The Red Drifter of the Sea: A Steamy Opposites Attract Pirate Romance (Pirates of the Isles Book 3)

by Celeste Barclay

  Once more, Moira dropped Kyle’s given name, reminding the brothel owner that while he’d been with Daisy, he was with Moira now. Or at least she prayed that was the case.

  “I do from time to time, depending on the customer. And yes, that includes the magistrate.”

  “Hmm,” Moira mumbled. She offered Daisy a conspiratorial smile. “From the sounds of it, he can only watch.”

  “Oh, he has no problems with that. A woman canes him while he buggers a man,” Daisy confessed as she returned her attention to Moira’s plunging fingers working her sheath. Pounding at the door interrupted them and made both women jump.

  “Moira, we must go,” Tomas’s voice floated through the wood. “They’re moving them.”

  Moira’s eyes shot back to Daisy. She was relieved she didn’t have to do anything more than tease, but she knew the woman might keep her locked in the chamber if she didn’t get something in return for the secrets she told. Moira rose and shook out her skirts before calling out, “I’m coming, Tomas.”

  Without a second thought, Moira stepped in front of Daisy and grasped a handful of hair, pressing the woman’s face to hers. Moira slid her tongue against Daisy’s lips before flicking it inside the woman’s mouth and pinching her nipple. Giving the nub a twist, Moira stepped back before Daisy could return the kiss.

  “The capt’n and I will be back,” Moira said. She hadn’t a clue if that was the truth, she prayed it wasn’t, but she would appease Daisy. Moira opened the door and walked into the passageway to a group of men staring at her. She kept her voice low, “I learned what I needed to. It’s time for me to talk to the magistrate.”

  Thirty

  “A lady’s come to bear witness that you rescued her from pirates,” the gaoler announced to Kyle and Keith, and the brothers knew no one could tell them apart. The brothers exchanged a look, wondering who their men had scrounged up from a tavern or whorehouse to plead on their behalf. This time they were surrounded by a full contingent of men. Both captains spied men from their crews, but Kyle’s heart pounded when he caught sight of the dread on Tomas and Snake Eye’s faces. Even the usually disinterested Stephen looked noticeably uncomfortable.

  “Moira,” Kyle mouthed. Tomas and Snake Eye nodded while Stephen’s gaze darted to the office doors of the justice of the peace. Kyle feared Moira had been captured too. There’d been no talk of a woman being brought to the gaol, but Kyle didn’t know if women were housed separately. As Kyle and Keith were herded inside, Kyle recognized a woman’s voice.

  “I suggest you do listen to me, because I think you’d rather hear what I have to say before I turn into the town crier,” Moira stated.

  Kyle jerked to a stop, and Keith crashed into him, pushing him a step forward. Guards dragged the twins further into the chamber, but Moira didn’t look in his direction. Instead she stepped up to the magistrate and whipped out a knife when guards tried to approach.

  “I will speak,” Moira announced. “It’s just a question of whether you would like my words to be for your ears only, or if you’d like all of County Wicklow to know your secrets.”

  Kyle tugged against his guards as he fought to get to Moira. Whatever game she was playing was likely to get her killed. He knew she was aware he’d entered the chamber, but she never looked at him. But her next words stopped him cold.

  “I had a nice chat with Daisy,” Moira spoke clearly.

  What the fuck was she doing at The Mother Hen? What the fuck did Daisy tell her? What did Moira do to get Daisy to tell her anything? I will throttle Daisy. I will snap the woman in half if she said or did anything to hurt Moira. I’ve never killed a woman, but I will kill that conniving bitch.

  Keith elbowed Kyle as men pushed them into the box for the accused. He wasn’t sure if he would wet himself or vomit as he watched Moira bribe the man who held all of their fates in his hand. He watched as Moira tapped her toes and drummed her fingers on the man’s desk. The magistrate rose and waved off his guards.

  Moira stepped around the table and spoke rapidly to the justice of the peace. Kyle watched as the color leached from the man’s face, and his jowls shook. He looked at the brothers as Moira continued to speak in a whisper. Whatever she said deeply affected the man, and Kyle could only imagine what Daisy shared that could make the justice of the peace so discomfited.

