Free Hart's Passion (Pirates & Petticoats Book 2) by Chloe Flowers Page A

mind? How had he been so wrong about her? His chest tightened and he tried to divert his thoughts elsewhere, but his mind wouldn’t obey.  
    Originally, she’d wanted to live in town and open her own shop before she’d agreed to sail off with him. Perhaps she changed her mind about life on the sea with him? Did her desire to be a woman of substance and independence outweigh her desire for him?  
    But, why choose Garrison ? That bastard had been violent when he confronted her in Twin Pines’ garden. How could Keelan go back to him knowing the kind of man he was?  
    Only one answer made sense.  
    She wouldn’t.  
    Unless he was more wrong about her than anything or anyone he’d ever been wrong about in his life, she would never bind herself to Garrison willingly.
    It would be a mighty blow to his pride if he was mistaken, but he’d speak to her one last time before he left port. He wanted to hear her reasoning from her own lips. The ones he wanted to devour. On the morrow, he would call on her and wouldn’t leave port until he spoke with her and heard a worthy explanation. She might tear his heart open further, but he had know if she ever wanted him, or if she had been using him all this time to spur Garrison into marriage.
      “I wish I coulda rounded up more men,” Conal said, interrupting his thoughts.  
    Landon forced the images of the fiery-haired beauty from his mind. “I’ll not take a drunk man into battle," he said firmly. “Only those with clear eyes and a steady hand can help us.” He clapped Conal on the shoulder. “We’ll do fine with what we have. The good Commodore Hall has offered his assistance. The odds weigh heavily in our favor.”
    “Aye.” Conal agreed. “Let’s go gather the men.”

    A large rat sat in the middle of the floor, sizing up Keelan with a jaundiced stare. She grabbed the ale bottle and cracked the bottom against the brick wall. It shattered leaving a long shard protruding from the bottle’s neck.
    “Come any closer, you bloody rat, and I’ll have you for my supper.” She picked up a piece of the broken bottle and threw it at the filthy creature, causing it to scurry into the shadows of the far wall.
    Footsteps outside the cell door broke the quiet, and she quickly hid her new weapon in the blanket.  
    “Slow down, Orvis. It’s dark on these steps.”
    The short man, apparently named Orvis, was back and he had brought a friend. By the stench, neither had bathed in quite a while and at least one, if not both, had been drinking. They confirmed her suspicions when they staggered into view.
    “’Ere she’s awake now, Crowe.” Orvis gestured at her with the bottle in his hand. “Little Miss ‘igh an’ Mighty.” He managed two steps toward her, but the third step strayed to the right.
    Crowe followed Orvis into the room. Her skin gripped her flesh as he stared at her with a lusty sheen in his eyes. As she sat up, the filmy white dressing gown slipped over her right shoulder, baring her pale skin.  
    Crowe’s lewd smile revealed several brown broken teeth. Keelan glanced at her dressing gown. The curve of her breast peeked enticingly from the silk chemise. Firm nipples stood erect against the thin fabric in the chill of the cell. With bravado she did not feel, Keelan glared at him as she slowly and deliberately reached up and pulled the dressing gown over her shoulder and clenched it in her fist, links clinking softly with the movement. Her heart gave a terrified jolt as she eyed the two warily.
    Crowe swallowed and licked his lips. “God, what I wouldn’t give ter have a taste of that.” He approached and she quickly scrambled to her feet.
    “Are you Gampo?” Though she tried to sound authoritative and stern, she feared she failed mightily as it was all she could do to keep her shaking limbs from crumbling beneath her.
    Crowe gave her an extravagant bow. “Crowe at yer service milady, I be his brother in arms. His first mate, and cousin.”
    “I want