by Amber Lin
But he was also a good man. And a man she loved. Though he may have done some bad things in his life, both before her and with her, he deserved love.
“I accept,” she said.
“You do?”
“I’ll take the trust.”
He struggled to mask his disappointment. “I see.”
“You’ve given me an idea, I must admit.”
“Should I be glad?” He didn’t look glad.
“Indeed. I was very much impressed to find a ship such as yours, where displaced and orphaned boys can find shelter and food, can earn their keep and learn a trade. That was your idea, wasn’t it?”
“I— Yes…?” Now he looked confused. Adorable man.
“Well, I don’t see why it should be restricted to the male gender. If I had, say, oh, a large trust available to me, I could open one for girls, as well. On land, of course, as it would be difficult for them afterward to acquire positions on ships. However, with the proper training, these girls could go on to be dressmakers, or go into service.” She paused, and considered him. “And not end up like Bennett’s mother.”
His eyebrows rose. “He told you about her?”
“He told me about you pulling him from the whorehouse. I put it together with the story you had told me, of the woman who died in childbed. I just have one question. Is Bennett your son?”
His eyes widened. “What?”
Heat rose to her cheeks. “I do not mean to judge you, of course. But you worked in that house. You might have—”
“Used her services? Well, I did not. And I assure you, if I had, I would not have left my son behind for any length of time.” He muttered, “And I will forever feel guilty for leaving him as long as I did.”
Her heart swelled. “You cannot save everyone, Nate. But…if you would not mind, perhaps we could raise him. Together. I care about him, too, and—”
“Juliana.” The word was guttural, pained. His next words came out broken, tumbling piece by piece. “I always— I wanted a family. And you— You’ve given me… I can’t describe…”
“Yes.” Her eyes filled with warm tears. “I feel the same way.”
Chapter Twenty
Nate watched Juliana from a few yards back, loathe to disturb her. Wind whipped her hair, tossing and tangling the strands, imbuing them with the scent of the sea. He loved to bury his face in her hair and breathe deeply, taking sustenance from both earth and water, grounded in her and touched by the tides.
But not yet.
He had always liked things that fit, and nothing had ever done so as well as this. Blazing bands of orange and purple created a vibrant backdrop for her slender shape, a tapestry that would not be complete without her. She wore a shirt and trousers that had been tailored for her. They clung to the lines of her body, so deliciously feminine he wasn’t sure how he’d ever thought otherwise. She might be wearing the clothes of a man, but her allure was purely feminine—power and grace and a body made for sin.
He had spent the last few years of his life collecting, hoarding, certain it would all be snatched away at any moment. Only to find that what he most wanted could not be procured—only wooed and kissed and…well, other things.
As if she heard his silent admiration, she turned to him, a slight smile on her face. “Took you long enough.”
Yes, it had taken him a very long time to see what was important—years, a lifetime. So long he’d almost lost her. But she was referring to the Fortune Investments shareholder meeting. A fancy term for four old friends drinking scotch. “Sinclair likes to hear himself speak.”
“I noticed,” she said dryly.
Adrian had performed his usual elegant introduction upon meeting her, but Juliana had been more amused than impressed. As if Nate needed another reason to love her.
“Did you find a location for the girls’ home?” he asked.
“More than perfect. It’s an old orphanage. Well, more like a workhouse than an orphanage. The owners died five years ago and their son no longer lives in London. We’re going to renovate the living quarters and install classrooms.”
He loved seeing the light in her eyes, the one that said she was passionate and empowered. “Speaking of which, the home will need someone to run it.”
“About that. I’ve already asked Mrs. Wheaton to do it. And she said yes!”
“You might’ve checked with me first,” he grumbled.
“But then you might have said no.”
He was already accustomed to how headstrong she was. And damn but he loved that, too. “It sounds as though you have it all figured out.”
“Of course, I will still be involved. But as I will need to be gone for long stretches of time—”
“Not necessarily.”
