Page 3 of The Pirate's Daughter

“Mia,” her father started, only to stop when she stomped herfoot.

“I won’t, and you can’t makeme.”

Her complete belligerence was shocking and Devin gave in. “That strap I mentioned, Commodore,” he said and felt all eyes turn towards him, “Now would be a good time forit.”

“Indeed, but I’ve toldyou.”

“What kind of fish shit do you think you are?” Mia snarled atDevin.

“Iknow,” Devin started, unable to resist rising to her challenge, “I’m the kind of man that will set you true north if you don’t watch that flapping tongue. You speak to your father, to a ship captain like that? And you’re a woman with family and means, not a dock crawler.” He watched her draw back at the insult, though it wasn’t unlikely she was, if not working the cribs, at least a wealthy man’s mistress to be able to buy her own ship with herearnings.

When she stepped towards him and raised her arm he was ready. Her hand didn’t get close to his face and while her knee managed to catch him in the outer thigh as he turned his foot to avoid the blow to his balls, he was able to twist her arm behind her and pull her full length against him. He caught the second fist before it managed to clip his chin and pinning that behind her back as well he yanked her hard against his body. The jarring motion stilled her. She was trapped and she knewit.

“Papa,” she called in desperation to the man she a moment ago disrespected so completely. “Papa?” Her tone rang with impatience. “Grim?” she cried and Devin looked up from her face long enough to see the giant who’d carried her in step forward. The commodore stayed him with only a minimalmotion.

No longer fearing he’d be broken in half, he looked back down into her amazing sea foam green eyes. A moment ago, they were filled with defiance, but now that was replaced by a rising tide of worry andconfusion.

Devin let his arms go slack, waited for her to lean away as much as she could then jerked her forward again. “You’ll beg pardon from your sire, and you’ll meanit.”

Every bit of her face registered her rage. And the heat in her voice hissed like the lava that spilt into the sea off some other islands. “I’ll burn in hell before I beg anything fromthatman.”

“Mia,” the commodore called softly as he reached for her. He said something in a language Devin might guess to be Portuguese. He didn’t know and it didn’t matter. He only knew English and some French. Devin gave up his grip as the two continued to converse. Although he couldn’t understand a single word, everything about the tone and Mia’s body language said she wasn’t being any more respectful now than when she arrived. And as before, her father did nothing to put her in her place. The conversation ended only when the slightest edge entered his voice. Mia drew in a sharp breath through her nose then with a stomp of her foot and a huff she spun away and walked straight into Grim’s arms. The big man patted her shoulder encouragingly, but saidnothing.

She was without a doubt a beauty, and not, as he feared, dumb. But she was a brat, a childish, spoiled brat beyond what any man should be expected to take on as a wife. Let the pirate do his best to destroy everything Devin built. “There is no way you’re going to force me to marrythat,” he stated and made it clear that was the end of this littleparley.

Chapter 3

Mia Lyn Cadleylifted the book from the floor and threw it against the wall with every bit of strength she had. She’d much rather over turn the tables or break the glass panes along the stern, but the larger furniture was anchored to the floor, and it took two people to get it loose, and broken windows on a ship left it vulnerable to flooding. A flooded ship was an assured death. She was angry but she wasn’tinsane.

Two days locked in Captain Winthrop’s cabin aboard theIron Rose. A prisoner on a royal naval ship. No worse, awife? How in the name of Calypso was she made to wed that odious man? “Oh,” she grumbled, and kicked at the netting tangling her feet. She knewhow. Her papa bent her to his will with his ship’s articles. Articles she’d signed and was honor bound to comply with. The stupid man standing next to her while they wed seemed to have no understanding of honor. He was clearly surprised she’d followed her captain’sorders.

So Mia knewhowPapa forced her to wed. What she didn’t know was why? Andwho. Who was Captain Robert Winthrop?Devin. Devin. That was the name he’d offered several times now. His name should be devil for all his fine-mannered speech and even finer body. Mia felt that heat again. The same one she’d felt when she first laid eyes on him. The same one that burned through her more when he pulled her against him and held her. His strength was obvious although he did nothing to cause her pain. The places their bodies touched, Mia felt nothing but hardness. Every curve of her person was forced to arch against the stiffness of his. That included the stiffness she’d felt against the front of hispants.

