EXCERPT included below
~ NEW ~
John Smyth has seen plenty in his 250 years on earth, but this pirate has finally met his match. Harmony is a pirate of the digital age, and when she swipes Pandora's Box to sell on the dark web all hell could break loose... Literally.
Trust, danger, and plenty of passion await!
Trust, danger, and plenty of passion await!
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~ ~ ~ EXCERPT ~ ~ ~
John jogged up the stairs and into a gale force wind. The raindrops stung his cheeks like tiny projectiles. The stay rope, supporting the main mast, groaned as the sail swung around to catch the wind from a new angle.
He went to the wheel and shouted over the storm at Keegan. “We’re changing course?”
“Aye!” His grip tightened on the wooden pegs around the wheel as he fought for control of the ship against the turbulent ocean. “Colton wants us back at port before the storm gets angrier.”
Keegan met John’s eyes with a grin. “Your lady is a pirate at heart.”
John scanned the slick deck. Colton and Duke were tying down the lines after tacking the Sea Dog into the wind, but there was no sign of Harmony. He peered down toward the stern. Light came through the windows of the Captain’s quarters.
He turned to Keegan again. “Are the women in Colton’s cabin?”
Keegan chuckled. “Char and Skye are.” He pointed straight up. “But your lass had other plans.”
John looked up, struggling to see through the rain and inky darkness. Her voice carried on the wind. “Boom about!”
Instinctively, John ducked as the boom swooped across the deck, but his gaze never left the woman straddling the beam at the top of the mainsail.
Drake yelled back, “Aye!”
Colton shouted from the deck. “Come about!”
John’s heart palpitated in his chest as the Sea Dog creaked, fighting into the wind and raging waves. He grabbed Keegan’s shoulder. “She’s up in the riggings.”
“Aye.” Keegan nodded. “She beat Drake to the top.”
While part of John was inclined to respect her skills, most of him wanted to race up there and carry her back down to safety. He ground his teeth, barely able to keep his voice steady. “She’s up there with no life vest, and the grail is locked away in Savannah. What if she falls?”
Keegan sobered. “You know Drake and Greyson would never let her fall.”
“Not on purpose. Fuck.” John raced to the wet ratlines and in one jump, pulled himself up into the rungs. His pace was quick but controlled. When he neared the top, he looked up.
“What are you doing up here?” Harmony’s smile, the gleam in her eyes, swamped him with emotions he wasn’t sure what to do with.
“I’m rescuing you.”
She raised a brow. “Do I look like I need to be rescued?”
“You look like you didn’t have enough sense not to climb up here without a life vest or a safety harness.” He made his way up and sat on the beam of the mainsail beside her, instinctively wrapping a line around his arm just in case.
At least she’d had the sense to do that.
Her eyes narrowed. “Do not tell me you came all the way up here to lecture me on boat safety.”
Drake and Greyson finished tying the sail. Greyson shouted over the wind. “See you two on deck.”
“Every pirate on this crew can fall overboard and won’t drown.” A muscle clenched in his cheek. “Can you say the same?”
“Give me a break, John.” Harmony pushed her wet hair back from her face and met his eyes. “Do you even have any life vests on this ship?”
“Aye. We have to for our insurance for school tours.”
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes. “This was risky, I’ll give you that, but I know what I’m doing.”
He reached over to cup her cheek. “My crew forgets what mortality is all about sometimes. You could have fallen overboard, or just fallen period.”
“And I could have gotten hit crossing the street after we had ice cream earlier today. It’s called living, John. Dying is always an option, we just hope our number doesn’t come up. That risk…that’s what being alive is all about.” She covered his hand with hers and the onslaught of rain lightened.
John lost himself in her eyes, and his words came directly from his soul. For a moment, he wasn’t sure if he spoke them aloud or just inside his head. “The cup took away the risk.”
She searched his eyes. “What are you talking about?”
