Desire In His Eyes by Kaitlin O'Riley Read Free Book Online Page B

make her way down the rigging. With his heart in his mouth as she descended, he felt an odd swell of pride at her fearlessness and her sense of ease aboard the ship. He couldn’t think of one single woman he knew who would have done what Juliette had just done. Lord knew Melissa would not even set foot on his ship, let alone do something as outrageously daring as to climb the rigging lines.
    When Juliette came within arm’s length of him, he grabbed her around the waist. She flung her arms about his shoulders and he held her tightly. He could feel her heart racing. She let out a delighted squeal.
    “That was the most thrilling, most exhilarating thing I have ever done in my entire life!” she cried with such joy that Harrison couldn’t help but smile at her. “The view is incredible from up there. I felt like I was flying, with the wind and sky above me and the sea all around! Just endless blue everywhere. No wonder you love sailing so much! It was heavenly! I could have stayed up there all afternoon.” She gave a little laugh. “But my arms got too tired.”
    The smile gone from his face, Harrison looked her directly in the eyes. “If you ever do anything so reckless again while on my ship, I will beat you within an inch of your life. Do you know how easily you could have been killed?”
    He still held her in his arms; her feet did not touch the ground. She felt as light as a feather.
    Juliette laughed, her beautiful face alight with happiness. “But I wasn’t killed or hurt, was I, Captain Fleming?”
    “But you could have been,” he muttered angrily.
    “But I wasn’t,” she persisted with a smile. “Now put me down.”
    “No.” He didn’t trust her.
    “No?” she echoed in disbelief, her expression turning to one of suspicion.
    “No.” With that he continued to hold her tightly as he made his way back to his cabin. Aware that his crew was watching, he determinedly ignored them.
    “Put me down this instant!” Juliette ordered, outraged at his treatment of her. She struggled in his arms, but she was no match for his size and strength.
    He held tight and did not let go of her until they reached his private quarters. He marched through his outer office directly into his bedchamber, where he proceeded to dump her unceremoniously on his bed.
    “Just what do you think you are doing?” she sputtered angrily, scrambling to sit up. Kneeling on the edge of the bed she placed her hands on her hips, her appearance beautifully irate. She looked for all the world like an angry angel, if such a thing were possible.
    He took her face in his hands, determined to get his point across. Juliette immediately put her hands on top of his in a defiant effort to break free from him. Unable to remove his secure hold on her, she glared angrily at him. If he were not so angry himself, he might have admired her courage.
    Leaning in close, so she would not miss a single word, he uttered in a low, steady voice, “Listen to me very carefully, Juliette Hamilton, because this is the last time I am going to explain it to you. I am the captain of this ship and what I say goes. Everyone on board my ship abides by my orders, because this is my ship. Their safety is in my hands and so they obey me. You could have been killed up there today and I will not have you taking chances like that on my watch again. Be as reckless as you like when you get to New York and you are no longer my responsibility. But like it or not, my pretty miss, when you stowed away on the Sea Minx you made yourself part of my crew, which means you have to obey me too. And when I tell you to do something, you will do it or you will not like the consequences. Do you understand me?”
    She stared up at him, her eyes the color of the sky fringed by thick, black lashes. God, but she was beautiful. Her delicate bone structure, her fair skin, the adorable tip of her nose, the fullness of her lips could cause any man to lose his head. She possessed the face of an angel,