A Pirate's Wish Read online

  “Hold on, I’m not dressed!“ she called out in a slightly frantic voice.

  She grabbed another towel, and in her haste, she dropped it as well. She groaned as she bent over to retrieve it.

  “Well, well, well, if I had known that there were far more exciting things to watch in here, I would have forgone the football game. The last ending was horribly dull, nothing like this,” Ashure said.

  She twisted around at the sound of his voice and dropped the towel again. Gritting her teeth, she reached for it, shook it out, and wrapped it around herself, all the while glaring at Ashure who was watching her with a gleam of amusement and something far more dangerous. Well, he wasn’t the only dangerous one here. For that unintended peep show, there would for damn sure be consequences!

  “Didn’t you hear me tell you to wait?” she snapped.

  “Yes, but then I heard a moan and thought you might need some assistance,” he distractedly replied.

  She tucked the end of the towel between her breasts, and his eyes avidly followed her movements. Her jaw was beginning to hurt from gritting her teeth.

  “As you can see, I don’t. I thought you were watching the game,” she retorted.

  “The game ended. Besides, this is definitely more enjoyable than football,” he murmured.

  She released a frustrated growl and snapped her fingers to move his attention from her breasts to her face. She rolled her eyes when he glanced up to her face, back to her boobs, and then back to her face again. It was his long sigh that made her snort and shake her head. It would appear that guys were the same no matter which world they came from!

  “Ashure, you can’t just barge into someone’s bedroom without permission,” she admonished.

  “I knocked first,” he defended himself.

  “Yes, but you didn’t wait for an invite,” she retorted as she waved her hand for him to step out of the doorway.

  “I—” he started to protest.

  She cut him off by closing the bathroom door in his face. Leaning back against it, she released a long sigh. It was going to be a long, long week.

  “Week, hell! It is going to be a long night,” she muttered.

  She pulled the towel free and quickly dressed in her nightshirt and panties before plucking the wet towel out of the tub. She was in the process of squeezing it out when the lights flickered again and went out. Almost immediately, the door behind her cracked open. A small smile danced across her lips when she saw a hand appear through the narrow opening. Dozens of fairy lights rose from Ashure’s palm.

  She laid the wet towel over the side of the tub and opened the door the rest of the way. They stood gazing at each other in silence. At that moment, she understood how a bug must feel when it sees a light it is unable to resist.

  “Ashure.”

  His name was nothing more than a whisper on her lips. He stepped forward, and she started to meet him halfway before she forced herself to stop. She pressed her hand against the center of his chest. Romantic Fairy lights be damned! Things were about to get out of control very quickly if she didn’t keep a cool head.

  “Ashure, you—I—this—” she tried to explain.

  A frown creased his brow. “Am I supposed to understand what you are saying? Because if I were to put my interpretation on it, I would say you, me, this is about to lead to something very, very good,” he murmured, lifting his hand to cover hers.

  Tonya curled her fingers into the dark blue fabric of the Ashure’s shirt, her fingers sliding through the gap between the buttons. She could feel his coarse, curly chest hair and the warmth of his skin. Taking a deep breath, she stiffened her spine and looked at him with a determined expression.

  “Ashure, this is not going to happen. You and I literally come from two different worlds. You will go back to yours and—and I’ll be here. As much as I am attracted to you—physically—as much as I’m physically attracted to you, I’m not looking for a relationship. It would be in our best interest if we kept things professional between us until you leave—return to your world,” she firmly said, pushing him back into her bedroom.

  “I do not like that idea very much,” he reflected, stepping backward.

  She stopped and glared at him. “I don’t do one-night stands or quick flings,” she gritted out.

  He pulled her forward and slid his hands down to her hips. The dreamlike glow of the Fairy lights surrounded them. In the faint light, she could see those undefined shadows moving in the depths of his eyes. Instead of being repulsed by them, she wanted to soothe his haunted expression. She lifted her hand and touched his cheek.

  “It is not the idea of a one-night stand or a quick fling that I find distasteful. It is leaving you behind that I find unacceptable,” he quietly stated.

  “Ashure.” Her throat tightened at the longing and need in his eyes.

  He pressed a finger to her lips. “I have a week to convince you,” he murmured.

  “A week! Do you really think you can convince me to give up everything I know to go to a fantasy world in a week?” she asked in a tight voice.

  “But of course—with a little help from Max,” he replied with a devilish grin.

  10

  The sound of cursing and the smell of something burning woke Tonya the next morning. She pushed her disheveled hair out of her face and sat up. Early morning light streamed in through the large windows that looked out over the dunes.

  She quickly threw back the covers and scrambled out of bed when she heard the clatter of a pot hitting the floor along with more cursing. Stumbling down the hallway to the kitchen, she took in the scene in front of her. The kitchen looked like a tornado had struck. There was a mess of broken eggshells on the counter, smoke was rising from a pan on the gas stove, and Ashure was practically covered from head to toe with flour.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded, hurrying over to the stove and removing the pan before its contents caught on fire.

