The Heart Of A Pirate

Chapter 10: Nathan

Sang wove through the alleys and lanes, running as fast as her feet could carry her. A part of her wanted to stay but she knew her life would be forfeit when they discovered she wasn't Marie.She looked behind her more than at where she was going, more concerned with if she was being chased, so it was no surprise that she failed to see the pile of timber and oilcloth that rose up in front of her. She tripped, letting out a strangled cry as she went tumbling into the pile, the oilcloth wrapping around her as though giving her a hug and completely covering her. She heard the thud from a couple of the timbers falling and her insane tumble came to a sudden stop. Blowing the hair out of her face and taking a couple deep breaths, she attempted to push the heavy cloth cocooning her off but it became obvious that she was trapped.

" 'ello?" A male voice called out, "Are ye in there?" Sang sent a thank you to the universe and cried out a muffled response while fighting against the cloth trapping her. " Be still, ye be making it worse." Sang stilled. Time seemed to crawl but she knew it was really only a matter of moments before daylight peeked through where the cloth was being drawn back to reveal a reddish brown head grinning at her.

"Why'd ye come down this way, didn't ye see the pile in the way?" Sang felt the heat rise in her cheeks as she took his hand and climbed out of the cloth. Her foot caught though on the edge of one of the nearby timbers and she stumbled forward, strong arms catching her and holding her against a well muscled chest. Her hand reflexively clutched one of his pecs and she drew in a sharp breath at the strength hinted at beneath her hand. She lifted her eyes to his now clearly visible face, butterflies flipping in her stomach at the close contact and his handsome grin.

"Ye doin' fine?" he asked, a strong, calloused hand skimming down her cheek to cup her chin and turn her head side to side, checking for injuries. She swallowed hard at finding her reaction to this stranger as strong as her reaction to her pirates.

"I'm all right, thank you," Sang pushed away from his chest as she responded, his arms dropping with seeming reluctance.

"Mayhap I best walk ye to yer destination," Laughter lit up his blue eyes and Sang couldn't help but smile back at him, "elsewise ye mightn't get thar 'tall. Nathan, by the by," He held out an arm to her that she took with little reluctance, glad that at least her raging body was responding to a gentleman this time and not some rapscallious pirate.

"Yes, perhaps you best sir, thank you. I'm Sang," Sang shook out the skirt of the simple, pink dress that Gabriel had insisted she change into at their first stop. A pang of regret shot through her as he crossed her mind but she refused to allow herself to dwell on those men, no matter that most that she had dealt with weren't that bad.

"Sang," Nathan repeated as they headed back to the cobblestone lane, "Unusual, and as beautiful as its bearer" A deep blush rose on Sang's cheeks. "Now, where ye headed?" Since she'd had no destination in mind, Sang wasn't sure how to reply. Her stomach,however,did know, it grumbled loudly. Nathan chuckled at the blush rising on her cheeks and the grumble of her stomach. "Aye,I could use a bit o' food meself." He steered her down the busy lane with ease and Sang snuck a sidewards glance at him. In loose fitting tan breeches, a linen shirt and a dark jacket, he was dressed in a far more conservative manner than she'd yet witnessed. His manners were a sight better as well.

Sang had never spent any time entertaining a gentleman and now that she was no longer afraid for her life, her previous bravado escaped her and she found herself unsure what to say or how to act. Fortunately, Nathan had no such worries and proceeded to tell her all about how he was supposed to meet his crew later and how he had been sent off on a pointless quest while they had gone on about business. She laughed as he told her about trekking around on some tiny, deserted island that was so thick with trees that he hadn't known how tiny it truly was until he'd stumbled into the ocean on the other side.

They'd stopped in front of a tavern as Nathan was finishing up his story and he turned to face her, chuckling deeply with her. She smiled up at him, laughter lighting her eyes. Nathan's chuckling died,leaving him with a warm smile that had her insides quivering. He reached out, grasping her fingers lightly with his own.

"I can't remember when I had a more enjoyable time with a lady." His voice was soft and serious.

"Flow'r fer yer sweet'eart," a rough woman's voice interrupted them and a grungy hand thrust a pink flower between them. Never losing his smile, Nathan turned to her, handed her a shilling and took the rather lovely flower before turning back to her. He held it out and she took it, her breath catching in her throat as she held the delicate, bright green stem between her fingers. No one had given her flowers before and she hoped that this wouldn't be the last she'd see of Nathan. When she met his eyes again, she knew he could see the affection she was beginning to feel for him in them.

He trailed his hand down the side of her face and cupped her chin, angling it up a bit more, "I hope you'll allow me..." His voice trailed off as his head lowered a bit closer to hers, his eyes focused on her mouth. He didn't need to finish though as she was certain she knew what the remainder of his sentence had been. She'd never been kissed but she couldn't imagine a more perfect moment for it. With her stomach doing flips, her eyes drifted closed and anticipation curled low in her belly when he ran his thumb across her lips before his mouth descended again.

He was so close she could feel a ghost of his lips when a familiar voice interrupted them, calling out, "Nathan! Ye found her!"

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Nathan was being a shit when I was trying to type up this chapter, wanting to grab all kinds of time with Sang so I let Evil Author rewrite it!

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