He nodded, before carefully lowering her to the floor. She set her feet down and readjusted her chemise.
“I guess I should let Siobhan return to her own quarters,” she said.
“Aye, that’s probably for the best.” His fingers caught her under the chin, then guided her in for yet another kiss. She sighed, leaning into him. Two days
with little privacy would be difficult to manage, but it would bring them closer to their ultimate goal.
It also brought them closer to parting ways.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
EXPLORATIONS
THE winds weren’t quite as favorable as Captain Rackham had hoped. It took three days to reach New Providence, instead of two. Brigid spent most of her time sewing in the cabin, only seeing Liam briefly for meals. He’d set himself to work on the ship during the journey, to pay them back for the rescue. There seemed to be some distrust between the captain and Liam at first, but it thawed after the first full day on the Dark Beauty.
When they reached New Providence, they thanked Sebastian for their rescue and then they went their separate ways. Robert stayed near the docks to look for another ship to work on, but Brigid was eager to find an inn. Having privacy with Liam again to talk and indulge thoroughly in his company was too precious of a gift to not seek.
After they were checked in, Liam stepped out again to get them food while she bathed. Though she knew they could have simply eaten in the common room of the inn, she was pleased that he was bringing the food up to their room instead. Three days was a long time to dwell on what had happened without any answers.
Brigid had finished with her bath and was sprawled on the bed when Liam returned with a tray from the kitchen. She’d pulled on one of her men’s shirts and laced it up, but hadn’t bothered with anything else. The shirt hit her at about mid-thigh, somehow making her feel more nude than if she had worn nothing at all. The way that Liam was staring at her made her grin. The effect wasn’t lost on him, either.
“What did you get?” she asked, pushing herself up into a sitting position.
“The inn is well stocked, so I got us bread, some sort of fish stew, cheese and guava. There’s a little black pudding, too, though it’s different from what you might be used to. I got us a bottle of rum, too.”
He glanced up and saw Brigid’s look of surprise. She saw his eyes narrow slightly. “Something wrong with all of that?” he asked.
“No, it sounds wonderful. I just didn’t really expect you to get so much.”
“Well, we don’t have to eat it all right this minute, but it’ll be nice to have it to nibble on throughout the evening.”
She came over by the table and he handed her one of the bowls of stew, then poured them both rum. It wasn’t a lavish room and lacked chairs, but they settled to sit on the bed and lean back against the headboard. The stew was primarily lobster and some sort of native tuber, with peppers, onions and lime for flavor. Any meat that hadn’t been packed in salt for months was an improvement after eating on ships, though with the abundance of lobster and shrimp in the local waters they were usually considered a pauper’s meal. Brigid didn’t care how common her meal was and the stew was especially good. She relished it. The bread was freshly baked and a vast improvement over hardtack. Even as watered down as she found the rum to be, it was still more satisfying than ship’s rations.
The fruit, cheese and black pudding went untouched and they only managed to get halfway through the bread. All of it would make a satisfying snack later, or could be taken with them when they went out searching for the island. The reminder of how soon they’d be separated sobered Brigid’s good mood.
“Here, let me get those,” she said as she slid off the bed, taking their bowls and cups. She set them down on the table, then turned to look at Liam over her shoulder. He was watching her curiously, his fingers laced together behind his head.
“You know,” she began before she crossed the room. The bed was tall and she crawled up onto it on her knees before continuing on her way, until she slid on top of Liam, straddling his lap. She watched that inquisitiveness on his face transform into a knowing, pleased look. His hands moved to rest on her generous hips. “You make me feel absolutely beastly.”
One of his dark brows quirked upward. “Is that right?”
“Aye, like some animal in heat,” she continued. Her lips brushed over his softly. One of his hands moved up into her hair to pull her into the kiss and she felt his lips part under hers to deepen it. Rather than give in, she pulled back and grinned. “You never did let me go exploring like I wanted.”
“Exploring?” His eyes darted off to the side and he frowned. “What do you mean?”
Her hands moved between them to loosen the laces of his shirt at his neck. “Our first night at sea. You said I could explore your body later.”
Icy blue eyes darkened with hunger and she felt his hand tighten its grip on her hip. “So I did.”
She tugged his shirt up and over his head, then dropped it beside them on the bed. As soon as it was off, he wrapped his arms around her again, but she wasn’t done yet. Leaning into him, her hands slid lower to start at his belt. Her lips brushed against his again, then pressed more firmly as she deepened the kiss. This time he let her take control. She sighed into the kiss as her tongue slid past his lips, first tracing over his teeth before seeking out his tongue with hers. He responded warmly to the kiss, but didn’t try to take control, though she could tell by the tension in his body that it was difficult for him.
Once she had his breeches open, her hand slipped inside to stroke him. He felt thick and heavy and she marveled that he could be so gentle with it. Her fingers wrapped around his shaft and slid along it slowly, wanting to memorize every inch of him to keep herself warm in all the nights she’d spend without him. Soon, she couldn’t stand it any longer and broke the kiss with a quiet gasp. Her eyes moved over his chest and stomach needfully, then lower to admire his cock.
