Pirate's Intent Read online

  Story Overviews

  Rescued by Passion

  CAPTURED BY PIRATES and auctioned off by Blackbeard, Rose is rescued by the man who abandoned her. Aware she possesses a priceless family heirloom, privateer turned pirate, Thomas saves the woman who betrayed him. Will they be able to navigate their turbulent past and stay one step ahead of those pursuing? Find out on their high-sea, passionate adventure.

  Taken by Sin

  CAPTURED BY BLACKBEARD and tied to a bed in a brothel, Hannah awaits the inevitable only to be rescued by a man with whom she shared a forbidden past. Eager to exact his revenge for Hannah's taunting missives, privateer turned pirate Luke saves her. Will they manage their dark lust while defeating the foe? Find out on the wild seas of their sinful, indecent adventure.

  Pirate’s Intent

  A Steamy Pirate Romance Set

  Sky Purington

  COPYRIGHT © 2020

  Pirate’s Intent:

  Rescued by Passion

  Taken by Sin

  Sky Purington

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Edited by Cathy McElhaney

  Cover Art by Tara West

  Published in the United States of America

  Contents

  Story Overviews

  Rescued by Passion

  Taken by Sin

  Epilogue

  Just Curious?

  Exclusive Invitation

  Previous Releases-Best Reading Order

  Family Trees

  About the Author

  Rescued by Passion

  Sky Purington

  Prologue

  New Providence Island, The Bahamas

  Off the coast of Nassau

  1717

  “WAKE UP, HANNAH.” ROSE shook her sister. “Something is not right.”

  “I agree,” Hannah mumbled, pulling the blanket over her head. “You trying to wake me when I spent half the night helping you through seasickness. Go back to bed.”

  Truth be told, she had been helpful, holding back Rose’s hair during the worst of it. Typically, she did not suffer like that, but the storm had tossed the ship about something fierce.

  Rose peered out the porthole, convinced something was wrong. “I see land, but the captain said we would not see such for several more days.”

  “Just a mirage, darling,” Hannah assured. “Now get some rest.”

  “It is not a mirage.” She frowned at her sister, wondering how she could be so calm considering the dangerous waters on which they traveled. “There is most certainly land on our starboard side.”

  “Perhaps the storm sped us up, and we arrived at our destination sooner than expected,” Hannah said on a yawn. She peeked her head out and squinted against the light. “If we were off course, the captain would tell us.”

  “Would he, though?” There was never a more chauvinistic man. “I cannot imagine him confessing to mere women that the storm might have thrown us off course.” She shook her head. “He is far too arrogant.”

  “And you are far too chatty,” Hannah muttered, “considering how quiet you have been since we disembarked Yorktown.”

  As a rule, she was always quiet, preferring observation to communication. Hannah, on the other hand, tended to have an opinion about everything. Viewpoints she rarely hesitated to share no matter the company.

  “I see another ship.” Rose narrowed in on the horizon. “Three!”

  “They are likely just—”

  “Pirates!” She stumbled back from the porthole, wide-eyed. Her heart slammed into her throat.

  “Surely not.” Anyone in their right mind would have leapt from their bunk in panic, but Hannah calmly sat up and smoothed her blanket back. “The captain assured us we would not come across such miscreants.”

  “But we have.” Rose trembled in fear and wrung her hands. “Those are pirate ships flying pirate flags.”

  “Even if they are,” Hannah said, “we have British soldiers aboard.” She perked a brow at Rose. “Highly trained soldiers at that.”

  Her sister was trying to calm her, but it did no good. From the moment she learned they were traveling south, she had a feeling something would go horribly wrong. Almost a sixth sense.

  Or one too many books about pirates.

  Hannah was about to speak when yelling ensued on deck.

  Finally taking Rose seriously, Hannah peered out the porthole, then pulled back abruptly and nodded once. “It seems you are right, Sister.” Though she audibly swallowed, she remained calm. “Get dressed now.”

  “But—”

  “Now, Rose,” she said sharply.

  Accustomed to taking her older sister's lead, but rather mindless with fear, she could hardly focus on where to begin. Should she bother with stays? Or just get into her dress as fast as possible?

  “Do not even think it,” Hannah said sternly, helping her with said stays when Rose reached for her dress. “A lady always dresses appropriately.”

  “B-but those are pirates!”

  “All the more reason to cut a fine figure.” She issued Rose a pointed look. “Just imagine if things were less confined.” She looked skyward, appalled. “It would be downright indecent.”

  “I doubt pirates care much about decency.” Rose shook her head, her imagination running away with her. “We are doomed, dear sister.” She rounded her eyes at Hannah. “Do you know what they do to women of our ilk?”

  “I care not to think about it.” Yet Hannah's cheeks flushed as she finished lacing up Rose. “Continue dressing, then lace me up.”

  “I should help you now—”

  “Just do as I ask.”

  So she did, and then helped Hannah. In the meantime, sounds of battling grew louder. Far closer. On this ship, if she were not mistaken. Boots pounded above them. Men roared, metal clashed, and guns fired.

