Page 44 of Devil of the High Seas
Josephine scowled at him. “That was a trick question.”
Gavin stroked his jaw, which made the muscles in his arms bulge. Lord, she liked his muscles. They made her delightfully dizzy when she looked at them.
“Pirates don’t play fair, lass.”
Then neither will I.
“Hmmm...” He studied her again, clearly enjoying making her restless as he pondered which bit of clothing to have her remove next. “Your trousers,” he declared, a little too smugly.
“Oh, these?” She turned away from him as she unfastened the trousers and shimmied out of them. She wore no underthings and knew she was flashing the side of her bare bottom at him. When she had stepped out of the trousers, she turned to face him. The borrowed white shirt she wore now fell down to midthigh. The look on Gavin’s face was worth the effort. His pupils nearly absorbed the brown of his eyes.
“Next question?” she prompted primly and flashed her thighs at him as she sat down upon the table.
“Minx,” he muttered, then cleared his throat. “Very well. Celestial navigation. How do you accomplish it?”
“Hmm, it depends.” She frowned, but when she saw the light of triumph in his eyes, she took a strand of her hair and began twisting it in her fingers, swaying slightly, drawing him into her.
“It depends on the measuring of the angle of the sun relative to the horizon. You use a sextant to take a sighting each day at noon when the sun is at its highest point. When you know the height of the sun above the horizon, your ship’s latitude can be determined.”
“Bloody hell,” Gavin growled. “I didn’t think you’d know that.”
She walked up to him with a confident smirk and ran a hand down his chest to his belly. “I think I shall takeyourtrousers.”
He hissed softly, catching her hand before she could touch the bulge in his trousers. “I warned you, lass,” Gavin said in a quiet, dangerous voice.
“About what?” But she knew exactly what. He’d warned her about playing with fire when they first met in Cornwall, and he was burning now. She could see it in his eyes, but he didn’t speak, so she reminded him of her command.
“Your trousers,Captain,” she said him as she leaned in, kissing him softly. He grabbed her forcefully, but without hurting her, taking control of her body. He spun her around and bent her face down over the table. He swiped a hand around her on the table, sending sea charts rolling onto the floor.
“I was winning—” she protested, but her words were silenced by the sound of his palm landing on her bare bottom.
Smack!She shrieked more from surprise than any sense of pain. He delivered a few more light smacks before he leaned over, kissed the shell of her ear, and with his free hand parted the wet folds of her sex to stroke her with his fingers.
She whimpered, unable to think coherently enough to make a sound.
“I owed you that spanking, lass,” he said as he continued to penetrate her with his fingers, moving them swiftly in and out of her. Her legs quaked as he drove her toward passion. She was both relieved and disappointed, however. She had wanted to teasehim, notbeteased, but he knew just how to touch her. She moaned as he stretched her with three fingers now. She was so close to—
Abruptly, he withdrew his hand and picked her up. She was turned around to face him as he set her back on the table. He cupped her face, then leaned in, kissing her leisurely for a long moment until she could only gaze up at him in wonder and desire.
“Lie back and let me show you the stars, Josie,” he said, his voice as soft and dark as the scotch she’d once stolen from her father’s liquor cabinet. It was forbidden, it burned and made her feel dizzy and wonderful. She knew in that moment that if she saw stars they would guide her back to him.
She lay back on the table, having only her shirt to cover her body.
He bent over her, spreading her thighs wide. But before she could close her legs and hide herself from his gaze, his mouth was between her legs, his lips and tongue conquering her. She had never experienced anything like this in her life. The way his tongue dragged against the most sensitive parts of her was a sensation beyond words. She closed her eyes, bathing in the glow that seemed to come from within her as she let him taste her. The pleasure built, like the growing waves of an incoming tide. And then she was flying, that exquisite pleasure a burst of stars behind her closed eyes.
She screamed as the climax hit her like a wave sweeping the decks during a squall. Gavin reached up, silencing her cry with a palm over her mouth. He licked and sucked and drew out that exquisite moment until she could take no more and lay quivering on the table beneath him.
Gavin licked his lips as he straightened. His body still leaned over hers, making her feel captive to him and the intimacy of what they’d just shared. He could do whatever he liked to her. He had full control of her body, and once again he had given her pleasure without taking any for himself. Why? Didn’t he feel what she felt when they came together? What if she wasn’t good enough, or too inexperienced for him? Perhaps he wanted a woman who knew what men liked in bed. Her lips trembled as she turned her face away and closed her legs against him out of shame and embarrassment.
“Josie?” He spoke her name with a hint of worry. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” She shook her head. “Did I frighten you?” Again, she shook her head and tried to pull away from him. If he touched her now, she would know it would be out of pity.
“What have I done, lass?” His voice was rough and low.
“I’m fine. Please, just give me some time alone.”
He got up but didn’t leave the room. “No you don’t. You’re not closing yourself off from me.” He scooped her up and carried her to the bed, where he sat down with her in his lap.
“Talk to me, lass. Tell me what I’ve done.” He gently stroked the shiny strands of her hair. “I know that having a man’s mouth between your legs might be a bit shocking, especially when it’s your first time...”