“I don’t know how you manage to be so beautiful,” she said quietly, then leaned in to begin kissing over his chest. His response was a soft moan, his hand entangling in her hair.
Using the tip of her tongue, she traced the lines of muscle on his chest, following around one pec until she came in to his nipple. She dragged her tongue over it and then breathed against the flat oval. She watched as he shivered and goosebumps rose on his skin, making her grin. She repeated the tease on his other nipple, then continued lower. Over a decade of hard physical labor on ships had hardened his body to pure masculine perfection. His stomach was taut, with gentle ripples of muscle visible through the skin. Her favorite part of his bare torso was the V of muscle on his abdomen that narrowed down between his hips, like a natural frame for the rock hard shaft there.
Her tongue followed one side of that muscle, moving downward and inward until she reached the dark brown hair at the base of his shaft. She nuzzled into it, then shifted her grip on his cock so she could kiss her way up its side uninterrupted. He had used his mouth on her, leaving her screaming out her ecstasy. The curiosity to see if she could do the same to him was overwhelming.
She brushed her lips against the ridge of his head, then kissed lightly at the tip. He made a quiet sound low in his throat and her eyes rolled up to watch him. His own eyes were narrowed, watching everything she did with a level of need she had never seen on his face before. The tip of her tongue teased at the slit in his head, tasting a hint of salt there, before she closed her lips around him and sucked once.
The reaction was wonderful. His hips raised up off the bed, his fingers tightening in her hair, and he groaned as his head fell back against the headboard. His eyes closed for a moment before, with what looked like a great deal of effort, he opened them to watch her once again. She swirled her tongue against him, then began to suck again, more purposefully. She had little experience to know what a man might enjoy, so all she could think of was to do on him what she loved for him to do on her. Their anatomy differed, but where sh
e went inward he went outward. The same principle would apply, wouldn’t it?
Her hand continued to slide up and down his shaft, stroking him in time with the movements of her mouth. When she paused in suckling, she used the tip of her tongue to trace along the ridge of his head again, then attempted to slide him a bit deeper into her mouth. He was so lengthy, she knew she couldn’t possibly give him the depth he had to crave, but she could take those first few inches and she made them count for all she could.
Her efforts weren’t for naught, if his moans and the small movements of Liam’s hips were anything to go by. “God, luv. It’s been a long time since someone’s been so kind to me.”
Brigid made a quiet sound in response to acknowledge him. Her own eyes closed as she concentrated on what she was doing. Now she could fully appreciate why he seemed to take such joy in pleasuring her. There was something truly amazing in worshiping at his body, knowing that he was enjoying everything she did as she reveled in the beauty of his form. Being the entire focus of his attention and hunger made her feel more desirable than she had ever felt in her life.
As she drew back again to suckle at his head, she tasted a spurt of saltiness on her tongue and Liam exhaled with a shaky moan.
“Stop, Brigid,” he said breathlessly, his fingers tightening in her hair again to tug. “There’s a lot more I want to do before I’m done tonight.”
“What is it you want?” she asked as she straightened up.
He immediately kicked off his boots, then moved to get out of the last of his clothing. Once he was nude, he sat up on his knees and cupped her cheek in his hand. “You,” he said.
His lips found hers again, making her sigh and lean into him. His arms moved around her to stroke over her back, then down lower to get underneath the shirt. Both hands gripped the full curves of her ass, tugging her close. The kiss left her breathless and reeling. Just when she thought she couldn’t take it any longer, he broke it off to duck down to her throat. His silky soft lips slid over the smooth column of her throat, before he nuzzled and she felt the scrape of stubble there. It was followed a moment later by his teeth nibbling over her pulse.
”Please, Liam,” she whispered.
His lips gently pressed a kiss at the hollow of her throat. “What?”
“I want you.”
He chuckled, then released her ass to begin unlacing her shirt so he could draw it over her head. “And how do you want me? This is supposed to be about you exploring, isn’t it?”
A thought she’d had many times since he first took her returned to mind and she blushed at its wickedness. “I want you to take me from behind and bite the back of my neck while you hold me down.”
Liam pulled away to give her a wry look, just before her vision was blocked as he pulled the shirt up. “A traditionalist? Aye, I think we can manage that. Will you let me use the manacles this time?”
The thought of the cold iron around her wrists, leaving her entirely helpless and not even able to see what he was doing behind her, made her shiver. She nodded. “Yes.”
Instantly, his lips were on hers again, hungrily claiming her. One of his hands slid between them to cup a breast, massaging the soft mound. The other hand slid over her ass and then she felt his fingers brush against the juncture between her cheeks before sliding lower. They teased lightly at the lips of her sex, making her whimper into the kiss. Just the promise of being with him was enough to arouse her, but touching him had been as much of a sweet torment for herself as it had been for him. His fingers slid through the slickness of her arousal before pressing between her lips. One finger lightly teased circles around her clit and her hips automatically jerked forward at the touch.
