by Ayla Ruse
He led them toward his cabin and locked the door firmly behind him once they were inside. She turned to face him, shock running across her face.
“Raphael? What’s going on? Surely you’re not going to kill him.”
“I am a pirate, not some storybook seafarer. My crew is a pirate crew. Killing is a way of life for us. You want to be a pirate? I should give you a gun and send you up there.”
“What?”
“You have no idea, do you?” he asked, feeling both possessive and betrayed.
“About what?”
Raphael knew he was being harsh. He knew he should explain his connection to Miguel, but right now, all he could see was her in Miguel’s bed. Her breathy sighs and moist mouth taking his cousin. Raphael would follow the bastard to Hell if need be to ensure this never came true.
It was bad enough, knowing she had been on her way to Miguel. Then moments before, on deck, watching her study the other man, as if considering… Raphael grew that much more determined to bury himself in her body, to claim her for his own.
“Miguel will never be the one to have your virginity,” he stated before turning away with a humorless laugh. “To think I was preserving your purity for him.”
“Wait. Are you telling me you you’ve changed your mind about having sex with me?”
“Of course I’ve changed my mind.” He stepped close and stared into her eyes, wishing he could force her to want only him. But he couldn’t read her now.
“What about your ransom?”
“Fuck the ransom.” He lowered his voice, still unsure of her reception. “I don’t need the gold and neither does my crew. I needed to get close to Miguel. If I had known who you were betrothed to earlier…”
He let his words die off, because he could sense the ire rising in her.
“You what, Raphael?” she countered. “You would have taken me like I wanted to get back at Miguel for some reason? All these times we’ve been together, what’s that been about? Revenge too?”
“You want to be fucked, don’t you?” He lowered his voice. “You boldly stood on deck not minutes ago, melting to my kiss. Miguel knows you’re mine, now I will make that a truth.”
“What if I don’t want that anymore? I’ll not be someone’s revenge.”
“Why? This is what you want, isn’t it? Hot, sweaty sex. Our bodies grinding together, my cock fucking your pussy until you can’t walk.”
She gulped, but did not move as he approached. A part of him hated how he was speaking, but the more he thought about his cousin, and how close Raphael had come to losing Elise’s passion to that ass, he couldn’t think straight.
“You can’t do this, Raphael.”
“Why not? Unless it’s truly him you’re wanting.”
“I would never…” she sputtered. “Damn you, Raphael. Why are you being so cruel?”
Her words made him pause. He was being cruel, and he hated how he was speaking, but at the same time, the past days of wanting and not taking her were driving him insane.
He couldn’t speak. Maybe he could show her that she was meant for him.
Like a cat snaring his prey, he grabbed her arm and yanked her to his bare chest.
Elise made a strangled sound and tore herself away, running for the door. He couldn’t let her go. Not yet. Not like this.
He caught up to her and slammed his hand against the door just as she reached for the bolt.
“Let me go,” she demanded.
“Why? So you can scurry off to Miguel?” He spat the name as he spoke it, the sound like venom on his tongue.
“You cretin. I’ve never met the man before today. I don’t want him.”
“I saw how you looked at him. And your disgust at the thought of his death.”
“Bastard. I wouldn’t wish for anyone’s death. You know, there was a time I wanted you to take me, but no longer.”
He stared into her immense eyes, shooting fire and daggers at him, and his cock thickened inside his breeches. Her chest rose and fell in quick, deep, angered breaths and her nipples stood erect beneath the thin lawn of the shirt she wore.
“That’s not your choice,” he informed her.
If anything, her stance grew stiffer. She jutted her chin forward. “I beg your pardon. I’d much rather go above deck and take my pick from your crew.”
Raphael knew she was baiting him. He knew it, damn it. But the thought of her lying down for his crew… To imagine their filthy, rough hands on her smooth skin, their mouths making her flesh wet and ready for their crude and painful thrusts, was more than he could bear.
