ClaimedbytheCaptain Read Free

would be dispatched. But how would they
find her at sea?
    Cathy pressed her cheek against the wood. Tears stung her
eyes. Even if she found a way to open the door, where would she find refuge on
a ship? She was trapped, utterly at the mercy of the devil who’d abducted her.
    A shiver of fear crept along the length of her spine. She
was being watched.
    She heard him before she saw him. “Sleeping Beauty has
finally roused from her slumber. And without so much as a kiss.”
    He reclined in a leather wing chair. The amused curve of his
lips infuriated her.
    “You!” Her whispered accusation echoed like a shout through
the cabin. “You’ve done this.”
    Jason Kane rose and came to her. Cathy trembled with the
desire to claw the smug satisfaction from his handsome features.
    “I’ve locked you in for your own protection,” he said in a
tone so matter-of-fact, he might have been explaining the logic underlying a
business venture. “I doubt the men in my crew would hesitate before slaking
their appetites on such a beautiful woman.”
    She folded her arms over her chest like a shield. “Unlike
you?”
    His eyes gleamed like onyx, cold and hard. “I’ve no
intention of forcing you.”
    “So it’s a ransom you’re after,” she said softly. “My father
will pay you, but then he will see you hang.”
    He shook his head. A predatory gleam lit his eyes. So near
she was aware of his every breath, he swept his thumb over her bottom lip.
    “I seek revenge, Catherine.”
    His words, steel wrapped in velvet, mesmerized her. He
towered over her, the raw power he exuded like nothing she’d ever encountered.
He could kill her right then and there. She spun away, pressing her palms
against the door. The taste of terror rose like bile in her throat. Kane placed
his hands on her shoulders, gently, his breath warm against her nape.
    He wants me to plead. He wants to see my fear. You can go
to hell, Captain Kane.
    She summoned her courage and squared her shoulders. “I have
done nothing to earn your wrath, sir.”
    “You will be paying your father’s debt, Catherine.”
    She swallowed hard, determined not to cower before him. “My
father owes you nothing.”
    He shook his head. “In due time, I will explain my reasons.
But for now, you need only to know I’ve claimed you as payment for a debt long
owed.”
    Catherine steeled herself against the terrified murmurs deep
within her. “Do you plan to kill me, sir?” Her voice was quiet but unwavering.
    He cupped her chin. His thumb stroked her bottom lip, his
touch almost tender. The pirate studied her for a moment, seeming to ponder her
question. “You are lovely, Catherine. Much lovelier than I was told.” His words
were a caress. His fingers laced through her hair. He pulled her to him,
capturing her mouth with surprisingly gentle possession. The warmth of his lips
intoxicated her, the sensual exploration stirring heat deep within her core.
Her knees wobbled, threatening to rebel. Shameless, she leaned into his
muscular length, drinking in the heady scent of a male in his prime.
    Kane released her abruptly. His eyes gleamed with feral
pleasure at the intensity of her response. “Does that answer your question?”
    Her heart racing, she struggled to catch her breath. The
scent of his musk and the warmth of his touch ignited a fire within her. Was she
truly wanton? She’d been kissed before. In truth, she’d lain with a man before.
Despite her father’s watchful eye, she’d learned more than the correct manner
in which to enter income and expenses from the unassuming bookkeeper he’d hired
to manage his accounts. Now the memory of that sweet yet tentative man paled
beside the brazen pirate who’d stolen her right from under her father’s nose.
    He drew back from her, standing at arm’s length. His black
silk shirt outlined his muscular torso to perfection. His gaze fell upon her
mouth and her pulse quickened as thoughts of his plunder coursed through her.
She dragged