The Pirate's Dream — Trinity Lee

Pirate captain's daughter Nancy Black walked away from her childhood sweetheart Heath, whom she loves and hates in equal measure, after realizing he would never let her seize command of the Briar Rose from him. Her pain at losing Heath, and the Briar Rose, which is the only home she has ever known, is soothed by a marriage proposal from the kind and handsome Rufus Hardy. But can she really turn her back on Heath, and her old life as a pirate?Advisory: This 10,000-word erotic romance is the fifth in the Briar Rose series. Contains explicit sexual material and is not suitable for under-18s.ExcerptI stepped into the tender piloted by a young feller in ragged trousers who smiled broadly at Rufus's gold coin which he flipped to him. He did not bat an eyelid at my unconventional dress, and I thanked the Lord I had decided to wear britches instead of my wool skirt when it came to stepping off the quay into the little wooden clinker. Instead of waiting for one of the men to lift me inside and seat me, I was able to take a flying leap from the steps into the tiny craft, landing like a cat in the middle so as not to destabilize it and tip out our pilot."The lady is a sailor, then?"And what a sailor!" added Rufus. "Good man, we have bought a ship and we would appreciate being ferried out to her. If you collect us some time soon after sunrise tomorrow, I will make it worth your while."I whistled admiringly."She's not the Briar Rose, but I bet she can't half run when her sheets are flying in a breeze."So you are the folks who have bought the Eliza Jane? She's one fine vessel if you don't mind me saying so."Is the lady happy with her gift?" Rufus winked at me."More than happy. She's fast and reliable and she'll do the trip backwards and forwards to Virginia in the blink of an eye. I can't wait to get her under sail. We'll have to organize a crew, of course."We can start tomorrow, once we are married. I do not think it will be difficult to find men to crew a pretty ship like