Before she could become too lost in his touch, he pulled away, then took her by the arms to push her down onto the bed. She went willingly, feeling pliant and ready. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him move off the bed and turned her head to follow him. His hand took her by the back of the head and gently turned her head back to face the bed, pressing it down to rest her forehead on the mattress.
“No looking,” he said, sending pleasant chills down her spine.
She lay like that on her stomach for a long moment, listening to him move around the room. The anticipation was agonizing. Finally, she felt the bed dip down on one side with his weight. He leaned past her and closed first one cuff and then the other, leaving her wrists bound together.
His hands slid over her ass, then gripped her hips to give them a gentle tug. “Get your knees under you.”
She moved to do as he said, drawing her knees under her body to raise her ass into the air. The exposure and helplessness of the position made her bury her face against the bed in embarrassment, but there was another effect on her. She felt a surge of arousal at her own submissiveness. The appreciative sound he made at the sight of her like that certainly helped. She felt his callused hand slide over her ass, slowly stroking circles against the smooth skin.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman more beautiful than you,” he pointed out quietly.
She bit her lip, finding it as hard as ever to believe him when he said things like that. He acted as though he couldn’t get enough of her, as though just the sight of her made him lose all control, and yet it was still next to impossible to accept. She’d spent too long unsure of herself and comparing her Amazonian size to that of other women.
His hand drew away from her and she made a quiet sound of protest, leaning back to seek out his touch again. Unexpectedly, his hand came back down on her ass in a sudden swat, making her jump and squeak. The sting of it was minor in comparison to the throb of excitement that it elicited. The vibrations spread through her thighs and sex, making her shudder.
“Do you like that as much as biting, luv?” he asked.
She took an unsteady breath, then nodded against the bed.
“Good.” He practically purred that single syllable. When his hand struck her again, she was ready for it. Aching for it, even. She moaned as she rolled her hips back to him and was rewarded with yet another blow from his hand. He paused briefly and his fingers slid down to tease at her sex. One finger pressed inside of her, then thrust in and out slowly.
“Oh God,” she cried out, her back arching. She worked back to meet the thrusts of that single finger, shocked that it could feel so good. This time, it was his other hand that struck her across the ass and her body automatically clenched around his finger, making her body tremble in sudden need.
“Aye, just like a female in season.” He slid his finger out of her, leaving her empty and in need of him. There was only a moment before he was touching her again, though. That slick finger worked circles around her clit, teasing at the small nub of desire. “In need of a male now, aren’t you?”
She started to respond, but he struck her across the ass again. She hissed sharply through her teeth and squirmed, finding it difficult to focus on anything but what his hands were doing for a long moment. “Not any male,” she finally managed between pants. “Just you.”
As if in reward for that, his finger worked directly over her arousal, rubbing back and forth as his other hand slapped over her ass and thighs rhythmically. Her hands automatically pulled at the manacles as she thrashed in a sudden orgasm, crying out his name in her pleasure. Every muscle in her body seemed to be fluttering like a butterfly and everything that she was narrowed down to those spots where he touched her. Those were where she felt most alive as waves of ecstasy washed over her.
Before she had come entirely down from the heights of her climax, he moved behind her. The hot press of his head against her entrance made her moan and push back to him. He pressed forward into her. She was grateful that she was so slick from his teasing, as it made it easy for his shaft to work deep into her in a single thrust. He buried himself inside of her, his hands moving to hold her hips, and then drew back to thrust again. The position was different than what they’d done before, with the way she was face down on the bed with her ass rai
sed to him. The change in position altered how he pressed inside of her, dragging against new places on her inner walls. She could feel him pressing more deeply into her than he had ever managed before, filling her so completely that it stole her breath away.
Each thrust won a soft cry or moan or whimper as she rocked back to meet him eagerly. His hands slid over her skin reverently and she could hear him murmuring her name. After a moment, he leaned over her to kiss his way up her spine, making her gasp and shudder appreciatively. Her body arched to his kisses, trembling for him.
When he reached the back of her neck, he nuzzled there, brushing her hair back out of his way with his nose. One of his hands had moved to support his weight on the bed while his other hand had slid under her body to massage her breasts. His movements were growing faster, pistoning himself in and out of her, drawing her body ever tighter with need.
The first soft scrape of his teeth at the back of her neck made her whimper his name before her throat froze up around her breath. The second nibble was slightly harder, with just a hint of pain to it. He was still gentle with her, though. He always was. It made her want to cry for how careful and attentive he could be to her body.
His thrusts were growing shorter, barely drawing back before jerking forward to press into her depths. Brigid groaned and squirmed under him, the manacles clanking in her struggles. The tension didn’t snap as quickly this time as it had the first. Instead, the orgasm came upon her in slow quakes throughout her body, like the roll of approaching thunder in a hurricane. She kept rocking back to him, too swept up in ecstasy to even make a sound. Just breathing was a struggle.
The sting of his teeth digging into the back of her neck finally did win a sound from her. She cried out and felt the hot flood of his seed within her at the same time. His arm around her pulled her closer, clinging to her desperately as they both gave themselves up to the overwhelming resplendence of their joining.
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