by Lucy Langton
Maria followed his line of sight, looking at all the people below at the market. Her eyes often followed one of the pirates in uniform, her mind calling out to those below that these men were actually pirates, and that they weren’t to be trusted. But of course, no one heeded her silent warnings. It seemed these pirates were experts at deceiving others.
“Will you not go ashore, Captain Maidus?” Maria asked, hoping to be rid of the man. She’d been clever to avoid him during the day and thankfully had not been summoned to his quarters again since the night he’d kissed her. Now she hoped that he would leave his ship long enough to give her a reprieve, and also allow her a chance to escape.
“I do not leave the ship unless absolutely necessary,” he explained, watching her as she looked at the seashore longingly. He could tell she wanted off this ship and could not fault her for that. He smiled, enjoying the power he held over this young lady, no matter how strong she often appeared.
“These days I’m sure the real navy is keeping an eye out for my ship. I enjoy standing watch in case an English ship comes to port and might give our location away. I could give an order that would bring the crew back to the ship within moments, allowing us to easily escape before the ship is recognized,” Captain Maidus explained as he looked out over the harbor and the only way in or out of the cove. “With the ship still being damaged, I’m not taking any risks.”
Maria turned her eyes towards the Captain, noting the pointed way in which he looked at her. It infuriated her to know that he was not only keeping watching over the ship, but her as well. She sighed, knowing that today was not the day she would be able to make her escape. A part of her wanted to cry, to finally give in to the despair, especially with the shore in sight. But she knew she couldn’t give up. Maria regained her composure with a new sense of determination.
“My men are going to be hungry when they return to the ship this evening. I want you to begin preparing a feast for tonight since Marvin is also on shore gathering supplies. I’ll send men to assist you,” the Captain said, gesturing towards the stairs that led to the kitchen. Maria looked to the shore once more, trying to memorize what land looked like before she walked past the Captain and down into the kitchen. Before too long she was joined by two other pirates who were kind enough to follow her instructions. She counted her few blessings and got to work.
~*~
By the time the night came, and the ship was sailing back into open waters, Maria’s anger had built to an all-time high. She was angry for being captured and led away on a pirate ship. She was angry at herself for not finding a way to escape. She was angry at every pirate that came near her and she would often yell, even causing Marvin to shy away from her when he returned to the kitchen with the goods from the market.
When time came for the dinner to be served Maria made herself scarce, not wanting to be a part of the feast that had been stolen from the hard work of others. She was too angry to be around anyone or even eat. Instead, she fled to her small room and stood outside the door, her eyes on the shoreline as it sank further and further into the distance. Away from everyone, she allowed herself to crumble and succumb to the tears that had threatened her all day.
“You worked so hard to make this food that it would be a shame if you didn’t eat any of it,” a voice said, causing Maria to jump and look up at the person. She was surprised to see James through her tears. She quickly wiped her face on her sleeve as she took the plate from him. She wasn’t hungry, but she knew she needed to eat. She started to take small bites of the food with her fingers, her eyes on her plate.
“I have something I want to show you,” James continued. “Come to my room tonight.”
Maria thought about it for a moment, not looking up at him as she wondered what he could possibly want to show her. But when she looked up to tell him that she’d come, he was already gone. She looked around for a moment, and once she realised she was alone again, she simply resigned herself to finishing her gruel, which she had to at least agree tasted better than normal.
Maria thought about James as she set her bowl aside, her eyes drifting out to sea. She was curious about what James had to show her and thought about all the great discussions they’d had while she’d been recovering from her fall. A part of her missed being able to talk to James every day, getting to see him come into the room and make sure she was comfortable. She also couldn’t forget the way in which he’d kissed her, filling her with a warmth she didn’t quite understand.
Even though Maria had avoided him ever since the Captain explained to her James’ intentions for keeping her healthy and content, she couldn’t deny that part of her longed to be near him. She’d seen the way James had been kind to her and always treated her with respect. He never tried to force her to do anything with him, and always made her laugh when they would talk. She had been able to relax around him, and she hadn’t felt that way ever since she’d been forced to return to working on the ship.
The more she thought about it, the more she realised how much she’d come to miss being around James. So, as she stood and waited for complete darkness to settle over the ship, she put her mind towards seeing James tonight and truly seeing what he had in store for her. If she was going to spend the rest of her life upon a pirate’s ship or as someone’s slave, at least tonight she’d allow herself to relax and enjoy the small pleasure of someone’s company that she wanted to be with. Maria had to enjoy this small freedom while she could.
