“I’ll always be there, Anna, in every ship you see sailing past. I’ll be the wind in its sail.”

“How did you come to be a pirate?”“I was aboard a pirate ship.”She rolled her eyes at him. “How did you come to be aboard a pirate ship?”

“She’d looked so beautiful standing there, gazing out to sea. Crimson had once told him a tale about Sirens, magical creatures that lived on an island. Their songs lured mariners to their destruction – their ships were destroyed by the rocks surrounding the island. And even knowing that death awaited them, they couldn’t resist the lure of the Sirens’ song.”

“I shall always be a pirate.”

“Her heart lurched and tears burned her eyes. “Surely you can escape.”“Not this time.” He captured a tear that rolled down her cheek. “Don’t cry. You’ve given me more joy than I’ve ever known.”“It’s not enough.”He gave her a sad grin. “That’s how pirates are made. The plunder we take is never enough. We’re never content with what we have. We always want more.”

“He wouldn’t charm her. She’d almost forgot what his kiss tasted like., felt like. She only remembered it when she drifted into dreams. Then it became so vivid, so real. To her mortification, she always felt a little thrill. Her life had been filled with gentlemen of the finest quality. James Sterling was like none of them, he was unpolished. A diamond in the rough. A scoundrel. A pirate.”

“They say fifty lashes will kill a man. So I'll spare you the last one.”