He lifted her hand to his lips as the realization manifested in his heart. “For lifetimes, my life has been numbers and order. You brought in risk, and now I find myself wondering…” He looked up at the dark sky, searching for words. “I drank from the Grail to live forever, but I think my life was stolen the second that water passed my lips.”
She laced her fingers with his, squeezing his hand until he met her eyes. “It doesn’t have to be like that. Just because you can’t die, doesn’t mean you don’t have any risks. You stepped in front of a bullet for me today. I’d say that was a huge risk.”
He chuckled, rolling his eyes. “I knew it wouldn’t kill me.”
“But you also knew it would hurt, and you did it anyway.”
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” His thumb caressed her knuckles. “This worry festering in my gut––I hate it.”
“But the adrenaline is a rush, right?” Her smile beamed even in the dim light. Her features softened. “Caring about me is a risk, but you climbed this sail anyway.”
“You’re the biggest risk I’ve ever faced.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Tell me something?”
“All right.” She nodded as a shiver ran across her shoulders. He needed to get her out of the cold.
“What drives you to keep pushing the envelope? You chase after risky investments, you steal artifacts from the government, you climbed the mainsail mast in a storm on the open ocean. It’s more than a yearning for adrenaline.”
She sighed, breaking eye contact. “From my mom, I guess. When her marriage fell apart, she grabbed the bull by the horns and got everything she ever wanted.”
“I saw your picture with her on your desk.”
“We should get back down before I end up dying on pneumonia.” She gripped the beam and turned around, placing her feet on the first rung of the ratlines.
John caught her wrist before she could move down any further. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She shook her head without making eye contact. “I’m not upset, just freezing my ass off.”
He let it go for now. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen Harmony disengage when things got too personal. In the office at the holidays, she always had an excuse to miss the family pot luck event, and the company picnics too.
He’d never given it much thought before, but every second he spent with her, the yearning to connect, to know every chapter of her story, ate at him. He shouldn’t pry. It was none of his business. After tonight, she’d have her replica to sell for the Digi Robins.
For all he knew, she’d go back to being a broker at his firm, nothing more.
His hand slipped off the ratline and he cursed under his breath. “Damn it.”
“If you fall on me, I’m gonna be pissed.” Harmony called from below.
He grinned in spite of himself as he found his rhythm again. “I’m not fallin’ anytime soon, love.”
But truth be told…he was starting to suspect he’d already had.
For her.
He went to the wheel and shouted over the storm at Keegan. “We’re changing course?”
“Aye!” His grip tightened on the wooden pegs around the wheel as he fought for control of the ship against the turbulent ocean. “Colton wants us back at port before the storm gets angrier.”
Keegan met John’s eyes with a grin. “Your lady is a pirate at heart.”
John scanned the slick deck. Colton and Duke were tying down the lines after tacking the Sea Dog into the wind, but there was no sign of Harmony. He peered down toward the stern. Light came through the windows of the Captain’s quarters.
He turned to Keegan again. “Are the women in Colton’s cabin?”
Keegan chuckled. “Char and Skye are.” He pointed straight up. “But your lass had other plans.”
John looked up, struggling to see through the rain and inky darkness. Her voice carried on the wind. “Boom about!”
Instinctively, John ducked as the boom swooped across the deck, but his gaze never left the woman straddling the beam at the top of the mainsail.
Drake yelled back, “Aye!”
Colton shouted from the deck. “Come about!”
John’s heart palpitated in his chest as the Sea Dog creaked, fighting into the wind and raging waves. He grabbed Keegan’s shoulder. “She’s up in the riggings.”
“Aye.” Keegan nodded. “She beat Drake to the top.”
While part of John was inclined to respect her skills, most of him wanted to race up there and carry her back down to safety. He ground his teeth, barely able to keep his voice steady. “She’s up there with no life vest, and the grail is locked away in Savannah. What if she falls?”
Keegan sobered. “You know Drake and Greyson would never let her fall.”
“Not on purpose. Fuck.” John raced to the wet ratlines and in one jump, pulled himself up into the rungs. His pace was quick but controlled. When he neared the top, he looked up.
