by Celia Aaron
“I’ll do my best.” My cock head lands against her wet pussy, and I groan. “You’re wet.”
“Is that bad?” She catches my gaze again.
“It’s very, very good.” I push against her entrance, my cock harder than it’s ever been.
“Oh.” She licks her lips.
Her fingers go to my chest and trace the ink. “What’s this?”
“Tattoo.” I stifle a groan at her touch.
“Tat—?”
I claim her mouth, and she jumps beneath me. My tongue licks against her lips, but she doesn’t open. She’s still tense, too tense. If I fuck her the way I want to, she’ll be in pain. Fuck.
Instead of pushing inside, I run my hand to her pussy and swirl two fingers around her clit. She tenses more and then moans. I slip my tongue into her mouth, and her eyes open before fluttering closed again. I sink my fingers lower and draw up some of her wetness, spreading it over her tight nub and rubbing in time with my tongue.
I come up for air. “Open your eyes.”
She does as she’s told and meets my gaze. “What are you doing to me?”
I smirk and bury my face in her neck, kissing the tender skin over her collar bone.
“Mmm.” Her hands, likely of their own accord, move to my back as I kiss a trail down to her tits. I take one of her nipples in my mouth—her back arches, and her legs fall open wider.
Her pussy grows wetter, and I slide a finger lower, pushing inside her tight cunt. She freezes, but I ease my finger in and out while alternating my attention to each of her tits. I slip another finger inside her, and she digs her small fingernails into my scalp.
I force myself to take my time. I will take her flower, but there’s no need to bruise it too badly—not until she begs. I scoot down the bed and stare at her pretty little pussy. My mouth waters. I bend down and slowly lick her clit with the broad side of my tongue. Her hips jerk as I finally get a taste of her sweetness.
I fasten my lips around her little nub as I work my fingers in and out. She writhes, and I intensify my licking and sucking. When I feel her tensing to climax, I stop and give her a kiss before climbing back to her mouth.
“Not yet.” My voice is harsh, drawn taut with need.
She digs her nails deeper into my flesh and makes a frustrated “mmm” sound.
I ease my fingers out and stroke her clit again. She moans and turns her head to the side, so I fasten my lips to her neck. My hips thrust against the bed as I rub and bite and lick her.
“I feel… I don’t know… I think I—” Her body tenses again.
“Come on my fingers.” I push them deep inside her and use my thumb to continue working her clit.
“Come?” she asks on a pant.
I laugh, low and deep, then bite her neck. She throws her head back, and her entire body shakes beneath me. Her pussy clamps down on my fingers, and I keep fucking the goddamn bed as her pleasure drags her under the waves. Her mouth is open in a silent ‘O’ and her eyes are closed as her pussy grasps me tighter and deeper.
When she relaxes, I kiss her again and move my cock to her entrance. She’s spent beneath me, boneless. I ease inside her tight cunt, and she moans and wraps her arms around my neck. Pushing farther, I wait for her to adjust. She slides her hands down my back to my ass.
“Hurt?” I can’t believe I’m asking.
“No.” She shakes her head and bites her lip.
I can’t wait any longer. I push in all the way and swallow her squeal with a kiss. I fuck her mouth with my tongue, but force myself to be still and let her expand for my cock. Her tightness squeezes me as if trying to get me to spend before I get started. Not a fucking chance.
Pulling out to the tip, I glide back inside her wet heat and begin a slow rhythm. She gasps for air when I finally relinquish her lips. I groan and run an arm beneath her back, forcing her to arch up to me and spread her legs even wider.
Her hair calls to me, and I can’t help but grip it and pull her head to the side. She coos when I bite her neck just hard enough to sting.
My hips speed up, and the bed bangs against the wall with each thrust. She digs her nails into my back as I pump into her, the tightness driving me onward until our skin slaps with each plunge. I push myself up on my hands and watch her tits bounce. She holds my gaze with half-lidded eyes, and her swollen lips are parted as she pants and moans.
