Temptation Released Read Free

for the ransoms he collected from stolen cargo. Be that drink, silks or people. The young women especially gained him a nice purse. When he’d heard that an earl’s daughter was crossing the sea, and when he’d discovered her uncle to be the governor of Carolina, he’d made plans. He had approached the uncle and tricked the man into believing he already had the girl. This deception had let him discover on which ship the girl had sailed, and which girl to take. Then it was a matter of navigating the waters to intercept the ship.
    He prided himself on a ruthless reputation when it came to ransom negotiations. And when he did ransom a woman, he made sure she was very frightened of him. It kept her in her cabin and away from his men, and it kept him from the temptation to sample her and spoil the enormous rewards.
    Especially as Lady Elise represented his last act of piracy. Many men he knew had already died, others disappeared, and still more were begging pardons from both sides of the sea. This ransom for Lady Elise would not only give extra lining to his pockets, but it would allow him to get close to his murdering cousin—a supposed confidant to the governor—and end his life once and for all.
    A grunt followed by a curse met his ears and he forced himself not to look into the room. She was a feisty one, all right. And from what he’d seen and touched so far, she presented his biggest challenge.
    When he’d pushed past Paulo to see her lush curves presented as if for his enjoyment, he’d hoped he hadn’t drooled.
    All pale skin, deep curves and dark hair piled on top her head. Huge blue eyes fringed with thick lashes had stared back at him and he’d felt trapped. The instant her blonde friend had started yammering, he’d snapped into focus.
    Touching and teasing Lady Elise had been a bad call, but she was a forbidden, ripe fruit his mouth watered to taste. It’d been too long since he’d enjoyed sharing the bed of a woman for anything other than slaking his own needs. He sensed Lady Elise was one he could savor, taste and truly enjoy.
    The fact that she seemed to want him alternately surprised and worried him. She was supposed to fear him, fear what he could do to her. Instead, she’d stood up to him and demanded he make love to her. He coughed out a laugh. Make love. Like that was even a reality. What he did to women, the releases he gave them and himself, were raw and involved very little emotion. He didn’t do cuddling or mushy phrases. He fucked his women. Hard and fast.
    “And why am I even thinking this?” he muttered. “It’s not like la chica even warrants my attention. I don’t take virgins and I don’t ruin my ransoms. Especially this one.”
    His pep talk served to remind him, in no uncertain terms, that this particular ransom would be the hardest one yet to attain.
     
    Luck was not on Elise’s side. Being stuck inside a cabin with orders to ‘stay put or else’, from one of the pirate crew only made her more irritable.
    When El Angel had stepped from her room on the other ship, she’d put back on the red dress and plumped her breasts so that her nipples fairly popped out. He’d thought her a mere girl, had he? She’d show him.
    But the lout had not paid one bit of attention to her. She’d stepped out with her bag in hand, and he’d tossed her over his shoulder and carried her up the stairs. Truly! She’d been passed over to someone else who brought her to the Angel’s Light, where she’d finally been able to stand on her own two feet.
    She’d not had one chance to ask El Angel anything because she’d not seen him once he’d passed her off. The crew member who’d set her down had smirked at her, revealing plenty of missing teeth, then he’d grabbed her arm and pushed her into a cabin.
    Elise now glanced around the room into which she’d been interred. It was larger than the cabin on the other ship. The bed was not much bigger, but it looked softer, if that were even possible.