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Dariq. His body reminded him in the most elemental way that he hadn’t had a woman in a very long time, and that a desirable woman lay but steps away … a woman he could not touch.
    Rolling over on his stomach, Dariq cast aside his lustful thoughts and opened his mind to sleep.
    Willow awakened the following morning to brilliant sunshine streaming through the windows. The vessel was rolling gently from side to side, and for a moment she thought she was still aboard her father’s ship. Her rude awakening came when she recognized the pirate prince’s cabin aboard the
Revenge
.
    Willow rose, spied a tray sitting on the table and approached it gingerly. It contained a breakfast of dried fruit, hard biscuits and rice. A water pitcher and pile of clean cloths next to it caught her eye next. She walked over to it, discovered it held hot water and poured some into the bowl. Keeping an eye on the door, she washed herself and cleaned her teeth with a cloth dipped in water. Then she ate sparingly of her breakfast.
    Willow wanted to go out on deck to enjoy the sunshine and fresh sea air but hated wearing the suffocating aba. She was embarrassed by the vest and sheer skirts she had been forced to don and wanted something less revealing so she could appear in public without the aba.
    Hoping the pirate kept clothing in his cabin, Willowbegan a thorough search of his trunk. She was rewarded when she discovered a neat stack of clean clothing. She removed a pair of baggy canvas trousers, a white shirt with long billowing sleeves and a red sash.
    Keeping an eye on the door, she removed her revealing clothing and stepped into the trousers, rolling up the legs several times so she wouldn’t trip over them. The waist was way too big, but Willow used the sash to cinch it in. The shirt sagged at the shoulders, but she made do by rolling up the sleeves and buttoning the front as far as it would go and tucking the excess material into the waistband of the trousers.
    Willow was so pleased with the results that she decided to get rid of the hated harem outfit and aba for good. Gathering up all her discarded clothing but for the soft slippers she had been wearing, she walked to the window, pushed it open and tossed the bundle into the sea. Her small act of rebellion brought a smile to her lips as she watched the offending cloth sink beneath the water’s surface.
    Gathering her courage, Willow opened the cabin door and stepped out onto the deck. She remained in the shadow of the quarterdeck a long moment before dragging in a deep breath and boldly walking to the ship’s rail.
    Willow felt dozens of pairs of eyes upon her in the stunned silence that followed. Then everyone began speaking in their heathen tongue and pointing at her. Comprehension dawned, and her hands flew to her head. She should have covered her hair with one of the knit caps she’d seen in the prince’s trunk.
    She was aware of his vibrant presence before he reached her. Rage emanated from him like an inferno. “Have you lost your mind?” he said with quiet menace. “I warned you about exposing your beauty, did I not? Howam I to control my men when you brazenly display yourself before them?”
    “Brazen?” she challenged. “I am covered from neck to toe in cloth. Your clothing is so large on me, I am all but enveloped in it.”
    His gaze was riveted on her face. “Your face, lady, and your golden hair; to look upon you is to want you. Return to your cabin. If you put on your aba, I will accompany you on a turn around the deck.”
    Willow’s chin lifted. “I tossed the aba overboard.”
    “You what?”
    His clenched fists and harsh features warned Willow that she might have gone too far. “I am English, not Turkish, and Englishwomen are allowed to speak their minds and bare their faces in public.”
    “Ibrahim will have you beaten if you defy the laws of Islam. Have you never heard of the bastinado?” Willow shook her head. “ ’Tis a thick rod, an instrument of