Holiday at Sea
Lynn C. Kelly
- Captain
- Mary
- Allen
- masquerades
- as
- a
- man,
- rescuing
- kidnapped
- women
- from
- pirates
- and
- lives
- of
- prostitution.
- For
- just
- one
- night,
- Mary
- wants
- to
- shed
- her
- public
- persona
- and
- simply
- feel
- like
- a
- woman.
- Antonio,
- the
- delicious
- mercenary
- she
- secretly
- fantasizes
- about,
- is
- quite
- capable
- of
- the
- task.
*
- *
- *
They
- stood
- together
- at
- the
- porthole,
- not
- speaking,
- not
- touching,
- simply
- watching
- the
- waves
- until
- each
- had
- drained
- their
- wineglasses.“I
- want
- you
- to
- know,
- I’d
- never
- force
- myself
- on
- a
- woman…I’d
- never
- want
- to
- be
- with
- a
- woman
- who
- didn’t
- desire
- me.”
- It
- was
- a
- quiet
- statement,
- as
- if
- he
- spoke
- to
- himself.It
- made
- him
- all
- the
- more
- attractive,
- and
- it
- affected
- Mary
- deeply.
- She
- had
- a
- sudden
- vision
- of
- herself
- reaching
- up
- to
- his
- face
- and
- pressing
- her
- lips
- upon
- his.Instead,
- she
- said,
- “And
- how
- do
- you
- know
- if
- a
- woman
- desires
- you?”She
- surprised
- herself
- a
- bit,
- not
- having
- flirted
- with
- a
- man
- in
- years.
- This
- may
- work
- yet.
- How
- she
- hoped
- it
- might
- work.Antonio
- secured
- their
- empty
- glasses
- above
- the
- map
- table.
- He
- stood
- in
- front
- of
- her,
- taking
- her
- hand
- in
- his.“There
- are
- many
- ways,
- dear
- Mary.”
- Antonio
- tilted
- his
- head
- as
- if
- trying
- to
- see
- her
- better
- in
- the
- dim
- lighting.
- “The
- best,
- I
- have
- found,
- is
- to
- see
- how
- she
- responds
- to
- a
- kiss.”
*
- *
- *An
- homage
- to
- the
- iconic
- Roman
- Holiday,
- Holiday
- at
- Sea
- is
- a
- pirate
- captain
- romance
- with
- a
- contemporary
- feel.
- This
- short
- story
- includes
- a
- free
- preview
- of
- In
- the
- Right
- Place,
- a
- guardian
- angel
- novel.Lynn
- C.
- Kelly
- is
- the
- romance
- pen
- name
- for
- Kelly
- Cairo.
- A
- prize-winning
- author
- whose
- short
- fiction
- has
- appeared
- in
- anthologies
- published
- by
- Simon
- &
- Schuster,
- she
- also
- publishes
- science
- fiction
- and
- fantasy
- as
- Kelly
- Cairo,
- and
- mystery
- as
- Kasey Carson.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