  “It will be all right, dearest.” Hannah squeezed Rose’s trembling hands and met her eyes, using the sisterly voice that typically calmed her. “We have little time, so you must listen to me.”

  She nodded, trying not to envision the worst. Yet the screams of pain aboveboard did not help.

  “You must not let your imagination run away with you unless you intend to put it to good use.” Hannah searched her eyes, practical to a fault. “You must conquer your fear and do what you do best. Observe your surroundings at all times. Pay attention to everything so that you might find your way out of wherever you end up.” Her brows arched. “Become a character in one of those books you so love if need be.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Because you will need courage.” Hannah remained blunt. “And that is not always easy to come by.”

  “But you just said we have plenty of soldiers.”

  “We do not,” her sister barely got out before the cabin door crashed open, and her worst nightmare leered at them from the threshold.

  Unable to breathe, let alone scream, she suddenly knew what she needed to become.

  A persona she prayed might save her from Hell.

  Chapter One

  “IT IS GOOD TO BE ON dry land again, Brother.” Thomas clapped Luke on his shoulder and eyed the brothel, playing the role they had discussed earlier. A role that made sense. “I am too long without a woman.”

  They had just arrived on the sandy shores of Nassau with a very sp
ecific mission.

  One that would change everything from this day forward.

  Luke nodded in agreement and yanked a wench against him in passing. He kissed her hard, murmured something in her ear then set her aside. “She and her sister will see us taken care of when we are ready.”

  “Sister?” Thomas snorted, praying his brother remained vague. He skirted far too close to why they were here. “How convenient.”

  Luke winked. “It’s good to live the fantasy on occasion.”

  Though he said it nonchalantly, Thomas knew Luke enjoyed that fantasy above all. Not the taking of both sisters, but the one.

  “I wonder how they fare,” he had murmured earlier, remembering the sisters from their youth. The very ones they were here to rescue now.

  “Married off,” Luke had reminded, treading carefully around the sore subject. Because in truth, neither were married anymore. “Hard to imagine mine making anyone a good bride, though. She would require too much taming...and patience.”

  With their fetching beauty, the McCullen sisters had turned many a head. One was haughty, the other withdrawn and sweet. Naturally, the haughty one appealed to Luke’s inherent need to conquer every woman he met. Mainly because he had never managed to conquer her.

  The scent of brine and sea salt turned to the pungent smell of sweat, sex, and heady perfumes as they entered town. Grunts of pleasure mixed with boisterous drinking. Wenches with painted faces and ample cleavage leaned against buildings reeling in their next customer where others were already servicing blokes.

  “They are here,” Thomas’s quartermaster, Charles said softly, falling in alongside them. He spoke louder for the benefit of their fellow pirates. Best that no one be suspicious. “There be biddin’ happenin’ soon in the center square.” He flashed crooked teeth in a lecherous smile. “Blackbeard got himself a good take just out past the breakers.”

  Formerly known as Edward Teach, Blackbeard was not only infamous for his fearsome exploits but magistrate in these parts. That meant he was in command of Nassau’s republic, enforcing law and order as he saw fit.

  “He’s selling off some loot then?” Thomas acted surprised. In this neck of the Caribbean, they lived by the pirate code. They ran their ships democratically, sharing plunder equally. So why was Blackbeard selling something?

  “Not loot but a single woman.” Charles rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “A real looker, I hear.”

  Thomas tensed. Which woman? Who was being put on display in front of this lot? Worse yet, was she still dressed?

  “Why is he selling her?” Luke frowned. “Usually, wenches end up in the brothel.”

  “Seems one of ‘em did.” Charles tapped his temple. “The other ain’t so bright. Deaf, dumb, and mute they say.” He shrugged. “So he’s seein’ what he can get for her.” He shook his head. “They didn’t even have a chaperone, so the crew might’ve already had a run at ‘em.”

  “Bloody hell, let’s hope not.” Thomas refused to entertain the idea. He would never be able to forgive himself. “Better to have ‘em fresh.”

  That damn uncle of theirs, leaving them unchaperoned. Yet it was not surprising in the least. Without a shred of decency, the man was a louse. That said, however, it was safe to say if the crew had wanted the women, a chaperone would not have stopped them. Which was neither here nor there considering there were crew members aboard protecting them until they were safely delivered into Blackbeard’s hands.

  After all, this was by no means as simple as their ship going off course.

  They continued through the crowd and kept to rowdy talk of bidding. The pleasure of claiming such a prize. Which was a flat out lie, of course. The life of piracy suited them well enough, but they steered clear of slave trading. It was a dirty business, and there were plenty more opportunities elsewhere. Or at least there had been after Queen Anne’s War first ended and piracy thrived. Over the past few months, though, things had started changing. The Royal Navy was bearing down, and their way of life was coming to an end.

  Something, quite frankly, they were ready for.

  “We're goin' to see ‘er, aye?” Charles said when they stopped off for a tankard of rum at the tavern. “Worth the sight alone. Bound to fetch a good price.”

