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desires…and her
own.
    * * * * *
    Cathy pressed her face against the porthole and peered out,
desperate for some sight other than the four dismal walls that imprisoned her.
She held her breath for an instant as her gaze lit on her captor. Jason Kane
stood at the rail of the starboard deck, staring into the horizon, his clouded
expression mirroring the turmoil she faced within herself. The set of his jaw
betrayed the intensity of his thoughts.
    She couldn’t resist the impulse to study him with the
fascination of a small child who’d encountered an exotic creature for the first
time. Even in the light of midday, clothed in a plain white shirt and black
trousers, Kane was a striking figure. The sun’s rays danced over the strong,
chiseled planes of his face and highlighted the warmth in his nearly black
hair. Her gaze swept over the breadth of lean, muscled shoulders and trailed to
a narrow waist and down his long legs. Under different circumstances, she might
have welcomed this man’s courtship.
    The memory of his merciless possession flooded over her
again, rippling heat from the tips of her toes to her cheeks. Dear God, she
wanted him, she thought miserably as she cursed the weakness of her flesh.
    If Kane had any idea she watched him, he did not reveal his
awareness. He appeared lost in his own thoughts, as if locked in an inner
battle.
    A soft rapping on the cabin door was followed by Taylor’s
hesitant tones. “Miss Catherine, I’m coming in. Are you presentable?’
    “In a manner of speaking,” she replied, glancing down at the
breeches and man’s shirt covering her flesh. “You may come in.”
    In truth, she was excited to have his company. She’d spent
the morning alone with only her thoughts to pass the time. The idea of having
someone to talk to lifted her spirits.
    He stood before her, shuffling his feet from side to side.
Casting his gaze to his boots, he cleared his throat. Cathy stifled a smile.
So, the sight of her curve-hugging breeches disconcerted the staid, dignified
man.
    “Unfortunately, Miss Catherine, I was hard-pressed to find
clothing designed for a woman on Virginia’s Avenger . However, I’ve
brought you something from the captain you will find much more suitable,”
Taylor explained as he presented her with a gown. A hint of a smile touched his
mouth as he awaited her reaction.
    “Where did this come from?” she asked, accepting the
garment. The ethereal quality of the silvery-blue fabric would have been far
more appropriate in a ballroom than on a privateer’s vessel.
    Taylor seemed to read the meaning behind her question. His
eyes crinkled with amusement.
    “This was part of a cargo the captain confiscated from a
British vessel.”
    “What happened to its owner?”
    Taylor shrugged. “I don’t know, Miss Catherine. I don’t
believe she was on board. In any case, she wasn’t harmed.”
    “How can you be sure?” she persisted.
    “That isn’t the captain’s way,” Taylor said. “Take the
dress. I think it will fit you well enough. Captain Kane will dine with you
tonight, and he would like you to wear it.”
    “And if I refuse?”
    His brows shot to his hairline. Unspoken dismay shone in his
gaze. “Miss Catherine, you can’t consider facing the captain in men’s
clothing.”
    Cathy blushed as the unspoken truth in his words hit home.
He’d have her unclothed first.
    The image of Jason Kane tearing her dress from her body was
so fresh in her mind, her skin tingled.
    Taylor’s throat constricted as he swallowed. “I’ll be back
for you within the hour. You will dine in Captain Kane’s quarters tonight.”

Chapter Five
     
    Jason Kane filled the doorway of her cabin. Somehow he
seemed even larger in the light of day, his broad shoulders and imposing form
as effective a barrier as the locked door. The black trousers and snug leather
Hessians he wore clung to the powerful muscles of his long legs. He hadn’t
bothered to button the white linen shirt to his throat,