Free A Pirate of her Own by Kinley MacGregor

think through his…
    “Oh, no,” she breathed. She suddenly realized that he must view her as a horrible intrusion into his life. This cabin was like her father’s study. Morgan surely thought it to be his refuge—his one private domain.
    And he had given it over to her.
    Where was he going to sleep from now on?
    She couldn’t accept his room for the duration of the trip. Other arrangements would have to be made.
    Pulling the quilt up closer to her, she caught another whiff of him and sighed. Her heart fluttered.
    Give up this bunk, she said to herself, and you won’t feel this close to him anymore.
    But, I will keep my self-respect, she countered.
    Aye, but since when does self-respect feel as good as this bunk?
    Serenity laughed at herself. You are an immoral, wanton woman, Serenity James, and for the sake of your sanity, as well as your virtue, you will give Captain Drake back his bed!
    All right, self, you win. Tomorrow he gets his bed back.
    But tonight was hers to savor.
     
    “Looking a little green gilled, Drake.”
    Shaking his head, Morgan rubbed his tired eyes. “Don’t you ever make any noise when you walk, Jake?”
    “Well, the way this ship’s creaking tonight, I think I would need a cowbell for you to hear my approach.”
    Morgan gave a short laugh as Jake took a seat across from him. The galley was dark, the coals of the fire burning very low. Only the light of a single tallow candle safely ensconced in a glass lantern provided light for the two men. Morgan wasn’t sure how long he’d been down here. It seemed in some ways like an eternity.
    “It’s not like you to drink with a storm brewing,” Jake said as he reached for the bottle of rum next to Morgan’s elbow.
    “Who says I’m drinking?”
    Cocking an amused brow, Jake held the half-full bottle up before the flame. “I guess the bottle drank itself.”
    Morgan said nothing, instead he stared at a black spot on a board just over Jake’s head.
    “You know, Drake, I seem to recall this impertinent young pup who once told me that problems shared are problems solved.”
    Morgan had never been one to appreciate hearing his words flung back at him. Especially not by the infamous pirate king, Jack Rhys. “And I seem to recall a surly pirate telling me to mind my own business or I’d find myself gutted.”
    Jake laughed and poured himself a liberal amount of rum. “Careful with that word, lest Barney hear it. If anyone finds out who I am, I’ll be in a worse fix than you. Which leads me to my next question. What do you plan to do about Hayes?”
    “What I should have done years ago.”
    “Kill him?” Jake asked in all seriousness.
    Morgan smirked at the pirate’s answer for everything. “ Confront him.”
    Jake expelled a snarling breath before curling his lip in disgust. “Since when do you take the sissy way out?”
    “Excuse me?” Morgan asked, infuriated by the insult.
    Jake laughed good-naturedly, dispelling Morgan’s anger. “Face it, Drake, that good English breeding of yours is showing itself. Talking ain’t a man’s way of doing things. You know that. You got a problem, you cut its heart out and then it’s not a problem anymore.”
    “Last time I checked, following that philosophy is what has you one step away from the gallows. Forgive me if I don’t take your advice.”
    Jake shrugged off Morgan’s words. “You, my friend, have come a long way from the piss ’n’ vinegar youth who used to try my patience. But then, you were always too honest for your own good.
    “By the way,” Jake said before taking a swig of rum. “I’m sorry for getting you mixed up with that wench.”
    Morgan snorted. “What possessed you to take her hostage?”
    Jake shrugged again. “You ought to be grateful. My first impulse was—”
    “To cut her throat.”
    “Exactly.”
    Morgan rolled his eyes. Tolerance had never been a strong point for Jake, and it seemed not even these last years away from the sea had managed to mellow him