My balls pull up against me, ready to empty inside the beauty in my bed. I pound her harder, giving her everything I have. She reaches above her head and braces herself against the headboard. When she pushes herself onto my cock, I growl at the added friction.
Leaning down, I bite the side of her breast, leaving my mark.
“Cash!” she gasps.
I take the nipple between my lips and suck. Once she starts to writhe and tense, I release her tight bud. “I want you to do it again. Come on my cock this time. Can you do that?”
She nods and bites her lip. I lean down and nibble her lip for her. Raising her hips in rhythm with me, she rubs her clit against me with each stroke.
Her pussy grows tighter as I fuck her hard and fast. She finally meets my tongue with her own. She’s given herself to me, and I’m going to coat her pussy with my come.
I pull away and stare down at her. “Come for me. I want to feel it.”
She locks her elbow against the headboard, forcing herself down on me. I grunt with each thrust, and a fine sheen of sweat coats my body.
“Are you close?”
“I-I don’t know.”
I smirk and lick my thumb before stroking her clit. She jolts and arches her back. Her climax hits all at once. Her eyes close and she freezes beneath me as I thrust into her clenching pussy. I keep pounding her, getting every ounce of pleasure out of her that I can. But when she moans my name, my balls can’t take it anymore. I pull out and spurt all over her curls. Some of it lands on her stomach, and a jet hits the bottom of one of her tits as I stroke myself.
I let out one more grunt and sit back, surveying her body. My come looks like melted pearls on her luminous skin. She’s breathing hard and looks down at her stomach. With her index finger, she scoops up a little and puts it to her tongue. My cock tries to kick back to life.
“What is it?” She licks her finger clean.
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
“It’s…don’t worry about it.”
She drops her head back on the pillow and takes a deep breath. “So that was coupling.”
“Yes.” I stand and grab a washcloth. I scrub her down and wipe my cock off before slipping into bed beside her again.
“I think I’m going to be sore.” She rolls toward me.
I put one hand behind my head and wrap my other arm around her shoulders. “Definitely. Did you enjoy it?” I already know the answer. I just want to hear her say it.
“Yes.” She runs her fingers along my stomach.
“Take a nap. You’ll need your energy for when you leave with the stone.”
She yawns. “You’re right. I think I need a little break after all that.”
I pet her hair and feel her eyelashes against my chest as she closes her eyes.
We lie together for almost an hour—until I hear her breathing finally even out. Then I ease her off me and cover her up. Digging under the mattress, I pull out the gem, then grab my clothes and slip out the door. I dress in the hallway. Hannah the Whore is asleep on the floor at the end of the hall, her snore rattling in her throat.
I walk up to her and kick her awake.
“What? Another customer?” She looks up and smiles, showing come, crusty and white, on her mouth and the tops of her tits. “Oh, Cash. I’ll give you a discount.”
“No, thanks.” I dig some coins from my leather bag.
She holds her hand out for them. “You must want the full treatment.”
“No.” I give her the coins. “I want you to keep an eye on the girl in my room. Don’t let anyone bother her. See that she
gets out of the inn safely. Then follow her and tell me where she ends up.” I show her another stack of coins. “If you do all this, you’ll get the second half.”
Her eyes light up, and she rubs the back of her hand across her mouth. “I can do that. No problem.”
I stand and tuck the second half back in my pouch. She stares at the coins in her hand—likely more than she makes in a week on her back. I hurry down the stairs.
When I’m on the bottom step, she calls, “But where will I find you to tell you?”
I glance up at her. “I’ll be at Captain Lament’s mansion. Call for me there.”
With that, I’m out the door and walking down the bustling street toward my destiny. I pat the gemstone beneath my shirt. Before the sun sets, I’ll be aboard my ship, the Gloomy Lotus. A twinge of remorse shoots through me for Nere, but it can’t be helped.
I’m a pirate. I take what I want. Her and the gem included.
CHAPTER SEVEN
CAPTAIN LAMENT’S MANSION STANDS atop a bluff overlooking the port, and not coincidentally, the Gloomy Lotus. I walk the gravel path lined by palm trees and native flowers as the hot sun beats down on my shoulders.
