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Bianca shakes her head. “What’s happened to you, Costi? The boy I knew loved life. Trusted freely and wore his heart on his sleeve.”
“That version of me is dead now.”
“No, he’s still there. Imprisoned deep inside you, struggling to break free.”
“That’s a fool’s dream.”
Bianca studies me in silence for a moment. Then her gaze returns to the stars. “The stars think you’re wrong.”
“I assure you, they’re the ones who are wrong.” I stand and offer my hand to her. “You should get some sleep.”
She slides her palm against mine, and her skin is as soft as I remember. “The stars never lie,” she says when she’s standing right in front of me.
At this distance, I can see the specks of gold in her eyes. I can almost feel her heart beating wildly in her chest, but then I realize it’s my own. “Everyone lies,” I whisper.
“I don’t.”
I tuck a stray strand of windblown hair behind her ear. “You do.”
She shakes her head. “No.”
“Do you want me to kiss you right now?”
Her eyes widen, but I can tell she wants me. With every fiber of my being, I can tell she wants me to grab her, hold her close, and press my lips against hers.
“No,” she says, lifting her chin a stubborn inch.
“Liar.”
The next morning, I stand at the helm of the ship, inside the bridge, talking with Knox as Bianca makes her way toward me. She’s sexy in the morning, with the rays of the sun highlighting her every delectable feature.
“I’m surprised there’s not a pirate wearing a patch over one eye,” she says.
“That was a real thing,” Knox says.
“What? That pirates wear patches when they lose an eye?”
“No, not just for when they lost an eye. Many pirates put a patch over one eye because of going from the darkness below deck to the sunlight. It helped their eyes adjust better.”
Bianca purses her lips. “I never knew that.”
Knox nods. “I’m sure there’s a lot you don’t know.”
I shoot a glare in Knox’s direction for talking to Bianca that way.
“I know more than most,” she sasses back.
Knox rolls his eyes and it pisses me off. I’m half-tempted to knock the fucker out right now. I’ve done it before, and I can do it again.
“It’s your fault we’re hitting a storm. Women on a ship are bad luck,” Knox sneers in her direction and I lose my patience.
I move quickly, having no qualms about laying him out right here in this room. “Apologize to her,” I snarl, pinning his throat to the wall with my forearm.
Knox’s eyes grow wider. “What?” he asks like I’m not about to kick his ass.
“Apologize,” I growl, pushing his body a bit with my arm, my heartbeat pounding in my ears, my face mere inches from his. “Now. I won’t have anyone disrespecting my woman on my ship.”
Knox glances over at Bianca, who watches with her palms fisted to her sides. “I’m sorry, Bianca. Sorry.”
I release my hold on him. There are a few men standing on the bridge, watching like bystanders, and I hope they let everyone know I won’t allow anyone to be rude to Bianca on our voyage. “We should go through the storm,” I say, resuming my conversation with Knox before Bianca walked in.
“Storm?” Her eyes show her worry and I wrap an arm around her.
“Don’t worry. My ship can handle anything.”
It’s as if she’s looking straight through me when she says, “I trust you.”
A shiver travels up my spine, and I look at the weather once more on my Doppler radar. “We should go through it,” I tell Knox again. “We’re between the devil and the deep blue sea now.”
“You sure about that, Captain.”
I nod, giving him a harsh stare that he dare question me. “I am.” I know my ship can handle anything the sea throws at her. “You will need to stay below deck,” I tell Bianca.
She shakes her head. “I’d feel safer with you.”
It’s not safe, but honestly, maybe I do want to keep her close to me so I can protect her.
“Ok, fine. You can stay with me.”
She breathes a sigh of relief and steps closer to me. “I can’t believe I’m on a real-life pirate ship.”
“This isn’t a pirate ship,” Knox tells her.
“It’s not?”
I nod my head, asking Knox to leave the small cabin where I command the ship. “Modern-day pirates differ from the Golden Age pirates. We don’t sail around looking for our targets or hunting buried treasure. We mainly work from land, sending out speedboats to attack cargo vessels.”
“Attack?”
I step closer. “Yes, although I haven’t led an attack in a long time. Not since my father was alive. Now I mainly coordinate the attack, watch the GPS and put everything into motion.”
“So, you’re a criminal?”
“I prefer to think of myself as a facilitator.”
She shakes her head. “You hurt people? Take things that aren’t yours?”
