Captured
by the Pirate Laird
Highland
Force
Book
One
Amy
Jarecki
Genre:
Scottish Historical Romance
Date
of Publication: 2/17/14
Number
of pages: 342
Word
Count: 96,600
Cover
Artist: Kim Killion
Book
Description:
Wed
by proxy to a baron old enough to be her grandfather, Lady Anne
trudges up the gangway of a galleon that will deliver her into the
arms of a tyrant. Crestfallen, she believes her disastrous life
cannot get worse—until she awakes to the blasts of cannon fire.
Facing
certain death, Anne trembles in her stateroom while swords clash and
the chilling screams of battle rage on the deck above. When a rugged
Highlander kicks in her door, she prays for a swift end.
But
Laird Calum MacLeod has a reason for plundering the ship—and it’s
not a stunning English lass. With no other choice, he takes Anne to
his crumbling keep on the isle of Raasay and sends a letter of ransom
to her husband. In time, Anne grows to understand MacLeod’s plight
and finds it increasingly difficult to resist Calum’s unsettling
charm—until the baron sends a reply agreeing to terms.
Ripped
from passion that will be forever seared into their souls, will Anne
and Calum risk everything for love?
Excerpt:
She
turned and caught him staring. He bowed and his heart melted when she
smiled—a smile with dimples that could light up the horizon. He
half expected Anne to turn up her pert little nose and head the other
way.
Before
he could persuade himself otherwise, Calum pattered down the steps
and stood beside her. She watched the sunset and her warmth pulled
him close like a magnet.
“’Tis
beautiful,” she said when the sky shone with orange and pink,
highlighted against the strips of clouds that sailed toward the ship.
He
inhaled. Her scent ever so feminine, Calum inclined his head to
capture more of it. “Aye, milady.”
She
placed her hand on the rail. Again his reflexes took over and he
rested his palm atop it. Calum expected her to snatch it away, but
she did not. Her fingers were cold and he held his much warmer hand
there as a comfort. They stood in silence as the sun glowed
orange-red on the horizon. He wanted to stand there forever—touching
her. Barely breathing, he watched the sun disappear and held his hand
still, unwilling to move it.
The
sun was replaced by darkness. Lady Anne slipped her hand out from
under his and the dark of the evening took up residence inside him.
She was not his to lust after. “May I walk you to your stateroom?”
“Yes.”
Her voice sounded husky. Had she felt the connection too? Of course
not.
Calum
offered his arm and that same small, cold hand grasped it. “We’ll
arrive at Raasay in the morning.”
“Our
destination?”
“Aye.”
“Bran
told me.”
Secrets
were impossible to keep on a ship. “I will send a letter of ransom
to yer husband upon our arrival.” He didn’t like how that
sounded—ye are my prisoner until Lord Wharton pays for your
release. But that’s how it had to be. If he sailed up the mouth of
the River Aln, he would incite yet another war between Scotland and
England—and this time his countrymen might side with the enemy.
When
they stepped into the corridor, warm air relaxed the tension in his
shoulders.
Anne
stopped outside her cabin door, breasts straining against her bodice
with every breath. “I’ve never met him.”
Calum
forced himself to concentrate on her face. “Who?”
“Lord
Wharton.”
“What?
How?”
“We
were wed by proxy. My uncle made the arrangements.”
Ah
Jesus. Calum understood the way of highborn marriages, arranged for
the trade of lands and riches. “Ye ken he’s old enough to be your
father?”
“He’s
three times my age plus one year to be exact. His children are older
than I.”
A
hundred questions flooded his mind. “Why?” he clipped with
shocked disbelief.
Anne
nodded as if fully understanding his monosyllabic inquiry. “I’m
told the Baron fancied me from across Westminster Abbey during the
Queen’s coronation.”
“No.”
She doesn’t even know the bastard. That’s why she wears no ring.
“Yes.
My uncle said he kissed my hand, yet so many lords greeted me on that
trip to London, I’m at a loss to place him.”
The
despair in her lovely eyes twisted around his heart. “Mayhap ye
will remember if we playact it.” With a halfcocked grin, Calum
reached for her hand. His mouth went dry when her silken skin met the
rough pads of his fingertips. Though a grown woman, her fingers were
fine and delicate.
When
she didn’t pull away, he moistened his lips and bowed. Hovering
above her hand, the soft scent of honeysuckle mixed with her—the
unmistakable scent of woman now more captivating than it had been on
the deck—ignited his insides as if she stood naked before him.
Closing his eyes, he touched his lips to the back of her hand and
kissed. Anne’s sharp inhale made his skin shiver with gooseflesh.
She did not try to pull away but remained so still, her pulse beat a
fierce rhythm beneath.
Calum
held his lips there longer than necessary. He wanted this moment to
linger. He wanted a memory he could cherish long after she was gone.
His eyes locked with hers as he straightened. Her lips parted
slightly, almost as if asking him to kiss her mouth, but he knew she
wouldn’t want that.
He
stood for a moment not saying a word. She did too.
“Any
recollection?” His voice rasped.
“No.”
Her voice low, she then blinked as if snapping back to the present.
“You mustn’t ever do that again.”
“Apologies,
milady.” Grinning, he opened her door and bowed, though he did not
regret her lack of recall.
Anne
stepped into her stateroom. Calum could not pull his gaze away until
the door closed and blocked the bewilderment reflected in her
sapphire eyes. Calum waited a moment and stared at the hardwood
door—the same one he had kicked in five nights ago. What the hell
was he doing?
He
ground his teeth and headed back to the quarterdeck. He needed to get
the lady out of his life. She was not his to care for. Worst of all,
she had wed the enemy.
About
the Author:
Amy
has won multiple writing awards and lives in Utah with her husband,
Bob. She writes contemporary romance and Scottish historical romance.
For fun, she hikes, bikes and plays a mean game of golf. Born in
California, Amy holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University in
Edinburgh, Scotland.
Web
site: http://www.amyjarecki.com/
Twitter:
@amyjarecki
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/amyjarecki
Thank you for hosting me on your lovely blog today! Love your wallpaper :-)
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