Fate rarely obeys the will of men - or women. Learning she is bound on the next tide to marry a Caribbean commissioner, Janessa St. John is devastated. Yet she must obey her iron-handed stepfather, or her beloved sisters will suffer the consequences. She arrives in Bermuda with hope, but finds her betrothed is a slave master who views her as chattel. Defiance gets her locked out of his house, vulnerable to the harsh tropical sun - and a band of desperate men. Captain Warren Rawlins isn't above using Janessa as a shield to rescue his brothers from the British fortress. Once aboard his ship, though, he finds Janessa is no fragile English bloom. She's a delectable handful with a sharp sense of honor - and an even sharper tongue. Despite her initial outrage, Janessa finds herself softening toward the rough crew of the Huntress who have more nobility than a thousand 'proper' gentlemen. And its captain finds himself fighting a losing battle against the need to take her in his arms, propriety be damned. All too soon Boston Harbor looms, but the danger isn't past. Warren once again takes to the sea to fight for the woman he loves. Winner takes all.