Page 80 of Devil of the High Seas
“How wickedImade you? Darling, you were born wicked. I am quite glad because we can be wicked together.” He moved his hand down to her bottom, then he slid his fingers between her thighs, teasing her until she wriggled in his arms. She so wanted him to be inside her, to make love to her.
“No more teasing.” She tugged on the strands of his hair as she kissed his chin, followed by his mouth. “Please, Gavin. I need you.”
“And I you. Lie back.” She sat on the edge of the bed and then lay back, bending her knees up a little. He grasped her waist and pulled her toward him so that he could reach her easily. She liked how he handled her, not roughly, but with confidence and desire.
Gavin bent over her and his mouth began to worship her breasts with flicks of his tongue, then he sucked on the peaks until they were tender. His lips moved down to her belly, then to her mound, before he reached the most sensitive part of her. The part that ached for him. She was already close to coming apart as he worked his tongue along her wet folds, but he stopped just before she climaxed. Josephine whimpered a protest, but her frustration eased when she realized he’d only stopped so he could remove his clothes.
She raised her head up to admire the view of her naked husband as he returned. The man had muscles everywhere. Even his hands and feet were beautiful and strong. She wasn’t a tiny creature, but seeing him like this made her feel petite and feminine. He climbed on the bed and crawled over her, caging her body with his. But he did not enter her yet—he simply kissed her, stroked her tongue with his, and made her feel loved.
“As a pirate, my mind was always focused on finding treasure or capturing the next great prize. I always thought I would find treasure as a pirate,” he whispered as he finally entered her. She groaned and raised her hips, eagerly meeting him. The moment he was fully inside her, they both remained still, taking a moment to relish the connection. It was the closest she’d ever felt to anyone. He kissed her lips, then the tip of her nose and her forehead.
“Oh? And tell me... what was the greatest treasure you found?” Her voice became breathless as he raised his head. He moved inside her, gently at first, and then passion overtook them both as he made love to her with complete abandon. The pleasure tore through her like a tropical storm and only began to settle as she rolled him over to lie atop him, breathing hard. He brushed his fingers along her cheek, their gazes holding on to each other.
“I discovered something far better than silver or gold. I foundyou.” The love in his eyes carried her worries away. They were sailing once more toward that bright, beautiful horizon, their ship coasting on the very clouds. She was the sea and Gavin the shore, always connected, never to be parted. Their love was as endless as the sands in the wake of moving tides.
And outside their window, the music of the birds of the Isle of Song carried across the waves and out to sea.
* * *
Three weekslater
Adrian stood on the deck of theCornish Pixie, hands gripping the spokes of the wheel at the helm. Above him in the twilight, the sails billowed out, catching the wind. ThePixieglided over the water, heading out to open sea, and leaving the Isle of Song behind her. He smiled as the sun began to rise over the ocean. Its rays bathed the brilliant blue water with splashes of gold.
“Nothing like it in the world, is there?” Ronnie asked as he came up to the wheel and stood beside Adrian.
“It’s as close as one can come to flying,” Adrian confessed.
He hadn’t thought he could handle captaining a ship yet, but Dominic had trusted him to try. For the past couple of months, he and Ronnie had taken thePixiebetween the Isle of Song and its neighboring islands for the supplies needed to rebuild Gavin and Josephine’s home. Things had gone exceedingly well on the voyages, and his older brother had decided to officially make him captain of thePixie. Adrian had felt bad for taking the ship that Gavin had sailed so well, but Dominic had assured him that there was another ship in his fleet sitting in Port Royal at the moment that would be delivered to the Isle of Song as a belated wedding present for Gavin and Josephine.
“Nervous about taking her out on more than just a quick supply run?” Ronnie asked.
Adrian was surprised at how perceptive his first mate could be. “A little.”
Ronnie grinned. “Don’t worry yourself. I’ll teach you everything you need to know, laddie.”
“Thank you.” Adrian was surprised by the man’s honesty. “Tell me, why didn’t you ask to be captain instead? You have far more experience than I do.”
Ronnie shrugged. “Not rightly sure. It just never called to me. I prefer to be a quartermaster. Er... first mate,” he amended with a grin.
“Well, I’m damn glad to have you,” Adrian admitted.
Adrian had raised his concerns with Dominic about being a suitable captain at his age, but Dominic had laughed. “I was a captain at your age. All you need is a proper first mate to teach you how to listen to your ship, read the water, and feel the wind.” If that were true, Adrian felt he had been left in the best possible hands.
“Well, laddie, where are we off to?” Ronnie asked. “To taste the favors of those fine Spanish ladies in Cádiz? Or perhaps the Barbary Coast, where we can ride upon the backs of elephants?” Ronnie’s eyes sparked with excitement. “What about the Spanish Main? We could hunt for treasure!”
“We’re bound for the colonies. New York, to be exact,” Adrian exclaimed with a laugh. “Dominic has rum and sugar to sell, and we’ve much to buy and bring back when we return.”
“Where’s your sense of adventure, laddie?” Ronnie jabbed Adrien playfully in the ribs. “You’ve pirating in your blood. Why not chase a bit of gold along the way, eh?”
Adrian pretended to give it a moment’s thought. “Perhaps asmalldetour wouldn’t harm anything, should an opportunity present itself.”
His first mate clapped him on the shoulder. “There’s my captain!” he said with pride. “To New York! And any adventure we find along the way!”
Ronnie bellowed orders to the crew as the wind changed slightly. Adrian held fast to the wheel, his eye upon the eastern horizon.
Adrian adjusted the wheel slightly as the crew worked the sails above him. Then, without quite meaning to, he started to sing an old sea ballad under his breath, one his father used to sing. The brilliant gold of the rising sun was such an exquisite, addictive color. Even the shape of it was like a Spanish doubloon.
At that moment, he understood why men like Dominic and Gavin had taken to the sea and chased gold.