They stayed like that, staring hard at each other, neither one of them moving, as if doing anything would admit defeat.
A loud boom echoed down to them and the ship lurched, throwing her against him. He didn’t waste the opportunity. He pushed back and slammed their bodies against the door, her back hitting the wood hard enough to make her grunt. She’d barely caught her breath before his mouth was there, kissing her, covering hers and thrusting his tongue deep inside, sweeping through the recesses and devouring every part of her resistance.
And resist she did. She wiggled and beat her little fists against his chest, which inflamed him more. She tried to scrape her teeth down onto his lips, but he forced her mouth open wider and pressed the kiss deeper.
Shouts rang down to his ears and he felt his ship tilt in the sharp turn he’d ordered, but he felt confidant of his crew. Right now, all he could process was the woman with him. The heated beauty who even now was softening to his kisses. In that instant, in spite of the chaos that had raged through him minutes ago, her clinging kisses calmed him.
She didn’t want Miguel. Raphael knew this, but now could he see past the haze of chaos that had reigned inside him.
He let thoughts of his cousin go, thoughts of his crew fade. He had Elise tucked close, her strong arms holding him tight and her sharp teeth now teasing his neck. He knew then that he wanted her, not because of any sort of revenge, but because of the strong woman she was, and how she made him feel when he was with her. Alive and free and hopeful for the future. The whole damn world could go to hell for all he cared, so long as he could keep her with him and wanting him.
She moaned into his mouth and her fingers curled around the muscles in his arms while her leg rode up his thigh.
He gripped her leg and pulled it high to his hip to press his aching cock to her. They fit together perfectly and he ground his hips, wanting them both naked.
“Is this what you want, mi Elise?” he asked, breathless, trailing hot, open kisses down her throat.
“Yes.”
“You want me to take you? Fuck you so hard you can’t walk afterward? Will that make you happy?”
“Yes, please, Raphael. Take me.”
She begged so prettily when moments before she’d demanded release from his touch.
She rolled her hips against his, causing him to groan and grip her hip. “Steady, girl,” he told her, struggling for control.
“I don’t want to be steady,” she cried out, her nails scoring his back. “I want to be free.”
Raphael picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. She crossed her ankles at the small of his back and he carried her to his bed, tumbling down with her. She clung to him, but he didn’t mind for now. Her touch inflamed him as he kissed every inch of skin he could reach. With fast fingers and nimble hands they removed each other’s clothes then fell upon one another once more, twisting and curling around each other, skin to skin, heartbeat to heartbeat.
“Forgive me, cariño. Please forgive me,” he said between kisses. “My fight with my cousin is a bitter one that I will share with you. Trust in me that my decision is just. And forgive me for speaking so harshly to you. Imagining that man putting his hands on you made me see red.”
“You will speak to me,” she said, kissing him back and wedging her body beneath his. “I want the story. But for now, I want you, Raphael. Only you.”
He did
not like forceful women in his bed, but this woman amused him, entertained him, made him want her to challenge him. He wanted her force, just so he’d have the pleasure of seeing her submit.
He let her play him for a few moments. She grasped his cock and touched it so lightly at first it was almost painful in its tease. He growled against her ear, “Tighter,” and she did so. He thrust into her smooth palms, his eyes closing and savoring her touch.
Then, “Enough.”
He gripped her wrists and lifted them above her head.
“I mean to take you now, Elise. All of you, but you must keep your hands here,” he indicated, pushing her arms above her head. “If you cannot do so, I’ll tie them up once more.”
Her eyes widened, but there were flames of desire and want there, which sparked his own. He nipped her lips. “Maybe I’ll tie your hands anyway.”
When she didn’t utter a protest but only widened her eyes, Raphael couldn’t deny them both what they wanted. He shot off the bed, tore into his chest and pulled out a silky cravat.