“What are you doing up here?” Harmony’s smile, the gleam in her eyes, swamped him with emotions he wasn’t sure what to do with.
“I’m rescuing you.”
She raised a brow. “Do I look like I need to be rescued?”
“You look like you didn’t have enough sense not to climb up here without a life vest or a safety harness.” He made his way up and sat on the beam of the mainsail beside her, instinctively wrapping a line around his arm just in case.
At least she’d had the sense to do that.
Her eyes narrowed. “Do not tell me you came all the way up here to lecture me on boat safety.”
Drake and Greyson finished tying the sail. Greyson shouted over the wind. “See you two on deck.”
“Every pirate on this crew can fall overboard and won’t drown.” A muscle clenched in his cheek. “Can you say the same?”
“Give me a break, John.” Harmony pushed her wet hair back from her face and met his eyes. “Do you even have any life vests on this ship?”
“Aye. We have to for our insurance for school tours.”
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes. “This was risky, I’ll give you that, but I know what I’m doing.”
He reached over to cup her cheek. “My crew forgets what mortality is all about sometimes. You could have fallen overboard, or just fallen period.”
“And I could have gotten hit crossing the street after we had ice cream earlier today. It’s called living, John. Dying is always an option, we just hope our number doesn’t come up. That risk…that’s what being alive is all about.” She covered his hand with hers and the onslaught of rain lightened.
John lost himself in her eyes, and his words came directly from his soul. For a moment, he wasn’t sure if he spoke them aloud or just inside his head. “The cup took away the risk.”
She searched his eyes. “What are you talking about?”
He lifted her hand to his lips as the realization manifested in his heart. “For lifetimes, my life has been numbers and order. You brought in risk, and now I find myself wondering…” He looked up at the dark sky, searching for words. “I drank from the Grail to live forever, but I think my life was stolen the second that water passed my lips.”
She laced her fingers with his, squeezing his hand until he met her eyes. “It doesn’t have to be like that. Just because you can’t die, doesn’t mean you don’t have any risks. You stepped in front of a bullet for me today. I’d say that was a huge risk.”
He chuckled, rolling his eyes. “I knew it wouldn’t kill me.”
“But you also knew it would hurt, and you did it anyway.”
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” His thumb caressed her knuckles. “This worry festering in my gut––I hate it.”
“But the adrenaline is a rush, right?” Her smile beamed even in the dim light. Her features softened. “Caring about me is a risk, but you climbed this sail anyway.”
“You’re the biggest risk I’ve ever faced.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Tell me something?”
“All right.” She nodded as a shiver ran across her shoulders. He needed to get her out of the cold.
“What drives you to keep pushing the envelope? You chase after risky investments, you steal artifacts from the government, you climbed the mainsail mast in a storm on the open ocean. It’s more than a yearning for adrenaline.”
She sighed, breaking eye contact. “From my mom, I guess. When her marriage fell apart, she grabbed the bull by the horns and got everything she ever wanted.”
“I saw your picture with her on your desk.”
“We should get back down before I end up dying on pneumonia.” She gripped the beam and turned around, placing her feet on the first rung of the ratlines.
John caught her wrist before she could move down any further. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She shook her head without making eye contact. “I’m not upset, just freezing my ass off.”
He let it go for now. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen Harmony disengage when things got too personal. In the office at the holidays, she always had an excuse to miss the family pot luck event, and the company picnics too.
He’d never given it much thought before, but every second he spent with her, the yearning to connect, to know every chapter of her story, ate at him. He shouldn’t pry. It was none of his business. After tonight, she’d have her replica to sell for the Digi Robins.
For all he knew, she’d go back to being a broker at his firm, nothing more.
His hand slipped off the ratline and he cursed under his breath. “Damn it.”
“If you fall on me, I’m gonna be pissed.” Harmony called from below.
He grinned in spite of himself as he found his rhythm again. “I’m not fallin’ anytime soon, love.”
But truth be told…he was starting to suspect he’d already had.
For her.