  “So, as I said, these men saved me from pirates. The O’Malleys were set upon stealing me away, and it was the Captains MacLean who ensured Dermot O’Malley didn’t ravage me.” Moira turned a doleful expression to Kyle and Keith, ensuring that everyone in attendance saw her, before she looked back at the magistrate. She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “I saw the marque of the Earl of Argyll. He must be a very important man if he’s an earl. If you’ve seized the Captains MacLean, does that mean you’ve seized the earl’s goods? I can only imagine what trouble that could cause.”

  Moira opened her mouth in mock shock and put her palms to her cheeks, having sheathed the knife when the justice of the peace rose from his seat. The magistrate grunted before he looked at Kyle and Keith. He scowled down at Moira but nodded his head.

  “The testimony of this witness, along with the marque of the Earl of Argyll, call for dismissal of charges against the men who were remanded to the County Wicklow gaol. Release them.”

  Moira bobbed a rushed curtsy as she went to Kyle and Keith. She said nothing, her eyes wide as she watched the manacles drop from Kyle and Keith’s wrists. She remained silent as Kyle grasped her forearm in a light grip. The trio left the building without speaking, men from both crews following behind. Moira was uncertain of Kyle’s mood or where he led them because they were moving away from where Snake Eye had been waiting with a dinghy the day before. When she saw the shingle dangling over The Mother Hen’s doorway, she stopped abruptly.

  “We have to talk,” Moira whispered to Kyle. “And not in there.”

  Kyle looked down at her and saw the earnestness in Moira’s eyes. The hand gripping her arm felt tension that hadn’t been there moments ago. He wanted nothing more than to find a chamber, any chamber, and drag Moira into it. He would have settled for The Mother Hen, but Moira’s expression told him she wouldn’t wait. He nodded and looked over his shoulder at Keith and the others before he led Moira between two buildings.

  “Kyle, I bribed the magistrate with information I bribed from Daisy. I didn’t pay Daisy with coin. I insinuated that I would bed her,” Moira blurted. Her words barely registered with Kyle. She’d been in the courtroom pleading in his defense, and she hadn’t bolted from him. She hadn’t blamed him or shunned him. He cared not what she had to tell him until he knew where they stood. He pulled her into his arms, waiting for her to reject them. Instead, she pulled at his filthy leine and stood on her toes. Their mouth collided in a maelstrom of passion. The kiss threatened to consume them as everything around them fell away, and their awareness centered upon the giving and taking of need and comfort.

  Kyle tunneled his hands into Moira’s hair, cupping her scalp with the care he would give a newborn. But his mouth plundered her as only a pirate could. Her hands roamed over him as they pressed their bodies together. The kiss drew on with no end in sight, neither hearing the throats being cleared. It wasn’t until Keith pulled on Kyle’s shoulder that they released one another’s mouth, but they remained in one another’s embrace.

  “This is not the place to be swallowing the lass whole,” Keith pointed out.

  Moira’s cheeks flamed as she realized she wouldn’t have cared if Kyle took her against the wall with the crew of both ships watching. She wouldn’t have even noticed.

  “Give us a moment. Moira needs to talk to me,” Kyle stated.

  “Can’t you do that from the safety of the Hen?” Keith demanded.

  “No.” Moira and Kyle responded.

  Keith threw up his hands and shook his head. “I’ll wait for you, but the men are going in. We don’t need the entire town seeing us skulk around any more than they have,” Keith warned,
and Kyle nodded before he looked back at Moira.

  “Are you all right?” Kyle whispered. “I’ve been in a panic ever since I saw you jump. God, Moira, I…”

  “I know, Kyle. I’ve been so scared. I’ll tell you everything that has happened. I promise you. You may punish me every way you see fit for what I’m about to tell you, but I have to before you see Daisy. I hate her.” Moira surprised herself by her declaration. She didn’t hate Daisy, but she was in too much emotional turmoil to reason with herself about why she loathed Kyle seeing the woman he’d obviously bedded several times.

  “What did she do?” Kyle barked, looking back at the street.

  “Fucked you,” Moira muttered. Kyle tilted her chin up, and Moira huffed. “I’m just jealous. I’ve seen the bed. It’s enormous. I can only imagine what you’ve done to her there.”

  “Mo ghràidh, you know what I’ve shared only with you. And you know how I feel about being with you. I’ve told you it’s not the same,” Kyle reassured.