The house is an overdone Tudor with white walls and brown wood crisscrossing the exterior. Captain Lament spared no expense when creating this ostentatious home—totally incongruous with the simple shacks scattered throughout the rest of the port city.
The gem hangs heavy around my neck, but I’m soon to part with it and gain my destiny.
I glimpse the Gloomy Lotus, its masts and black sails rising in the distance, as I knock on the Captain’s wide front door. After the first few knocks, a butler opens the door and welcomes me inside.
“The Captain will see you in his study.” He smiles and bows. “He’s been expecting you.”
“Expecting me?” I pinch my eyebrows together. I don’t like this. Why would Captain Lament be expecting me?
“Please, this way.” He waves a dark hand toward a room on the right, then turns and walks in the same direction.
I follow and enter a room lined with books, nautical instruments, and Captain Lament sitting at his driftwood desk.
“Cash.” He stands and offers his hand. His dreadlocks dangle to his waist, and his skin is far more wrinkled than it was the last time we met.
“Captain.” We shake, and I take a proffered chair across from him.
“How’s my old boatswain faring?” He sinks into his leather chair and props his wooden leg on a small stool next to him.
“Doing well, Sir. Very well.”
He scratches his chin. “That’s not what I heard. I heard you barely made it to port and that your ship is at the bottom of the blue.” His thick Island accent is laced with amusement.
“All true.” I lean back and let out a breath.
“You want to talk about it?” He smiles, the same friendly grin that greeted me the first day I went to work on his ship.
“Not really.” I gaze around at the room full of seafaring artifacts with more rare finds than a museum. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”
“Thank you. I’m proud of it.”
“Do you miss it?” I meet his watery brown eyes. I don’t have to explain ‘it’. He knows what I’m asking.
“Some days more than others. Yes.”
Shade walks in and perches on the arm of his chair. Her short skirt gives me a great view of her long, tan legs.
“But there are some things on the mainland that make the sacrifice worth it.” He pats her ass, then turns a serious eye back to me. “Let’s talk business. A little birdy tells me you’ve set your cap for the Gloomy Lotus.”
I ignore Shade’s smirk. “Yes, Captain. I think you know I’ve wanted that ship from the day you finished her. It just so happens that I can afford her now.”
He crosses his arms over his chest. “The rum trade that profitable these days?”
“Not the rum trade.” I dig inside my shirt and pull out the pouch. Like any pirate, Captain Lament’s eyes light up at the sight of possible treasure. I don’t blame him; my heart speeds faster, too.
I shake the gem from the pouch and cradle it in my hand. It catches the light and sends a blue prism onto the bookshelf behind Captain Lament.
He stands and holds out his hand. “Let’s have a look.”
I pass it to him, and he holds it up to peer at it, turning it every which way. My eye is drawn to the imperfection at its core, and I can only hope it won’t harm the price too much. As long as it’s enough to buy my ship, I don’t care about the rest. I’ll make my fortune on the sea.
The Captain taps a finger on his chin. “Something about this is familiar. Something…” He hobbles to a bookshelf at my back, the steady thunk of his peg leg faster than usual.
I rise and follow him. He runs his fingers over several books; their spines written in Latin or Greek that I can’t read. He seizes one and pulls it down before taking it over to a map table near the sunny window. He sets the gem beside the book and flips through its pages.
He runs his finger over the text on certain pages, then shakes his head and keeps searching. The sun slips behind a cloud, and the wind starts to pick up. He flips through the pages faster. Shade hovers at his elbow, watching him work.
An uneasy feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. “Captain, what is it?”
“Shh. I need to think.” He keeps flipping past images of sea monsters I can only imagine. Things even more hellish than the Kraken or the six-headed creature. “No, scratch that. Talk.” He shakes his head. “What destroyed your ship?”
