His words caused heat to flow through her in rapid waves of shame and longing. This was rather embarrassing—she was perfectly capable of cleaning her own privates—yet she couldn’t help the achiness that built within her as she anticipated his ministrations. He didn’t make her wait long. After dipping the cloth into the fragrant, soapy water, he caressed it between her thighs, running it gently over each intimate fold. She arched her back and gave a whimpering moan, though she remained on her hands and knees.
Occasionally, his finger would slip through the washcloth and rub against her throbbing quim, and when this happened she couldn’t help but squirm and whimper, particularly when he grazed over her throbbing nubbin.
“Oh, please,” she found herself begging only moments later. “Pl-please, William.” She jerked in the water when his hand suddenly left her, arching her center in search of his touch, so desperate for him to assuage the aching in her core that she wasn’t too proud to beg for it.
He scooped up water over her bottom cheeks, then delivered two sharp slaps to her exposed derrière. “Naughty little madame,” he scolded. “I thought I told you to remain still.”
She looked over at him, her bottom stinging, thinking he looked far too handsome as he sat on the side of the tub, fully dressed with his sleeves rolled up to reveal his muscled forearms. “Perhaps you should take me to bed, husband,” she said in her best seductive tone.
“I’m not done cleaning you yet,” he announced, reaching for yet another cloth. Confused, she watched as he dipped it into the water. But he didn’t apply this cloth between her thighs.
Instead, he ran it over her bottom and even down through her crevice. Shame-faced, she swallowed hard and tried to remain in position, lest he decide to spank her again. The two slaps to her wet behind had reinvigorated the sting from her earlier spanking. She supposed she looked quite the sight at present, completely naked, on her hands and knees in the bathtub, with her red, punished bottom thrust out on display.
She gasped when he allowed the washcloth to fall into the water but still didn’t move away from her bottom. Instead, he splayed her cheeks apart with one hand and pushed a finger against her rosette. She lurched forward with a screeching protest, which earned her several rapid spanks to her wet thighs. Once she grew still, he stopped punishing her, and it took all her self-control to hold the position while he resumed prodding her most secret hole.
“As I’ve said before, my little dove, I own you.” His commanding tone made her feel even more subdued than her most recent spanking. “That means I own every part of you, including this tight little hole.” With that, he finally breached her entrance, pushing one thick digit inside.
William set a steady rhythm of pushing in and out of Lizzy’s bottom hole with his finger, delighting in her little moans and needy whimpers. She was exceedingly tight and his shaft went hard as he imagined one day filling her with his cock. He decided that he would henceforth attend to all her baths and continue training her in this manner. Perhaps next time she would manage to accept two of his fingers.
“Oui,” he said, staring at her puckering hole as he withdrew slightly, only to push straight back inside but a second later, “this part of you belongs to your husband and I will touch you here whenever I wish.”
She whimpered and he soon noticed the increased wetness between her thighs. Still maintaining a steady pace of driving into her, he released her cheeks, which he’d been holding spread apart, and instead urged her to part her thighs as wide as possible. Once she was positioned to his liking, with her back slightly arched and the gleaming pinkness of her cunny revealed, he reached for the engorged nubbin of flesh that protruded from her folds.
“You may find your pleasure whenever you’d like, little dove,” he said. “Come while I’m pumping in and out of your bottom hole.”
It only took a few caresses over her clit and she shattered to pieces, writhing and moaning while he kept pumping into the tightness of her derrière. Ah, but she looked lovely while in the throes of a release. Once she finally settled, he slowly withdrew his digit from her bottom and resumed cleaning her, using a fresh washcloth to cleanse the fresh arousal that now coated her intimate folds and her inner thighs.
“There,” he said with an air of satisfaction. “You’re finally all clean.”
She gave him a fatigued look, her eyes still glazed over with pleasure. He helped her stand up and he used a basin of hot water the servants had left to rinse the soapy water from her body. He helped her out of the tub, dried her off and wrapped her in one of his dressing gowns. She suppressed a yawn as she watched him tie the front of the dressing gown together.
“Perhaps you ought to take a nap,” he suggested.
She shook her head. “But we just got here. I couldn’t possibly go to sleep now. I want to explore. I-I’ve never been to an island such as this before.”
He grasped her hand. “I will give you a tour of the Bulwark and the island later, my little dove. You need some rest.” He swept her up into his arms before she could protest further, then carried her back to the plush chair. He sat down and held her close to his heart, feeling more contented than he could ever recall.
Lizzy settled into his embrace and it wasn’t long before he heard her rhythmic breathing as she succumbed to sleep. He hugged her tighter and placed his lips to her ear.
“I think,” he said slowly, “that I am falling in love with you, little dove.”
Chapter 10
Lizzy gave a contented sigh as she paused to gaze upon her surroundings. Though she had been on the island for over a week, she still had a hard time believing she really lived here. The wife of the Sea Lord, no less.
Seated on the porch of her home, the Bulwark, she tipped her head back and allowed the sea breeze to flutter through her hair, worn loose around her shoulders as per her husband’s command.
