Page 111 of Found at Sea
I smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of his face. His brow was damp, causing a few pieces to stick to his skin. I’d frequently thought he looked best after being good and fucked.
“Do you enjoy being a pirate?” I asked.
He grinned. “I’m afraid I neverwasa pirate, Kellan. I do not have the makings of one, remember? A grumpy captain told me that before.”
My lips twitched. “I’m not familiar with this grumpy captain.”
“Oh, he’s a real pain in my ass most days,” Fletcher said and grinned like the naughty little imp he was. “But I might love him.”
“The question, boy.”
“You’re no fun.” He gave an overly dramatic sigh. “No, I do not enjoy it. Pirates steal and bring destruction wherever they go. It is a thing I’ve never liked nor approved of. However, I do love the sea.” His face softened. “Why do you ask?”
“Ever since I was a young boy, the thing I wanted most was somewhere to belong. To have a family and a home that was mine.” I paused, finding it difficult to express my innermost thoughts. “When the former Captain Flynn found me and welcomed me into his crew, I thought I’d found such a family. Yet, there was always something missing, this emptiness in my chest that I feared would never be filled. And then I found you.”
Fletcher’s chin trembled, and I took hold of it before brushing my thumb along his plump lips. He was such a sensitive soul.
I wouldn’t want him any other way.
“Remember me mentioning my dream of building a home near the sea?” I asked him, and he nodded. “I never believed it’d ever be possible, not with the cruel manner in which I ran my crew and then later with the judgment placed upon me.”
“And now that the curse is broken,” Fletcher interjected, “you can.”
“Aye.” My throat tightened and I swallowed the lump that’d formed there. “Is it something you would enjoy as well? To find an island and build a home. Together. To spend your life with me in our own piece of paradise.”
Fletcher was quiet as he held my gaze.
That close, I watched the swirls of gold and orange in his eyes. The color of his eyes seemed to change with his attire and surroundings, or whether the sun shone or the clouds covered the sky. He was beautiful; an ever-changing songbird with the kindest of souls and the warmth of the sun in his touch.
“Say something, boy,” I said before projecting a nervous laugh. “Usually, I can’t get you to stop talking, yet the moment I ask you a question, you become a mute?”
“I was choosing my words.” He smiled, leaning in and lightly touching his mouth to mine.
“Choose them faster,” I said and went in for another kiss.
He nipped at my lips, and I growled at him.
“I’ve always loved the sea,” Fletcher spoke after pulling back from my lips. “But the thing I love most is the captain who sails its waters. If you wish to step down as captain of theCrimson Nightand make a home on an island somewhere, then I support you and want nothing more than to lie beside you in the sand. To swim with you in the crystalline waters in daylight and listen to the waves breaking against the shore in the evenings. As long as you’re with me, I don’t care where we are. Does that answer your question, Captain?”
The infuriating lump returned in my throat, and I tightly swallowed it down. A prickling at the corners of my eyes had me inwardly cursing myself for such weakness. Crying because you were happy was absurd.
“Aye, it does,” I said, tightening my hold.
I could never get him close enough.
“Could we still have a boat?” he asked, perking back up. “So we can go on adventures?”
His wide-eyed innocence still managed to cause an ache in my chest. Even with my second chance, I did not deserve him.
“Whatever your heart desires is yours,” I answered, pressing my lips to the top of his head. “I’d give you the whole world just to see that smile.”
“I don’t want the whole world,” he said, pushing his head into the crevice of my neck. “All I want in this life is you, Kellan.”
“And I you.”
Fletcher had not only given me another heart, but he’d given me another life—a richer life. Not rich because of loot or the finest jewels, but one of excitement, adventure, happiness. And love.