  “But do I? You sailed away,” Moira shook her head. “This isn’t what we should talk about right now. I’m just jealous and scared.”

  Kyle cupped her jaw and pressed a kiss to Moira’s forehead. “Moira, you fought for me, and I sailed up and down the coast, killed Dermot, and will kill Dónal for you. There is no one else. For either of us.”

  Moira bit her lip, the cords in her neck straining as she looked guilty. “There might be. I suggested to Daisy that I would bed her if she gave me information about the magistrate that I could use to bribe him. She took me to her chamber. She went to the bed, and I sat in the chair facing it.”

  Moira waited for Kyle’s reaction, but when nothing came, she grew more afraid than if he’d railed against her. She trembled as she stood, blinking up at Kyle. He realized she’d grown too scared to continue, so he eased her into his embrace.

  “Tell me, sweet one,” Kyle encouraged. The term of affection opened the flood gates as Moira sobbed and clung to him.

  “I thought I’d never hear you say that again. I didn’t realize just how badly I needed to hear it until now,” Moira cried. In Kyle’s embrace, rather than shunned, she continued. “I pulled up my skirts and stroked my leg, fingered myself and massaged my breasts while she watched. Each piece of information earned her something else. But I swear to you, Kyle. She didn’t touch me. But—I did kiss her and pinch her nipple. I did it to tide her over and suggested I would return to give her more.”

  “And what she told you secured our release?” Kyle asked between kisses.

  “It did, and it guarantees that as long as the magistrate lives, you and Keith will never be arrested again in any part of County Wicklow,” Moira answered.

  “Then Keith and I should thank you,” Kyle said as he took Moira’s hand in his and led her back to the street.

  “But, Kyle, what about what she expects?”

  “Do you wish to follow through?”

  Moira’s eyes opened wide, and even in the dark, Kyle could see the whites. “Do you wish to watch?” Moira whispered. “Do you wish to join us? She said you and Keith like to share her.”

  “She says too much,” Kyle growled. “You owe her nothing, Moira. But if you wish to explore being with a woman, I won’t stop you. But no, I will not join you or watch.”

  Moira and Kyle emerged onto the street, and Kyle could clearly see Moira’s confusion. He leaned down and kissed her temple before whispering in her ear. “I told you, there is no one else but you. I will fulfill every fantasy you’ve ever had and any you can come up with now, but I will not watch or touch another woman.”

  Moira gulped and glanced at Keith. She feared she would err in her next suggestion, but she would do anything for Kyle now that he was free. She tugged on his hand until he leaned over for her to whisper in his ear.

  “I don’t know that I will ever get over my relief that we found each other—again. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do if you wanted it, Kyle.” She glanced again at Keith. “I’ve always known you and your brother share everything. Daisy confirmed that. If that’s what you wish, then—”

  Moira shrieked as she found herself hefted over Kyle’s shoulder, and a hard swat landed across her backside. Another and another fell in rapid succession. She fisted the back of his leine as she bounced on his shoulder with each step. Her hair cascaded down Kyle’s back to his legs. She couldn’t see anything but the boots of the men around them. The feel of Kyle’s hand was too arousing to care who saw.

  “Move,” Kyle barked as he stepped through the doorway to The Mother Hen. He found Daisy leaning against the bar, but she straightened when she recognized her newest guests. He walked to her and without greeting stuck out his hand. “Key.”

  Moira tried to shift to see what was happening, but another powerful slap landed on her backside. She gave up with a sigh and rested across his shoulder, releasing her grip on his leine.

  “Drifter,” Daisy purred. “How I’ve—”

  “Not interested. And Moira is unavailable to you. Ever,” Kyle snapped. “I said, ‘key.’”

  “But—”

  Kyle cut her off again. “Do not make me repeat myself. Whatever Moira promised is null. She didn’t have my permission to make such a promise. Now give me the bluidy key before I kick the door in, Daisy.”

  Daisy scrambled to pull a key from the ring she wore at her waist. She handed it to Kyle but glared at Moira’s backside, inelegantly hefted in the air. Kyle turned back to Keith and grinned. Keith winked before he sidled up to Daisy, and their men sought out their own entertainment. Kyle climbed the stairs with Moira, but he shifted her so he could cradle her against his broad chest. Once they were inside the chamber, Kyle eased her to her feet.

