Part 12 (1/2)

”Do you need me?” she asked again, her hands sliding down his back and clutching his b.u.t.tocks, her fingers sinking between the globes and pressing, stroking, penetrating.

”h.e.l.l and d.a.m.nation, girl!” he groaned. Her fingers pushed harder and his thrusts became as wild as the slamming of his heart. With a cry of pa.s.sion, she convulsed, her p.u.s.s.y squeezing his c.o.c.k, her hands fierce on his a.s.s.

She moaned, ”Do yo-”

”f.u.c.k, I need you!” he shouted as his climax stole what was left of his stubborn self-control. ”I need you!”

Lock collapsed on top of her, feeling the slick heat of their skins and their hearts slamming in union. Rolling onto his side, he held her close to his chest.

Though he couldn't see her face, he sensed her smile. ”You know, I'm afraid to fall asleep with you. I'll probably wake up tied again.”

”No. Never again,” he admitted. He didn't want her as a servant. To his dismay, he preferred her as a partner. ”But I won't live as a slave, Sparrow.”

She turned and faced him, her eyes serious. ”I know that. I don't want you to, but there's no other way for us here.”

”We don't have to stay here.”

”Would you take me even if I didn't want to go with you?”

”Yes.”

”Because you want me in your bed or because you don't want me tortured?”

”Both.”

To his surprise, she smiled and looped her arms around his neck. ”I'll go with you, but on two conditions. We have to wait for Shea-Ann to come back. I don't want her to worry.”

”She'll worry no matter what. You're with me.”

”But if she knows it's what I want, she'll respect that.”

”What's the second condition?”

”I want you to acknowledge any children we might have.”

Her insinuation sparked his anger. ”I've never had any children. You're the first woman I've ever bedded without ensuring that. If I didn't have any intention of acknowledging our children, I would have been more careful. No son or daughter of mine is going to grow up like I did.”

Sparrow smiled and slipped on top of him, her knees smooth against his sides. ”I knew you had integrity somewhere in there.”

”Way down deep. I mean way down, Princess. Try not to forget it.” He wasn't sure why he still felt the need to warn her. Being his woman wouldn't be easy for her. She was so honest and decent. He'd have to make an attempt to live up to her expectations, but he had the feeling he was going to fall miserably short. His spirit was far too wild.

Sparrow smiled as she set the table for dinner. After she and Lock had made love, she'd walked around the farm to see what needed to be done since her absence and was pleased to find he'd kept up with the daily work as well as completed many of the repairs she'd been procrastinating.

She was prepared to help him in the fields, but he told her to return to the house.

”I have to do something with myself until that old witch comes back,” he said. ”You take care of the house. I'll take care of the farm.”

Sparrow felt a peculiar thrill at his words. It was if they were a married couple. Married. Even if they wanted to marry, it would have to wait until they left Begonia. Lock was a slave in this land, and marriage between him and Sparrow would not be acknowledged.

Not that he'd asked her to marry him, anyway, she thought, her smile fading. And did she want to marry him, a pirate? Of course she did. Why else would she have consented to leave Begonia with him? She knew by losing her heart to him, she'd also lost her mind. Only a crazy woman would bind herself to Lock the White.

As dusk rolled in and Lock still hadn't returned, Sparrow began to worry. Had she been a fool to trust him again? Perhaps he'd taken off and left her to face the bounty hunters.

She sighed with relief when he stepped through the door. He reached for her before she could speak and kissed her. She melted against him, her fingers clutching his sweat-damped s.h.i.+rt.

”I'm going swimming,” he said. ”Want to come?”

Sparrow nodded, grasping a blanket from the foot of the bed.

Together they walked across the moonlit hills to the lake.

”It's a warm night,” she said. ”I love summertime.”

”You'd like SothSea weather. It's always hot.”

At the lake, Sparrow watched as Lock undressed and strode into the water, swimming to the middle.

He brushed wet hair from his eyes and called, ”Aren't you coming?”

She glanced around the field.

”We're alone, Princess.”

She slipped off her clothes, feeling conspicuous. She'd never walked around naked outside before, but she liked the feeling of freedom. She waded in and swam to meet him. His arms slid around her, and she felt cool droplets of water on his lips when he kissed her.

”You must like the water,” she said, ”spending your life at sea and all.”

”I love the water. Lakes are nice enough, but I love the ocean. Have you ever been to sea, Sparrow?”

”No.”

”There's no feeling like it. The smell of salt, the sharpness of the wind, the deck beneath your feet. Sometimes when I'm out there, I feel like I never want to dock.”

His arms slid up her back, and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressed to his chest beneath the dark water. She smiled, touching her lips to his cool, wet throat. ”I'm starting to love the water, too.”

”Are you, girl?” His voice rumbled close to her ear. He turned her so he could nuzzle her neck, fondle her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and stroke her c.l.i.t at the same time.

She moaned and leaned against him, allowing him to support her completely. The sensations of his big, callused hands and his soft lips tenderly tugging the flesh of her ear and neck were so pleasurable, she wanted them to last all night.

”Come here.” He tugged her toward a smooth, flat stone in a shallow part of the lake. Lock sat on it, his legs outstretched but slightly bent, and beckoned her closer. ”Get on top of me and put my c.o.c.k in you.”

Sparrow grinned, her eyes gleaming, as she did as he asked. Positioning herself on top of him, she swallowed his hard c.o.c.k with her p.u.s.s.y. He supported her waist, his thumbs gently stroking her hips. Water lapped their skin like hundreds of soft caresses.

”I like looking at you,” he told her.

The sensation of his body, the sound of his voice, and the expression of l.u.s.t in his pale eyes made her feel giddy inside. Sparrow took his face in her hands and touched every inch of it. Her fingers smoothed his forehead and traced his eyebrows. She caressed his cheekbones and stroked the length of his nose. All the while, their hips rocked in a motion both calming and stimulating.