Piracy

8. Getting to Know Him

When I awoke in the morning, the captain was still sleeping beside me. I took a few moments to admire his features. How could someone so young and attractive have ended up in such a harsh profession? There were stories about him far and wide, but none really pointed to who he was and where he'd come from. The legends had made it sound like he'd marauding forever, but how could he have even been at sea for five years?

He began to stir so I sat up, not sure what this morning would be like after we had been so intimate the night before.

"Good morning, little bird," he said, and then he gave me a smile. Just for me.

"You're very handsome when you smile," I said, and then I felt just a little shy about having told him.

"Thanks," he mumbled, suddenly sounding a little shy himself.

It was adorable to see that he had this boyish side to him. I wondered what he would think if I teased him just a little. "So what are you going to do today, Uncle Harry?"

Anger flashed in his eyes and for a moment, I thought I'd totally crossed the line. Then he laughed a little and said, "Darling, you and I both know I'm not your uncle. If I was, that would make our activities very inappropriate."

My face grew hot with that reminder of last night's exploration.

"Don't be embarrassed about something no one ever taught you," He said, pulling me down to lie on his chest.

I looked into his eyes for a long time. His lashes were so long and his eyes like a deep lagoon I'd seen once in a painting. My breathing became heavy as I realized how close our lips were. Then I noticed how he was growing in excitement beneath me. I tried to move without him noticing that I wanted to press myself against him again.

"Why are you being so shy?" He laughed. "I wouldn't be lying here with you if I didn't want you to touch me in any way you want."

I dropped my forehead on his shoulder. "Well, I was just trying to kill myself a few days ago, due to the fact that I had touched you like this. This is all very new to me and I'm still not entirely sure that I won't burn in hell for this."

He kissed my ear and whispered, "No more talk of burning in hell. We were meant to enjoy each other, and I think you're starting to realize that."

I looked up at him. "All I've ever been told is how a husband and wife make a baby. And that they have to be married or it's a sin." I sounded like a little child, repeating what I'd heard from Hadley's tutors.

"Then you haven't learned enough," he said in a very low voice. "I'd like to teach you."

I nodded hesitantly. He caught me in a sweet, delicious kiss. I'd never have known that someone would taste so good when I was kissing them. Of course, I hadn't seen very many kisses like this at all, and I didn't think much about them. Now that I knew I'd been missing out on something fantastic, I decided to let my instinct take over. I closed my eyes as the captain flicked his tongue against my lips a little, possibly trying to distract me from the fact that his hands were migrating down to my hips. I let his tongue wander in while I tried to imitate some of his motions, hoping they would make him feel the way he was making me feel.

When his hands lifted the edges of my nightshirt - well, his nightshirt that I was still wearing after being sick for days - I froze a little, mostly from surprise. He still hadn't found me any undergarments so I'd been walking around for days with nothing to cover my private areas.

His long fingers left burning trails along my bare skin. It was delightful. He gently rolled me off of him and put most of his weight onto me and then resumed our kisses. One of his hands stayed in place while the other wandered up to my breast. I gasped and froze a little again.