Chapter 19
Maria took a deep breath before she knocked softly on James’ door. He was quick to answer it and allow her access. As she stepped into the room, he closed the door behind her. Maria turned and looked up into his eyes, the first time she had really looked at him in a week. She’d forgotten how his dark green eyes affected her, causing a blush to spread to her cheeks as she locked eyes with him. He was no longer dressed in a uniform but wearing a simple pair of leather trousers and a muslin shirt, with the first few buttons undone to allow her to glimpse his chest. She remembered placing her hands upon his chest and wondered if he’d allow her to do so now.
Maria saw that James looked anxious, as though waiting for her to make the first move, to say something. She gave him a small smile, trying to reassure him as she finally moved to the bed and sat upon it like she’d done many times before. She motioned for him to join her, which he did without hesitation.
“Did you enjoy your time on shore?” Maria asked, knowing that they should start discussing something instead of simply staring into each other’s eyes.
“Indeed, I did. I always enjoy being disguised and being able to convince people I’m someone else,” James said with a laugh. Maria tried to laugh with him, but James could tell that she didn’t find it amusing because her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. So, James turned his attention to the things he’d collected personally for himself.
“This is for you,” James said, taking a flower from a small vase beside the bed and handing it to her. It was a carnation, and as she held the flower to her nose, she could still smell its fresh aroma. She took a deep breath of it, wishing she was standing on the shoreline smelling these flowers instead of being on the pirate ship.
“Thank you, James. I really appreciate it,” Maria said genuinely as she traced her fingers along the petals, feeling how soft they felt.
“I remembered how you spoke of enjoying the flowers in your gardens,” James admitted. “I wanted to bring you something that brought you pleasure.”
Maria blushed again as she stared into his eyes, thinking of how he often brought her pleasure. She wanted to lean forward and kiss him, to feel his strong arms around her again. But she refrained as she forced herself to look at the carnation again.
“And I also got me a little something that I would gladly share with you,” James said with a smirk as he reached underneath the pillow and brought out a bottle of wine, that shone gold as he held it up to the candlelight. Maria laughed as she looked at the golden liquid.
/> “I’d be glad to share some with you,” Maria replied as she set the flower aside and leaned back against the hull of the ship. “But I dare not drink as much as I once did.”
James laughed at the shared memory, thinking again of the way Maria had almost drained his water skin of wine when they’d listen to the sound of the guitar. “I will not allow you to drink all my fine wine, Maria. I’ll share, yet not too much.”
James stood then and turned towards his wardrobe. He opened it and started searching through the drawers for two cups he was certain he had. With his back turned to her, she was able to spot a single key hanging from his belt. She thought for a moment, wondering what it could be. She knew that his chest was left unlocked, along with the wardrobe. Then she remembered the lock on the rope that secured the skiffs to the ship.
Maria’s mind started to race as she thought about the fact that the ship wasn’t too far out at sea. Perhaps if she could steal the key then she could get to a skiff during the night, when fewer people were around to see her, and she could possibly row back to shore. After being mad at herself all day for not finding a way to escape, Maria knew she needed to be willing to take more risks if she was ever going to see her family again.
Standing quietly, Maria’s eyes drifted to the dagger that rested on the chest next to James’ rapier. She stepped towards it, her palms becoming sweaty as she watched James begin to pour the wine slowly into the cups he’d finally found. She hated to do this, to cause James pain when he’d rescued her after she’d fallen into the water. But she also knew that James was a pirate and would never help her in the end when the Captain decided to be done with her. No matter how hard she tried to win over the crew, to gain their trust, she knew they’d never defy an order from their Captain.
Maria grabbed the dagger and approached James from behind, pointing the end towards his back as she prepared herself for the attack. She’d need to be fast and strike so he wouldn’t be able to stop her once she’d stolen the key. She’d even have to silence him before he could scream for help. But as she prepared to drive the dagger into his back, she froze, unable to cause this man harm when her heart beat so fast for him. Her feelings betrayed her as she found her only opportunity to escape fleeing before her eyes.
Memories flashed before Maria’s eyes as she remembered what it felt like to be kissed by James, to feel the heat and passion build between them until all she wanted was to feel his skin against hers. She’d loved feeling his bare skin in her hands. She couldn’t deny his kindness when he’d cared for her, keeping her safe in his room and bringing her food and water every day. The kindness he’d shown her wouldn’t allow her to do what she needed to.
Perhaps she could just scare him into giving her the key as she pressed the sharp end of the blade against his back, causing him to stiffen. James stood still, feeling the blade against his back, his mind racing to discover what Maria was planning to do.
“I don’t want to hurt you, James,” Maria said, barely a whisper. When her hand started to shake, James could feel it in the blade against his skin and knew that Maria wouldn’t be able to go through with killing him. He sighed as he slowly turned around, a cup of wine in each hand. Even though Maria continued to stand with the dagger pointed towards him, tears clearly in her eyes, James didn’t take offense as he slowly set the cups aside, not wanting to spill the wine either.
