Rowan laid wondering what he should do with the water nymph snoring lightly beside him. He was sure he wouldn’t let her go any time soon. He worried about how he would be able to protect her once his crew discovered there was a woman aboard. He knew they were a superstitious lot, and having a woman aboard a ship was believed to be bad luck. There was an honor among thieves, and while he had the final word on all decisions, his crew were allowed to express their opinions when the matter concerned them all. Caragh would be a matter that would concern them all, however indirectly. He had no intention of letting her mingle with the men. It was this last thought that played through his mind as he drifted asleep just before dawn.
Chapter Five
Rowan awoke to a warm body next to him, and he was disoriented for a moment. He always slept alone. No matter what merrymaking he engaged in, he never shared a bed with a woman. He looked down to find sparkling emerald eyes looking up at him. Memories from the night before flooded him, and he felt his face split into a broad smile. He lifted Caragh’s chin and kissed her gently. He felt as much as heard her sigh. She relaxed against his body; their legs tangled together. He rolled her onto her back and used his knee to nudge her legs apart. He clasped her arms over her head just as he had on the table the night before. Her knees fell open wider as she welcomed him into her body. She wrapped her legs over his, and her eyes drifted closed as he slowly circled his hips.
“Look at me, mo Caragh.”
Her lashes fluttered open. She searched his eyes–for what he wasn’t sure, but whatever she saw reassured her.
“Let go of my hands, Rowan.” She didn’t try to pull loose, but rather waited. When he paused, she continued. “I want to touch you. I need to.”
Once her hands were free, they explored the muscles of his back as they shifted below his heated skin when he thrust into her. Her hands made their way to his rock-hard backside. She gripped him much as he had her the night before. Rowan covered her face and neck with petal-soft kisses as he took his time. For the first time ever, Rowan wanted to go slowly and draw out both of their pleasures. Normally, he had little time or interest in lingering. Tupping a woman was like scratching an itch. It was something to be done quickly and once resolved, it was a thing of the past. The night before, he’d been so enraptured with the sensations Caragh created in him that he couldn’t have slowed down to save his life. His need had bordered on obsession, but this morning was different. He found he liked waking to her next to him. He wanted to take his time and show her that this encounter was different. The night before had been primal and savage, perhaps the remnants of battle lust for them both after the fight in the cave and the mad swim through the icy waters.
“Caragh, are you not too sore for this?”
“Don’t stop, please. Rowan, I need you.” Those four words melted the final ice around his heart. He knew she meant in the physical sense, but the last person to have said those words had been his mother, many years ago. He never thought to hear them said to him again.
“I won’t, mo ghràidh.” My dear.
A look passed between them that said more than words could. Caragh pushed aside his blond hair as she pulled Rowan down on top of her. He was careful not to settle all his weight onto her, but she nestled her face into the crook of his neck. She fluttered kisses there as she moaned. They both felt their release creeping from low in their bellies. Rowan forced himself to hold back until she cried out his name, then he pulled out and spilled on her belly as he called out hers. He rolled off her and brought her across his chest. They drifted back to sleep until the sunlight filled the cabin, and they could no longer ignore the outside world.
* * *
Rowan dragged himself from the bed and found a cloth next to the pitcher of water he kept for his morning ablutions. He dipped it into the water knowing it would be freezing, but he lathered soap onto it before coming to sit on the edge of the bed. For the first time, he noticed the blood that stained the inside of Caragh’s thighs. He looked down to see traces still remained on him. He looked back to see that her face was flushed with humiliation. He tried to press the cloth against her, but she pushed his hand away while snatching the cloth from him. She glared at him, but he refused to turn away.
“Let me take care of you, Caragh.”
“Why? Because you feel guilty all of a sudden now that you’re reminded I was a virgin? You don’t need to.”
Rowan shook his head only half surprised that she was once again defensive. “Let me take care of you because I want to. Because when I said I would ensure your well-being, I didn’t just mean from sword- brandishing pirates or your own impulsive inclinations. I meant the little things, too, like this.”
Rowan held his hand out until she relented with a huff. He gently passed the cloth over her as he cleaned away the remnants of her innocence. Then he pressed the cool cloth against her cunny. She hissed but sighed as the cool moisture soothed her skin, which was unused to such rough treatment as it had received the night before.
“I’ll call for some someone to bring hot water, and you can have a proper bath.”
Caragh laughed, but it held little mirth.
“And just who are you going to summon? I’m supposed to be your cabin boy. Wouldn’t I be the one to fetch your bath water?” She sat up and moved to stand on wobbly legs. “You’re going to have to let the crew know I’m not a lad. After what they must have heard last night and this morning, surely they’re wondering what manner of man you’ve become. They need to know you haven’t taken up buggering lads.”
“You have a foul mouth.”
“I have an honest one, and that was the politest term I know for that.”
“How do you even---” Rowan’s lips thinned. “Let me guess. Because you frequent taverns.”
“Not taverns. Just the one tavern in my village.”
“You seem to have gained quite an education in that one place.”
“No more than I learned here.” This time a hint of humor clung to her sarcasm.
Rowan gazed at his palm as if he was curious about it. He scratched his palm and looked at her.
