"That's pretty young for such a responsibility," Merrie said. "At twenty-one, most of my undergraduate male students are more concerned with girls and partying. You were barely a man and you were sailing the ocean."

"I was captain of my own ship," Griffin said. "And I had already crossed the Atlantic more times than many men in my crew. My father put me on board a friend's ship as a cabin boy when I turned thirteen and I worked my way through the ranks. When I was seventeen, I took a year away from the sea for an education. And at eighteen, I served as a lieutenant on a brigantine that sailed between the James River and the Thames."

She slipped her hands beneath the collar of his shirt and brushed her fingers softly along his nape. "You are a very brave man," she said, a tremble audible in her voice.

Merrie's fingers began to work again, but this time, with her touch firm against his bare skin, the contact seemed more intimate. He sank back and closed his eyes. A numbing warmth seeped through his tight muscles, slowly drifting down his torso and awakening a gentle throb of desire at his core. "I am not so brave," he murmured. "But there have been times of late when I wished I was."

"You must be anxious to finish this thing with Teach, so you can get back to your life," she said, her hesitant words clouded with hidden emotion.

Griffin paused before he spoke. He was eager to exact his revenge against the pirate, that much was true. But he hadn't really thought about his life beyond that. Now, as he did, he realized that the future seemed empty, void of the people he loved. His mother had died when he was fourteen. Later, he'd lost Jane and his son. And with his father now gone, he had no one left.

Griffin slowly turned to face her, kneeling between her legs. He grabbed her hands and pressed her fingers between his palms, staring deeply into her wide green eyes. "I cannot stay," he said. "If I could, I would. You must believe this is true."

"I-I wasn't asking you to stay," she said, her gentle voice uncertain.

"You have done so much for me," he said. "I feel that I owe you a great debt."

She tugged her fingers from his grasp. "No, you owe me nothing." Her words were edgy, defensive, as if he'd somehow insulted her.

Griffin placed his hand on her cheek. "You saved my life," he murmured. "And for that I will always be thankful." Her soft skin warmed his hand and heated his blood. She closed her eyes and turned into his touch. Lord, he couldn't help wondering what might come of them if he stayed.

She'd kindled something in him that he'd thought was long dead-buried with Jane-a growing need to share his life with a woman, an undeniable desire to make her his own. "I do owe you more than you will ever know, Merrie-girl."

Griffin bent nearer to her and brushed his lips across hers, relishing the silken touch of her mouth, a caress as soft as the petals of a rose. But he could not stop there, for what began as a simple gesture of gratitude flared into a passion so intense it made his pulse race.

He brought his lips down on hers again, this time demanding a response from her, pressing her back into the couch. A tiny moan escaped her throat and she opened to him and twisted her arms around his neck. He savored the sweet nectar of her mouth, a taste as heady as the finest Madeira, as addictive as Chinese opium. He wanted to stop, yet he couldn't draw away.

He'd never felt such a strong attraction to a woman, an attraction that seemed to overwhelm all common sense and reduce his every thought to the need for physical satisfaction. She used her experience well, drawing him in, making him want her all the more.

In such a short time, Merrie had become his safe harbor, a serene place where he could escape the terrible storms that had racked his existence on this earth. How he wanted to stay here, safe from the wind and the high waves, anchored in the lee of her comforting embrace, lost in the feel of her body beneath him, around him, beside him.

She had offered her body to him by her every wanton action, yet he couldn't help thinking of the other men in her life. Yes, he wanted her, but he wanted his revenge against the pirate even more. And to let her believe otherwise was the mark of a scoundrel, the trait of a blackguard who cared for no one but himself. He would not hurt her as she'd been hurt by men before. Steeling his resolve, he pulled back, inwardly cursing his lack of control when it came to Merrie.

"I am sorry," he murmured, looking down upon her flushed face. "I have taken advantage of your kindness again."

"I-I don't mind," she said, blinking back her surprise at his apology. "I mean, you're not taking advantage. I- I liked it…I mean, your kiss. I wanted you to kiss me. I- I want you."

Griffin quickly got to his feet and stepped away from the couch, putting a reasonable distance between them. "My behavior was unseemly. And for that, I am truly sorry." He rubbed his palms together and forced a smile. "I believe I might take a walk."

She stood and stepped in front of him, blocking his retreat to the door with her body. "I'm not some naive schoolgirl!" she snapped. "I was a willing participant. This is the twentieth century, Griffin, and it takes two to tango. No one," she continued, punctuating her words with a poke to his chest, "and I mean no one kisses me unless I want to be kissed." With that, she turned and stalked to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Griffin frowned, completely confused by her outburst. He drew a deep breath, trying to still his thudding heart and the urge to follow her. Damn, she was inviting his touch, craving his advances! He knew of her low moral character, yet he couldn't bring himself to take advantage. What kind of man had he become that he couldn't make love to a woman with Merrie's beauty and obvious passions?

He glanced over at Ben Gunn who sat silently on his perch, watching him with a suspicious, unblinking eye. "I believe I have put myself in the doghouse again," he said to the gray parrot.

"Have a care," Ben said.

"Fine advice," Griffin replied. He shifted on his feet, wincing at the blatant proof of his arousal and willing himself to relax. "Perhaps a walk would be just the thing right now."

