The Red Drifter of the Sea (Pirates of the Isles #3) - Celeste Barclay Page 0,99

She didn’t have my permission to make such a promise. Now give me the bluidy key before I kick the door in, Daisy.”

Daisy scrambled to pull a key from the ring she wore at her waist. She handed it to Kyle but glared at Moira’s backside, inelegantly hefted in the air. Kyle turned back to Keith and grinned. Keith winked before he sidled up to Daisy, and their men sought out their own entertainment. Kyle climbed the stairs with Moira, but he shifted her so he could cradle her against his broad chest. Once they were inside the chamber, Kyle eased her to her feet.

“I know I told you that you could do as you wish with Daisy, and if you want to, I won’t stand in your way. But now it’s on your terms, not because you’re indebted,” Kyle explained. Moira brushed the hair from her face as she nodded. Her sapphire eyes met Kyle’s emerald orbs.

“I don’t want her or anyone else, Kyle. But maybe you will in the future,” Moira whispered. “If that’s what you want, what you need—”

“Moira, I don’t know what the future holds for us. But I can promise that as long as we’re together, I will not touch another woman. The thought makes my chest burn, and no thought has ever felt so wrong.”

“What about what I suggested?” Moira asked sheepishly.

“You mean what earned you a spanking? And what you just got was only to warm your arse before your real spanking.”

“I don’t want Keith. I don’t want anyone but you. But I’m telling you that I—”

“I already know, Moira. But I don’t think you understand. I don’t need, nor want, anyone with us. You don’t have to offer or do anything to make sure I stay. All I want is you.”

Moira’s face crumpled as she fell against Kyle’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her, but he couldn’t fathom why she was crying. He didn’t know if he’d disappointed her, or if her emotions overwhelmed her. Unsure of what else to do, he held her. Moira’s shoulders curled in, her hands trapped between them, resting on Kyle’s chest. Neither of them was clean, but neither cared. They held each other until Moira could speak again.

“I’ve never been enough for anyone. At least not since my mother died. My father ignored me for most of my life. He was too busy training Dónal and grumbling about how his heir never listened. Or he was bemoaning Lizzie’s promiscuous behavior. He died before Aidan and I… You know how Lizzie and Dónal treat me. You and I both can imagine what Dermot would have done. I’m short and too skinny, and my hair is a dull brown. The only thing Aidan ever complimented were my eyes. My breasts are too small, and I have no bottom. I look more like a lad than a lass. But never have I felt inadequate with you. And now you’re telling me you don’t want anyone else. I’ve just never felt enough until now.”

“Moira, we both have a past. But they were separate, before we knew each other. I want our futures to be the same,” Kyle whispered.

“Are you asking me to sail with you?”

“I’m asking you to spend your life with me. If you wish to sail, then yes. If you wish for us to have a cottage somewhere, then I will build one as fast as I can. I can’t give you a keep like you’re used to. I’m an heir to nothing, but I can give you a home,” Kyle paused as he looked into Moira’s eyes. His thumb smoothed her brow. “If you wish me to marry you, I will. If you wish me to love you, I will.”

Moira stared at Kyle for a long moment before her tongue flicked out twice to wet her lips. “Are you saying you love me? Do you want to marry me?”

“Yes.”

They stood in stunned silence, neither expecting such a declaration, but neither shied away. They just stared at one another. Eventually, Moira found her voice. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. About all of it. Moira, I don’t believe in love at first sight. I didn’t even believe in love when you first boarded my ship. But there is something undeniable between us. Something I don’t think exists between most couples. In fact, Ruairí and Senga, and Rowan and Caragh, are the only ones I’ve seen it with. Maybe Ruairí’s parents. But really only between the Blond Devil and the Dark