Guilty Pleasures Read Free Page A

able to lose my island to you in a card game.”
    “Possession is nine-tenths of the law, sir,” Carla told him. “And I am in possession of Amorata Cay; and ’tis I who built this house. If this island belonged to you, why was there no sign of human habitation, or at least a caretaker to protect your interests, sir? No person with their wits about them runs off, leaving their land unattended.” She took an edge of the towel and slowly dried her arms.
    “Was the fellow who played cards with you a short, plump man with a face like a cherub’s and a bald pate?” Hawke asked.
    Carla nodded.
    “He was my caretaker. I imagine he went to Jamaica for a bit of recreation, drank too much, and got in over his head with the cards. Perhaps you even cheated him,” Hawke said insultingly. “You are a notorious pirate, after all.”
    “I don’t have to cheat at cards,” Carla told him as she bent to rub the excess moisture from her legs, all the while attempting to keep the rest of her anatomy covered. “Luck seems to follow me. Anyone can tell you that. What were you doing in England that took you so long to return here?”
    “Inheriting a dukedom,” Hawke told her. “My uncle died of plague, along with his sons, his grandsons, my father, and my elder brother, who had two daughters but no son. I became the heir to the dukedom of Falk—much to my distress, I might tell you. I far prefer pirating to dancing attendance at court and siring an heir on a suitable virgin. However, having done what was expected of me, I have now returned to the Caribbean to tie up some loose ends. I mean to sell Amorata Cay before I go back to England.”
    “You are wed?”
    “Aye, and sired one son. Venetia is pregnant with another child. She is a sweet if dull girl, but I promised her I would be home before she whelps her second,” Hawke replied sanguinely. “I’ve actually become quite fond of her.”
    “If you can prove to me that Amorata Cay is actually yours,” Carla said, “I will buy it from you. I am in no mood to be dispossessed. However, I will not be gulled into giving you gold unless you can produce a document of ownership that will withstand the scrutiny of Governor Morgan’s judges. And if it does, we will conclude the sale then and there in Jamaica with the governor witnessing the deed.”
    “On one condition,” Hawke said.
    “Conditions? You wish to set conditions?” Carla was beginning to become annoyed. “You admit that I have been cheated by a man in your employ, and now you would make conditions with me?”
    “I can prove my claim, madam,” he said quietly. “And when you have been satisfied that my claim is just, I would remind you that I can dispose of Amorata Cay in any fashion I see fit. I can auction it, sell it to the highest bidder, even destroy it. So aye! I will make the conditions by which you, and you alone, will be allowed to purchase my legal property for yourself, Captain Raven.”
    Carla was intrigued by this unexpected situation in which she found herself. She had the feeling that she should probably end this fantasy right now for good and all. She had wished for a little danger, but this man was not of her making. Where had he come from, and how had he invaded her fantasy? Yet despite her instincts she couldn’t seem to resist following this story line to its conclusion, if indeed there was a conclusion. “Name your terms,” she finally said. “I will meet them.”
    “You will give yourself to me in whatever manner I desire,” Hawke began, “and you will remain mine until this matter is settled. My deed for Amorata Cay will be sent to Governor Morgan in Jamaica for a decision. While his judges debate the matter, you will remain a slave to my lustful nature. When my deed is proven legal and true, I will allow you to purchase the island from me for one thousand pieces of eight. Then I will leave, and you will never see me again. It is a fair and reasonable bargain.”
    “It is, unless