Read Hart's Passion (Pirates & Petticoats Book 2) for Free Online

them at his sides. Although she could tell he tried hard to hide it, Keelan couldn’t ignore the anger flashing across his features. Her guilt at hurting his feelings added to her burden, but his response fortified her resolve. Perhaps a more financial perspective would help.
    “Dr. Garrison, Papa left everything to Uncle Jared. I don’t have a dowry. I can’t return to Wind Briar to live. I’m not even George Grey’s kin by blood.”
    Everett jerked as if shot. He stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. “Not blood kin,” he repeated so softly she could barely make out his words. “Not blood kin!” His eyes lit and he pulled her up and enveloped her in a hard hug.
    The band of his arms pinned hers to her sides, preventing any opportunity to push him away. She fought to think of a delicate way to extract herself from his embrace without inciting his anger again.
    He swayed with her in his arms, mumbling into the hair on top her head. “I knew you could never be like him. I knew it. This is perfect. You will be perfect. Everything will be as it once was, perhaps even better.”  
    Without releasing her arms, he stared into her eyes. “I heard of the treasure chest the commodore hid in his country house. Together we’ll find it, and everything will be as it should be.”
    “Treasure chest?” What in the world was he talking about? Before her father died he’d mentioned a chest containing information about her real father, but no treasure.  
    And I was alone with him at the time.
    “Yes,” he smiled broadly. “I heard the commodore talking about it. He said it was extremely valuable and wanted you to have it, so it’s not as if we’d be stealing. We only need to retrieve it.”
    She needed to clear up this misunderstanding now. It wasn’t the items inside which were valuable, it was the information, and it was valuable only to her.
    “Dr. Garrison, you are mistaken—”
    “Please call me Everett, my love.”
    Before she could say another word, he kissed her. The pressure of his mouth on hers took her by surprise and she gasped. He took the opportunity of the slight opening of her lips to plunge his tongue into her mouth.  
    She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. The more she tried to arch away from him, the harder he kissed her until she was sure her teeth would break through the skin of her lips. His thick tongue swirled in her mouth, and for a second, she thought she might gag. If only her arms weren’t pinned to her sides, then she could defend herself. At this point she cared not a whit if she angered him or not.
    “It wasn’t my intention to interrupt a tryst.” The deep baritone voice from behind her pulsed with an undercurrent of fury.  
    Landon! Thank God . Oh no … herstomach lurched at the scene he was witnessing and obviously misinterpreting.
    Garrison broke the violent kiss and pivoted his head toward the voice. She wiggled and jerked and when she stomped on his foot, he released her. Garrison stepped away, although he kept a hand on the small of her back.  
    “What brings you here, Hart? I daresay, unless you have an invitation or a summons from Mr. Grey, it’s my understanding you are not welcome.”
    “That’s not true,” she hissed to Garrison. Her hands shook as she reached up and wiped her mouth then glared at the doctor, speaking through her clenched jaw, “Remove your hand this instant, Dr. Garrison.” She wanted to slap him hard enough to make his ears ring, but was unwilling to start another brawl between the two men. It took a second to compose her anger, then she turned her attention back to Landon.  
    He wasn’t there.  
    Lifting her skirts, she dashed down the porch steps and rounded the corner toward the street. Landon, already astride his horse, was trotting back toward the wharf. There was no way she could hail him without luring unwanted attention.  
    Damn that man. How could he possibly think she’d ever willingly kiss Dr. Garrison?