With a quickness that Maria wasn’t expecting, James struck out and grabbed her wrist, squeezing until she was forced to drop the dagger. Fear filled Maria as James pushed her against the bed, holding both of her wrists in his hand as he squeezed, debating what to do with her next.
“I just want the key so I can get to a skiff and get away. The ship can’t be that far from shore. I can escape in the night and no one will ever know,” Maria said quickly, trying to calm James as he stared at her, anger filling his features. “I would never hurt you, James.”
His eyes softened then as he searched her eyes, trying to find the answers to all that he was feeling. He knew he should tie her up and throw her into the slave quarters before reporting her treachery to the Captain. It would partially be his own fault for having Maria in his room, but he could face any punishment his Captain gave him. But as he looked deeply into Maria’s pleading eyes, he knew he would take any punishment for what he was about to do next.
Letting go of Maria’s wrists, he instead circled his arms around her as he crashed his lips to hers. Maria was surprised by his actions but was soon caught up in his passionate kiss, having envisioned him doing this to her ever since she’d fallen into the sea. She wanted to feel James’ lips upon her, to allow herself to be completely devoured by this man.
Maria was caught up in his kisses, loving the feeling of his tongue over hers as she pulled at his shirt till it came out of his trousers, allowing her to run her hands up his bare chest and feel the sun upon him. James brought her closer to him, wanting to feel her closer. He relished in the feeling of her hands on his chest and broke their kiss just long enough to pull his shirt up over his head, tossing it aside before bringing their lips back together.
James lowered his hands and grabbed Maria’s behind, pulling her up onto the bed as he laid her upon it, lowering his body over top of hers. He continued to kiss her, running his hands through her hair as he pressed his hips into hers, wanting her to feel just how much he wanted her in this moment.
It was a new experience for Maria, and as she continued to feel the passion build between them, she allowed James to guide her. She ran her hands over his bare back as she enjoyed feeling his strong muscles flex under her hands. When he pressed his hips into hers, she returned the gesture, enjoying the pleasure that was building up between her legs. Though she understood the basics of procreation, she’d never imagined it would feel like this. And with her future being so uncertain, she was happy to give James this part of her, to have the choice to do so instead of it being taken from her by force.
Maria ran her hands through his silky hair, tugging it lightly as their tongues jousted together. She loved his spicy taste and felt like she’d never get enough of it. James turned her head then, kissing down her face and neck, sending hot waves of pleasure through her body from the spot his lips touched her burning skin. His hands moved expertly over her body, pulling her shirt from her trousers so he could pull it up over her head. Maria leaned forward, allowing him to undress her so she could feel his hot kisses against her skin again.
James was quick to take one of her breasts into his mouth, rolling his tongue over the nipple as Maria arched her back, surprised by the way pleasure sprung from the place James had his mouth on. His one arm snaked around her back, holding her still while he supped from her breast while the other hand rolled her other nipple between his fingers, sending wave after wave over pleasure over her body. When he finished working his tongue on one breast, he moved his head to the other, giving Maria an experience she’d never forget.
Maria closed her eyes as she began to pant, her mind unable to think clearly as the pleasure James was causing her body took over. She ran her fingers through his hair, encouraging him to continue his onslaught on her body. She’d felt despair for so long that she was finally ready to feel the pleasure only a man could give her.
James leaned up and looked into Maria’s pleasure-flushed face. He smoothed her hair back as he raised up to kiss her soundly on the mouth again, pressing his hips into her so that she could feel his manhood eagerly waiting to be free from its bonds. Maria moved her hands down his body as she made her way to the front of his trousers, unfastening them so they could be loose enough to slide down his legs. When his manhood sprung free from his trousers, Maria grabbed it experimentally, wrapping both her hands around its length, surprised by the softness of the flesh. James gasped, leaning his head up as he stared into Maria’s eyes.
He’d never felt this way for any woman he’d ever been with, and by the attentive way Maria touched him, he could tell that she was inexperienced. James
shifted his manhood from her grasp and moved down her body, trailing kisses down her stomach until he reached her own trousers and made quick work of sliding them down her legs. He then began to kiss her around the navel, moving ever slowly towards her budding flower which was scented heavily with her excitement. Maria gasped when he kissed the inside of her thigh, his face so close to her hot core that she could feel his breath grazing against her bud. He kissed all around her opening, sometimes nuzzling her bud with his nose as he pressed his face in the damp curls of her flower.
Maria’s moans stopped only when he raised himself back to her face, kissing her again and allowing her to taste her own inner flavor on his tongue. It was a sweet sensation that she fell in love with, lapping at his tongue to taste more. It was only when he pressed his manhood to her opening that she stopped and leaned back into the pillow, her eyes meeting his.