  “I know I told you that you could do as you wish with Daisy, and if you want to, I won’t stand in your way. But now it’s on your terms, not because you’re indebted,” Kyle explained. Moira brushed the hair from her face as she nodded. Her sapphire eyes met Kyle’s emerald orbs.

  “I don’t want her or anyone else, Kyle. But maybe you will in the future,” Moira whispered. “If that’s what you want, what you need—”

  “Moira, I don’t know what the future holds for us. But I can promise that as long as we’re together, I will not touch another woman. The thought makes my chest burn, and no thought has ever felt so wrong.”

  “What about what I suggested?” Moira asked sheepishly.

  “You mean what earned you a spanking? And what you just got was only to warm your arse before your real spanking.”

  “I don’t want Keith. I don’t want anyone but you. But I’m telling you that I—”

  “I already know, Moira. But I don’t think you understand. I don’t need, nor want, anyone with us. You don’t have to offer or do anything to make sure I stay. All I want is you.”

  Moira’s face crumpled as she fell against Kyle’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her, but he couldn’t fathom why she was crying. He didn’t know if he’d disappointed her, or if her emotions overwhelmed her. Unsure of what else to do, he held her. Moira’s shoulders curled in, her hands trapped between them, resting on Kyle’s chest. Neither of them was clean, but neither cared. They held each other until Moira could speak again.

  “I’ve never been enough for anyone. At least not since my mother died. My father ignored me for most of my life. He was too busy training Dónal and grumbling about how his heir never listened. Or he was bemoaning Lizzie’s promiscuous behavior. He died before Aidan and I… You know how Lizzie and Dónal treat me. You and I both can imagine what Dermot would have done. I’m short and too skinny, and my hair is a dull brown. The only thing Aidan ever complimented were my eyes. My breasts are too small, and I have no bottom. I look more like a lad than a lass. But never have I felt inadequate with you. And now you’re telling me you don’t want anyone else. I’ve just never felt enough until now.”

  “Moira, we both have a past. But they were separate, before we knew each other. I want our futures to b
e the same,” Kyle whispered.

  “Are you asking me to sail with you?”

  “I’m asking you to spend your life with me. If you wish to sail, then yes. If you wish for us to have a cottage somewhere, then I will build one as fast as I can. I can’t give you a keep like you’re used to. I’m an heir to nothing, but I can give you a home,” Kyle paused as he looked into Moira’s eyes. His thumb smoothed her brow. “If you wish me to marry you, I will. If you wish me to love you, I will.”

  Moira stared at Kyle for a long moment before her tongue flicked out twice to wet her lips. “Are you saying you love me? Do you want to marry me?”

  “Yes.”

  They stood in stunned silence, neither expecting such a declaration, but neither shied away. They just stared at one another. Eventually, Moira found her voice. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. About all of it. Moira, I don’t believe in love at first sight. I didn’t even believe in love when you first boarded my ship. But there is something undeniable between us. Something I don’t think exists between most couples. In fact, Ruairí and Senga, and Rowan and Caragh, are the only ones I’ve seen it with. Maybe Ruairí’s parents. But really only between the Blond Devil and the Dark Heart and their wives. I think it exists with us.”

  “Do you mean that sense of understanding what you need without having to say it?” Moira wondered.

  “Yes. I did try to manipulate you,” Kyle admitted. “Many times I tried to get the information I wanted. I’m sorry for that, Moira. I tried to force you to trust me in ways you weren’t ready for. But you weren’t wrong when you said you trusted me and not just with your body. You knew from the beginning. And I knew too. I knew I could give you what you needed, just as much as I needed what you gave me. And I don’t just mean the coupling. I mean what passes between us.”

  “Even when I feared you didn’t want me and that you left me behind, that you would reject me if I found you, somehow I still trusted that you were looking for me,” Moira said. “I knew I’d be safe if I could just get to you. I lived at Dunluce for two-and-twenty years and never felt as at home as I do when I’m with you. I can’t fathom how you can understand me so well. But you know when I need comforting. You know when I need to let go, to not be in control. You know when I need challenging. I can’t explain it. It’s just in me, Kyle.”