  Ashure glared at her with a frustrated expression. “I am trying to make breakfast for you so that I can bring it to you in bed. Unfortunately, the spell I used to translate the instructions on the back of this box must not be working because the directions still make absolutely no sense, and the cooking instrument is either too hot or too cold. Also, I bumped my head,” he complained as he rubbed his head with a flour-coated hand.

  Tonya stood staring at him, completely speechless for a moment. No one besides Max had ever cooked breakfast for her before, and even then, Max had never offered to bring it to her in bed. Now here was a Pirate King making a disaster out of her clean kitchen to do just that. She shook her head in disbelief.

  “You also have pancake mix all over you as well as half the kitchen. I’ll tell you what, why don’t you leave the cooking to me since I know how everything works?” she offered.

  “I suppose that might be best,” he grudgingly agreed.

  “You can go get a shower while I cook breakfast,” she suggested.

  “I—very well. But, I insist on cleaning up after our meal,” he stated.

  “Agreed,” she said with a chuckle.

  He started to turn away, but stopped and held out the box of pancake mix. She took it from him with a somewhat bemused smile. He was literally coated from head to toe in the flour mixture. She remained where she was until he disappeared down the hallway.

  With a deep sigh, she surveyed the kitchen. Fortunately, she had experience with kitchen disasters thanks to MJ and Angie. Shaking her head, she set the box of pancake mix on the counter.

  “First things first—I need coffee,” she muttered.

  Within minutes, the coffee carafe was cleaned out and a fresh pot was brewing. She had discovered that Ashure hadn’t known to put a filter in the basket, and from the amount of soggy coffee grounds, it looked like he had used about a cup of fresh grounds. She washed the scorched pan, dumped the broken eggs into the trash can, wiped down the countertops and swept the floor. Opening the refrigerator, she gathered the items she would n
eed to make eggs and pancakes. Fortunately, over half of the pancake mix had survived.

  By the time Ashure reappeared, she was setting a pile of fluffy pancakes on the table. She poured two cups of coffee and asked him to pour them each a glass of orange juice. He walked over to the table and sat down.

  “Are you sure you didn’t use magic? Everything looks—” he started to say as he waved his hand around the kitchen.

  “Normal?” she asked.

  “That is a good way to describe it. You took my ruinous breakfast and turned it into a meal fit for a King,” he said.

  “Well, you are one, aren’t you?” she laughed.

  She placed the plate with his eggs in front of him and impulsively bent over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She was still processing the fact that he had attempted to make her breakfast in bed. Placing her plate on the table, she slid into the chair across from him and was suddenly self-conscious about her wild hair and the fact that she was still wearing her nightshirt.

  “What was that for?” he inquired with a raised eyebrow.

  She watched him touch his cheek where she had kissed him. He was staring at her with an intense expression, and the shadows within his eyes moved restlessly.

  “Ashure, when I look into your eyes…,” her voice faded as she tried to describe what she saw.

  He immediately looked down at his plate. “Hunger—you see hunger. This smells amazing. These round breads look just like the ones on the box,” he exclaimed.

  “They are really good if you put butter on them and then cover them with syrup,” she said, allowing him to evade her question. As a reporter, she had learned to recognize when someone wasn’t ready to divulge information. She smiled in amusement when he moaned loudly and expressed his delight in the pancakes.

  “When we return to my world, I want to take a few cases of this powdery substance with us. How a bland powder can create such a delightful dish must be magic,” he gushed.

  She laughed and shook her head. “If you think these are good, maybe I can sweet talk Max into making some of his pancakes. He makes these cinnamon apple ones that melt in your mouth. They taste like an apple strudel. Instead of syrup, he does this caramel cream cheese glaze that he pours on top. They are so good,” she said with a sigh.

  “Perhaps he can teach me how to make them,” he said.

  “Listen, about Max. I think we should really keep things light—and be on the same page. I’ll introduce you as a friend, emphasis on friend, not a friend with benefits, okay? You are down on your luck, from out of town, and just needed a place to crash,” she said.

  “You want me to lie to the man who took you in?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

  Tonya gritted her teeth. “No, not lie. I just don’t want to overwhelm him with too much truth,” she defended, waving her fork at him.

  He frowned and looked thoughtful as he said, “You wish to lie through omission.”

  “Omission is not a lie,” she muttered.

  “Why do you not want Max to know?” he probed.

  She glanced up at him before looking down at her plate again. “It’s complicated. Besides, if we start spouting that you come from a magical world and are the King of the Pirates, he’s more likely to lock us both up for being crazy,” she said.

  “You do not have pirates here?” he asked with a surprised look.

  “We do, but not like you think. I think we should use the KISS method, Keep It Simple, Stupid. The less we say, the less likelihood of things becoming complicated,” she explained.

  “Less complicated,” he murmured with a nod.

  She reached up and warily tucked her messy hair behind her ear. She would have felt more confident with his agreement if she hadn’t caught the speculative glimmer in his eye before he looked down at his plate. A sense of impending doom hit her.

  Why do I get the feeling that things are about to go from bad to worse? she silently groan.