“It was a… I don’t know. There was an enormous whirlpool and some sort of monster. We were trapped between the two. The whirlpool kept expanding, so we had to cut too close to the monster. It had these heads. There were—”
“Six of them.” Captain Lament stills, and his face turns a lighter brown as the blood drains from it.
Thunder rumbles over the island and the sky grows even darker.
I cock my head at him. “Do you know what it was?”
“Scylla and Charybdis.”
“What?” My confusion only grows with each word from his mouth.
He grabs the gem and peers at it again, staring hard at the center. “Where did you get this?”
“A shipwreck. There was a girl—”
“A girl?”
“Yes. She said the gem belonged to her.” My face grows hot when I remember how I tricked her. “But I took it. Now it’s mine.”
“Give it back.” He holds it out to me.
“What?”
“Give it back, and get the hell out of here. Get as far away from here as you can.” He shoves me away from the table. “Go!”
I’ve never seen him like this. His fear is palpable. “Captain—”
“Look!” He shoves the book at me. Thankfully, it’s in English. A drawing of the stone takes up one entire page. On the other, a description is written in neat letters.
The Kraken Stone
The Kraken Stone is rumored to belong to Poseidon. The name is a misnomer. It’s not an actual gem or stone. Legend states that the Kraken Stone contains the very last Kraken. It is, in essence, an egg. Poseidon treasures it above all other items, because the ability to create another Kraken, if need be, is a great source of power.
A deep roar cuts through the air. Captain Lament thumps his way across the room and yanks his scabbard down from behind his desk.
I skim the rest of the entry on the Kraken Stone, my eyes unbelieving. “Captain, what in the ninth circle of hell is going on—”
“Cash?” A breathless Hannah leans against the doorframe, her bosom heaving over the top of her corset. “The girl. She’s…” She takes a huge gulp of air.
I dash to her. “Where? Where is she?”
“She’s here.”
Nere walks in behind Hannah. She’s dressed as a boy, her hair pulled back in a topknot. She’s still beautiful, and only a fool would think she were a man
. I run to the window, but the cliff obscures whatever is making the deafening sounds. I hear splashes and stones falling.
“Who’s the boy?” Captain Lament asks.
“Nere is her name.” I back away from the window.
“Nere?” His eyes narrow, and he points his sword as another roar sounds even louder. “Nereid! What have you brought on us?”
“Give me the stone.” Nere holds her hand out. “I’ll go. Just let me have it. Please.”
I snag the gem and stuff it into my pouch. “What do you mean Nereid?”
“There’s no time!” Captain Lament grabs my collar and pulls me with him into the foyer. “Give her the stone. Take the Gloomy Lotus and get the hell out of here.”
I would smile if I weren’t certain a monster was scaling the cliff just outside. “It’s mine?”
“It’s yours. Go! Go or the beast will destroy the entire town trying to find it. To find her.” Captain Lament releases me and stumps out the front door.
I follow him onto the porch just as a tentacle flops over the cliff ahead of us. I recognize it right when the beast’s stench wafts over us. The Kraken. I’ve never heard of it haunting waters this shallow, much less taking to land.
Captain Lament rushes forward with his sword drawn as more dark green tentacles appear over the edge and snake toward us. I start to follow him, always up for a fight, but his words about getting Nere away from here to save the town echo in my mind. I grab her hand and yank her down the gravel path.
Nere tries to pull away from my grip. “The stone, please—”
The Kraken roars as the captain slices through a tentacle and swings his sword at another. The sky darkens and thunder rolls as I keep a quick stride toward the water.
“Cash, please. I can explain.”
“Shut up, and I hope you know how to fucking swim.” I pick up my pace and glance back. Captain Lament is dwarfed as the Kraken finally hauls its gelatinous body to the top of the bluff.
“You scabby sack of shit-knickers!” The captain stumps forward with his sword raised as I lose sight of him.
We run down the hill toward town until the slope on the left is smooth enough for us to veer from the path. We skid to the water, weaving through the native plants and vines until we hit the beach. The Kraken still sits atop the bluff, its roars growing louder. A handful of fishermen stand to watch.