A knowing smile formed on her mouth at the thought of her husband and his commands. He had but to crook his finger or give her a stern look and her insides melted. She sometimes marveled at the irony of the situation. She had sought freedom and yet in giving herself unreservedly to her pirate husband, she felt free. Her emotions no longer bottled up and tightly managed but unfettered to be fully expressed.
Well, all but that one big thing. Love.
She felt certain she loved him, what else could that joyful sensation be? She suspected he harbored a tenderness for her as well, though he hadn’t confessed to loving her just yet. But oh how she dreamed of the day. She thrilled at the sight of him after even a short time apart. And his touch. Oh, the things his body did to hers.
Her bottom tightened up at the remembrance of her most recent bath—administered by William, of course. He had pumped into her tight rosette with two soapy fingers until she’d let loose a keening wail and exploded with pleasure. “Soon, my little dove,” he had leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “I will plunder you here with my cock. It shall be scandalously delicious.”
Recalling it now, hours later, her body heated. Though she would never say it out loud to anyone, she could not stop thinking about it. His fingers had filled her and sent skitters of pleasure over every nerve ending in her body. When she anticipated him shoving his hard cock into her, and releasing his seed into that tight opening… mon Dieu.
She fanned herself and looked to the east wondering what had happened to the cool breeze. The air had gone still. A quick glance to the sky gave the answer. Storm clouds, ominous and foreboding, rolled along the horizon.
She had no concerns for her safety, as the Bulwark was as sturdy a house as anyone would imagine. But, she still hated the sound of thunder. “Stop being such a child. ’Tis only a bit of thunder.” Her mother’s taunt rang in her ears.
Lizzy stood, filled with an urgent need to find her husband.
When she entered the front door it was clear she had not been the only one to notice the change in weather. Servants scurried through the house securing the shutters on the windows. An
d the Bulwark had many windows.
Lifting her skirts, Lizzy trotted up the main staircase to the second floor. She would most likely find William in his study, that bastion of masculinity filled with leather furniture, maps and the smell of fine cigars.
Just knowing she was near him made her feel better and she smiled as she approached the door to his manly sanctuary. However, before she knocked, she noticed the door was ajar. Only an inch or two, she assumed the opening was unintentional. Still, she ought to knock and just as she raised her knuckles to rap upon the ornately carved door, voices carried through the gap and her hand paused mid-air.
“So, you have collected the finest jewel in all of New Orleans?” an unfamiliar voice said and Lizzy’s breath stalled in her chest.
“Ah yes,” William answered. “And not just the finest in all New Orleans. I would dare say the finest in all the northern hemisphere. Possibly the southern, though I am less familiar with the treasures in that part of the world.”
“Congratulations! You must be the envy of all.”
“I am sure you will be impressed when you see what I have.”
“I cannot wait.”
She heard chairs scraping along the wooden floors and panic filled Lizzy. Barely able to believe what she’d heard, she took off running the length of the hall, down the grand staircase and out the front door.
“Madame!” one of the servants called after her. “The storm! You cannot go out there.”
Heedless, Lizzy continued running and did not stop until she reached the edge of the Bulwark’s expansive lawn.
She paused to lean against a tree and catch her breath, her mind spinning. The finest jewel in all of New Orleans.
A lie. It was all a lie.
Her heart had a hard time believing it, but the facts were all there. She’d heard him with her own ears.
How she hated that necklace. It had cost her beloved father his life and now, just when she thought she had found a man to love her just the way she was, she learned it was all a ruse. And all because of that damned piece of jewelry. She ought to have let her mother have it and good riddance.
She gasped for air, not sure if the difficulty in drawing sufficient breath was due to exertion or the devastation of a broken heart.
Tears streamed down her face. Lightning flashed followed by a clap of thunder that made her jump. She glanced over her shoulder at the Bulwark and safety.
William had hardly had a chance to introduce his beautiful bride to any of his friends or family. It was not as though they had sent out wedding announcements or hosted a grand reception. William was accustomed to living his life on the fringes, away from prying eyes. But, his Lizzy, his beautiful jewel, she deserved to shine in the spotlight.
Perhaps, in time, they would plan an elaborate celebration. He wanted to show her off.
And if he had to do it one person at a time, so be it. He had been pleasantly surprised with the arrival of his younger brother, Jonas, that morning. The two men had survived many adventures together from childhood to conquests on the high seas. The sight of his sibling had filled him with happiness. He had, of late, had many thoughts about family. His sweet Lizzy had inspired him to hope for children in the future.
Now that they had gotten caught up with each other, he was eager to introduce his brother to Lizzy. The treasure of his heart. Leaving Jonas in his study with a fresh glass of claret, he went in search of his bride.
The household was in a bit of an uproar. A glance out one of the remaining unshuttered windows told him why. A mighty storm brewed.
He had to find his little dove and assure himself of her safety. After checking several rooms, he came up empty. Where could she be?
A servant hurried by and he called out to her, “Have you seen Madame Marshall?”
