Run Wild
Authors: Shelly Thacker
Tags: #historical romance, #18th Century, #England, #bestselling author
Run Wild
Escape With A Scoundrel Series
A sexy pair of scoundrels run from the law—shackled together by an unbreakable iron chain.
Nicholas Brogan is an ex-pirate with years of sin branded on his soul. Samantha Delafield is a high-born lady turned devious thief. Captured by His Majesty’s marshals, the two are on their way to the gallows until they stage a daring escape and run for their lives—shackled together by an iron chain that quickly proves unbreakable.
Forced to depend on each other for survival, the outlaws find themselves locked in a battle of fierce wills and fiery passions. From a remote forest in Staffordshire to a secret hideout in London’s most elegant square, they must learn to trust one another as they face old enemies, dark secrets... and discover a love more priceless than any gem they’ve ever stolen.
“4 stars (highest rating). This could be the romance that takes Shelly Thacker to the big time: the hardcover contract, the fan club... Thacker always spins a good story, but
Run Wild
is her best ever. This time out, there’s a new depth of soul to go with all that heart.”
— The Detroit Free Press
“A thrilling romantic adventure, exciting and sensual. Shelly Thacker has a unique and dazzling talent!”
—
New York Times
bestselling author Lisa Kleypas
“Thacker skillfully entangles a notorious ex-pirate with a high-born lady turned thief...
Run Wild
offers an exciting and innovative plot... and many steamy love scenes.”
— Publishers Weekly
“4-1/2 stars (highest rating). Get set for a roller-coaster ride of exhilarating adventure and a romance filled with smoldering sexual tension and lively, passionate love scenes. Shelly Thacker’s exceptional talents soar in this unforgettable romance.”
— Romantic Times
A full-length novel of 110,000 words
Adult content: explicit love scenes
Originally published by Avon Books under the title
Hearts Run Wild
This revised Author's Preferred Edition ebook includes bonus content: “The Making of RUN WILD: The Story Behind the Story,” plus excerpts from upcoming Shelly Thacker books.
About the Author
: Shelly Thacker's bestselling historical romance novels have won numerous national awards and lavish praise from
Publishers Weekly
,
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
and
The Oakland Press
, who have called her books “innovative,” “addictive,” “erotic” and “powerful.” Find out more at
www.shellythacker.com
.
~ The Stolen Brides Series ~
One falls through time and finds herself married to a dark stranger... one may never reach her royal wedding if she can’t resist her rugged protector... one is abducted by a mysterious swordsman and swept away to a secret island paradise. Three regal brides are about to discover that falling in love with a warrior is the most dangerous adventure of all.
On sale now at ebook stores worldwide. Also available in paperback from CreateSpace in North America, the UK and Europe.
Book 1:
Forever His
Book 2:
His Forbidden Touch
Book 3:
Timeless
This book is a work of fiction
. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, business establishments, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Publishing History
First edition published by Avon Books under the title
Hearts Run Wild
Copyright 1996 by Shelly Thacker Meinhardt
Digital edition published by Summit Avenue Books
Copyright 2013 by Shelly Thacker Meinhardt
ISBN: 978-0-9847646-5-5
Search keywords: historical romance, romantic adventure, sensual romance, Georgian romance, England, outlaws, fugitives, action-adventure
All rights reserved. No part of this book, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews, may be reproduced in any form by any means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission from the author.
The scanning, uploading, and distributing of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Cover design by Kim Killion of
Hot DAMN! Designs
Digital formatting by
A Thirsty Mind
A note from Shelly
Dear Reader
: My formatter and I carefully proofread each of my books before publication. We work hard to produce ebooks that are 100% free of typographical errors. But typos are sneaky little devils, and sometimes they slip past us. If you spot any typos lurking in this book, please send them to me at
[email protected]
. Thank you! Together, we can stamp out sneaky typos.
Special note: the unusual use of punctuation in chapter 13 of
Run Wild
was a creative choice on my part and is not the result of formatting errors or sneaky typos.