  An hour later, she knew why she had felt that way. There was a knock at the door, and she tilted her head, hoping it was her imagination. The sound of Ashure speaking to someone drew her out of her bedroom where she had been getting dressed while he cleaned up the remains of their breakfast.

  “Ah, you have unfortunately returned,” Ashure said in a somewhat disgruntled tone.

  She hurried down the hall and into the living room. Ashure was standing at the front door, blocking Dan’s entrance. She stopped and took in the situation. It was like watching two boxers assessing each other—only one was the heavyweight champion, while the other was still learning how to put his gloves on.

  She sighed and shook her head. This morning had started out as a challenge, and it didn’t look like the day was going to get any better. Plastering a smile on her face, she stepped into the living room.

  “Dan, what a surprise! What brings you here this morning?” she greeted.

  Both men turned and faced her when she called out. She sent Ashure a look of warning before she turned her attention to Dan. From the scowl on Ashure’s face, it was obvious he wasn’t pleased with her welcome. Walking over to the door, she stepped in front of Ashure when he stood back.

  “Hi, Tonya. I came by to apologize for not calling you last night like I said I would. The storm made a mess of things, and I was out most of the night,” Dan replied.

  “What a shame it didn’t blow you away,” Ashure murmured under his breath.

  “You don’t have to apologize. The power kept going on and off here. It was pretty scary at times,” she commented.

  “Yes, but I made sure she was safe,” Ashure said with a fake smile.

  “Oh, yeah? I was a bit surprised that you were still here. I thought you weren’t staying,” Dan said.

  “I was just going to go for a short walk down to the beach to make sure there wasn’t any damage. Would you like to go with me? Ashure promised to clean the kitchen since I cooked breakfast,” she said, pulling her coat off the hook next to the door.

  “I—” Ashure started to protest before she turned on him.

  “We won’t be gone long. I’m sure Dan has a lot more places to check now that the storm has passed,” she interrupted with a pointed look.

  “Yeah, I do, but I’d love to take a walk with you,” Dan agreed.

  She walked through the door when Dan stepped back and held it open. She pulled on her jacket and glanced at Ashure. She smiled in amusement when she saw his irritated, almost pouty expression.

  “We’ll be back in a few,” she murmured.

  “It’s still a little breezy out,” Dan warned.

  She pulled a knit cap out of her pocket and held it up. “I’m good,” she reassured him.

  “I’ll make some hot tea for you when you return, love,” Ashure called from behind them before he shut the door.

  “Love?” Dan asked uncertainly.

  She shook her head. “Not like love. It’s a cultural thing,” she explained.

  “Cultural, huh? I don’t believe I caught where Ashure is from,” Dan commented.

  “Oh, nowhere in particular. He travels a lot—for work,” she said, trying to keep as close to the truth as possible.

  “What does he do for a living?” Dan asked.

  “He does merchandise acquisition,” she replied. “Don’t tell me you came out this morning just to ask me questions about Ashure. How are things going for you? Were there a lot of emergencies last night?” she inquired.

  “No, I didn’t come to ask about Ashure, I was just surprised he is still here. I—yeah, there were a lot of calls. Things always get a bit crazy when the power goes out and people can’t watch their televisions,” Dan said.

  Tonya listened as Dan talked about the dozens of calls he had gone out on last night as they walked down the path to the beach. She looked back at the house once and could see Ashure standing on the back deck, his dark eyes locked on them. A shiver ran through her, and she returned her attention to Dan.

  Today is going to be another day in par
adise. I have the power to make it a good day, she thought with a positive pep chat with her good side while ignoring the fact that her bad side was shaking her head in total disagreement.

  With an effort, she pulled her mind away from Ashure and focused on Dan. She murmured a response to something Dan said. She sincerely hoped that it was the right noncommittal response because she honestly didn’t have a clue as to what he had just said. Her mind was still trying to block the feeling of impending doom—something bad was about to happen.

  Ashure kept his eyes on Tonya until she disappeared from sight over the sand dune. He clenched his jaw in annoyance when he saw Dan place his hand on the small of Tonya’s back. He tapped his fingers on the wood railing in frustration.

  “I really do not like that man,” he muttered under his breath.

  He looked up at a lone seagull flying overhead. He lifted his hand and whispered a summoning spell.

  The seagull squawked before gliding down to land on the railing next to him. He reached out and ran his hand over the small bird’s head. He quietly chuckled when the bird scooted closer to him and pecked a piece of lint off of his shirt.

  “Thank you. I could use your help. You see, there is a very stubborn woman who has captured my heart. If you would be so kind as to keep an eye on her and perhaps keep the man with her from touching her, I would be very grateful indeed,” he said.

  The seagull tilted its head to the side before it gave him a brief nod, turned, and flew off. With a grin of satisfaction, Ashure stared out toward the shore before humming under his breath and turning back to enter the house.

  “A rule of thumb, my dear deputy, never irritate a Sprite,” he chuckled.

  11

  Ashure opened the front door before Tonya had a chance. He grinned when he observed the telltale white splatters of bird droppings on Dan’s hat and jacket as he removed them before getting in his car. It would appear that Dan had encountered a bit of trouble with keeping his hands to himself on his walk.