“Yes, sir,” she replied. “I tried to stop her, sir. Honest, I did.”
“Stop her?” He grabbed the young woman by the shoulders. “What are you talking about?”
“She came running from the second floor, rushed down the stairs and through the door. I called out to warn her about the storm, but she gave me no heed.”
A flash of lightning lit the house followed immediately by a crack of thunder. The wind howled and the shutters rattled.
“Outside?” he gasped. “Are you telling me my wife is outside in this storm?”
“Aye, I am.”
A shutter came open and banged against the outside wall. The servant curtsied to William and took off to secure it while he charged for the front door, wondering at the sanity of his wife and himself.
The skies opened and the rain poured down. Not a few sprinkles followed by a heavier shower, no this time the rain came down in sheets that slashed at him from every side. He cursed himself for not paying more attention to the weather. He’d become lax in a few things while his attention had been focused on his bride. Never again. His duty was to protect her, and that included from the elements.
Cupping his hands around his mouth he shouted her name, but the wind and rain carried the sound away and he doubted if anyone besides himself ever heard it. Shielding his eyes with his hands, he scanned the trees that lined the perimeter of his property. A deep forest provided privacy and security.
Movement caught his eye. Bright pink silk fluttered in the darkness of the forest. A flash of lightning and he could see her fully. What the blazes was she doing out in this storm?
He intended to ask her that while punishing her bottom thoroughly for taking such a risk with her safety.
Running as fast as he could into the rain and wind, he entered the forest and went directly to his soaking wet bride. Her saturated dress clung to her body, practically transparent. Any other time and he would have found the sight enticing. Not today. Not in this storm.
“Lizzy! Have you lost your mind? What are you doing out here?”
Lizzy’s heart leapt when she caught sight of William, but then she remembered his words. Finest jewel. Her stomach knotted with anguish.
“Come, Lizzy, we must get you out of this storm.” He took her arm and tugged her toward him and she cried out in pain.
“Little dove? What is it? Are you hurt?” His eyes filled with concern and he loosened his grip.
“No,” she wailed, tears falling freely due to frustration and heartbreak. “It’s my hair.” She gave a tug to her tresses. “I’m st-stuck. This damned bush!” She stomped her foot and scrubbed at the tears on her cheeks.
The urgent look on her husband’s face softened. “Ah, my little dove. I will free you.”
As she watched, the rain pouring all around them, her husband gently untangled her matted hair from the spiked branches, cooing soothing words to her the entire time lest she wiggle and make his task more difficult.
“Hush now, Lizzy,” he said, drawing her into his arms as soon as he had loosened the last bit of her hair. He lifted her and trotted back toward the Bulwark as fast as he could take them. She wanted to push out of his embrace and run, but being in his arms, protected and safe, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not today. She stared at his handsome face and her heart broke a bit more.
As soon as they were inside, William started shouting orders. “Towels and a hot bath. Right away.” Servants hurried forward, laying towels on the floor to catch some of the water dripping off the two of them.
A handsome man came forward, a warm smile on his face. Though she had never seen him before, he looked familiar.
“So, this must be the finest jewel in all of New Orleans,” he said with a deep bow. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance. My brother has a tendency to exaggerate, but his description of you could not have been more accurate.”
Lizzy sputtered and stared at the man, then William. “Finest jewel? B-brother?”
“So,” William said as he poured another bucket of hot water into the tub, “would you be kind enough to explain to me why you went running out into a storm?”
Lizzy slipped as deep into the warm water as she
could. It seemed nothing would rid her of the chill she’d gotten out in the storm. The winds had died down and now the rain fell without lashing the windows. However, the storm inside her still raged.
She had been a fool. A complete and utter fool and more than that, her new brother-in-law no doubt thought she was an idiot. She couldn’t blame him.
William poured warm water over her hair and gave the wet tresses a tug. “Lizzy, I am still waiting for your explanation.”
“D-don’t you think we ought to get downstairs? We have a guest, after all.”
“Nice try, my naughty little bride,” William chuckled, tipping her chin up and forcing her to meet his gaze. “But we have a few matters to straighten out before then. There will be plenty of time to visit with Jonas once that task has been completed, though I would expect you’ll be more comfortable standing rather than sitting.”
A shiver ran through her body, though whether from the prospect of punishment or the severe chill of the storm, she did not know.
William massaged her temples and worked a lather through her hair. She laid her head back and tried to relax, but it was impossible. Guilt and anxiety weighed too heavily.
“I am still waiting for you to explain why you decided to go running into a storm. You can either tell me now, or I shall spank the answer out of you, but one way or another, I will have the truth.”
He poured clear water over her head to rinse away the suds in her hair. The bath would be over soon and if she didn’t want additional swats added to her punishment, she needed to ’fess up and fast.
“I-I went to your st-study,” she said praying for the courage to finish her sordid tale. “And the door was o-open. I meant to knock, but just before I did, I heard you tell Jonas that you had obtained the finest jewel in all of New Orleans.”
Pirates, Passion and Plunder Page 85