Part 4 (1/2)
”I'm the one who's chained.”
”I'll bite your c.o.c.k off if you try anything on me!”
Lock didn't loosen his grip, but used his thumb to gently stroke the inside of her wrist. ”Sounds interesting. d.a.m.n, your skin is soft.”
She stared into his eyes, attraction mixed with fury. ”Probably because you're accustomed to leather-skinned prost.i.tutes!”
”Right, but I've had my share of princesses, too.” His hand moved to the hollow of her elbow and he reached for her other wrist. When she didn't try pulling away, he nearly smiled. She might be easier to manipulate into setting him free than he'd thought. Her attraction to him was obvious, even in his hideous state, and she must have been curious about the s.e.xual games he'd wager she knew little about.
”No princess worth her crown would sully her skin with the likes of you!”
”You'd be surprised how eager royals are to claw the trousers off a genuine SothSea pirate.”
”Well not me!”
Lock shrugged. ”Well you're no longer a royal, are you? You're a farm girl.”
”And proud of it! How about you? Have you ever done anything in your life you're proud of?”
Lock had no answer for her, so he guided her arms around his neck as he sat straighter in the tub. She stiffened, but didn't protest.
His gaze held hers as his palms splayed against her back. For a small woman, her muscles were hard, her body trim. He felt his c.o.c.k leap beneath the warm water. He nearly smiled when she leaned a bit closer. Slowly, so as not to startle her, he brushed his mouth against hers. Her eyes slipped shut at the first touch of their lips. Her hands threaded in the hair at his nape, and Lock's eyes closed as he deepened the kiss. His tongue traced the delicate shape of her lips, then parted them gently. Her warm, moist tongue met his, mimicking his strokes. She tasted of apples and cinnamon. So sweet and sultry.
Lock's heartbeat quickened, and his arms tightened around her in spite of how the skin on his back stretched painfully. She tasted so delicious, he felt like dragging her in the tub with him and plunging his c.o.c.k deep into her soft little body.
One of his hands slid up her back. He cradled her head in his palm as he tasted every corner of her mouth.
”That's it, girl,” he whispered against her lips. He cupped one of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, his thumb circling her hard nipple through her billowy s.h.i.+rt.
”Lock-”
His mouth covered hers again before she finished speaking. He slipped his hand beneath her s.h.i.+rt and kneaded first one breast, then the other. Stiff little nipples sc.r.a.ped his callused palms, and she pulled away.
”That's enough!” she snapped, her face flushed pink and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s rising and falling with each labored breath.
”Not for me.” He stood and stepped out of the tub, his nude, dripping body looming above her.
She strode across the room and flung a towel at his chest. Grinning, he caught it.
”Don't think that will ever happen again!” she snapped.
”You think it won't?”
”I know it won't!”
”So why didn't you stop me sooner?”
”Because-”
”You want me. Even shredded up like I am, you want me between your legs, girl.”
Sparrow's mouth hung open then she laughed long and loud. ”Just like a man! The only reason I kissed you was because I've never seen a man like you up close before.”
”So it was curiosity, was it?” he teased. The woman was full of s.h.i.+t. He'd felt her l.u.s.t in her kiss, in her touch, and most of all in her pebble-hard nipples that begged for his caresses.
”Yes. Now it's satisfied. You were no different than any other man.”
”I suppose you've had many to compare me to?” Lock said as he fastened a fresh loincloth she'd bought for him in the village the day before.
”I'm taking my bed back,” she told him flatly, ignoring his question.
”You want me in it?”
”Don't flatter yourself!”
He grinned and silently sat on the blankets close to the fire while she shorted the chains on his feet.
”How long do you really think I'll stay in chains like this?” he asked.
”You don't have a choice. You're mine now.”
”I'll never be yours. I belong to myself.”
”Not anymore.”
”You smug little piece of dung.” The woman was really beginning to irritate him! ”Remember, you're not a princess anymore.”
”And you're not a pirate.”
He smiled, a wicked twist of the lips. ”I'll always be a pirate. You're going to learn that the hard way, little girl.”
Neither of them spoke again as she drained the tub and left for the barn.
”What makes a man that nasty?” Sparrow patted Daphne's brown neck as the cow grazed in the field behind the barn. ”Wish you had the answers, girl. Wish somebody had the answers. You'd think saving the man from torture would earn me a little grat.i.tude.”
Sparrow gazed at the setting sun as she led Daphne back to the barn for the night. When she'd rescued Lock she hadn't done it because she'd wanted his thanks or because she'd wanted a slave. She'd felt sorry for him. That was all. It was his att.i.tude that made her question her actions, and now that he was growing strong, what was she going to do with him? She'd wager he'd never act the part of a slave, and she didn't like the idea of keeping a man chained to her wall like a dog.
She smiled, remembering how he'd looked before he'd been tortured. He was so tall and big with all that wild two-colored hair and eyes that looked like a demon's. Most likely he'd be more apt to frighten off thieves than a guard dog.
Sparrow knew the pirate's att.i.tude shouldn't have surprised her. He was no different than most of the men she'd known in her life. Her brother had been a wretch, completely selfish and amused by the suffering of his subjects. Her father had been little better, and then there had been the fiend. The man who'd haunted Sparrow's sleep and twisted her gut every time she thought of him. Sparrow hated few people, but this man she would kill on sight, though she hoped she'd never see him again.
When her family had been overthrown, she'd left with her younger sister, Thea. Both women had been protected all their lives and were naive of the world outside the palace. No lessons from books or stories from teachers could provide the experience of dwelling in the real world. In spite of their fear and apprehension, Sparrow and Thea had looked forward to the adventures their new life offered. They planned to settle, perhaps raise horses. Thea had always loved horses. Together they'd made so many plans that would never come to pa.s.s...
Once Sparrow deposited Daphne to the barn and checked the rest of her animals, she walked to the house. She opened the door to the sound of Shea-Ann screeching, ”If you don't stop that vile tongue from wagging, I'll rip it out!”
”And stir it up in one of your witch's brews?” Lock smiled, his teeth gleaming through his beard. Shea-Ann's fury always seemed to put him in a good mood.