Page 51 of Devil of the High Seas
“I didn’t wish to wake you,” he apologized. “But these clothes are stiff with seawater, and you need to be out of them.” The way he caressed her skin suggested that he wasn’t entirely concerned about the seawater but was rather looking for an excuse to touch her, and she was more than content with that.
Something had changed between them—not that she could explain what exactly, only that she felt the difference in the air. It was no longer a time for waiting, a time for testing the control he’d said he’d struggled to have. This shift between them was pure, yet somehow far more dangerous than how things had been before. She knew now he would claim her the way she’d longed for since the night they met. She studied his features, noting how his mouth and eyes had softened, making him look years younger. He sat on the edge of the bed, gloriously naked. She took in the sight of him, every inch of tanned skin and corded muscle. He was beautiful, hard and lean. It made her ache deep inside to lie skin to skin with him and feel his body beside hers.
She felt strangely shy as she let him undress her. Neither of them spoke as he removed her stockings. He lifted her to sit, and her hair, now wavy with brine, fell over her shoulders. They were inches apart, staring into each other’s faces, both waiting for the other to say something. Gavin’s fingers skimmed along her belly, his thumbs caressing her as he pulled her shirt up and off, spilling her hair over her bare shoulders. Shyness and desire turned her skin pink. She was laid bare before him on the bed, yet she was too exhausted to move.
“You saved my life, lass.” The words, although quiet, seemed to echo in the cabin. The rhythmic sway of the ship and the sound of waves against the hull made Josephine feel like she was on an abandoned island with only him and the sea. It was a beautiful,wonderfulfeeling.
She slowly sat up, reaching out to place her palm against his back. “You saved Bartholomew.” His muscles leapt beneath her touch as he let out a breath and released his tension.
“I told you not to come above deck,” he reminded her. He did not look at her, but his tone held no bite to it.
Josephine had a sudden realization that whatever she said next would shape their future.
“I came on the ship with you because Iwantedto be with you. I was not about to let the sea take you from me, not when I wanted you more than these waters ever could.”
She leaned forward and kissed his bare shoulder, tasting the sea salt upon his skin. He let out another breath, a shudder rippling through his body and into hers. She curled her arms around his neck from behind, pressing her breasts against his back as she embraced him. He reached up, covering her hands with his.
“I don’t deserve you, Josie. You are above me, beyond mymortalreach.”
“You make me sound like an angel.” She laughed softly, charmed by his words. “I’m certainly not that.” She sobered and kissed his cheek. “Perhaps I’m an undine, a selkie, a siren. A creature of the water, but a creature that belongs toyou, just as your ship does.Claim me, Gavin. I am yours.”
He turned as she released him, but he didn’t pull away. Rather, he claimed her with a kiss that held the fire of the very sun within it. She gasped as she tried to remember how to breathe, bathing in its glow. She lay back on the bed, pulling him down with her, their mouths fused in that endless kiss.
Her hips rose, her legs parting in a silent, ancient invitation as he settled over her. Her thighs tightened around his slender hips, and he stroked the outside of her knee with his palm as he continued to kiss her. Gavin rocked against her, and she lost herself in him, feeling as though they would sail upon the sea forever and she would never have to leave this cabin or him.
She dug her hands into his hair. He groaned as he adjusted his body and his hard manhood pressed at the entrance to the very core of her. She raised her hips, and the pressure of his entry made her gasp as he plunged into her. He nuzzled her cheek, whispering soft words that made her chest fill with warmth. As the pressure slowly eased, he began to move, letting her feel the true magic of lovemaking.
A wonderful sense of falling and then being caught up on the wind filled her as he moved. The gentle rhythm of his lovemaking began to increase, building toward a glorious intensity. Her passion and love were unfurling sails that caught and filled with the wind that was Gavin, and together they sailed upon the glass-like sea in a dream.
This washeaven, this sense of belonging not only to him but to herself. This was her choice, her body, her soul, and she chose Gavin and chose to love him. For the first time, she knew what freedom was. To let her heart and mind and bodychoosetheir destiny was like breaking the surface of the sea and breathing for the first time.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Gavin whispered as he moved above her. She gazed into his brown eyes, which had once held such deep shadows. She saw no shadows now.
“I’m sailing,” she confessed. Her words seem to need no further explanation as he captured her mouth in another searing kiss. This time, he moved harder, faster, as though a storm was chasing them and he fought to sail them safely toward a distant, glowing horizon. A burst of sudden exquisite pleasure overwhelmed her and she cried out in shock.
He roared her name and she clung to him, digging her nails into his back as they rode that last wave together, and then, slowly, the intense feeling faded, but the softer, quieter sense of pure joy that remained was just as powerful. He collapsed on top of her, but she didn’t mind the weight of him. She stroked his hair, and this time she was the one to whisper soft, sweet words as he trembled in her arms.
“Mysiren,” he breathed. He lifted his body off hers but didn’t leave her. He settled onto his back and pulled her to lie against him, kissing the crown of her hair.
“Mypirate,” she replied with a drowsy smile upon her lips. Her body still ached, but in a far better way and for a far better reason than before.
She was almost asleep when he spoke again. “I have a home. A private place on an island that is hard to find. I want to take you there... Would you let me?”
“Of course,” she replied at once. “What’s it like?”
“I call it the Isle of Song. Thousands of tropical birds of every size and color fill the trees. I built a white house that faces the sea, and white sand lines the beaches. Fresh spring water forms streams across the center of the island, and monkeys leap from branch to branch while you explore the jungle paths. It’s a place of beauty and peace. It’s been my sanctuary for the last few years.”
She closed her eyes, picturing the beauty of this place, this Isle of Song. Just the two of them, alone with an island to explore. Her heart soared like a stormy petrel, riding the currents of the air.
Whatever came next, she belonged to Gavin and he to her. Neither of them had spoken yet of love, but she knew that day would come. For now, she knew what lay between them was real, true. They were no longer pretending to be a pirate and his stolen prize. They were two hearts bound by an emotion that ran deeper than any ocean and burned brighter than any rising sun.
She could face whatever came next, so long as Gavin was by her side. Storms might come, winds might rise, seas might darken, but she and Gavin would hold fast to each other.
CHAPTER13
The Isle of Song was everything Josephine dreamed it would be. After a little more than four weeks at sea, the sight of the small island in the Atlantic was a welcome one. White sand surrounded the island, and at its center lay a jungle with leafy foliage and ancient trees.
Gavin stood at the helm, guiding theCornish Pixiethrough the shallow waters along a path only he knew that kept the ship from catching on reefs or sandbars. The ship turned gently at his subtle guidance as it sailed safely past places that would have trapped other vessels. He slowed thePixiedown, and soon the anchor was dropped. Ronnie gave the order for two boats to be lowered so that some of the crew could accompany Gavin and Josephine ashore.
