Page 18 of The Pirate and His Siren

Yet, I don’t know if accepting their approval means leaving myself vulnerable to a certain pirate captain.

I push those thoughts aside and grab the dice. “Aye, let’s play.”

CHAPTER TEN

KYNAN

After my routine stroll, I step up to the rail beside Flinders in the prow, making sure everything is running smoothly on my ship.

“Anything?”

“Nay, Captain, scarcely a sighting anywhere.”

I lean heavily on the rails, gazing across the endless blue-green water stretched out before us. “I need to come up with a plan. Something to keep my ship running and the crew happy. We can’t keep carrying on doing nothing, never finding another soul in theBay.”

“Roberts and I will follow you anywhere. We don’t have to be pirates, you know.”

“But there’s a sense of freedom about it, being stewards of our own destiny. We’re not bound by the laws of the lands and our own people, each of us here on theDeadly Destiny.”

Loud, raucous banter draws our attention. My eyes immediately find her, head tipped back, laughing with the crew.

“That’s cheating, lass.” Bones laughs.

“No, you’re just upset I’m skilled at this game,” she retorts.

Most of the crew have abandoned their stations to gather around her and the game. But I can’t bring myself to reprimand any of them as I watch them laughing and jeering with her.

The sight does funny things to my heart.

I always knew I wanted to keep her in my bed, but I never imagined she’d be a part of the crew. But the scene before me is something else I want to keep.

“Including Luarna, now?”

“Aye, including her.”

“You shouldn’t worry about us. You should be focusing on doing right by her.”

“Aye, Luarna is fast becoming my fucking heart, but you and Roberts are my brothers. I won’t abandon either of you for a skirt. Besides, look at her. She fits in with our family now, doesn’t she?”

“Aye, she does.”

“Good. Now all we have to do is find a way to keep it.”

All of it.

Including Luarna by my side.

Luarna finds me later in my cabin as I’m poring over maps.

I pull her onto my lap. “Finished playing with the crew?”

“Too much time in the sun can dry out a girl’s skin, especially a siren. I need to take a swim later.”

She’s been doing that the more we stay out at sea. But unlike that first day, when she challenged me by diving in naked, she is now respectful and dives into the water with her clothes on. I even join her on occasion, trying to perfect my tail-fucking technique.

“Besides, they won all my money.”

“Aye, or did you let them?”

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