Seducer. Kayla GrayЧитать онлайн книгу.

      Kane regarded the two women, deep in conversation at the railing. He’d given them enough time to see to each other’s welfare and now they could only be up to no good. Olivia appeared nervous and Madelaine seemed too focused to be simply trying to calm the maid. He had underestimated Madelaine twice now, enabling her to draw his own dagger on him in front of his men. And his damn pistol, too. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t have hurt him with it; the fact that he wasn’t prepared for her boldness stung his pride. He was never careless. In fact, he was well known for maintaining full control of any situation. He had come to expect it when men lined up to follow his lead.

      What he didn’t expect was that beneath that curvy, golden-haired beauty lay a spitfire with the potential to turn his authority upside down. She was exactly the type of woman he would desire if he had an inclination for a woman in his life.

      Which he didn’t.

      “Henry, take the helm. Hold our course,” he said to his quartermaster. He should be irritated knowing he wasn’t going to be able to keep his eye off her for a minute, but the prospect of spending more time with her was almost pleasing. Besides being a stunning beauty, she was clever and had the heart of a lion. “Elliott, take the maid below. See to it she’s occupied for the next few days.”

      “Aye, sir,” Elliott Young replied, scratching his head in thought. “We’ve got two baskets full of mending to be done. I’ll be happy for another pair of hands. Hmm, an’ maybe she can cook. Be nice to have a woman’s touch in the galley.”

      “True enough. Dismissed, sailor.”

      Kane decided to keep the women apart from here on out. If he had any hope of seducing Madelaine into giving herself to him, he was going to have to start working on her—soon. He had only four nights before they’d dock in Virginia and he’d release her.

      There would be no ransom demand. He’d never intended to ask for ransom. Kane wasn’t a pirate, despite what most people thought. He was part of a secret organization of Patriots who had been meeting to discuss the growing list of grievances against England. It was likely privateering would be sanctioned at some point, but there was no central government to pass such laws. Each colony had been acting independently of each other and had very different ideas about how the country should be governed. America had no navy to speak of, and it was imperative that they gain some power on the water. Kane and a handful of other men were trying to make sure they had a headstart in that area and for months had been plundering English ships and redistributing the goods with as much discretion as possible. Kane would be glad when he and his brothers could hunt and fight the British in the open. But for now he served his fledgling country behind a black mask and false beard, and only when he received the order from his anonymous employer.

      Madelaine put up a fuss with Elliott about taking Olivia from her. Kane couldn’t hear her, but she stood braced on the deck, her fists on the gentle curve of her hips as she tongue-lashed poor Elliott. The sailor lowered his head and bowed in apology but held strong and took the maid away. Madelaine hugged the girl, smoothed her hair, then watched them depart. Kane knew he was going to be faced with her wrath—it wasn’t a good way to begin his seduction scheme. He’d have to think of a way to make it up to her. As he approached her, he couldn’t help but admire her confident posture and the seductive swell of her breasts over the square neckline of her dress. She crossed her arms as he neared, which further displayed the perfect mounds, causing a jolt of desire to shoot straight through him.

      Kane’s work was treacherous. He was constantly in danger of being captured or betrayed by someone supporting the Tories. Inarguably, there was too much at stake for him to divert any concentration toward confronting his personal demons with Hugh. He might very well be able to exact his revenge through Madelaine, but he couldn’t shake the niggling sense that she had the potential to bring him down in the process.

      Still, that didn’t stop his bootfalls from picking up the pace, taking him closer to the golden-haired siren whose sage green eyes were piercing him with shards of anger.

      Chapter Eight

      Kane closed the space between them, watching Madelaine’s expression shift from confusion to recognition.

      “Where is your disguise?” she taunted him.

      “You tore my false whiskers off before with such passion, I was certain you preferred me without them. I only wish to oblige you, love,” he said, with an arrogant grin.

      “Then do as you promised and show me how to fire your gun,” she retorted.

      He cocked his head, one thick brow raising as her full meaning sank in. “I believe I wish to know you a little better before I allow you to try to shoot me again.”

      Instead of laughing, she seemed irritated that he would possess the slightest sense of humor.

      “Why did you have Olivia taken away?”

      “You don’t seem pleased to see me.”

      “I’m not. Why would I be?”

      He pretended to think for a moment, then rubbed his smooth chin. “Because you missed me?”

      She huffed, eyeing him with disdain. “I would not have noticed if you had been lit on fire and dropped from the main mast.”

      “Because you are interested in Hugh. Do you find him handsome?”

      She seemed to falter, dropping her arms by her side and refusing to look at him. “Of course I do.”

      That was likely true enough. Hugh had never had a difficult time with women. His looks were proper, upper class, neat and polished to a high-shine handsome.

      A mold Kane had never fit into.

      “When may I see Olivia again?”

      “You can see her when we dock.”

      “What? No. I mean…she is very frightened. She needs me…for protection.”

      Kane laughed. “Protection from what?”

      “Your men, of course! How dare you laugh. You may think she is only a maid, but she is much more than that to me.”

      “No one on this ship is a danger to your maid, Madelaine. No one goes against my orders. Her virtue, whatever condition it may be in, is safe.”

      “And what about mine?” she whispered.

      “You have already determined that, love.”

      “You gave me no choice! How can you expect me to fulfill that agreement?”

      “Are you going back on your word, Madelaine?”

      She hesitated, her cheeks reddening. She turned her back to him and draped her forearms over the railing, staring out at the sparkles of sunlight dancing on the tips of the waves.

      When she didn’t answer, Kane looked at her profile for a clue to her thoughts. Her eyes were shuttered by dark brown lashes that fluttered like butterflies when she blinked. She parted her full pink lips as if to speak, but only wet them with the tip of her tongue. He felt an instant urge to plunder those lips again.

      Most of the women Kane knew played the game of seduction very seriously. Madelaine had no idea how alluring she was to a man. She would find nothing but heartache with Hugh and that knowledge brought a wave of anger to the surface.

      “You’re going to spend the rest of your life as the wife of a rigid,