The Pirate Prince Read Online Free PDF Page A

me,” Dariq said crisply.
    When Willow merely stared at him, Dariq grasped herelbow and ushered her toward a cabin nestled beneath the quarterdeck. He opened the door, hauled her inside and closed the door behind them.
    Familiar with ships, Willow knew immediately that the luxurious cabin belonged to the pirate prince, but she asked anyway. “Whose cabin is this?”
    “Mine.”
    Willow stiffened. “Where will
you
sleep?”
    “In a small sleeping chamber reached through that door,” Dariq said, pointing to a narrow panel. “ ’Tis normally occupied by my cabin boy, but he can sleep elsewhere.”
    Willow had no reason to trust Dariq, yet he was all she had to protect her from his fellow pirates.
    “You can take off your aba while inside this cabin,” Dariq instructed.
    With a sigh of relief, Willow whipped off the aba and tossed it aside. “Am I confined to this cabin? Or may I walk out on deck?”
    Several speechless minutes passed as Dariq’s appreciative gaze roamed over Willow’s thinly clad body. If it weren’t for his need to deliver her untouched to Ibrahim, he would put all his considerable skills to seducing her.
    “This cabin is the only place you will be safe,” Dariq warned.
    “Am I safe from you?” Willow challenged. “I trust you no more than I do your comrades.”
    “A wise move,” Dariq said, nodding. “A woman as lovely as you should trust no man with her virtue. Are you aware of your great beauty, my lady? Your lush curves would tempt a saint. Your hair is pure sunshine, and your body is flawless.”
    His words stunned Willow. She had heard pretty words from London dandies, but they were unexpected fromthis fierce pirate. Aware of her near nudity, she reached for her aba and held it before her. “What do you know of saints, my lord prince? You are a heathen.”
    “My mother is English,” Dariq revealed, “and a Christian.”
    That bit of information stunned Willow, but not for long. “Then you must know how wrong it is to imprison women in a harem! It is against God’s teachings.”
    “But not against Allah’s. If you please Ibrahim, you will be petted and pampered and lavished with gifts. For your own well-being, I suggest you try to please him.”
    Lips clenched tightly together, Willow gave a stubborn shake of her head. “I will
not
become your brother’s plaything. Nor will I accept such a fate without a fight.”
    Dariq pinned her with his hard gaze. “You have no choice, my lady. If I hadn’t interfered, you would still be Ibrahim’s newest concubine. Though you have gained a short reprieve, the ultimate outcome will be the same.”
    “My father—”
    “Your father can do naught. You are already lost to him. Why did he allow you to travel alone in dangerous waters?”
    “I wasn’t alone. My maid accompanied me. I was visiting my mother in Marseilles. She and Father have lived apart for a number of years, and I chose to remain with father in England. I have visited Mama every year without mishap. My father owns the ship upon which I travel; this is the first time the
Fairwind
has encountered pirates.”
    “There is always the first time,” Dariq said, “as you just recently learned. Resign yourself, my lady. You’ll never see your father or England again.”
    Rage seethed through Willow. “All is not lost. The
Fairwind
was allowed to proceed after I was taken off theship. Papa will search for me, even to the ends of the earth.”
    The thought of being hidden behind harem walls the rest of her life was more than Willow could bear. Throwing caution to the wind, she flung herself at Dariq, pummeling his chest with clenched fists.
    “I won’t listen to you! I cannot! Let me go, damn you! Take me to England, or Marseilles, if England is too far. What kind of demon would condemn a woman to a life of sexual abuse?”
    Grasping her wrists, Dariq pulled her arms behind her back. She arched against him, bringing her body flush against his. He felt her nipples tauten