“My palm is already itching to spank you again, mo leannan.”
Rowan watched as Caragh retreated even though she didn’t take a step. She shook her head, but at Rowan’s look of confusion, she clarified.
“It didn’t bother me last night. Not in the heat of the moment, but I don’t want your false endearments. Ones that you use with the rest of them.”
Rowan came to his feet and pulled her into his embrace, but she wouldn’t relax.
“I’ve never called another woman any of those endearments. It never crossed my mind before. I don’t say things unless I mean them.”
He stepped away to pull fresh clothes on and slipped out of the cabin before Caragh knew what to do. She sat heavily on the bed and looked around the cabin that felt neither like a prison nor a home.
Chapter Six
Caragh wasn’t sure how long she sat there staring into space before a knock at the door roused her. She found her boots where she’d dropped them the night before and pulled out the knife she kept in the sheath stitched to the leather. She crept to the door just as it opened. She was prepared to lunge with the blade pointed high, but at the last moment she realized it was Rowan. She stumbled, losing her balance. The knife skidded across the floor as Rowan caught her still-naked body. He blocked the door so whoever stood behind him couldn’t see in, then stepped in far enough to kick the door closed behind him.
“Trying to kill me now? You could’ve done that more easily in my sleep,” Rowan chided.
“I didn’t know who was at the door.”
“And someone who’s come to do you harm usually knocks?”
Caragh eyes narrowed to slits. “I don’t know what your band of miscreants are like, and you weren’t here, so I did what I had to do to protect myself.”
Rowan hated to admit she was right, but he was pleased to know she wouldn’t just open the d
oor to anyone. He pulled the blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders before opening the door. He stood in front of Caragh, using his much larger frame to shield her from the inquiring eyes of the three men who brought the tub and buckets of steaming water into the cabin. When they hauled in the last bucket, Rowan dismissed them and their inquisitiveness with a jerk of his head toward the door.
“There’s soap on the washstand, and I’ll pull out more linens.” He moved to another chest in the corner where Caragh could see drying linens and bedding neatly folded and stacked inside. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”
Caragh noticed Rowan seemed uncomfortable for the first time. He’d explored her most intimate parts the night before and helped wash them this morning, and now, oddly, he was embarrassed. She cocked an eyebrow at him and waited.
“I’ll be back shortly with something to break your fast.”
“Aren’t they going to think it odd that the captain is serving the cabin boy?” Caragh asked.
Rowan released his breath and stared up at the ceiling. “You were right. They are well aware you’re no cabin boy. A few heard your brother caterwauling your name, and those who hadn’t, heard you, or rather us. It left few doubts.”
“And they believe you brought a whore aboard for your pleasure.”
Rowan’s face flashed a warning, and this time Caragh chose to cease talking.
“And just where would I have gotten one of those to sneak aboard the ship, when every man on this ship was involved in that raid in one way or another? They all know who I brought aboard, and not a one of them suspect you to be a whore. A smuggling ringleader perhaps, but most definitely not a whore.”
Caragh nodded and looked to the tub, the steam inviting her to soak.
“Get in and soak while it’s still hot.” Rowan slipped from the cabin.
* * *
Caragh spent the rest of the day alone. Twice there was a knock at the door, but when no one entered she slowly opened it to find a tray on the floor. Rowan came back to the cabin for the evening meal, and while they shared conversation about the places he’d traveled and the most interesting contraband Caragh had hidden, there was little to keep Caragh’s mind from worrying about why no never allowed her out of the cabin or how her village faired. When they finished the meal, Rowan eased her from her chair, and they stood toe-to-toe once again. He made no move to touch her until she nodded once. It was all Rowan needed before he ripped his leine from over her head. He’d been in agony through the entire meal, seeing her seated across from him with nothing on but his oversized shirt. He knew what was barely hidden below the fabric, and he ached to sink into her warm sheath and lose himself there for another night. Their passion would be no less scorching that night than it had been the night before.
Rowan walked Caragh backwards until they reached the bed. She scooted back until she met the pillows while she watched him strip off his clothes. She’d smelled the fresh scent of soap on his skin when he returned to the cabin, so she knew he’d bathed somewhere. Now his hair fell about his shoulders as he crawled onto the bed. He seemed to prowl toward her like a big cat stalking his prey, except she wasn’t trying to escape. She opened her arms to him and welcomed him as they joined together.
“I missed you today, mo leannan.” Rowan purred beside her ear.
Caragh forced herself to keep her mouth shut. She wanted to snap that he could’ve come to visit her if that was the case, but she wouldn’t ruin the moment.
“Me, too,” she murmured instead.
Those were the last words spoken for a long time. Rowan slid down her body until he could nuzzle the thatch then the slick skin that sheltered the place he most wanted to be. He used his fingers to spread her nether lips as he licked the creases until she writhed. He brought her close to the brink over and over but denied her release.
“Are you punishing me again?” she whimpered.
“No. Not even close. I may be denying you pleasure now, but it’ll only make the climax all the more powerful when it finally comes.”
Caragh’s fist pounded the bed in frustration as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, and Rowan realized that she was far too inexperienced for the type of games he was used to.
