JAKrentz - The Pirate, The Adventurer, & The Cowboy (8 page)
"Maybe you're not quite as daring as you think you are," Jared said.
Kate shrugged lightly in the low-necked gown and saw his pirate's gaze drift to the curves of her breasts. She felt suddenly very exposed. The gown was no worse than a swimsuit, she told herself firmly, but that didn't lessen the vulnerable sensation. "Maybe I just haven't had a lot of experience with strong men. There never seem to be very many around."
Jared drew her to a halt in the shadows of a wide-leafed tree that towered over the path. "Women like you are rare, too. Maybe we both have a few things to learn."
She looked up at him and experienced another jolt of awareness. She was startled to feel herself trembling with anticipation. "Are you going to kiss me?"
"Yes," Jared said slowly, as if he had reached an important decision, "I am. I have to do it. I've been thinking about this for two solid days and it's been driving me crazy."
He bent his head and brought his mouth slowly down on hers. There was no hurry about it. It was as if he was content to take his time and discover all he wished to know about her.
Kate closed her eyes as the compelling fantasy in which she was moving suddenly became as solid as reality. A deep, sensual tug in the pit of her stomach caused her to almost lose her balance. Instinctively she wrapped her fingers around Jared's upper arms, seeking support.
He groaned in response and eased her back against the trunk of the tree. His mouth was warm, strong and searching, and when he moved close, Kate could feel the heat in his body. The fire in him was lighting a blaze within her.
She sensed his hands moving up from her waist, gliding along her rib cage until his thumbs rested just beneath the curves of her breasts. The touch was exquisitely intimate, inviting a response.
Kate parted her lips and surprised herself by nearly panicking for a brief, nerve-shattering moment. The hungry, captivating manner in which Jared took deep possession of her mouth was a revelation to her. She had never had any man's kiss jangle her senses this way. It set off distant alarm bells.
The panic subsided almost at once, to be replaced by a longing unlike anything Kate had ever known. Her arms tightened around Jared's neck, and she whispered his name in a small, choked voice when he freed her lips. She clung to him more tightly and kissed his throat.
"You're full of surprises," he muttered, as if making an important discovery. He nibbled passionately on her earlobe. "A man never knows what he's going to encounter next."
"You're not quite what I expected, either." She pulled slightly away from him, searching his gaze in the darkness.
She could see nothing beyond the glint of moonlight in Jared's eyes. It occurred to her that she was just as well hidden from him. There was something reassuring about the sense of anonymity provided by the masks. It was as if they were both unaccountably free to play this reckless game tonight.
"Well, Madam Expert, what's the verdict? Am I truly a pirate?"
"Yes, my lord, you are. There is no doubt about it."
"Then that makes me an expert," Jared said with a slow smile.
"On what?"
"Ladies like you, of course."
It was Kate's turn to smile. Never had she felt so full of such sweet, seductive, feminine power. It gave her a heady thrill. "Your logic is very profound."
"The way I see it, contrary to your earlier opinion, we do indeed have something in common."
"Do you think so?" she asked with mocking doubt.
"I'm very sure of it."
Without releasing her, Jared swung around so his back was against the tree trunk. He deliberately widened his stance and drew Kate between his legs. The skirts of her yellow gown drifted over his thighs. She put her hands on his waist and felt the hilt of the dagger. She was aware of cold metal under her palm. Definitely not plastic, she thought with a start.
"Is this real?"
"The dagger or me?" He nuzzled her throat.
Kate laughed softly. "Both."
"Yes."
"Where did you get it?" She touched the dagger again as she leaned her head against Jared's shoulder.
"He left it behind when he sailed away from the island for the last time. I found it along with some other stuff in an old chest a few years ago."
"Who left it behind? The pirate who built the castle?"
"Umm-hmm." Jared slid his fingers tantalizingly over her bare arm and dropped a small kiss on her shoulder.
"Is this really his birthday?"
"Yes."
"You said this was your birthday."
"It is."
"You're teasing me. Whose birthday is it really?"
"His. And mine." Jared's tongue touched the pulse of her throat.
"That's too much of a coincidence. What was his name?"
"Whose?"
Kate tugged at the crisp hair that filled the neck opening of his shirt. "The pirate's."
"Ouch. That hurts."
"Tell me his name."
"Such a demanding little creature." Jared lifted his head and looked down at her. Then he caught her face between his strong fingers. "His name was
Kate was mesmerized. Her mouth fell open. "Really?"
Jared grinned. "It's the truth."
"You're related to him?"
"The connection is a little distant after all these years, but yes, I'm a descendant. I found out about this island through some old records that had come down through the family. One day about fifteen years ago I chucked everything and came out here to find
"That's wonderful," Kate breathed.
"You, my sweet, are obviously a sucker for pirates. But who am I to complain? Come closer and let me show you my dagger." He captured her hand and began to guide it slowly down below his belt.
She pulled her fingers free quickly. "Don't get carried away. I'm not a complete pushover for the species."
"How do you know? You've never met a real one. The only pirates you know are the ones you invent in your imagination."
"But I told you I'm an expert." Kate was suddenly tense as the atmosphere became more highly charged. "As much as I may be attracted to pirates, I should warn you that I am not equally attracted to the idea of a vacation fling with one."
The teasing humor went out of him in an instant. "I'm not into flings, either. And as a rule, I don't get involved with paying guests. But I think I'm going to make an exception in your case."
