The Pirate's Reckless Touch Read online

  “Follow me,” she said confidently. “I know the way.”

  They trod slowly into the yawning cave, their feet leaving deep marks in the soft sand. Juliana led the group through the snaking passageways without fear. She had been preparing for this day for more than a decade, and she already knew which turn to take at every fork in the passage. The rocks were slimy and slick, so Rawden steadied her with a hand cupping her elbow. As they progressed deeper and deeper into the forbidding cave, the tunnel grew tighter and the air staler. It was a frightening maze.

  Just when the crew began to grumble about unending marches and unlikely treasure, they rounded a tight bend and spilled into an unbelievably vast chamber. It was so wide and large that their footfalls echoed off the rock walls. Anyone who thought to look at the walls would see intricate carvings and tall pillars. The uneven ground beneath their feet turned to carefully tiled marble slabs. And then, Juliana dropped her torch into a round basin.

  Fire shot out from half a dozen railings, almost instantly lighting a series of lamp stands around the colossal chamber. The shine of gold flashed from every corner; coins were piled in pyramids taller than most men, golden jars and vases were haphazardly heaped together, weapons glittering with precious stones were scattered everywhere. It was more treasure than Rawden had ever seen in his lifetime, much less in one place.

  With hoots of glee, the crew surged past them, digging into the coins and shouting to one another. After a few minutes of revelry, they turned to their captain, wondering how they ever dared doubt him. Rawden grinned from ear to ear.

  “What are you waiting for?” he shouted. “Pack it all up!”

  The men began scooping gold into the chests they’d brought along. Rawden surveyed the treasure. It would take more than a few trips to empty the chamber. Nay, more than a few ship loads! He shook his head in amazement and turned to look at Juliana, who had stooped to pick up a single gold coin. She turned it over in her fingers, marvelling at the Latin inscription and engraving of an unknown Caesar.

  “Roman gold,” she whispered to herself, closing her fist around the coin. “It was here all this time.”

  She looked up at Rawden, her face glimmering with the reflection of a century’s worth of gold.

  “Merry Christmas, Rawden,” she said with a laugh and outstretched arms. “This is my gift to you.”

  “You found it,” he said, pulling her into his arms and resting his chin on the top of her head. “Your father would be proud. A true daughter of a pirate.”

  Juliana pulled away slightly to peer up at him, an impish smirk playing on her lips.

  “Who said I was the daughter of a pirate?”

  Rawden frowned lightly, his mind whirring.

  “You have a treasure map. You know ships. And you can be a right little swindler.” He inclined his head to one side. “What else would you be?”

  Her sly little smile grew wider.

  “I have another Christmas gift for you, Captain Wood,” she said, flouncing out of his arms.

  “Oh?”

  “Yes,” she said with a toss of her head. “And I’ll have you know that I am not the daughter of a pirate. My name is Juliana Wright, and I am the only daughter of the late Rear Admiral Wright of the Royal Navy.”

  Rawden felt his bones grow stiff with dread. The Royal Navy? Just what was going on now? But Juliana wasn’t done speaking, so he forced himself to focus on the melodic sound of her voice.

  “As his daughter, the Royal Navy has tasked me to complete his mission in his stead. I have been given the honourable duty of selecting a privateer to be in the service of the Crown. I have chosen to offer this privilege to you.”

  “What?” Rawden nearly choked.

  “This is a letter of marque,” Juliana said, and pulled a sturdy scroll from her cape. “It entitles you to pillage and plunder foreign ships for your own profit and with no risk of prosecution by the Royal Navy or any other law enforcement serving England. Should you accept, you will no longer be a fugitive pirate, but a respectable privateer. And,” she said, opening her arms, “you may consider this Roman gold as your signing bonus. Do you accept, Captain Rawden Wood?”

  “Do I accept?” Rawden took two long steps and pulled her off her feet, muffling her giggles with a kiss. “Of course I accept!”

  “Well, there is one more condition,” she cautioned, tapping him on the nose.

  Rawden groaned. This woman and her conditions!

  “The Royal Navy requires you to have a watcher, someone to send reports back to headquarters. So you’ll have to take me along with you, wherever you sail.”

  “Wherever?” Rawden asked, raising a crafty brow.

  “Yes,” Juliana whispered conspiratorially. “Even if you plan to sail to a tropical island somewhere in the South Pacific, you must take me with you. Perhaps you can bribe me into silence by ravishing me on a secluded white sand beach somewhere,” she added thoughtfully.

  Rawden laughed and spun her around once before sealing her lips with his in wild abandon. Breathless, he pulled away to meet her brightly cheerful eyes.

  “You had this planned from the very beginning, didn’t you,” he playfully accused.

  “I did,” she admitted, kissing his cheek.

  “Well, then,” Rawden said, gathering her close, “it is a merry Christmas, after all.”

  “Yes, it is,” Juliana murmured, pressing her lips to his. “Merry Christmas, my pirate protector.”

  * * * * *

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  ISBN: 978-14592-4800-7

  The Pirate’s Reckless Touch

  Copyright © 2012 by Linda Skye

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

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