  “Like a ray o’ sunshine she is,” a random pirate slurred.

  “Think she’s as sunny between those soft thighs of hers?” another grunted.

  Thomas clenched his mug and took a hearty swig before he said something he regretted.

  “What say ye, Brother?” Luke gestured at a woman’s trunk being carried by the door. “Should we go enjoy the show? See what sort of fine lady owns that?”

  He nodded, spying the familiar crest on the trunk. One that verified the rumors were true.

  The McCullen sisters had been captured.

  “I would not miss it.” He downed his rum then got another. “Let us go see Blackbeard’s latest treasure.”

  They made their way through a thickening crowd of rambunctious pirates stirred up by what was coming. Better yet, who was coming.

  “We hang back,” he murmured out of the corner of his mouth to Luke and Charles. “Lest she spy us.”

  As it were, he and his brother were taller than most and tended to stand out in a crowd. More so, tended to draw a woman’s eye. So they stopped at the fringes and leaned against the overhang of a building that shielded them from the dais.

  Moments later, a woman was dragged onto it and held on display.

  “Rose,” he nearly whispered, stunned by the sight of her.

  If possible, she was even more beautiful now than she was at sixteen. She wore a pale blue linen dress, and light petticoat, her petite figure as trim as it ever was. With long hair the color of spun gold, and big violet soulful eyes, she was exceptional.

  As he often did, he recalled their many walks together. Their interesting discussions. She had a sharp mind. A contemplative soul. He had valued their conversations and understood that unlike her sister, she needed time alone to read. Her books were an important part of her life. Who she was. Some called her mousy, but he’d always loved her genteel, reserved nature. But then she’d often honored him with the lively, interesting mind she more often than not kept to herself.

  Now there she was, at the mercy of monsters who only meant her harm.

  They would crush her spirit in little time. Ruin the beauty of her lovely soul. He clenched his fists and nearly started her way, but thankfully, his brother put a staying hand on his arm to remind him why they were there.

  “She’s a beauty all right,” Charles exclaimed, hollering his approval along with everyone else.

  “Yes, she is,” Thomas murmured, trying to figure out how to handle this. He had hoped to simply purchase her, but the bidding was already higher than what he had on hand.

  “Where’s the other one?” Though he was supposed to be playing a role, Luke scanned the windows of the brothel with far too much relish. “Has Blackbeard let anyone at ‘er yet?”

  “Not yet, don’t think.” Charles licked his lips. “Rumor has it she’s tied up and waitin’ for her first customer.”

  Luke’s brow crept up, his grin far too devious. “Is that right?”

  Thomas shot his brother a warning look reminding him that they had a mission. He better not get distracted when the time came. He had to get her out of there.

  If he faltered, it would cost them both their lives.

  They had talked at length about this with the crew members they could trust. Everyone knew what was on the line, and all understood the various things that could go wrong. Luke getting hung up on finally having Hannah at his disposal on a bed could put a serious kink in their plan in more ways than one.

  The brothers had spent six formative years in Yorktown, Virginia during which they came to know the sisters quite well. While Thomas had enjoyed one sort of relationship with Rose, Luke and Hannah had gone down another road altogether. From what he could tell, their connection was
more often a battle of wills than anything else. Somewhat of a love, hate relationship really.

  Which made him wonder, should Luke be the one to save Hannah?

  Or would she be safer in Thomas’s hands?

  While logic told him one thing, his heart told him another when he looked at Rose. He would not trust her safety to anyone but himself.

  Men called out various prices, overbidding each other until one grumbled loudly, “’Tis a high price for a wench who cannot speak or even see straight.”

  “Who needs her to talk?” another called out. “Just her pretty little mouth around my cock is worth the price!”

  “And no need to see straight,” another whooped. “I’ll steer her along just fine.” He thrust his hips and grabbed his crotch. “Right onto my main mast!”

  Many chuckled, others outright laughed, but all kept their eyes on Rose, their filthy gazes just imagining the possibilities. Meanwhile, Rose remained aloof, an almost daft expression on her face. What was she up to? For surely she was playing at something. She must be.

  “Sometimes I wish I could be one of the characters from my books,” he recalled her saying softly one quiet evening. They sat beneath an old oak behind her uncle’s tobacco plantation, watching the vibrant sunset. “If only for a bit of adventure...and escape.”

  Well aware of the sort of man her uncle was, he kept with what might make her smile.

  “What sort of adventure?” He had wanted to hold her hand. To finally tell her how he felt about her. “And what sort of character would you be?”

  “Oh, something exciting!” Her eyes lit up. “A great warrior destined to save his kingdom.” Her gaze grew sly. “Or maybe a pirate set to plunder a ship!”

  “One so honorable,” he grinned, “and one quite the opposite.”

  “Well, of course.” She met his grin. “If I am to truly adventure, I must be willing to try everything.” She fluffed her skirt, thinking it over. “I could be anything, anyone.” She shrugged. “I could be more outgoing, like my sister.”