It Was Only a Kiss by Shannon Gilmore

He was good at hiding his true self. She had a lifetime to find him.

It was only a jewelry box until it became an obsession. The Duke of Havenly won the peculiar jewelry box in a game of cards. He never dreamed his obsession to find the owner would lead him to a young woman with a deadly name. Saving her will take him on a voyage through friendship, honor, and forbidden waters.

Nicolette Bradenton’s sanity hinges on the newly kindled friendship with the piratical duke who stole a piece of her heart. The difference between friendship and lovers is a fine line, especially when drawn on an unchaperoned voyage with one rakishly handsome duke, two murderous thieves, and a foggy definition of right and wrong.

Friendship was going to be difficult at best. He had never wanted a friend more than he wanted her.