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He nodded. “They are, but to my knowledge, there’s only one left in this realm.
“Don’t tell me. Tinkerbell?”
“Is that from the journal?” He cocked his head, looking entirely too comfortable resting on his bed, and I had to force myself to look away.Oh look, windows.I headed toward them on legs that felt like jelly.
The view from his room was stunning. I hadn’t taken the time to appreciate it earlier, but now that I wasn’t seething and intent on his immediate destruction, things looked, you know, a little brighter. Scents of warm leather and citrus swirled around me, and I breathed them in deep, letting the delicious combination caress my senses.
“Do you like the view?”
I started at the question because his voice was close. Too close. When I glanced back, he was standing just behind me, taking in the view over my head, and the heat radiating from his body tugged at me in a dangerous way. “It’s not smart to sneak up on an armed woman.”
“I didn’t realize I was sneaking.” Then the bastard winked at me.
I ignored it and tried to block out that intoxicating scent, looking back out at the softly rolling waves. “You’re lucky I didn’t just stab you.” Tiny, luminescent specs of turquoise glittered in the sky. “And yes, Tinkerbell is from the story. Wendy never mentioned her in the journals I read, but I didn’t have access to all of them. In the story, though, Tinkerbell was this mischievous little pixie who was always hanging around Pan and the lost boys.”
“Was she portrayed as conniving, petty creature who was deadly with her dust?”
So, shewasreal. And so, apparently, was her fairy dust. I might be able to make that work in my favor.
Hook’s voice was a hot, gravelly distraction. “She and I have crossed paths. She’s a piece of work.”
“Not a fan, I take it?”
A low growl rumbled from his throat and the sound sent a tiny thrill zinging through me.
Seriously, what was my problem?
“If we ever run into each other again, I will gladly slice off her treacherous little head.” He paused. “You mentioned lost boys. Is that what they called the boys who were trapped on the island?”
“Yeah, but in the story, they weren’t trapped. They were orphans who didn’t have a home to go back to, so they stayed in Neverland, never aging, never growing up.” I expected some kind of response to that, but Hook was silent behind me. “What happens next?” I asked, turning to face him.
His strong jaw was lined with dark stubble, a few shades darker than his thick, messy hair. His tongue darted out, wetting his full bottom lip. Christ, that gaze was intimidating. The man was a study in ruggedly handsome, attractive in a wild way, and he carried himself with a confidence that made it clear he didn’t give a damn about it.
“Are you finished with your dinner?”
I nodded, trying to focus on anything other than his mouth.
“Then let me show you something.” He stepped aside and motioned to the door.
I let him guide me out across the deck, trying to ignore the curious glances from the other pirates. They didn’t look quite like one would expect. Their clothes were clean, they weren’t all scruffy, and there was no stench of BO wafting my way as they passed by.
I really wanted to ask if that was typical or if he just ran an exceptionally clean ship. If his own appearance was any indication, he was at least part of the reason they didn’t all look like disease-riddled ruffians.
Since this was my first time on a ship like this, on any ship, actually, I craned my neck to look up at the towering masts. He chuckled low behind me, and I did my best to block him out. He already knew I was a tourist in his world. There was no use in hiding it.
Hook murmured something to one of the men on deck, who took off in the opposite direction. Then he escorted me to the railing, his hand hovering over my low back but not quite touching.
“I mentioned these waters were dangerous at night, but there is a difference between being told a thing and seeing it with your own eyes.”
He pointed down to the water and I leaned over, casting him a sidelong glance as I did. “This isn’t all some ploy to get me out here so you can toss me overboard or make me walk the plank, is it?”
He pressed a hand to his chest, just over his heart. “You wound me, love.”
I narrowed my eyes at his use of the nickname, but that just made his smile bloom. The man had a smile that could make a girl’s panties combust. “What am I supposed to be looking for?” I asked, dragging my focus back to the water.
“Do you see those shapes moving just below the surface?” He leaned over the rail beside me, close enough that our arms brushed.
I squinted into the darkness, trying to get a clearer view, but the movement of the ship and the breeze sent tiny ripples across the water, distorting everything. “Sort of. They look like giant fish. Or dolphins maybe?”
