Cash Remington and the Missing Heiress (Sexy Dreadfuls Book 1) (8 page)

Cash Remington and the Rum Run

Chapter One

T
HE ANGRY SEA HISSES
and roils beneath the ship as the harsh sun beats down on my bare shoulders. We’ve been passing bits of timber and shipping crates for half an hour, my crew keeping a weather eye open for whatever vessel met its unfortunate fate in this part of the ocean.

“Captain!” Roland yells down from the crow’s nest and points to the starboard bow.

I leave the helm to my second-in-command and dash down the steps, across the main deck, and up to the foredeck. A mass of wreckage drifts one-hundred yards ahead. The ship looks blasted in two. A tattered blue and white flag marks the ruin as belonging to the East India Trading Company. It barely flies above the sparkling water.

What’s left leans badly, and has taken on enough water to sink at any moment. A few bodies float nearby, bobbing up and down on the waves that knock more water into the ship.

I turn back to my crew of a dozen men. They wait for orders, and they shall have them.

“What are you waiting for, you scurvy dogs?” I roar. “Get your asses in the water. I want every piece of cargo, every bit of cloth, and every morsel of food left on that ship!”

I toss my leather hat onto the deck, and with a strong running leap, I dive headfirst into the rough waters and strike out for the wreck. Something whispers to me like a long-lost lover. Gold. I can’t so much as see a glint of it anywhere in the blasted remains of the vessel, but I can
feel
it. It’s in there, and it will be mine.

The Caribbean water flows warm around me. Spring has only just begun, scenting the air with the phantom smell of faraway blooms. But all I smell is pitch and ruin as I near the hull of the ship. My men yell and splash behind me in the row boats.

The tattered white mainsail billows just beneath the surface, blocking entry from this side. Instead of swimming around, I dive beneath it, kicking hard and strong past the splintered mast and into the bowels of the wreckage. Bits of junk—planks, empty sacks, clothing, and pieces of barrels—float all around me. I push farther down, avoiding the trap of the sail. A man’s body floats by, his dark eyes open and staring, his mouth twisted in horror. I shove him away and swim closer to the hulking vessel above me.

Once the shadows change and the sail is at my back, I kick toward the surface until my thighs burn. I break through and take a deep breath before spinning to take in what’s left of the ship.

The cargo hold is split wide open, and I pull myself onto the sideways keel to survey what goods are left intact. More splashes tell me my men are close.

“Get your useless, pitiful arses in here or, so help me, I’ll whip you, one and all!”

Cries of “Aye aye, Captain” ring out. My crew isn’t the smartest or the fastest, but when I threaten the lash, they get shit done.

Spilled bags of sodden grain line the hold directly in front of me. We can dry them out and sell them, making no mention of their salty contents. I add up the haul in my head. It won’t amount to much, but it’s something.

I scan deeper into the shadows as a particularly large wave crashes against the keel. Something glimmers in the darkness. Something that calls to me more than anything else—gold.

Cash Remington and the Rum Run

Available June 2, 2016
 

Dark Romance by Celia Aaron

S
INCLAIR

The Acquisition Series, Prologue

Sinclair Vinemont, an impeccable parish prosecutor, conducts his duties the same way he conducts his life--every move calculated, every outcome assured. When he sees something he wants, he takes it. When he finds a hint of weakness, he capitalizes. But what happens when he sees Stella Rousseau for the very first time?

C
OUNSELLOR

The Acquisition Series, Book 1

In the heart of Louisiana, the most powerful people in the South live behind elegant gates, mossy trees, and pleasant masks. Once every ten years, the pretense falls away and a tournament is held to determine who will rule them. The Acquisition is a crucible for the Southern nobility, a love letter written to a time when barbarism was enshrined as law.

Now, Sinclair Vinemont is in the running to claim the prize. There is only one way to win, and he has the key to do it—Stella Rousseau, his Acquisition. To save her father, Stella has agreed to become Sinclair’s slave for one year. Though she is at the mercy of the cold, treacherous Vinemont, Stella will not go willingly into darkness.

As Sinclair and Stella battle against each other and the clock, only one thing is certain: The Acquisition always ends in blood.

M
AGNATE

The Acquisition Series, Book 2

Lucius Vinemont has spirited me away to a world of sugar cane and sun. There is nothing he cannot give me on his lavish Cuban plantation. Each gift seduces me, each touch seals my fate. There is no more talk of depraved competitions or his older brother – the one who’d stolen me, claimed me, and made me feel things I never should have. Even as Lucius works to make me forget Sinclair, my thoughts stray back to him, to the dark blue eyes that haunt my sweetest dreams and bitterest nightmares. Just like every dream, this one must end. Christmas will soon be here, and with it, the second trial of the Acquisition.

S
OVEREIGN

The Acquisition Series, Book 3

The Acquisition has ruled my life, ruled my every waking moment since Sinclair Vinemont first showed up at my house offering an infernal bargain to save my father’s life. Now I know the stakes. The charade is at an end, and Sinclair has far more to lose than I ever did. But this knowledge hasn’t strengthened me. Instead, each revelation breaks me down until nothing is left but my fight and my rage. As I struggle to survive, only one question remains. How far will I go to save those I love and burn the Acquisition to the ground?

Romantic Sports Comedy
by Celia Aaron & Sloane Howell

C
LEAT
C
HASER

Kyrie Kent hates baseball. She hates players even more. When her best friend drags her to a Ravens game, she spends the innings reading a book… Until she gets a glimpse of the closer—a pitcher who draws her like a magnet. Fighting her attraction to Easton Holliday is easy. All she has to do is keep her distance, avoid the ballpark, and keep her head down. At least, all that would have worked, but Easton doesn’t intend to let Kyrie walk so easily. When another player vies for Kyrie’s attention, Easton will swing for the fences. But will Kyrie strike him out or let him steal home?

Short Sexy Reads by Celia Aaron

F*ck of the Irish

The Hard and Dirty Holidays

Eamon is my crush, the one guy I can’t stop thinking about. His Irish accent, toned body, and sparkling eyes captivated me the second I saw him. But since he slept with my roommate, who claims she still loves him, he’s been off limits. Despite my prohibition on dating him, he has other ideas. Resisting him is the key to keeping my roommate happy, but giving in may bring me more pleasure than I ever imagined.

A Stepbrother for Christmas

The Hard and Dirty Holidays

Annalise dreads seeing her stepbrother at her family’s Christmas get-together. Niles had always been so nasty, tormenting her in high school after their parents had gotten married. British and snobby, Niles did everything he could to hurt Annalise when they were younger. Now, Annalise hasn’t seen Niles in three years; he’s been away at school in England and Annalise has started her pre-med program in Dallas. When they reconnect, dark memories threaten, sparks fly, and they give true meaning to the “hard and dirty holidays.”