He had been wrong to accuse her as he’d done, and he was glad she’d stood up to him. His anger was gone, and all he could think about was his woman. His. She lay there, compliant, all long limbs and smooth skin, simply waiting for him and his touch.
Taking his time, stalking over to her, enjoying the way she squirmed and begged with her sinfully blue eyes, he tied her wrists together first, then to the notch he’d cut into the headboard. When she was secure, he stood up and trailed his fingers over her body.
The ship swayed beneath his feet and the earlier shouts and cries had died off, but all he could hear were their heartbeats, straining to match. Her desires wanting his command.
“Raphael,” she sighed, and he didn’t linger any longer.
Laying over her, he closed his eyes a moment to savor the contact of his hard body pressing along everything about her that was accepting and achingly soft. Her breasts crushed to his chest, her legs parting so he lay between them, his cock riding so close to where he wanted to be. He kissed her lips, her cheeks and eyelids and chin. The long column of her neck was another path for his mouth to follow. She undulated beneath him and he continued down, laving the sweet hollow at the base of her throat before giving his attention to her breasts. Taking first one, then the other, he pulled each nipple into his mouth and suckled greedily, nipping the puckered tips and feeling her hips thrust up against his belly with every sensual tug.
Still he traveled lower. He spread her thighs wide and used his tongue to part the tight, swollen lips, opening her pussy to his greedy kisses. Her scent drew him in and he pressed his face against her, loving her tangy taste and needing more. When she shuddered beneath him, so close to her climax, he pulled back, wanting to feel her come around his cock.
With a hand that shook with desire, he set his cockhead at her entrance and slipped between her plump lips, coating his crown with her juices, and letting her feel him so close to claiming all of her.
“Raphael, please don’t make me wait any more,” she whispered. She lifted her knees and pushed her hips toward him. He remained still a moment and watched as she tried to make her pussy take his cock. She rose and thrust again and again, attempting to inch her way over him. His breath came in pants from the erotic sight, and he could take no more.
He held her hips down with one firm hand, set himself at her entrance and worked his way inside her body.
“Oh, oh, oh,” she gasped, her eyes wide and latched onto him. “You’re so big.”
He choked back a laugh. “I know I should be complimented, cariño, but all I can think of is that you’re so fucking tight.”
She matched the strangled laugh and ended with a groan as their mutual joy joined their bodies another inch.
“Put your legs around my waist.”
Her immediate action caused him to slip in farther.
“That’s it, my sweet. You are so hot and wet for me. Sólo para mí, Elise. Only for me. You were made for me.”
“Yes,” she agreed, and nipped his lips. His control slipped and with a growl, he thrust his hips forward, broke her thin barrier and crushed his mouth to hers at the same time, swallowing her startled cry of pain.
He kept still, as hard as it was to do, and plundered her mouth until her body softened under his. In doing so, he slipped the rest of the way inside her until the pressure to move surged over him. He squeezed his ass to remain still in her, even as he kissed her into submission.
“That’s it, sweet. You are mine now. All mine.”
“The pirate’s treasure,” she murmured, her shy smile showing an innocence he doubted would ever leave.
“My temptation, love,” he murmured and pulled away from her. “You were always my greatest temptation.”
When she let out a soft cry, he thrust forward once more, eager for that gasp when he filled her.
He moved in her then, her body softening around him. Accepting him. His balls drew up tight, his climax impending, but he gritted his teeth and held on, wanting, needing to feel her orgasm first.
He adjusted her, settled a hand beneath the small of her back and lifted, changing the angle of her hips and the direction of his thrust.
“What, what are you doing to me?” she gasped.
“Branding you. You’ll never imagine sharing this body with anyone but me.”
“Oh, oh… Yes! Raphael, that…right there…I… Oh, God! Only you!” She groaned, long and loud, and he increased his pace and his thrust. He pumped his hips into her so hard and fast he knew her virgin flesh would feel abused after their lovemaking, but the pleasure was too much. Even for Elise, he could tell, watching her eyes glaze over and her breath catch.
