Part 31 (1/2)
”Were.”
”Unless you haven't noticed, I'm Captain of this vessel. What would you have me do? Sink it to suit you?”
She stared at him in open-mouthed shock. When she recovered, she unlocked the door, but he grasped her arm and slipped the bolt back into place.
”Let go of me! I can't stand to look at you right now, Lock!”
”Sparrow, I don't expect you to stay on this s.h.i.+p forever. I'll take you home.”
”Home where? To the Archipelago?”
”I have a nice house, a secluded beach. You'd probably like it there. You'd be safe.”
”Jailed by those eunuch slaves you once told me about? Maybe I can a.s.sist your mother at the brothel and help with the family profits!”
Lock's eyes flashed rage and he walked back to the bed and lay down. ”Come here and get some sleep. When you've calmed down we can talk about it.”
”I'm never going to calm down, Lock! You lied to me. You said you were going to try to make an honest life.”
”With this s.h.i.+p, we can make an honest life. We can trade instead of pillage.”
”Stop lying to me! This is a s.h.i.+p full of cutthroats, and you're the worst of them all!”
”Things look quite different when you're out of your own territory, don't they?”
”What?”
”Everything was fine for you when I was chained to the wall was.h.i.+ng dishes. Now that I'm free again, it's harder to ignore the facts I've been telling you since the day we met.”
”I never wanted you chained to my wall, Lock! It was you who drove me to it, and you're as unreasonable now as you were then! I thought you'd changed. I thought you cared about me.”
”I care about you more than anything.”
”Then prove it.” She sat on the edge of the bed and rested her palms on his chest, staring into his pale blue eyes. ”Leave this s.h.i.+p with me as soon as we dock. If you don't, it'll destroy us.”
He tugged her onto the bed beside him and kissed her forehead. ”It's not that easy. The Lady Fire is my responsibility now.”
”Give it to one of the others. Ilias, maybe.”
Lock laughed. ”Ilias? He's a good enough crewman, but too soft. He wouldn't last a day in charge of this vessel. One thing about a pirate s.h.i.+p, girl, only a b.a.s.t.a.r.d can run it right. I fit the description in every way, if you get my meaning.”
”You're a good man deep inside. I remember how you rebuilt our village, and not for any profit.” She touched his face and spoke with more confidence than she felt. ”I know you'll do the right thing.”
She saw a flicker of emotion in his eyes-guilt, maybe?
Resting her cheek against his shoulder, she listened to the evenness of his breathing. Only when she was certain he was asleep did she turn her back to him and cry.
It seemed to take hours for Sparrow to fall asleep. Finally she succ.u.mbed to the s.h.i.+p's gentle rocking and the pleasant feeling of Lock's warm body so close to hers. He'd lied to her and probably to himself, but she still loved him. She had to get him away from the s.h.i.+p, or else the man he'd become might be lost forever. He had the potential to be good, but the temptation of the Lady Fire was like a disease to him. She'd seen some people addicted to wagering on anything from dice games to horse-races. They bore the same crazy look in their eyes as Lock when he played the part of Captain. It seemed piracy was a more terrible vice than she'd ever imagined.
When Sparrow awoke, Lock lay beside her, staring at her.
”Is it time to get up already?” she asked.
”Stay and sleep if you want. I'll be going on deck in a while.”
”I'll get back to work, too.”
”Wait.” Lock tugged off the blanket and raised her dress.
”What are you doing?” she demanded.
”I owe you.”
”Lock, we can't-”
”Why not? We're alone. No one will bother us. Besides, you once did the same to me under more dangerous circ.u.mstances.”
She relaxed. He was right. The danger of Rino was past, but the newer danger frightened her even more. The danger of losing Lock to pirating forever.
”I've missed being alone with you, girl,” he whispered.
He pressed soft kisses to her inner thighs while he ma.s.saged the backs of her knees with his fingertips. His tongue traced the indentation between her pelvis and thighs. Instinctively, Sparrow's hands grasped handfuls of his hair. She s.h.i.+vered when his tongue tickled her perineum then ran along her p.u.s.s.y lips. It slipped inside her, swirling and licking.
She moaned softly, hoping none of the crew could hear. Lock grasped her waist, stroking and squeezing as he continued exploring the delicate folds of moist flesh. His lips tugged gently at her c.l.i.t before he sucked it.
”Oh, Lock!” Sparrow panted.
Again the tip of his tongue poked inside her. One of his hands cupped her b.u.t.tocks. He pressed a finger to her a.n.u.s while he lapped her c.l.i.t with frustrating gentleness.
Sparrow's legs trembled and she wiggled beneath him. His strong hands held her firmly in place as he lapped her to a quaking climax. Before the last ripples of pleasure coursed through her, he slid up her body, guiding her legs to a bent-knee position and crossing them in front of his chest as his c.o.c.k pushed into her liquid p.u.s.s.y. The strange position felt surprisingly good. It must have to him as well since, when Sparrow opened her eyes a slit to watch him, his own were closed, his expression euphoric.
”I've wanted you so much, Sparrow,” he said, his voice rough with pa.s.sion.
”You, too, Lock,” she admitted. ”I've wanted you so much it's almost painful.”
”It has been painful,” he sounded almost breathless as his thrusting increased.
Sparrow felt another o.r.g.a.s.m building. She clutched the sheet beside her, moaning and gasping as she came. He tensed, thrusting hard and fast, before stiffening and crying out his own climax.
Sparrow sighed with contentment. At least some things hadn't changed.
Chapter Twenty Two.
The following week brought calm seas and sunny days, a welcome relief after the storm. The Lady Fire's major damages were fixed, and the crew awaited some sign of land to replenish supplies and make the last of the repairs.
The crew adjusted well to Lock's claiming of the s.h.i.+p. Sparrow thought many men even appeared grateful for such solid direction. Lock knew what he wanted and issued clear instructions. Sparrow knew his experience at sea kept them alive through the first days after the storm, and the men, after days of carefully watching their new Captain, accepted him completely.