After a nasty breakup where her boyfriend had the audacity to tell her she was boring in bed, good girl Lisa decides to go on a Caribbean vacation with her best friend. While visiting a pirate museum, she becomes entrenched in the story of Captain Cole the Black. Her inner romantic wants him to have his own happily ever after even if he is a notorious pirate harboring a broken heart. After trying on a replica necklace in the museum, Lisa is transported back to the 18th century. She meets Cole the Black himself in his bedroom and he awakens something deep in her soul that has been dormant for longer than she realizes.
Cole the Black is a great pirate captain and a better lover. He enjoys his freedom on the open sea and in the bedroom. Raiding ships for treasure and pillaging uptight, experienced women behind closed doors is his way of life, and he doesn’t want it to end. When he encounters Lisa during a very intimate act with himself, everything changes. She’s not his type, and he’s never been more attracted to anyone the way he is with her.
The two decide to strike a bargain. Despite the fact that he doesn’t believe in time travel, Cole’s willing to give Lisa the necklace and let her go back home if she will let him seduce her in a way she’s never been before. But it’s difficult for Lisa to trust someone so soon after what happened before and part of her is terrified she may actually enjoy what he promises.
Fans of Pirates of the Caribbean and Outlander are devouring this time travel romance by Mariah Stone.
Chapter 1.
City of Pirates Museum, Jade Island, The Bahamas, August 2019
Lisa
Cole the Black does something to me. I’m in some sort of trance, watching his onyx eyes under his low eyebrows. Slight stubble covers his strong jaw, and a scar crosses his cheekbone. His hair, long and dark, is held back above the ears in a partial ponytail, the rest reaching past his shoulders. His features are sharp and rough. Dangerous. How can a painting in a frame cause this feeling? Maybe this bedazzlement is what a snake induces in a mouse before launching and eating it alive.
A nudge in my ribs startles me. I shoot a quick glance at Samantha, my best friend, who is standing next to me in the City of Pirates Museum. She studies James “Prince” Barrow’s portrait hanging beside Cole’s. Between them, two antique jade necklaces hang on the wall.
“He’s so handsome.” She stares at James. “And yet he couldn’t find a date for the ball.”
I study James’s golden hair and violet eyes, square jaw, and straight nose. He’s such a contrast with Cole. James is more the type of man I’m naturally attracted to, the ultimate Prince Charming.
Just like Hank, my ex-fiancé.
“Who wouldn’t go to a ball with him, Samantha?” I ask, a knot forming in my throat. “No man can look this dreamy.”
The thought of Hank sobers me up and makes my skin ache like an icy shower after a warm bath. He was everything I wanted. My mind buzzes, and my eyes prickle, but tears don’t come, courtesy of three piña coladas Samantha poured into me at breakfast.
She rolls her eyes. “I wouldn’t.” She points at Cole’s portrait. “The other guy is my type.”
