Justified Treason (Endless Horizon Pirate Stories, Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

face, and sighed, “I am so happy you’ve come back.”
    She sounded quite relieved to see me so I flashed her with a cocky grin and smirked, “Did ye doubt me, lovely?”
    She looked at me with an interesting glare before she turned the lantern low and reminded me how we shouldn’t be seen together. I backed her into the corner and held her against the wall as I tempted, “Can ye make it out for the night? I want to take ye somewhere.”
    She made a silly thinking face as if’n she might ‘ave better plans, but she responded with a sweet little laugh. “Of course I will go with you.”
    Then she tugged at the flimsy fabric of her nightgown and asked, “What shall I wear on an outing with a man like you?”
    I raised an eyebrow as I touched the frilly neckline on her dress, and as me fingertips brushed across her chest, I felt a surprising buzz of electricity. Something ‘bout knowing that I shouldn’t be touchin’ her made me want to touch her more.
    A bashful rouge tinted the porcelain skin beneath her light freckles, and her full lips curved into a shy smile. I liked the way I could make her blush so easily, and I got so distracted by the fire burning between us that I almost forgot to answer her question. While shaking me head, I chuckled, “I like this dress just fine, beauty. No one will be where we be going. Plus it be lookin’ more flexible than those other pretty dresses ye wear.”
    She giggled, “I actually look forward to changing into these gowns every night. Those gigantic dresses may be pretty but they are heavy and uncomfortable.”
    Grabbin’ her hand, I tugged her over to the rail, and I asked, “Is anyone in this room below us?”
    “It’s the music room; no one will be in there at night,” she replied.
    I hopped over the rail, tied me rope around the post, then picked her up and wrapped her legs around me. I told her to hold on as I repelled down the side of the building, and she struggled to silence her girlish giggling ‘til we hit the ground. I tugged me rope off the rail and tucked it neatly in me bag, and she whispered, “That was so much fun, Sterling. What could possibly be next?”
    I lifted my eyebrows to entice her. “Somethin’ ye’ll never forget.”
    I led her down to the beach. The moon had not quite made its way over the mountains, so the scene was rather dark, but as me eyes adjusted, the sand became lighter, and the intense contrast of white sand against the darkened sea clearly led the way. I reached over to grab her hand and we talked about many things as we walked along. She wasn’t just nice to look at, she made for good conversation too.
    Once the beach swooped around the west edge of the island, the shore angled to the north, where rugged cliffs arose from the sea. I stopped her in front of a little stream that flowed out of the forest and into the ocean . Standing thar with her, I watched the way she eyed the moonlight reflecting off the water that ran across the sand. She looked up from the scene and grabbed me arm as she gasped, “I have never come this far down the beach, Sterling. It is beautiful here.”
    I was stunned by her confession. “Ye kidding me? This be like ye own backyard. I can’t believe ye never been here.”
    “I told you I am trapped like a princess in the castle’s highest tower, but I know the world is full of beautiful places and I want to see them all.”
    She made me want to show h er the world. Takin’ both her hands in mine, I enticed, “Maybe one day I’ll get to take ye somewhere, Charlotte.”
    She smiled as she asked, “Where would you take me first?”
    I wanted to inspire her wandering imagination. “Thar be a little island not far from here that’s lined with secret coves and laced with stunning waterfalls. Then maybe we could head across the Spanish Main and out over the Atlantic…”
    She had her eyes closed to visualize the journey and I kissed her on her cheek. She opened her eyes with an awestruck