The Red Drifter of the Sea (Pirates of the Isles #3) - Celeste Barclay Page 0,15

he’d kept them bound and standing throughout the night. But Moira wasn’t a hardened sailor or another pirate. She was a woman who had left home with an inadequate guard. He remembered the bruises he’d seen earlier, and in the dim candlelight, he lifted Moira into his arms and sat at the table. He pushed her sleeves up and sucked in a breath, noticing the extent of the bruises. Fingers digging into her petal-soft skin clearly made each set. He feared looking elsewhere in case it was worse, but he forced himself to lift the back of her leine.

“He doesn’t hit me. Just squeezes my arms,” Moira muttered. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

Kyle leaned around Moira to see her eyes were open, but her lids drooped.

“Dónal?” Kyle whispered.

“Who else? I have no father, and I have no husband.”

“But you have a lover,” Kyle pointed out.

“Had. Not have.” Moira looked at Kyle and sighed. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and shook her head. “Had until he left my bed and went to my sister’s only to sire her child, who I’ve raised.”

“Aidan O’Flaherty was your lover?” Kyle was incredulous.

“Hard to believe he was, isn’t it? But not so hard to believe he chose Lizzie instead.”

“Why would you ever lie with a man like that?” Kyle snapped.

“You’ve seen him. He’s handsome as the devil, dark hair and all. I thought we loved each other, but it was one-sided. And now I realize it wasn’t anything but twisted infatuation. When he realized he could get all the information he wanted from me without marriage, he left my bed and went to Lizzie’s. He can barely stand her, but obviously her talents exceed mine.”

Kyle sat mute, too stunned to know what to say. He closed his eyes and tried to grasp the one fuzzy thought he could latch on to. “Why would any man choose Lizzie over you?”

“What man wouldn’t, given the choice?”

“I sure as hell wouldn’t. The woman may be your sister, but she’s vile.”

“Maybe. But that doesn’t mean you haven’t bedded her,” Moira said as she turned to look at Kyle, surprised by the shock and revulsion on his face.

“Those were Ruairí’s fields to plow. Not mine. I never bedded your sister and never will. I’d rather stand naked before the British navy than touch her.”

“But surely…”

“Never, Moira. Never. She made the offer more than once when Ruairí and Aidan were too deep in their cups, but never did I accept it.”

“But,” Moira countered. “I know she went to your chamber the time before last.”

“Aye. When she slipped into my bed, I thought she was the serving wench I’d flirted with. But even in a whisper, I recognized her voice. I grabbed my breeks in one hand and my boots and sword in the other. I spent the night in the stall with my horse.” Kyle saw the uncertainty, the disbelief in Moira’s eyes. He pressed her against his chest, and her head rested against his shoulder. “Moira, I swear to you, I never bedded Lizzie. I’ve never even wanted to. And given the choice, I hope you’ve already realized the MacDonnell sister I want is you.”

When Moira nodded, Kyle thought she accepted what he said. But he realized that she was nestling closer to him and was already asleep. With a sigh, Kyle carried Moira to his bunk and tucked her under the covers. He lifted the plaid from the foot of the bed and sat beside the head of the bed. He leaned against the wall, allowing his head to rest on the side of the mattress. He hadn’t realized how exhausted he was until he sat down with a sleeping Moira next to him. He tilted his head back to watch her sleep, reassured by her steady breathing. The only time he’d ever watched someone sleep was when Ruairí or his twin Keith was ill or injured. He found it soothing to listen to Moira’s rhythmic breathing and to watch her peaceful slumber. He drifted off without realizing it.

Six

Moira came awake to the sound of soft snores near her ears. She recognized they weren’t Sean’s, but it took her a moment to recall that she wasn’t in the child’s chamber at home. She was in Kyle’s cabin aboard the Lady Charity. Despite lying still, she knew within a breath that she’d woken Kyle.

“I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Moira whispered.

“Is anything wrong?” Kyle sat up and looked at Moira. He brushed back the hair from her face. She pushed