Free A Touch of Passion by Bronwen Evans

had killed his dream. Gone was his ideal of entering a marriage with a demure and socially acceptable woman. His honor required him to marry Portia.
    As he walked toward the companionway heading to the galley to ascertain what was for dinner, and to order a tray for Portia, he flexed his fists at his sides, trying to will out of his mind the absurd notion of what Portia would be like in his bed: adventurous and filled with passion for life. He expected her enthusiasm for making love to be no different from the rest of her life—fiery and hungry.
    He swore beneath his breath, then forced his feet to move down the corridor. There was something between them, certainly, but he’d be a fool to think his life with Portia would be smooth sailing just because they might be suited in bed.
    The image of his parents’ marriage flickered in his memory. So long ago now, but he remembered the house running smoothly, his father and mother politely conversing, and his sister and him being happy. That was what he thought a marriage should be—companionship, respect, and loyalty. However, his six years in the Flagstaff household had shown him a different family life, one that was loud, messy, and filled with openly shared emotions. Lord Cumberland, Portia’s father, had loved her mother with a passion most men kept for their mistresses. Upon the earl’s death the dowager countess seemed to shrivel before his eyes. He knew firsthand what loss could do to a person. After the tragic carriage accident that cost his parents and his little sister their lives, he had decided never to let anyone get too close. Love was fine … until the pain of loss made it unbearable.
    Every time he’d broken his rule and let someone into his heart, that person had left him. He’d lost Lord Cumberland, a man he loved as much if not more than his own father. He’d lost Robert, a man he considered his brother, and he’d almost lost Christian. He couldn’t risk his heart again.
    When he was younger he’d often wondered which marriage he would want, his parents’ mature agreement, or the Flagstaffs’ love-filled match. The war had crystallized his thoughts—he wanted a marriage like his parents had. The idea of losing a woman he loved, whether to sickness, childbirth, or simply another terrible accident, made his innards clench.
    So he needed to rein in his intense reactions to Portia. He couldn’t afford to love another Flagstaff, or anyone else.

Chapter 5
    Dawn broke in a pearly golden wash that spread like a gilded leaf across the waves. Stepping out of the narrow corridor, up the companionway, and onto the deck, Grayson drew the salt air in deep, then slowly exhaled. He had managed to get only a few hours’ sleep last night, with the consequences of Portia’s capture and rescue continually running through his mind.
    Grayson settled against the railing, his thoughts were in turmoil. He knew what he was going to have to do, and it annoyed him how pleased his body was even as his mind told him it was a big mistake. He thought about the little sister he had lost years ago, and knew that if anything similar had happened to her, he would have wanted whoever rescued her to step forward and save her reputation.
    He heard a footfall—her delicate footfall—and he turned to face his future. And as she rounded the mast in a gown of pretty lilac cotton that fluttered in the breeze, he thought she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. His body surged with anticipation, knowing she would soon be his.
    Did Portia understand her situation? He suspected she might, but he knew she would not acquiesce easily. Portia believed herself to be a modern woman, and she would not take kindly to being told she had to conform to society’s expectations. However, his honor was at stake too.
    Seeing him, she smiled and walked toward him.
    Struggling to keep an answering smile from his face, for fear of what it might reveal, he managed to replace it with a