The Rogue's Surrender (The Nelson's Tea Series Book 3) by Katherine Bone Page B

mouth turned down at the corners overpowering her senses, making her foolishly wonder what else his mouth could do to a woman.
    He took a step forward. “Before this gets out of control, allow me to introduce myself.”
    “No.” She shook the gun in her hand, guilt weighting her chest.
    He stepped back and flattened his palms in the air.
    Smart of him. If he’d returned to get his ship, Eddie had been stripped of command. She wouldn’t back down until she discovered what this man — his men — had done with her brother and what they planned to do to her.
    She shook the gun again, pressuring him to step back all the way across the screen door’s threshold.
    Dios mio, his head is higher than the doorway. The man is a sight to behold with that wickedly sinful eye patch strapped across his face.
    She shook off her wayward thoughts as they faced each other for agonizing moments — seconds really.
    “ Quién es usted ?” She waved the gun threateningly, proud at last to have found her voice.
    “Who. Am. I?” His speech was decidedly slow, making sure she understood him as he spoke. “I am someone who doesn’t like having a gun pointed at his face.”
    At his use of the word “face”, Mercy’s meticulous gaze returned to the eye patch that concealed the origins of scars threading outward to his forehead and cheekbone. Dios mio, what had Delgado done to him?
    Even with the disfigurement, he was the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on. This man wasn’t merely mortal. His mannerisms cried out, I am a nobleman . His tortured gaze assured her, he’d seen cruelty unlike any she could imagine. The way he carried himself indicated he struggled with a weighty burden. Many men associated with torture displayed violent natures. Was Seaton duly affected? Was he here for revenge?
    Despondent that she’d taken part in Seaton’s fate, she gripped her weapon more tightly in front of her. “Who are you?”
    “Captain Blade.”
    She couldn’t stop the gasp escaping her mouth. Her fears took flight.
    “You have heard of me.”
    “ Sí .” Her heart nearly shot out of her chest. Having him authenticate his identity was worse than she imagined. Did the fact that he described himself as a pirate rather than a lord hint at why he was standing before her? “ Capitán Blade.”
    He swept a slow, guarded bow. “At your service.”
    The pirate had come back to get his ship. A bold move. But why risk it? Seaton had vowed never to return to Spain after what El Capitán Delgado had done to him, and there was a steep price on Seaton’s head. Worse? Admiral Roche had promised her father that if Seaton was ever seen in San Sebastian again, he was to be shot on the spot — no questions asked.
    He had nothing to fear from her. She’d never supported Admiral Roche or Don Esteban’s propensities for murder.
    He held up his hands then stepped farther into the room, closing the door.
    “What are you doing?”
    He gestured with his right hand toward a chair. “ Con su permiso ?”
    “ Sí. ” She nodded absentmindedly, slowly stepping away from the desk, keenly observing his face for signs he intended to hurt her.
    Her heartbeat raced into a canter. She blinked — twice. “ Por qué estás aqui ?”
    His face grew taut. “Come now, señorita .” He crossed his arms over his chest and stretched his long black boots out before him. “The question should be… why do you think I am here?”
    Incredulously, she said, “ ¡No puede ser! ”
    His laughter struck a nerve. Pain seized her heart. “What do you find so amusing, eh?”
    “So you do know who I am.”
    “ Claro que sí . You are a wanted man, señor .”
    “Wanted?” His stare softened strangely. His lips pinched tightly together.
    She forced herself not to ponder the emotions flashing across his face: surprise, hope, then pain. “For the murder of Capitán Delgado,” she continued. “Though it is highly unlikely you were capable of such a thing at the