Dedicated with love to Claire and Jerilyn,
who gave my soul new wings.
Love seeketh not itself to please
,
Nor for itself hath any care;
But for another gives its ease,
And builds a Heaven in Hell’s despair.
— WILLIAM BLAKE
England, 1741
T
he sun retreated over the waves, stealing away into the darkness until only a blood-red slash remained along the horizon. That last streak of light and warmth held out against the cold weight of night for only a moment. Then it vanished at last, leaving the pirate ship cloaked entirely in blackness and tendrils of fog.
Captain Nicholas Brogan stood alone on the battered quarterdeck, leaning on the rail, oblivious to the chill in the autumn air. He held a Jamaican cheroot clamped between his teeth, its fragrant smoke curling around his beard as he slowly exhaled. He barely tasted the rich tobacco. The glowing tip made a tiny beacon until he ground the cheroot out and flicked the stub into the icy waters of the North Sea. He kept his gaze fastened on the shoreline.
Patience
, he warned himself.
Most of the inhabitants of the small coastal village had settled into their homes for the evening. He had chosen the perfect place. Waited for the perfect night.
He glanced upward, gauging his chances one last time. No moonlight penetrated the clouds overhead. And this remote town employed neither street lamps nor watchmen. No one would notice him. Or even see him.
He wouldn’t have to wait much longer. Another hour, perhaps less. Already a drowsy air had descended along the coast with the fog. The villagers would even now be gathering around their hearths. Though he could not see inside the scattered hovels that hugged the shoreline, he could imagine.
He could remember.
Near the light of each fire, a family would share supper and linger afterward, husbands repairing their fishing nets, children playing with toy boats, wives sewing or reading aloud from the Bible....
One corner of Nicholas’s mouth lifted in a cynical smile.
Such good, God-fearing people
. As secure in their faith as they were behind the thick daub-and-wattle walls of their thatched-roof homes. So certain that good would always triumph over evil, that God was merciful. That their sins would someday be forgiven.
That heaven awaited at the end of their lives.
He shifted his gaze away from the town, out over the dark waters of the sea. What panic would erupt, he mused, if they suspected what lurked in the night aboard the small, ragged schooner anchored just offshore, so close to their orderly little town.
But of course none of them could suspect. No one in all of England knew that Nicholas Brogan, scourge of the Atlantic, terror of the Caribbean, despised by every law-abiding, God-loving Englishman, had returned.
Against his will.
The breeze changed directions suddenly, noisily snapping the patched canvas sails, snatching at his cotton shirt, raking through his black hair as if to push him away. Away from this place, from England. From the danger that awaited him.
But he could not turn back. He had no choice.
He would wait one more hour, and then he would go ashore. And break the familiar commandment one more time.
Thou shalt not kill
.
A sound behind him interrupted his thoughts—the sound of booted feet on the ladder that led up from the main deck.
“We could be halfway to Brazil by now,” a deep voice, heavily accented with the lilt of the Gold Coast, grumbled from the darkness. “Or Tortuga. Or up to our scuppers in grog and bawds in Hispaniola. I’ll bet those shapely twins we tupped back in ’31 still have fond memories of us—”
“Stow it, Masud.” Nicholas returned his gaze to the coastline. “I’m not going to spend the rest of my life on the run. If that was what I wanted, I wouldn’t have taken such pains to disappear in the first place.”
His quartermaster swore under his breath and came to stand beside him at the rail, offering a bottle of rum brought up from the galley. “Then I suppose it’s useless to tell you again that this plan is insane.”
“It’s been useless the last fifty times you’ve said it.” Nicholas irritably waved the bottle away. “No reason to believe it’ll work now. This isn’t as risky as you think.”
“Oh, no, of course not. You’ve hardly any enemies in England. Merely the entire Royal Navy, every magistrate, warder, watchman, and marshalman in the country, various thief-takers and adventurers who would love to collect the ten thousand-pound bounty on your head, and assorted other friendly types with old scores to settle. You’re perfectly safe here.”