The Pirate Hunter. Laura Martin

decided to make a dash for the harbour instead of battening down and riding it out.’

      He looked at her appraisingly.

      ‘You don’t spend a lifetime in the Caribbean without learning a thing or two about the moods of the sea,’ she said.

      ‘He did his best, but we didn’t stand a chance.’

      ‘Were there any other survivors?’

      ‘I saw a few, tried to convince them to swim with me for shore, but most of the sailors can’t do more than a few strokes and wanted to wait for the Navy to mount a rescue.’

      Mia saw the pain in his eyes. He was mourning for the dead sailors, probably a whole ship of young men in their prime now dead, swallowed up by the sea.

      ‘I’d just about given up when I saw you on the cliff.’

      He turned to look at her again and the intensity in his eyes made her self-conscious. She glanced down and to her horror remembered she’d thrown off her clothes before jumping in to rescue him. Her undergarments were sodden and sticking to her skin, revealing almost everything that lay beneath.

      He must have seen her stricken expression and hastily looked away.

      ‘I’d offer you my jacket, but I seem to have misplaced it.’

      Mia forced herself to smile. He was just a man, she repeated in her head. He might be a very handsome man with an infectious smile, but he was just a man all the same. They were from very different walks of life and after today she would probably never see him again.

      ‘My house is not too far,’ Mia said. ‘Do you think you will make it if I help you?’

      ‘Lead on.’

      Mia stood, forcing herself not to cover certain parts of her anatomy with her arms, and held out a hand to help Will up.

      ‘Thank you, my lady,’ he said, struggling to his feet, then offering her his arm.

      Arm in arm they staggered along the sand. Mia could feel the warmth of his body as it brushed against hers and couldn’t help but remember the feel of his chest underneath her hands.

      ‘Stop it,’ she muttered to herself.

      Will stopped suddenly, causing her to careen into him. She suspected normally he would be able to withstand the force of a small woman travelling at such a slow speed, but in his weakened state his knees buckled and he fell to the ground. Mia tried to pull her arm from his, but was too slow. She felt her feet stumble, followed by the inevitable fall towards the ground.

      She landed squarely on top of him, her nose touching his.

      ‘Ooof,’ he said quietly.

      Stunned, Mia couldn’t move for an instant. She could feel the hard muscles of his chest pushing against her breasts, their legs tangled together and lips so close that just a small twitch and they would be kissing. She tried not to notice how his hips were pushed up against hers, but couldn’t deny the heat that rose through her body in response to his closeness.

      ‘Mia,’ he murmured. ‘My angel.’

      Before she realised what was happening Will had reached up and pulled her lips on to his, sealing them together with a passionate kiss.

      ‘Mia, Mia, Mia,’ he whispered in between frantic kisses.

      Her body responded immediately, moulding to his and burning with desire. She knew she shouldn’t. They were from different worlds, and he was almost certainly delirious, but what was the harm of one kiss?

      ‘Stop!’ The shout came from quite a distance away, but it paralysed Mia.

      Slowly she raised her head and groaned. Coming towards her were four men wearing the unmistakable uniforms of the English soldiers garrisoned in Bridgetown.

      ‘No, no, no,’ she whispered.

      She glanced down at her companion, wondering if he was able to make a dash for it into the trees that lined the beach. He had passed out on the sand with a contented smile on his face. She shook him none too gently and glanced once again at the soldiers. They were much closer now, making good progress over the powdery sand. She contemplated leaving Will and making a run for it on her own—he didn’t strike her as being a wanted man.

      Too late. She’d just staggered to her feet when the first of the soldiers arrived and threw her back to the ground.

      ‘Don’t move,’ he shouted rather unnecessarily. With the rifle to her back Mia wasn’t planning on moving a single muscle.

      * * *

      Will felt as though he’d slept for a month. He contemplated rolling over and letting sleep consume him for another few hours, but the unusual sound of keys jangling was enough to make him open his eyes.

      He was lying on mouldy straw in a fetid cell with only a sliver of light to illuminate his surroundings. Probably for the best, he thought.

      The jangle of keys came closer and Will pushed himself up into a sitting position. Every muscle in his body screamed and begged him not to move again for another few days at least.

      The door to the cell opened and through his half-open eyes Will could see a large figure standing in the doorway.

      ‘William Greenacre, what on earth happened to you?’

      Will’s eyes opened fully and peered into the gloom. He recognised the voice, but couldn’t quite place the owner.

      ‘We thought you were dead.’

      ‘So did I,’ Will murmured.

      The figure in the doorway strode into the cell and clapped Will on the shoulder.

      ‘Edward Thatcher,’ Will said. ‘It’s been years.’

      ‘Last time I saw you must have been at your old man’s funeral. Good fellow, sorely missed. That must have been what, seven years ago?’

      ‘Eight.’

      ‘Let’s get you out of this hellhole...’ Thatcher held out his hand to pull Will up ‘...then you can tell me how you managed to survive that awful storm.’

      ‘There was a woman...’ Will started.

      ‘Don’t you worry about her, old chap, we’ve got her safe. Let’s get you cleaned up and then I’ll fill you in on what’s been happening. The Governor is expecting you.’

      ‘But Mia...’

      ‘Good work there, Greenacre, we’ve been after her for months. You survive a shipwreck and apprehend the sister of Barbados’s most wanted in the same day.’

      Barbados’s most wanted? Will screwed his eyes up, trying to concentrate. It had been a long day and he wasn’t sure he could recall exactly what had happened. He remembered the storm and the swim and the feeling of dread as he saw the cliffs towering above him. Then the vision of Mia on the clifftop, her saving him and finally the kiss on the beach.

      He groaned. He’d kissed her. He owed his life to her and he’d assaulted her when all she’d been trying to do was help. He wasn’t sure why he’d done it. He had been pretty delirious, but really that was no excuse.

      Will squinted as they emerged from cells into the bright Caribbean light.

      ‘It’s only a couple minutes’ walk to the Governor’s residence. Think you’ll make it, old chap?’

      The muscles in his legs felt battered and achy, but it did feel good to stretch them out. If it was truly only a couple minutes’ walk he was sure his legs would get him there.

      ‘What are you doing out here, Thatcher?’ Will asked as they walked.

      He’d known Thatcher from school—both boys had been at boarding school together—and whilst not in the same year they’d come across one another plenty of times on the sports field or during