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would be.
    I felt his body tense, and he let go of me, backing quickly away, so we were no longer touching.
    "Does it involve children?" he asked, his voice suddenly serious. "Or slaves?"
    "No!" I said, shocked. "Nothing like that!"
    "Is it illegal?"
    "No," I said. "It's not illegal. It's just…" I stumbled for what to say. "Embarrassing."
    "Embarrassing?" He stepped closer again. His hand landed on my bare arm. His momentary reservations were gone. He was back to his suggestive, flirtatious tone. "And yet, it turns you on."
    "Yes," I said, because I saw no point in lying.

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    "Some kind of fetish?"
    I felt my cheeks turning red, but I said, "Yes."
    His arm slid around my waist and his lips again
    brushed my jaw. "Whatever it is," he said, "just name it, and it'll be yours. Say the word, and I'll give it to you. I want nothing more than to indulge you."
    The thought of it made my pulse race, but I shook
    my head. It was impossible. "You wouldn't understand," I told him. "You'd think I was…" What? A freak? A pervert?
    I wasn't sure what I was going to say, but he didn't let me finish.
    "Oh, Captain Kelley," he said as he kissed my neck.
    "Anything that turns you on this much, I'm one hundred percent in favor of."
    "No." I used my bound hands to push him gently away, and I was relieved when he let me go.
    "You really won't tell me?"
    "No."
    He sighed, but it seemed more theatrical than
    sincere. I had a feeling he was having great fun. He took my arm and turned me around, leading me back to the door.
    "I can have Pierce bring you to my room for dinner tonight.
    Will you join me?"
    "Do I have a choice?"
    "Of course."

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    "Do you intend to continue trying to seduce me?"
    "I think I do," he said, and I could tell he was smiling. "Do you intend to continue saying no?"
    "I do."
    "Hmmm," he said. His hand moved teasingly up my bare spine. "I'm not sure if I'm disappointed or pleased."
    I wasn't sure how I felt about it either.

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CHAPTER 8
    The conversation with Valero left me feeling
    unsettled. On one hand, I couldn't get the thought of him out of my head. His questions about my desires had
    aroused me far too much, and although I had no intention of telling him the details of my fetish, I couldn't quite stop myself from thinking about it, either.
    On the other hand, he was a pirate, and I was a
    sworn officer of the Regency Militia. Prince Rikard was his prisoner. Whether Rikard had sold us out to the pirates didn't matter. My oath was to the Regency, and my duty was clear. I vowed that I would not let myself be distracted from that simple fact.
    I was glad when Pierce finally came to get me.
    Although it pained me to admit it, the truth was, I was tired of spending my time with the surly, bickering men who were supposed to be under my command. They were
    petulant children, and I was tired of playing nanny. I was also growing weary of the smell. Although we had
    showers, we had no way to wash the clothes we wore. The odor of sweat and sour ale was beginning to beat out the antiseptic smell of the medical bay. I was almost looking forward to Valero's room and the incense lingering there.
    Pierce bound my wrists in front of me as he always

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    did. I followed him to Valero's room with a mixed sense of guilt and anticipation.
    The meal was pleasant. I still didn't eat much. I still didn't drink the wine, but then again, I'd never been much of a drinker. The one sip I'd had at our last dinner together had been the first alcohol I'd had in months.
    After the meal was over, I moved away from his
    table and sat in one of the strange blobs that was actually a chair. It was soft and comfortable and a welcome change from the hard, straight-backed seats in the medical bay.
    "Are you sure you won't have some wine?" Valero asked.
    "Quite sure."
    I heard him put something down on the small table
    to my right. I felt