She screamed, sweeping up the tangled netting from the floor and flinging it across the cabin. Who was this man? What hold on Papa did he have to be able to make a claim on her? And why in all of Poseidon’s realm did he claim her as hiswife? Taking a deep breath, she prepared to let loose her best scream. The kind that always made every member of the crew scramble to do her bidding. Before she could fill her lungs, the door pushedopen.

“Quit that noise,” Quiggly, the quartermaster, said as he came in with a tray. “And I told you to clean up this mess. Captain keeps a tight ship.” The man spoke like he believed Mia would follow orders given by a navy man. He set the tray on the table and despite her hunger Mia stepped up and swept it to the floor, creating more of amess.

“Shove off you gibfaced flapdoodle,” Mia said and glared at theman.

“You little…” Quiggly snarled, reaching for her with malice in hiseyes.

“Mr. Quiggly,” Captain Winthrop said as the quartermaster’s hands took hold of Mia’s arms, “you’re dismissed.” The crisp sharpness of the command wasn’t missed by either Mia orQuiggly.

“Aye, Captain,” Quiggly snapped upright, turned on his toes and marchedout.

Mia watched him go, then watched as Captain Winthrop stepped inside. The man’s proper demeanor felt both cold and threatening. Not so much as one black strand of hair on the man’s head was out of place. The white lapels of his navy jacket were perfectly clean, as were his regulation white breeches, shirt and vest. The tall brown boots were polished and without crease and matched the brown leather of the wide belt he wore around his middle. Mia’s wandering eyes were drawn to his hands as he worked to pull off the leather gloves and tuck them into his side pocket. She looked up in time to catch his dark blue eyes surveying the mess she’d created in the once perfectly orderlyquarters.

Much of it she made when she’d torn apart every bit of the room looking for a weapon, anything she could use to escape. The rest was a result of her frustration and temper. She knew even when she started she’d not find so much as a pen she might use to stab the man in the eye. He took the time she was held on dock to clear the cabin of anything useful and like his regimented bearing stated he’d be, he was thorough. There was nothing sloppy about the man before her. Mia smiled. There was nothing sloppy about him until now. She’d destroyed his neat little living space. Given the chance, she’d destroy his ship to the point it would be good only for scuttling. She’d be damned before she submitted to royal navy. She’d be double damned before she be forced to changecourse.

“You’ve been busy,” Winthrop said catching her eyes and holding her stare. “I shouldn’t expect more from a pirate’s daughter.” He stepped further in and clasped his hands behind hisback.

Pirate’s daughtercould be how all navy saw the merchant sailors. Jealous of their freedoms and theirefficiency.

“To think anyone who mixes with that ilk might have even the slightest idea how to keep a ship as proper seaman should would be stupidity worthy of drowning to spare the world. Pirates are notoriously filthyscum.”

Mia didn’t recall moving, raising her hand or taking the swing, but the sound of the slap echoed and the red mark on the captain’s face bloomed bright. She’d put some strength behind the act, yet barely made his head turn. She expected to be slapped back but Devin’s hands stayed clasped behind his back as he worked his jaw. His lips pressed into a firm line and his eyes narrowed but he made no move to retaliate. Rather he turned sharply and paced across the room, stopping near one of the ship’s open hatches. The soft breeze ruffled his hair. He stood a moment then lifted a wooden slat from the wall where it hung waiting to be used to secure the small hatch. He examined it, turned back, and tapping it absently against his thigh walked back toher.

“You are scum,” Mia hissed turning to stay facing him as he paced slowly past her. “Weak, unable to make even a basic decision without directions from your betters. Lapdog to a crown who doesn’t even know your name.” Mia pulled her shoulders back and sent him her best glare. The one that often made other members of the crew look around nervously. “You know nothing of how to master the sea. You know nothing of the power in commanding the waves and you’ll not master or command me. I demand you put me ashore and that you do it n—.” Mia screeched as the wooden slat connected with her ass hard enough it lifted her up on hertoes.

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