My Pirate Lover by Lexie Stewart Read Free Book Online

Josephine looked down and saw a body with a sword in its chest bumping against Ripple Thief’s hull.
    Josephine turned away, swallowing a scream.
    “Go back to my cabin,” said Lance.
    Josephine obeyed without protest.
    A short while later, Lance found her crying on his bed.
    “I’m sorry you saw that,” he said.
    “It’s not that,” said Josephine, wiping her cheeks. “It’s Katie. Without that Lightning Glass Circle thing I can’t save her.” She got up and paced to the window. “I just feel so useless! I gave her my word, Lance! She trusted me! I promised her I’d be back and-” She turned from the window and into Lance’s arms.
    She hadn’t known that he was right there behind her and she hadn’t meant to turn into his embrace but finding herself there she felt reluctant to leave.
    His body was so warm and solid. Josephine wanted to anchor herself to him.
    “I haven’t given up, Josie,” said Lance, spreading his hands across her back and pulling her against him.
    He wasn’t just warm now, he was hot. Josephine could feel the heat radiating out of him as though a furnace burnt beneath his skin. Come to think of it, she was getting rather hot herself.
    “You must think I cry all the time,” she said, stepping away from him.
    “You‘ve had a rough week,” said Lance, letting her go reluctantly.
    “I just hate feeling useless.”
    “So do I,” muttered Lance. “Damn it! We were so close.”
    His words made Josephine’s brows furrow. “So,” she said, “where’s The Bloody Throne now?”
    Cannon fire answered her.
    #
    Lance didn’t waste any time. He hurried around his cabin grabbing belts and weapons. A knock on the door was immediately followed by Curry’s frantic voice. “Cap’n! We’re under attack!”
    “No shit!” cried Josephine as another blast shook the cabin.
    “I’m on my way!” said Lance. Despite his haste, his voice never wavered. “Tell me, Curry, why the hell wasn’t the alarm raised?”
    “I’m afraid the lookout was shot dead, Cap’n.”
    Lance was trying to buckle on an extra belt, shove a pistol in his waistband and arm himself with a cutlass and knives, all at the same time.
    He dropped most of it and snatched them up, cursing savagely.
    “Let me,” said Josephine. She took the pistol, tucked it into his pants and then snaked the tongue of the belt through its large silver buckle.
    Lance kept his hands out of her way until she’d finished, then dropped them on top of hers.
    After all their haste, they were both suddenly still.
    Josephine didn’t want to look up. She was scared of what she’d feel when she met his gaze.
    She looked up. Lance was breathing hard, his broad chest swelling with every breath and something burned in his sea-grey eyes. Lust perhaps?
    Josephine’s lips parted.
    Lance raised a hand to her cheek.
    A blast of cannon fire bought them to their senses. Josephine escaped to the bed and sat down.
    “You’re to stay here, Josie,” said Lance.
    “Be careful, Lance. Every one of Bloody’s pirates wants to boast that they were the one to bring you down.”
    “I can handle them,” said Lance. “You just stay here, do you hear me?”
    “Of course,” said Josephine. She picked up the brush by the bed and started plucking at the bristles. “What else would I do?”
    #
    Josephine was right, Captain Bloody’s pirates were gunning for Lance. They swarmed around him like seagulls on a sandwich.
    Lance pushed through them, drawing them away from his cabin, away from Josephine.
    His footwork was superb, as was his skill with a blade. Many times his less competent opponents were left swinging at empty air- or even better, swinging at each other!
    The hardest thing for Lance was ignoring the cries of his men. He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted, not even for a second or he would be adding his own blood to the already bloody deck.
    “Curry? That you?” said Lance when a pirate took up a position beside him. “Aye, Cap’n!”