Page 19 of The Pirate and His Siren

A small grin spreads over her face while she wraps her arms around my neck. “Maybe…”

I shake my head before going back to studying the maps spread over my desk.

“What are you looking for?”

“A way to survive. A pirate’s life isn’t as profitable as it once was.” I stab my index finger at the body of water above the continent. “If only we had access to the Fae waters. There’s loot to plunder there, for sure.”

“Us seafolk have always been able to access these waters. The High Fae may seem like peaceful folk, but they can be as cutthroat and manipulative as they come.”

I pull her closer against my body. “Sounds like my kind of people.”

“They won’t take too kindly to you trying to rob them.”

“Aye, but that’s half the fun. Can you get us to these waters?”

She shakes her head. “Access is only through underwater tunnels. You won’t survive the swim.”

I twist her around, pull her legs over the armrest, and tip her face up to mine. “I thought a mermaid’s kiss allows a man to survive in the water.”

“I’m a siren. It works differently for us.”

“Aye, it does, does it?” I stroke her thigh.

She shudders under my touch, squirming on my lap. “Yes, we take no mates.”

“Is that right?” I hide my displeasure at her words.

Luarnawilltake me as her mate.

She has no choice because I’m keeping her.

I caress her sex through the fabric of her breeches, making her pant. I deftly unlace the ties, my hand delving inside, finding her folds already wet for me. Holding her close, I stroke her to completion, watching in rapture as she comes apart in my arms. I continue to run my fingers through her folds as she rides out her orgasm before lifting my fingers to my lips, savoring her taste while I lick them clean.

She lifts her head off my shoulder and flashes me an appreciative grin. That’s what I love about her. She takes her pleasure without feeling the need to reciprocate. Just like any pirate would.

Luarna swings her legs off the armrest to face the map again. “You know there are other ways to steal from the Fae.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why must you rob people on the sea?”

“Because sailing the sea is ingrained in me now. I don’t know if I can go back to living on land. I need the salty air in my lungs and the wind in my sails.”

“Why did you become a pirate?” she asks quietly.

“Roberts, Flinders, and I had stuffed up a scam, and we were looking for an escape route, heading toward the dock. One of the greatest pirate captains to ever live, Captain Anston, saw us running from the city guards and made us part of his crew as cabin boys. As soon as I stepped on theSea’s Diamonddeck, I knew this was what I was meant to do with my life… to have the adventure to plunder and be a free man. But it’s mostly that out there.”

I look out of the closest window. “To be on the water.The notion of sailing these waters exploring the world as I plunder and loot. But the world is smaller than we thought.” I rest my chin on her shoulder. “But still, something has always drawn me to the sea.” I tighten my grip on her thigh. Maybe it’s her. Maybe I am drawn to be with her.

But I know if I say as much to her, she’ll flee from me again.

No, I have to show Luarna she is mine.

“I’m a being born of the ocean, yet I have no trouble being on land.”

“I want to be free, to live without abiding by anyone else’s laws.”

“If there’s anyone who is free to do as they please, that’s a siren. We seduce men for pleasure and sometimes to procreate. We travel the world, moving from place to place, never letting anyone tie us down.”

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