Hurt passed over her features. “You don’t want me to come with you?”
“I certainly do. And Sinclair was quite adamant that we leave as soon as possible. This week. Tomorrow, even.”
She looked stricken. “And me?”
“You’ll be coming with me. So, we’ll definitely need Mrs. Wheaton, and probably Santiago, to oversee any renovations. But this will be Nightingale’s final voyage.”
“No! You love this ship.”
“Don’t worry, she won’t be dismantled for parts anytime soon. The way I see it, her new role will be even more valuable. I want her to function as a training vessel all of the time. We can turn some of the cargo holds into living quarters. Perhaps we’ll still make small runs along the coast to better train the boys, but the ship won’t be carrying tea or rugs or spices anymore. With the company’s recent expansion, we need more trained sailors. What better way to get them?”
Her eyes narrowed. “And you?”
“And I will continue to be Nightingale’s captain. As you said, I love this ship. I have no desire for a different one.”
She grew pensive. She turned to face the sunset again, but without the peace she’d felt before. He wrapped his arms around her from behind. Her discomfort vibrated through the air around them, unsettling him.
“Did you have your heart set on trips around the world?” he murmured. “We still have this last trip. And if you wanted to travel more—”
“No, that’s not it.”
The tension in her voice caused his heart to speed up. From behind, he held her hands and squeezed gently. “Then what’s wrong?”
She turned to face him again. They were face to face, heart to heart.
Her eyes implored him, faintly guilty. “I never meant to tame you, Nate. You’re a pirate. My pirate. And you’re meant to be sailing the seas.”
“Ah, Juliana. I love being on the water. And I love you. But I don’t have to choose between them. This way, I have everything I’ve ever wanted. Not jewels or money. Not even revenge. Just you.”
He put her hand on his chest so she could feel his heart beating, a touch too rapidly, as if that could somehow convey how much all this meant to him—being near her, loving her. Knowing she loved him back.
Jesus. He’d been married for three weeks, but he still woke up in the middle of the night with an ache, a longing, only to realize she was right beside him. When he had slept on the banks of the docks, there were men who had cried out at night, reliving some traumatic event. That was how he felt, but the time he remembered with fear wasn’t prison or beatings or starvation. It was every second he’d been forced to live before he met her, wanting her, barely knowing someone like her existed. He had been scarred by the absence of her, and it would be a long time before he took her presence for granted—never.
Her lower lip trembled. She looked down, but not before he saw the tears in her eyes. Her finger traced the ring on his finger. No gold or jewel adorned his hand, but a band of ink. A piece of jewelry could be removed. But nothing would change the way he felt about her, and so the tattoo had been the only choice for him.
On his right hand were the three inked circles that marked his time in prison. On his left hand was the ring etched in ink sign
ifying his love for Juliana. His past and his future, written on his skin.
And her skin, too. That had been the hardest part to accept. The pricks of the needle had been nothing to him. But she had insisted on the same tattoo around her own finger, in lieu of a piece of gold. And he could refuse her nothing, even if it caused her pain, even if the pain she couldn’t hide made his heart ache.
“I love you, too, pirate,” she whispered.
He had no choice but to press his lips to her forehead. Not a proper kiss. He could only close his eyes and breathe her in. It steadied him, so that he could say with a small amount of teasing severity, “There is one problem.”
Her eyes widened, and a shadow of alarm crossed her face. “Oh?”
He let her see his utter disgust. “Tame? You called me tame? Why would you insult your new husband?”
Her lips twitched, almost smiling. “Is something the matter? I think most women would like a tame husband.”
“Prepare yourself for disappointment, madam.”
“I didn’t say that I liked a tame husband. Other women might, but I fell in love with a rogue.”
He grunted, unappeased. “Pretty words, but I’m afraid this insult cannot stand.”
“No?”
“Indeed, there is only one way I can prove my measure. A demonstration is in order.”
Heat flared in her sparkling eyes. “Right here? On deck?”
