Page 72 of Hush Darling
His eyes closed as he recalled her questions. She wanted to know why he’d brought her here. And damn him for wanting to tell her. He knew better than to share such vulnerability. He trusted no one.
Damn him for wondering what it might be like to share his deepest secrets with a woman like her. She was a sheltered, pampered thing who would never understand why he did the things he did. She knew nothing of hardship or true survival. She was a privileged little rich girl who had daddy issues for days.
She was a temporary means to an end, not a long-term investment. He didn’t need that sort of responsibility in his life. Nor did he trust that she’d actually want such things, but she made it damn hard to believe she couldn’t want those things when she fit him so perfectly, matching his selfishness with untapped desperation of her own.
Perhaps it was better that she enjoyed it. That had never been his expectation, but it would make it easier to live with his actions in the end.
Or was it all an act to steal the upper hand? He honestly couldn’t tell anymore.
She was pure light but also darkness. Those two qualities rarely accompanied each other, but when they did shadows formed, and that was where he thrived.
Damn her for luring him into her sweet innocence, for making him want to comfort her the way he comforted no one. He was a fucking pirate, not a goddamn protector. Who the hell was she to get under his skin?
His eyes opened on a hard exhale as he stared over the waves.
Last night, when he saw her on the cliffs, standing like a goddess draped in a blood-red symbol of his past, his life flashed before his eyes. Recognizing his coat on her shoulders, his heart punched through his chest with territorial need.
That was when he knew it had to be her. If Peter gave her the coat, she must hold some importance to him.
His foolish brother had risked his life coming onto his ship in the dead of night. For weeks, James tried to interpret the meaning behind his thievery. In the end, he decided it was a threat.
Peter did not want his past to disrupt his future. Breaking into his private chambers and stealing something personal sent a clear message that he wanted him to leave the Isles of Kassel. He obviously wanted James as far away from his life as possible.
For twenty years, James had held out hope that they might reconcile, which was what brought him to the Never Lands in the first place. Now, it was clear the brother he knew and loved was gone. The stolen coat severed any remaining illusion of loyalty between them.
Peter took the coat as a warning, which only provoked James to get closer, making it clear that he took orders from no one. He planned to haunt Peter’s present life until he apologized for the past.
When he spotted Wendy standing like an ethereal angel on the cliffs, something dark and sinister came over him, and he vengefully formed a plan to not only reclaim his coat, but to steal the woman wearing it as well.
His selfish brother never showered women with gifts of value. Even his rumored fiancée was without a ring. And that tiny blonde woman they called Belle, she never got more than a night from Peter. But Wendy got the coat, so she obviously meant something to him.
As the ship approached the lagoon, James’ instincts burned with singular, unyielding focus. Peter had stolen from him, and now he would steal something irreplaceable in return.
Like the pelts and skulls surrounding Peter’s home, his brother needed all his little trophies and treasures to remind the world how brave and fearless Peter Pangbourne was. What a lie. His brother was a coward. He was for Peter and only Peter. And he would betray anyone to save himself. James had learned that firsthand.
But, like all self-serving narcissists, Peter hated losing, especially in front of others. Stealing Wendy would be a public affront, and his brother’s oversized ego would leave him no choice but to retaliate, which would inevitably lead to James having the face-to-face that he wanted.
Yes. That was the plan. He needed to stay focused on the end goal. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he confronted his brother once and for all. Then, he would have the sweet satisfaction of informing him of all he’d stolen.
James’ mouth curved as he anticipated how rewarding that moment of revenge would be. Some things were far more valuable once lost forever. Now, he had three treasures his brother coveted—his coat, the girl, and her virginity.
It was done.
His conquest was a monumental success. So why didn’t he feel victorious?
“Cap’n, is everything alright?”
He glanced over his shoulder at his rigging officer. “Everything’s fine.”
“The cageling?”
“She’s fine.” She wasn’t, but his crew didn’t need that information.
Perhaps he should order her another bath. She was undoubtedly sore after he rutted into her like a goddamn animal. Why had he been so damn rough? The plan was to punish Peter, but once he had her in his bed, he realized how different Peter’s life truly was.
Women like Wendy did not associate with men like him, but they flocked to duplicitous liars like Peter. Where was the justice in that?
“Sir?”