5

To Meredith's great relief, the next day dawned bright and clear and the weather promised to hold for at least the next five days. After their disastrous kiss the previous afternoon, she'd done all she could to avoid Griffin. She was as anxious as he was to get the trip under way and leave the embarrassment of her feeble attempts at seduction far behind.

What had ever made her think she might be able to entice him into something more than what they had? He'd slept beside her twice, yet he'd not made any move to seduce her. And every kiss they'd shared could be construed as nothing more than an expression of gratitude. Griffin Rourke didn't find her attractive in the least.

To keep her mind off her mortification, she began to make preparations for their trip to Bath the next day. Griffin walked with her down to the harbor to take a look at the small sailboat she had chartered, excited about the prospect of getting off the island. He made no mention of what had happened between them the previous afternoon and Meredith was convinced that he, too, wanted to forget.

While he examined the layout of the lines, she went to Jenny's General Store, a rambling white clapboard building on the water, for provisions for their trip.

A long porch shaded the side entrance, and the two rocking chairs and low bench were occupied with the usual morning group. Jenny's husband, the balding Hubey Hogue, had commandeered the head rocker. Early Jackson, the wiry, wizened owner of Happy Jack's Fishing Charters sat in the other rocker. Two younger members of the group, the bespectacled Lyle Burleswell and the flamehaired Shep Cummings, rounded out the group. Lyle owned the Sandpiper Hotel and Shep was the island's venerable handyman. They all sipped coffee out of a motley collection of chipped mugs, while they munched donuts and kept an eye on passersby on both the road and in the harbor.

"Morning, Meredith." Early tipped his captain's cap. "Hear you're chartering a sailboat for tomorrow."

Meredith smiled. The only way to keep a secret on Ocracoke Island was to take a vacation to the mainland. Even then, the rampant speculation about the trip was worse than whatever secret a person was trying to keep.

"Taking a trip to Bath," Hubey commented.

"With her friend," Lyle added.

"Griffin Rourke," Shep completed.

They all spoke as if their own particular revelation was the most startling. Tabloid television had nothing over the porch at Jenny's General Store. Even the most mundane subjects became exciting fodder for the island news service.

Meredith stepped up on the porch. "That's right. We're leaving at-"

"Dawn," Early said. "Weather's supposed to be just fine. No hurricanes in the forecast."

Lyle nodded. "We all know how you're bothered by bad weather," he said sympathetically.

"But it looks like you survived Horace with no worries," Shep said.

"But then, that was only a category one," Hubey concluded. "Nothing like Delia."

"I have some shopping to do," Meredith said as she reached for the screen door, anxious to escape the inquisition.

"Hey, we heard your boyfriend might be looking for work," Hubey said.

Meredith froze, her hand on the door. "What?"

"Yeah," Early said. "Tank Muldoon says your Griffin was asking about jobs on the island when he was in there a few days back."

"I guess Rourke's planning to stick around for a while," Lyle said.

Shep shook his head. "Jobs are hard to come by on the island."

"You tell your friend, Griffin, to come down to our dock as soon as you get back from your trip," Early said. "Me and the boys bought ourselves an old shrimper. We're going to haul it out and fix it up and sell it to a guy down Georgia way. If Rourke ain't scared of hard work, we can give him something to do and pay him for it."

"I-I'll tell him that. Thank you." Meredith quickly stepped inside the dim, cool interior of the store. Overhead, fans gently whirred from the low ceiling, mixing the smells of meat and produce with the salt air. Shelves stacked high with goods ran the length of the building, separated by narrow aisles. The old wooden floor creaked beneath her feet as she reached for a plastic basket from the stack beside the door.

Early's words echoed in her mind and she tried to fathom their meaning. Had Griffin finally resigned himself to staying? She shook her head. No, it couldn't be. Early had misunderstood. If Griffin had decided to stay, she would have been the first to know. She brushed the thought from her mind and focused on her shopping list.

"'Mornin', Meredith," Jenny called from behind the register. "Hear your boyfriend is looking for a job."

Startled, Meredith snatched a can of tuna and tossed it in her basket, then glanced over at Jenny. The storekeeper peered at her through the reading glasses perched on the end of her nose, a newspaper propped up in front of her. "Yes… he is," Meredith called.

She moved down the aisle, picked up a box of taco shells and studied the nutritional label distractedly.

"So, are you two planning to stay on the island for a while?"

"No," Meredith said, shoving the box back on the shelf and continuing down the aisle. "I mean, I'll be here through December, but I'm not sure how long Griffin will be staying." She peeked around the whole-wheat dinner rolls to find Jenny staring at her, a concerned frown wrinkling her forehead.

"You two having problems? Tank says your Griffin was hoisting a few the other night at his place. Said he was in the doghouse."

Meredith groaned inwardly. Living on this island was like having a hundred sets of nosy parents. From the day she'd set foot on Ocracoke again, she'd become part of a larger family, filled with people who had helped her father raise her all those years ago. Hubey and Jenny had given her her first after-school job. Early's wife, Millie, had taught her how to iron Sam Abbott's shirts. Lyle had lent her his collection of Civil War history books and Shep had teased her mercilessly from the time they'd entered the first grade together.

So how could she be angry with their prying? After all, they cared about her happiness. "Griffin and I are getting along just fine," Meredith said with a smile. Too fine, if the truth be told.

Her thoughts wandered back to the kiss they'd shared on her couch. She'd recalled the moment again and again, each time, searching for some clue to his true feelings. But her limited experience in the ways of passion gave her a distinct disadvantage.