Page 58 of The Moonstone Pirate
“This will be your last day here,” he repeated.
“You are banishing me? Really? What is this about, Draco? Are you still angry that I know about your escape route? It is a very intelligent step, and I’m glad you have done it. You ought to tell my uncle about it.”
“I will.”
This admission caught her by surprise. “You will?”
“Yes.”
“When? Today?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“May I tell him?” This knot in her stomach was growing tighter, and she wanted to speak freely to her uncle about whatever was going on with Draco.
He frowned at her again. “No. I will tell him.”
“Why are you still angry with me? Are you insulted that I would not accept jewelry from you?”
A flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes. “No, Butterfly. I am not insulted.”
“Because, much as I appreciated the offer, I am not one of yourwomen, and I will not be bought.”
“Not be…” He shook his head and laughed heartily. “Seriously? I would never mistake you for one of myboughtwomen. First of all, I do not pay to entice women into my bed. They come of their own accord. Eagerly, I might add.”
She made a sound of disgust.
“Second, I would have to be out of my senses to consider luring you into my bed. That would be a monumental mistake on my part, don’t you think? Besides, I do not deflower innocents such as yourself.”
Heat shot into her cheeks.
Why did he have to find her lack of experience so amusing? “I refused the offer of butterfly jewelry mostly foryoursake, Draco. Uncle Cormac would have pounded you to dust had he ever found out.”
“Over a simple butterfly clip? It is hardly a diamond necklace.”
“It is still jewelry. Something as intimate as that had better come with a marriage proposal… That is what Uncle Cormac would tell you as his fist landed on your nose.”
To her annoyance, he laughed again. “Then I had better behave around you, hadn’t I? Especially since I have no wish to forfeit my life or my nose. But that does not excuse your behavior. Stop trying to divert my attention from the subject. You are here because you are meddling.”
“You needn’t berate me.”
“Obviously, I do. When did Deandra run off? I’ll wait for her to return.”
Imogen rolled her eyes. “She will never come out if she sees you out here with me. You know she is desperate to push us together.”
“That nonsense again,” he muttered.
“Falling in love is not nonsense. I think Deandra should be commended for obeying your wishes and not sneaking down to the cave to spy on you, which she could have done at any time if she were not so respectful of you. Do you plan to spend more time there? Is there something else you need to do? Or wish to tell me? Or some information I can relay to my uncle?”
He ignored all her questions. His lips were now pinched and his eyes no longer held any warmth as he stared at her. Oh, those silver eyes. Why did he have to look so handsome even when infuriated? His dark hair, slightly too long to be considered fashionable, blew gently in the afternoon breeze that always swirled around these coastal cliff sides. Cornwall was full of little coves, and his private one just happened to contain the best pirate caves in the area.
Gusts of warm wind swirled around her legs and caused her gown to flutter.
In the distance, she noticed the waves picking up in intensity, their white crests breaking to shore with greater force. Gulls hunted over the water and caught the wind, hovering in place without the need to flap their wings to remain aloft. “You ought to put some proper clothes on, Draco. You look too much like a pirate.”
Indeed, an irresistibly handsome pirate with a finely sculpted body and a gorgeous face that warned he might look handsome on the outside, but beware of what lurked inside of him.
“Do I?”
