But her impish grin won him over and he grasped her by the upper arms to kiss her breathless.

She reached up a soft little hand and caressed his jaw. “I’ll let you know in about an hour.”

~*~

The sails snapped against the wind and the Serpent’s hull rode the choppy waves in a north-

westerly heading. They were two days out to sea.

“Sail ho!” The call came from the crow’s nest. Blac motioned to Rigo. “Four points off the

starboard stern.”

Rigo handed him the spyglass. Blac extended it and peered through the piece. “She’s still several

miles off.”

“Orders?”

“None for now. I want to see which direction she takes. She may or may not have spotted us yet. We

can’t tell her speed, but keep an eye on her.”

Angel finally made an appearance on deck. The spyglass found its way into Rigo’s hand, and Blac

only had eyes for the beautiful woman walking toward him. She wore the simple cotton skirt again, and it

floated around her bare feet. He found it entirely too accessible by far. Thoughts of how easy it would be

take her to his cabin and relieve her of her clothes distracted him.

Her smile radiated from her eyes. The cerulean orbs sparkled. “Good morning, Cap’n. Did you

sleep well?”

“Like the dead,” he leaned forward to whisper into her ear. A pretty, pink color dusted her cheeks

and he grinned. “And how did you sleep?”

She gave him a playful smack on the shoulder and moved into his arms. “Like a baby.” He kissed

the top of her head. She peered up at him. “I missed you this morning.”

“And I, you. But I have a ship to captain, my little pirate, and duty calls.”

A pretty pout turned her lips, which spread into an impish grin instead. He headed them toward the

railing, and they stared out over the expanse of the sea, content with the silence between them.

Her soft sigh broke the peace. “What are you thinking?” he asked.

A sad smile played about her lips, and she laid her head on his shoulder. “I was thinking about all

the times I would watch Papa sail away.”

“Oh?”

“I used to wonder what kept him so often from being home. Sometimes I would wonder if maybe he

didn’t want to come home. But then he would be there, and I could see how happy he was to see me. I’ve

sailed a few times with him when I was much younger, but only to nearby ports, a week away and no

more. He would never allow me to travel much due to the danger.”

She turned in his arms and wrapped her own around his waist. He settled his chin atop her head.

“Now I know what it is that drives men into the waiting arms of the sea.”

He peered down at her. “And what is that?”

“I don’t think I can describe it but while I captained the Serpent, there was a sense of freedom. An

escape. It was the most exhilarating feeling I’ve ever known...well up until recently.”

He grinned. “And what is the most exhilarating feeling you’ve felt now?”

She returned his smile and squeezed him. “I think you know.”

“I want to hear you say it.”

She gave a playful punch to his stomach and then settled deeper into his embrace. “Being here in

your arms ranks pretty high on the list, Blac. I used to pretend you would hold me like this when I was

younger. Of course holding my pillow doesn’t do the feeling justice, honestly.”

He laughed and held her tighter. “I’d have to agree with that statement, little one.”

She smiled. “I miss him though.”

Her confession tore something inside his chest and he kissed the top of her head. “So do I.”

“He used to take me down to see Momma’s grave every Sunday. Right before breakfast as the sun

came over the horizon. We’d walk down the path to the gravesite. I’d place a yellow carnation there, to

signify the sunshine she brought to our lives.”

She turned in his embrace and looked up at him. “But you know, I think Papa started that tradition

long before I can remember it.”

“I’m sure he did.”

“Do you think she knows how much we miss her?”

He nodded. “Oh yes, I’m certain she does.”

She frowned, her little brow scrunched up delightfully. Everything she did intrigued him, and he’d

never felt this way before. It confused and enchanted him, all at the same time.

When she craned her neck to look up at him again, he knelt slightly so that they were eye to eye. “Is

that better?”

She grinned. “You are much too tall.”

“And you are much too tiny. Now tell me what has such a beautiful face frowning so?”

She frowned again. “I just realized something.”

“What’s that?”

“You’ve never spoken of your parents before.”

Blac straightened and turned to place both hands on the rail.

“I see. You’re shutting me out.”

Am I?

He sighed and leaned his forearms on the rail. “Not intentionally, Angel.”

She mimicked his pose. “Then why did you turn from me?”

He frowned. “It was a difficult time in my life, I would just as soon forget.”

One delicate hand wrapped itself around his arm and she pressed her body against him in support.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” she whispered.

Surprised, he glanced at her. Most women hounded a man until he relented and told them what they

wanted to hear.

She grinned at his expression. “What? Why so surprised?”

“Most women would never be satisfied with that answer.”

She laughed. “You will tell me when you are ready. Until then, I am content to just be here with

you.”

She moved closer and he wrapped an arm around her. The silence stretched between them but it

wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. It was the kind of silence one felt in the hush of dawn as the sun first

peaks over the rim of the horizon. A silence born of pleasure. “My father became overwhelmed at the