“Shh, mo Caragh. I’m not punishing you. I thought to tease you for your enjoyment, but I forgot you’re not familiar with this kind of love play.” He kissed away the salty tears as he slid into her. He braced himself to keep from being too rough. He was resolved to be gentler after the way he lost control the night before.
“I want to learn, Rowan, but I ache so badly. It’s painful, and I don’t enjoy when I’m forced to wait for you. I don’t know what to do to ease the ache so I can enjoy this game you want to play. Rowan, I need you.”
They were the same four words as the night before, and they were just as powerful as they’d been then. He sank into her with all the tenderness he could muster, a tenderness he would deny he possessed if ever questioned. He brought her to the brink and followed her over the edge, pulling out just in time. As he withdrew, Caragh’s whimper made him look up. He saw she was looking at him, but he couldn’t tell what her thoughts were. It was the first time since meeting her the day before that he couldn’t read her emotions as though they were his own. Before he could wonder if she was sad, she opened her arms to him. He lowered himself into her arms and held her as she wrapped herself around him. They remained that way until Rowan’s arms shook and he worried he would squash her if they gave out. He pulled away and fetched a cloth to bathe her once again. This time she allowed it, but silently insisted that he let her return the favor. She scooted off the bed and came to kneel before him. She looked up at him, and his heart skipped at her look of joy, for that was the only way he could describe the way she appeared as she kneeled before him to serve him. Rowan suddenly understood what she’d meant the night before, how she’d felt rejected.
Caragh was a package of contradictions bound by the most beautiful wrapping he’d ever seen. She was strong and fiercely independent. After all, she orchestrated an enterprise that kept her village well fed and, by all accounts, fairly prosperous. At the same time, she was adventurous to her own detriment, but this lent an air of playfulness to matters when it was just the two of them. He knew she enjoyed a level of pain with her bed sport, and she didn’t oppose his spankings. She accepted them and had even shown remorse. But it was the contradiction before him in that moment that he finally understood. She’d said it the night before, but he hadn’t recognized its meaning. She feared what would happen when she didn’t please him. He’d only interpreted her words as a concern for the future, not a desire in the present. She wanted to please him, and now as she kneeled before him, she felt she had the opportunity to do just that. Never mind the glorious releases she brought him; it was now that she seemed to bloom. Rowan couldn’t have anticipated her submissiveness, but it called to his dominant nature.
He leaned back and opened his legs as she shuffled forward. She was careful with her ministrations as she bathed him, but her nearness and touch were enough to awaken his desire again. As he hardened in her hand, she stroked him until a pearl appeared at the tip of his shaft. She’d been inquisitive the night before when she’d seen his cock do the same thing. Now she was in a position to satisfy her curiosity. She leaned toward him as she watched him. Her tongue flicked his tip, and when she wasn’t repulsed by the taste and he didn’t pull away, she circled the tip. Air hissed through Rowan’s teeth as he watched her slide his rod between her lips. He could feel her tongue caressing his length as she took more and more of him into her mouth until he brushed the back of her throat. He worried she might panic, but instead she hummed. The vibration made his bollocks tighten. She reached out and cupped them as her brow furrowed in confusion. She rolled his cods in her palm, and Rowan thought he would expire right there. She worked his length as her head bobbed. What she couldn’t take in, she used her hand to caress. Rowan refused to touch her because if he did, he was
sure he would hold her head in place while he thrust over and over. He’d told her more than once that she was no whore, so he refused to treat her like one. Women had offered him such a service more times than he could count, but he knew it wasn’t for their enjoyment as much as it was the coins he would leave behind when he left. Caragh offered this with no expectations of anything in return. She offered because she wanted to serve him. He fisted his hands into the sheets and leaned back. He squeezed his eyes shut as sensations stronger than any he’d ever felt coursed through him.
His shift in position caused Caragh to move, and she found it easier to take more of him into her mouth. She forced herself to relax and move past her gag reflex. Once she calmed the panic that wanted to take hold, she was able to take him all the way in until he slid down her throat. Rowan groaned as he recognized a move that only the most experienced women had been able to perform. He couldn’t hold back. He reached to push her shoulder, but she batted his hands away and squeezed his cods gently. It pushed him beyond his limits and stars danced before his eyes as his release filled her mouth and dribbled from the corners. He tried to sit up, but his body felt boneless. He could barely see her, but he watched her puzzled expression as she licked her lips and smiled. He was unprepared for the peck of a kiss she placed on his tip before she stood up and sat beside him on the bed. He drew her back to lie next to him. He pulled her into his arms and held her, glad she fell asleep quickly because he was struggling to not drift off before her.
Chapter Seven
The next week passed in much the same was as Caragh’s first full day aboard the ship. Rowan left as the sun rose, meal trays arrived twice a day, and then he returned for the evening meal. They chatted until they were finished eating, then they spent most of the night exploring one another’s bodies. It was her eighth night when she finally convinced Rowan to take her the way she offered their first night. He brought out a vile of oil and warmed it over a candle.
The Blond Devil of the Sea: The Highland Ladies Book Three Page 5