"Is that right?" Kate felt something come alive within her, something that might have been hope.
"Please don't play games with me," Jared said quietly. "We're both old enough and single enough to be able to admit we're attracted to each other. And this…" He stroked her arm in a slow caress and shook his head in silent wonder. "This is something special. I'm old enough to know that, too."
"What happens next?"
"Let's find out." Jared started to kiss her again but halted when a loud, youthful voice called from the garden path.
"Hey, Dad, where are you? Lani says to tell you it's time for the cake. Everyone's waiting."
"Tell her I'll be there in a minute, Dave," Jared called back.
"Okay. Hey, where are you, anyhow? How come you're… Oh. Hi, Ms Inskip."
There was a rustle of leaves and Kate turned in Jared's arms to see David peering in through the foliage. "Hi, Dave."
"What are you guys doing out here in the bushes?" David asked with the perfect innocence only a nine-year-old can muster.
"I was showing Ms Inskip the
"Oh, yeah? It's neat, huh, Ms Inskip? Dad uses it to cut the first piece of cake at these parties."
"That's wonderful," Kate murmured. "It's always nice to see an antique get some use. I was afraid the
Jared bit back a laugh, his eyes glinting with sensual warning. "I'm a great believer in the old adage, use it or lose it. Come on, you two. Let's go cut my birthday cake." He waited until David had run ahead down the path before pulling Kate briefly close once more. "And as for you, my sweet shrew…"
Kate heard the sexy threat in his voice and shivered with anticipation. "What about me?"
"Just be sure you stick around. When I've finished with tonight's festivities, I intend to show you what happens to smart-mouthed, feisty heroines who can't remember their manners. That crack about the antique
"You expect me to stick around after a threat like that?"
"How can you resist? You're a feisty heroine, aren't you?"
Ten minutes later, the wicked-looking dagger flashed as Jared took the first slice out of a giant cake. The crowd cheered and champagne flowed. Spelled out in red icing across the top of the cake was the name
"The guests love these affairs," drawled a voice behind Kate. "I always said this was a smart bit of theater on
Kate turned to look at the man who had spoken. He was not wearing a mask, but even if he had been, she would have recognized him by his girth and his pristine white attire. This was the man who had accompanied Jared on the midnight walk up the castle path the other night. An uneasy chill chased off some of her pleasure.
"You seem to know a lot about these masquerade balls. Are you a regular guest here at Crystal Cove?" Kate asked. She pushed her silver mask up on top of her head to get a better look at the heavyset man.
"I'm not precisely a guest," he responded judiciously. "More like an old friend of the family. I've been living out here in the islands for longer than I can remember. Even longer than Jared. I'm a writer. Allow me to introduce myself. The name is Butterfield. Max Butterfield."
"Katherine Inskip." Kate racked her brain but could not think of anything she had ever read by a Max Butterfield. She smiled to herself. Now she knew how other people felt when they were introduced to her and could not claim to have read her books. "I write, too."
"So I hear. Romance novels."
"What about you?"
"I'm working on a novel, but in the meantime I keep body and soul together by doing the odd travel piece here and there. You know how it is."
Yes, she knew. She felt a wave of sympathy for Max Butterfield. She also wondered how long he had been working on his novel. "Have you known Jared a long time?"
"Years." Max took another long drink. "It's a small world out here in the islands."
"You can say that again, Max. Too small at times." The colonel, nattily attired in an early nineteenth-century British officer's dress uniform smiled benignly as he approached. He had an attractive, vivacious woman in her early forties on his arm. She was wearing a gown similar to Kate's in style, but done in mint green. "Ms Inskip, allow me to present my fiancée, Letty Platt. Letty, this is the heroic Katherine Inskip who leveled Sharp Arnie with but a single blow."
"This is getting embarrassing," Kate complained as she shook the other woman's hand. "What did Jared do? Give the story to the local newspaper?"
Letty Platt grinned, her blue eyes sparkling. "Better than that. He just told it to a couple of people, and within an hour it was all over the island. Out here we thrive on interesting tidbits like that."
Kate realized immediately that she was going to like this woman. "I'll keep that in mind. Do you live here on the island, Letty?"
"Oh, my, yes. My husband brought me out here a long time ago when he took a notion to live on a tropical island. He was Jared's mechanic and general handyman for years before he died."
"I see. And you've been living alone out here for some time now?"
"Not for much longer. The colonel and I will be tying the knot soon." Letty beamed up at the colonel, who patted her hand with proud affection.
"Do you work here at the resort, Letty?" Kate asked.
"Officially, I'm the bookkeeper, but in reality I help out where I'm needed. Enough about me, though. I'm delighted to meet you, Kate," Letty confided. "When the colonel told me you were on the island, I was so excited. I've read all your books except for
Buccaneer's Bride
, which I just bought today in the resort gift shop. Can't wait to start it."
"Thank you." Kate felt herself going an awkward shade of pink, as she always did when she met an enthusiastic fan. This was a part of the business she never quite got accustomed to handling. One of the things she liked about writing for a living was that for the most part she could be quite anonymous.
"The colonel says that in addition to stomping Sharp Arnie, you've managed to shake up Jared a bit, and that's great news as far as I'm concerned," Letty confided cheerfully. "It's wonderful to see Jared take an interest in someone like you. He's been very lonely for a long time, though he'd never admit it."