Part 29 (2/2)
Lock awoke with Sparrow still cuddled beside him. The s.h.i.+p was silent, and he guessed it was several hours before dawn. His body ached and he dreaded the coming weeks. Without the possibility of resting his injuries, work would be painful a and plentiful, no doubt. He and Rino had hated each other for years, and had their positions been reversed, Lock would have treated Rino no better. His own discomfort meant little to him, however. The thought of Sparrow trapped on the Lady Fire twisted his gut. She didn't belong on a pirate s.h.i.+p with a bunch of stinking SothSea pigs. Sparrow was too good for that.
”Lock?” she whispered.
”Yeah?”
”I thought you'd sleep right through.” Her fingers stroked the hair at his temples then moved to his chest.
”Hard to sleep when I'm spending so much time thinking. I'm sorry you ended up here.”
”There's no use worrying about it. Once we dock, everything will be all right.”
”You know what I'm thinking now?”
”Tell me.”
”That I wish we were back on your farm in your bed.” He tugged her close and whispered in her ear. ”I wish my ribs were good so I could f.u.c.k you into oblivion.”
”Umm. That sounds so good.” She slipped down his body and tugged at his trousers.
”What the h.e.l.l are you doing, girl?”
”It's the least I can do after you risked your life to kill Miska.”
Lock's c.o.c.k popped free and Sparrow's warm fist closed around it while her other hand grasped his b.a.l.l.s and gently squeezed.
He drew a sharp breath, his eyes slipping shut against the pleasure of her touch. ”Are you crazy? We can't do this now, Sparrow.”
”Shh,” she breathed against his c.o.c.k head.
Lock's heart pounded when her soft, moist lips closed over the tip of his c.o.c.k. Her tongue tickled the head then ran from top to base and back again. She lapped the length of him and swirled her tongue around the head. Resisting the urge to moan his pleasure, Lock's hands sifted through her hair. He tried not to squeeze her head too hard, difficult when she began sucking him so deep into her mouth he thought she might swallow his c.o.c.k.
Lock's back arched and his head sank into the blankets as she lapped, sucked, and tickled his c.o.c.k.
”Sparrow, you better stop,” he gasped, trying to keep his voice hushed. ”I can't take much more.”
Ignoring him, she continued her carnal work. The sensations flooding Lock's body and concentrating around his engorged c.o.c.k were enough to make his eyes cross, if they'd been open. He couldn't have forced them open if he wanted to. Trying his best to keep his panting quiet, his hands gripped her head and his hips thrust in ecstasy. He exploded, his neck throbbing and heart hammering. Somewhere in the mix of pleasure, he realized his ribs ached, but not nearly enough to keep him from enjoying one of the best o.r.g.a.s.ms of his life. Perhaps it was the danger of being discovered, or the idea that she still loved him after all, but it was a climax he'd never forget.
He lay for several moments, nearly asleep. Sparrow curled up beside him and kissed his cheek.
”I owe you, girl,” he murmured.
”One day I intend to collect.”
”You can wager on it.”
Rino spat a mouthful of stew into the sea, wiped a gnarled hand across his mouth and narrowed his eyes in Sparrow's direction. ”Tastes like s.h.i.+t.”
”I can only cook with what you give me.”
”Put more spice in it. Cover the taste of the eel.”
Sparrow s.n.a.t.c.hed the bowl from his hand. ”Too much spice is not good for your stomach.”
Rino grasped her upper arm and ran a tongue over his lips. ”Just do what I tell you, woman.”
