Page 127 of Crossbones
She wiggles to be put down and I can’t help the massive smile that takes overmy face as I watch her run off. The way my heart is so full lately leaves me reeling sometimes. To know this is my reality—my sister, my nieces and nephews, and a man who I love more than I ever thought possible to love someone. Being away from him for the last month has been nothing short of torture so when the anchor finally drops into the bay, I’m more than ready to lay eyes on him again.
Harrison comes up to me on the rail as the rowboat is lowered.
He chuckles. “Scowling at it won’t make it lower any faster.”
My jaw tics in irritation but I don’t say anything. I look out over the water and see a crowd amassed on the beach. I know he’s there somewhere and I’m about ready to jump overboard and just swim. The boat finally splashes in the water and I slide down the ladder.
The minute the kneel scrapes sand, I’m in the shallows, wading to shore, searching for his face. I move through the throng heading towards town; I’m about to raze the place down thinking he’s not here, when the mob of people thins out and there he is—lounging against a barrel, arms crossed, smug smile on his face.
“Miss me, Captain?”
In three steps my hands grip the front of his freshly pressed black jacket and I capture his lips in mine. The kiss is hungry, fervent and edged with the desperation of being apart for too long. His hands thread through my hair at the back of my neck and he tightens his hold, deepening the kiss even more, our tongues tangle together as we breathe each other in.
When we finally come up for air, his eyes are dark blue pits of desire. I’m a little out of breath and his heart is beating furiously under my hand on his chest, mirroring mine.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he says, his voice a rasp in his throat.
“Let’s go somewhere private and I can show you exactly how much.” I bite his lip, sucking it into my mouth and pulling a moan from him. The sound goes straight to my cock and I reluctantly release him and step back before I do something I shouldn’t do in public.
“I think we have time for that.” He smiles and those damn dimples make my heart stutter in my chest. “By the way, a month is way too long to be apart. We’re never doing that again.”
“Sounds like you missed me just as much?” I grin.
“Is that a question?”
I groan. “God, always answering my question with a question.”
Caspian laughs and his hand slides around my hip, dragging me close. A rush of something I can only call happiness sends electricity coursing through my veins.
“Truth for a truth?”
“There you go again—you drive me mad,” I say through gritted teeth. I lean in and steal another kiss. “Fine.”
“I love you,” he says, grinning.
There’s no fighting my smile as I slide my hand down his arm and intertwine our fingers. I’ll never get tired of hearing him say those words—just like I’ll never get tired of saying them back to him. I run my thumb across his jaw in reverence, everything in me going still as the truth of it all settles in my bones.
“I love you too.”
Caspian is staring at me like he’s undressing me right there on the sand and all I want to do is taste him again. And just like that, I feel it—not peace exactly but belonging.
“Come on, baby.” I pull him down the street. “You keep staring at me like that and we’re not going to make it home.”
Caspian’s soft laugh wraps me in chills and he releases my hand so he can throw his arm around my shoulders, drawing me close again.
“Home. I like the sound of that, Captain.”
“Me too.”
“You know you could always drag me behind a tavern,” Caspian murmurs in my ear in a conspiratorial voice.
“I could,” I admit. “But I want to take my time with you.”
He groans softly and I feel his shiver of anticipation rush through him. It lights me up and I tighten my arm around his waist.
“It’s been so long, I’m probably not going to last very long,” he complains.
I chuckle. “Good thing we have forever.”
I don’t have time to wince at how cheesy that sounded before Caspian yanks me in and kisses my neck. “Very true, Captain.”
I hear the smile in his words and try not to get distracted as we stumble down the street together, whispering truths and reveling in the feeling of being in each other's arms. Every kiss is a promise, every touch a dedication to our truths. He’s not afraid of my sharp edges and as he turns and I catch his eye, I realize the sea is no longer the only thing that doesn’t flinch at my name. Caspian traces my scars with reverence and a possessive fire that burns like the horizon at sunset. He’s as tempting as the tide, untamable as a tempest and the only one reckless enough to give his heart to a creature like me.
He’s mine, I’m his.
And I finally have someone to greet me when the waves send me ashore.
THE END