“Of course not. What I have in mind isn’t precisely legal. And the first rule of being a rogue is never get caught.”
He led her down to the cabin to show her exactly what he meant. The cabin had once been his escape from the demons of his past. Even running, he had found no peace. Only endless distraction and a pile of pricey trinkets.
He’d found a better purpose than revenge, something more worthy than hunting for treasure. He’d found her. Juliana was his compass, charting his way. She was his anchor—wherever she would go, he’d find home. She was everything around him, the sea, the sky, a steady current, and space to fly.
About the Author
Amber Lin writes edgy romance with damaged hearts, redemptive love, and a steamy ever after. RT Book Reviews called her debut novel, Giving It Up, “truly extraordinary.” Amber married her high school sweetheart, gave birth to a kid who’s smarter than she is, and spends her nights writing down her dirty thoughts. In other words, life is good. See what’s new at Amber’s website or say hi on twitter.
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Also by Amber Lin
LETTERS AT CHRISTMAS
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Three London Seasons. Three Christmases come and gone.
After three years at sea, Captain Hale Martin finally has the means to marry his best friend’s sister and the love of his life. But Sidony Harbeck is done waiting. When Hale proposes a wager—he’ll convince Sidony Harbeck to marry him by Christmas or he’ll leave her alone forever, but Sidony only wants to make him suffer. Hale’s seduction raises the stakes with a passion so intense that even Sidony wonders if betting on the dark horse will net better odds than wagering against one.
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Caught in a raid at an illegal speakeasy, good girl Erin O’Mara loses everything: her job, her home, and her reputation. Handsome and so out of her league attorney Seth Harrison, her best friend’s brother, bails her out of jail and offers her a job as nanny for his son. Seth has no intention of falling in love after the death of his wife. But despite his better judgment, he can’t help being drawn to Erin’s innocence. This Christmas, letting go of the past and embracing the future may be the greatest present of all.
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When Lady Jocelyn barges into the dark duke’s home demanding satisfaction, she never expects the enigmatic man to turn the tables…and she ends up caught in a trap of her own making. Sebastian Thornton’s wicked scar speaks to his dangerous sensibilities—but the Duke of Calydon’s raw, sensual nature is far more perilous to her heart. Swept into erotic nights of loving…and days of frigid walls, she desperately tries to thaw the man she is falling in love with before he shuts her out completely.
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Lord Eastleigh has his own reasons for helping Sarah and keeping her close. Reasons he cannot tell Sarah. As they struggle to restore her memory, their undeniable, inadvisable attraction grows—until Sarah finally remembers the one thing that could keep them apart forever
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Lieutenant Jonathan Rycroft is intoxicating. His hands know just where to touch her, his lips know just how to trip her pulse, and his body knows just how to bring about every forbidden desire Lindsay Dunsfield has ever felt. He’s the one man that’s owned her heart…and he shattered it two years ago. When one scorching kiss reignites the flames of their passion, Jonathan inadvertently drags Lindsay into a mire of murder and deception. In a world where Lindsay can trust no one, will she find renewed faith in the last place she expected to look?
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Drake, Duke of Manchester, has everything planned. This season he’ll marry a woman who will be the perfect duchess and a docile wife. Then he’s introduced to Penelope Clayton, the socially awkward houseguest his family has tasked him to prepare for the ton. Each lesson draws them closer, and he finds himself unable to resist her. But society can be cruel, and social expectations have a way of making decisions for you.
ENGAGING THE EARL
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ENGLAND, 1819
Vivacious Lady Katherine Granfield is the toast of the ton, but society’s most eligible miss secretly yearns for her childhood love, an untitled loner who vanished long ago after her father forbade their marriage.
When the dark and brooding Edward Stanhope returns to England a changed man, and an Earl, he throws Kat’s perfectly arranged future into tumult. As Kat sets out to win back her first love, can the new Earl of Randolph resist the woman he’s loved for so many years?
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