Sparrow tugged away and walked below deck, an unsettled feeling in her breast. They'd been on the s.h.i.+p for almost a week, and neither Rino nor the other men had touched her. Oh, they made rude comments and the occasional bawdy gesture, but she attributed the lack of serious a.s.sault to Lock's presence. Even the Captain knew better than to push her too far. He knew Lock had little choice but to obey him, but Sparrow sensed a part of Rino didn't want to risk inciting Lock's wrath. Perhaps Rino was beginning to relax and realize she and Lock had little choice about his treatment of either of them. He kept Lock so busy that even on board the s.h.i.+p, she scarcely saw him. When she did, her worry only increased. Though he never complained, he didn't look well. She knew his ribs hadn't healed and had probably worsened due to heavy labor. He needed rest, but she knew he wasn't about to get it any time soon. Lock had said he wouldn't have been able to ride fast or far enough to escape the Empress's guards, but surely the work Rino forced on him was worse than riding would have been. Still, according to Lock, they were far safer at sea than on land. Sparrow wasn't so sure.
I wish I could put poison in Rino's stew, Sparrow thought as she stepped into the galley. The water was rough that morning, but the motion didn't affect her. If she hadn't been so miserable, she would have enjoyed sailing-not stuck below, but up on deck with the salty wind blowing and spray from the water cooling her face. During a few brief moments with Lock one afternoon when he'd called her to the rail and pointed to dolphins playing in the water, he'd said she was a ”born sailor.” She'd been a bit concerned about seasickness at first, having heard awful stories about it from Shea-Ann. Fortunately s.h.i.+p travel agreed with her.
”Complaining about the food,” Sparrow muttered as she dumped handfuls of spice into a smaller pot of stew, just for Rino. ”I'll burn his filthy tongue off. Maybe his insides will rot out. Putrid b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”
She paused and shook her head. Her tongue was becoming as vile as the other crewmen's.
”Eh there, girlie.” The ape-like man stepped into the galley. A red scarf tied at his nape half concealed his stringy black hair. His short legs were covered in cutoff pants that made them appear even shorter. He made an almost comical character, but Sparrow had to admit she rather liked him. He never spoke to her rudely and often volunteered to bring her buckets of water and fish to cook with.
”I told you my name's Sparrow.” She cast him a half smile.
”You ain't never called me Ilias.”
”You're right. I'm sorry, Ilias.”
”No matter.” He shrugged and stole a chunk of fish from the pot. His eyes teared as he spat into his hand. ”b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l! Too much spice, don't you think?”
”Captain's request.” She touched his shoulder. ”Don't worry. I made a special pot just for him.”
Ilias dropped the chewed food from his hand back into the small pot and winked. ”Don't tell him I done that, Sparrow, else he'll toss me over.”
”I won't say a word.”
”You know what I hate most about you, Lock?” Rino leaned against the foremast, watching Lock as he mopped the deck.
”If I don't ask, are you still going to tell me?”
”I hate how you always thought you were so much better than the rest of us. You were never just interested in spoils and cargo like normal people. You stopped at places and talked to people. Thought you were so smart cause you can read and write. You thought yourself royalty, and you're the worst of us all. No matter how many languages you speak or whether you know the history of the b.l.o.o.d.y Kennas, you're still nothing but an Archipelago wh.o.r.e, no better than the b.i.t.c.h who spat you out of her pock-ridden chute.”
”The pocks she had she most likely got from you, Rino. I get a clear memory of two years ago. You standing in back of a SothSea tavern p.i.s.sin' enough fire to keep a lighthouse burning for a year.”
Rino laughed long and loud. ”Then I been with your mama for sure. You was probably born p.i.s.sin' fire. How'd you end up with that pretty little girl of yours? She's got the muscle of a farmer but the manner of a Lady. How did you convince her to buy you, or do I even want to know?”
Lock glanced at the deck, his hands tightening on the mop. Two seconds it would take him to ram the handle up the Captain's a.s.s. Two seconds to start a brawl that would end in someone's death. Two seconds that might leave Sparrow at the mercy of Rino.
”You know what I think, Lock?” Rino grinned. ”I think that little girl means more to you than a good bed-warming. I think she's got to you.”
Lock glared into Rino's eyes. ”I think now's a good time to stop talking about her.”
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