Page 60 of Pirate

“Now?” he answered. “Now, you and I head into my bedroom because I have been ordered to stay off my leg all day. I plan on doing that with you. And don’t think I can’t still redden your ass for keeping Monday night from me. I owe you a hell of a spanking.”

Arousal replaced the worry in her eyes. “Sounds like a plan to me. But Pirate?”

“Yeah?”

She leaned close, their mouths a breath apart. “How exactly do you plan on reddening my ass when you can’t chase me?”

With that, Sophia pushed him hard enough on his chest for him to tip. As he worked to keep his balance, she slipped off the counter and bolted from the room.

“Saucy wench,” he growled and then went hunting for his prey.

Sophia didn’t run far.She headed into his bedroom, not wanting him to struggle to keep up, and jumped onto his bed. Unfortunately, her dash into the bedroom caught the dogs’ attention. Pooch and Kidd went running after her. They leapt onto the bed and practically tackled her down to the mattress with licks. Sophia laughed, trying to push them off of her but they only doubled their efforts.

A sharp whistle caught their attention. Both puppies turned and Sophia saw Pirate standing at the foot of his bed, leaning on his crutch.

“Vooruit,” he commanded with a tip of his head to the door.

Pooch and Kidd immediately jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. Sophia’s eyebrows went up. Enola wasdefinitelynot that well behaved.

“You’re teaching them Dutch commands like Aerial?” she asked as he hobbled back to the door.

Closing it, he turned towards the bed. “Doesn’t make sense for one dog to know Dutch and the other two to know English.”

“Yeah,” she grumbled. “But now I’m going to have to learn Dutch.”

Putting his crutch by his nightstand, Pirate crawled onto the bed using both hands and one knee. He approached her slowly. In contrast, her heartbeat was racing in her chest, her blood hot with anticipation. Still, she had to ask, “Are you sure you’re up for this? I don’t want to cause you more pain.”

“Trust me.” He grabbed her shoulders. Flipping onto his back, he took her with him, pulling her onto his front. Sophia letout a gasping giggle. “I amup,” he pressed his groin up into hers, “for this.”

“Oh,” she cooed. “Is that for me?”

“Damn straight it is. I want to know what it’s like.”

Sophia cocked her head. “Know what what’s like?”

He reached up and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “For years now, I’ve watched my brothers fall for their women. Lucky, Bear, Bulldog, Jumper, Angel and Cage, and then Demo. I didn’t get it. Watching from the outside, it almost seemed like a pandemic. But a part of me was curious. Sexhadto be different when you’re with someone you love. Hell, half of Hollywood and the music industry is paid for by the concept of falling in love. I just didn’t see the appeal.” He reached down and took hold of her hips. “Until a saucy wench bulldozed her way into my life. And now I get to see what it’s like.”

Sophia smiled down at him. She’d never been one for romantic words and felt a little awkward in confessing, “It’s always been different with you and I never understood why until now.”

Moving his hands up from her hips, he slowly started to raise his t-shirt off of her. “There’s a lot we still have to discuss. We’re already starting off with this relationship being complicated because of that marriage certificate burning a hole in my nightstand.”

She glanced over at the wooden piece of furniture. “You keep it in your nightstand?”

He shrugged. “Where else was I supposed to put it?”

Sophia lifted one hand off of his chest at a time before he slipped the shirt over her head. She was now completely naked on top of him. Moving herself down, she worked his boxer briefs over his hips and then down his legs. Despite him saying he was up for sex, she wanted to see for herself and glanced at his knee.It was still swollen and red, but nowhere near what it had been the night before. That was good.

Careful of his right leg, she tossed his shirt and boxer briefs on the floor out of their way and then straddled his hips. His hard cock rested between her slick folds.

“Can I ask you something?”

Sophia started to slowly rock her hips back and forth. Not hard and not fast, but just enough to create a sweet friction between them. “You can ask me anything.”

“Do you want to stay married to me?”

Her hips paused in shock at the question before she started to move again. Meeting his green eyes, Sophia shook her head. “No.” A flash of hurt crossed his face. “Let me explain,” she begged. Placing a hand over his heart on his chest, she said, “Pirate, I don’t want that drunken night to be our beginning. It can be a fun mistake we tell our kids someday, a cautionary tale of how you can make some pretty fucking stupid mistakes when you’re shitfaced and don’t read paperwork before you sign it.” She rubbed her palm over the dusting of russet hair on his chest. “I wantthisto be our beginning. I want us to do this whole dating thing and get to know each otheroutsideof the bedroom,” she added pointedly. “I don’t want to be your wife. And maybe it’s because I’ve never had the opportunity to really be someone’s girlfriend. To be wooed and doted on.” She shrugged, a little embarrassed by her admission. “And then, when we’re ready, we can discuss marriage like responsible,soberadults.”

He put a hand over hers on his chest. “I can promise you the sober part, but ‘responsible’ might be pushing it.”

---