“Come for me, Elise.” His command was guttural and strained. “Come for me.”
Then she did. Her walls tightened, making his cock work that much harder to plow into her body. It both wanted and resisted him. The spasms started and milked his cock until he groaned with the sheer effort to wring out every pleasure possible.
He kissed her, stole her breath just as she stole his, until he couldn’t hold back any longer. He finally let himself go over, his thrusting so forced he couldn’t even stop as his cum jetted deep into her. He shouted, his voice hoarse, mingling with her continued incoherent cries and moans.
Chapter Nine
Elise woke to a warm cloth bathing her. She murmured and turned when large hands urged her body around.
Large hands?
Her eyes flew open and she would have bolted up but for his holding her down.
“Shh, Elise. It is only I.”
She settled back, watching Raphael openly now. He dipped the cloth he held into a bowl of water, wrung it out then gently continued to wash her. The warm water felt like a balm to her body, which was now feeling all the aches and twinges of their lovemaking.
“I want you again,” he told her.
“I want you too,” she admitted. “But I’m a little—”
“Sore. I know. Which is why I have something different in mind.”
“Oh?” When it came from his mouth, she liked everything different.
“First, now that you are ruined, you know that you’ll have to become a pirate.”
Her heart skipped a beat, remembering how crudely he’d talked about pirates moments ago. He must have seen the look because he said, “I’m sorry for my comments earlier. I would never do that to you.”
“But what happened to Miguel and his ship?”
Raphael’s mouth twisted. “Reddy told me after our cannon took down his mainsail on the first shot, they ran up a white flag and limped away.”
“But didn’t you tell Reddy to take it out?”
“That’s the wonder of having a first mate who’s been with you for so long. He knew the only way I’d be happy in taking out Miguel is if I used my own hands. Maiming his ship is punishment enough for now.”
“What did he do to you?” She needed to know. He set aside the bowl then,
stretched out alongside her and told her the story of how Miguel had treated him and his mother cruelly. “Damn, Raphael. If I’d known that, I would have demanded you stay up there and take him out.”
His deep laughter rumbled through the cabin. “What’s this? You’ve already turned into a bloodthirsty little thing.”
“Well, I don’t know about the blood part.” She liked hearing him laugh and seeing him smile.
“But do not worry. We are not pirates any more in the sense of pillage and thievery. Too many of us are being arrested and taken down. But there are still places in the world, cariño, where we can be free. I have plenty of money, even without your ransom.” He met her gaze then. “I’m asking you to stay with me. Be mine. Marry me if you feel the need. Or not.”
“I can truly be yours, forever? And you’ll be mine? No more women at every port?”
He chuckled and the sound brought a feeling of closeness and contentment to her for the first time in forever. “I have no other women and haven’t for a long time. I meant what I said, Elise, you were made for me. Be my temptation, now and forever.”
“I…I think I’m falling in love with you, Raphael.”
He touched his forehead to hers. “Funny, I’m feeling the same way.”
“Yes. Yes, I’ll be yours, Raphael. Now and forever. We can sail the seas or live on a deserted island for all I care, so long as I’m with you.”
She reached up and pulled him into a hug, her heart bursting with joy. Their lips met and this time, instead of desperate, their kisses were filled with a new kind of awareness. Unhurried and rich. The kind of kiss that knows there’ll be more to come.
He lay her down and ran kisses over her body once more. Then he shifted and pulled her to her side.
“What?” she asked as he moved away.
“Pleasure for you, my lady. For the both of us.”
He lay down on his side as well, but his head faced the wrong way. “Ah,” she said, grinning when she saw his intent, and let him lift her left leg, to settle his head against her right thigh. At his first hot breath against her curls, her insides went liquid. The first brush of his tongue against her sore pussy was a balm of soothing heat. She moaned and shifted her hips to get closer. As she did so, he shifted as well. She opened her eyes to see his cock, thick and hard, inches from her face.