by Vivienne Cox
By the following day he felt bright and well. In fact, looking in the mirror gave him hope that the bruises were not in fact permanent. His arse felt better too. Though he definitely needed to get fucked more often. He was sure that frequent use would make the process less painful. And he was certain too that Alexander wouldn’t object to the offer.
Taking his book, he dressed and went up on deck, and shirt and breeches were so much quicker to don than the layers of his uniform. Alexander was already there, walking the deck. James greeted him, but went to sit by the rail. Settling on the deck he looked up into the sky and let the warmth toast through him, until he felt rather like a cat basking in the sun. He was already losing his pallor, and that was good; though his pale skin would never brown like Cruise’s, it could at least look less pasty. He even contemplated removing his shirt, but decided against it as the idea of sitting half naked in full view of everyone was just a little beyond him.
As yet. For he knew he was changing. Knew that everything that had anchored him to his past was being cut away: duty, obedience, decorum, morality, religion. It seemed as if it all suddenly meant so little, when he had the open sea, the brightness of the sunlight and the even brighter light that was a tatty pirate.
“You really shouldn’t sit there grinning to yourself – people will talk.”
Alexander settled next to him, looking warm, happy, the paint dark under his eyes today. “Your men don’t seem to mind what I do. Or what we do…”
“Ah, get some comments did ye?”
“Advice, actually. Apparently there are cures for what ailed my arse.”
“The best cure for that is to do it again.” Alexander turned to face him, fingers playing with the long strands of beads that framed his face. “Often, Jamie, often.”
A few words and he was stiff. The man was a sorcerer. James nodded and tried to answer evenly. “I guessed that might be the case.”
“Good.” Ah, that smile. It shot pleasure down to the very soles of his feet. “So, ye thinks that might be a good course to sail?”
“You have no arguments from me, Captain.”
“Good.” Alexander grinned, as self-satisfied as it was possible to look. “I hoped ye might be agreeable.”
“Perfectly. And very willing to try out newly learned skills on you.”
Now that got a good reaction, as the heat in Alexander’s eyes intensified. James allowed himself his own moment of satisfaction, and grinned before opening the book and pretending to read.
Alexander peered over his shoulder and a long finger stroked the book, tracing a line of words. “Watch out for the pearls.”
Turning, staring into his eyes, James shook his head. “Too late, I seem to have found one.”
“Do you?” The scrutiny lingered, then something like fear flickered in the dark, striated pupils, and disconcertingly, Alexander blinked and turned away. “Jamie, how d’ye fancy a stroll on land. We’ve got to replenish water and wood for the galley, so we’re anchoring in a small bay sometime tomorrow. It’ll take the men a few hours to collect everything, so we could wander off.”
Immediately distracted, James found his mouth to be dry. “Wander off.” So much to anticipate in those two words. “Inspect the lie of the land?”
“Which we do by lying on it. Together. That sound reasonable?”
“Perfectly.” The idea of coupling in the open air was debauched, and utterly delicious. “I’ve never, you know, outside.”
Alexander looked almost comically surprised. “Then we have to!” He paused thoughtfully and tapped his chin. “On a nice grassy bit, sand’s no respecter of nooks and crannies.”
“We could always take a blanket.”
“Goodness me, Jamie, such hedonism. And yes, we could. And should!” He stood up, brushing off his breeches. “Well, I’d better go and do some captaining, or AnaMaria will be making dolls of me too.” And with that cryptic comment he wandered off, striding across his deck with a proprietorial air.
Amused, James opened the book again. But the words blurred, and all he kept thinking about was the fear he had seen in Alexander’s eyes.
::::
Chapter 28
They fucked again that night. In darkness so warm it felt like noon, Alexander laid him on the bed and came close to driving him insane. Kisses trailed down his skin, licks trailed back up, only for the sweetness to be pierced by teeth closing hard on his skin, hard enough to mark, to bruise, though the pain was as wound in pleasure as the kisses, and James shuddered in response to every touch. When he tried to reach for Alexander, to kiss in return, he was pushed back, hands dragged to above his head and held there. Leaning over him Alexander growled, and no words were needed. James kept his hands high, as if bound with invisible shackles, and let his body be toyed with, plied by a master of the craft.
When he was sobbing, so close to release that his hips were straining upwards, Alexander left off suckling at his balls, and moved to straddle his shoulders, pinning him down, arse settled on his chest, cock hard as it stabbed the air in front of his face.
Squeezing his own balls, Alexander arched back. In the shadows he looked sleek as a seal, his skin shiny with sweat, his face tilted back as he held himself tight, pulling downward as his cock bobbed and dripped. James reached with his mouth, licking at the pearly trails of seed, wanting more, groaning with a need that was beyond him to deny. Beyond Alexander to deny him as well. For the hand slipped upwards and gripped the cock by its root, pushing it down with a thumb to tease it over James’ lips. Suckling and licking at the tantalising nearness, James whimpered, and was rewarded by more.
He opened wide and took it, sucking hard, his mouth stretched as Alexander pushed deeper, his fisted hands pressed to the bed either side of James’ head, his body hunched as his hips twitched. Looking up, James met his eyes, met the need and the desperation. Fingers carded into his hair, held him, urged him on. He choked and panicked, then with a surge of air in his lungs took more. Wanted more. He could feel Alexander shaking, as if his whole body was locked in struggle, not move or to not move, the hand unsteady in his hair, stroking, clutching, trembling as if with ague, until he stiffened, and his cock swelled in James’ mouth, pulsing as his balls drew tight and he came hard, leaving James time only to breath and swallow, to gag unevenly as his mouth was used solely for Cruise’s pleasure.
Immediately it was done, Alexander moved, and was suddenly at his side, holding him, kissing him, licking the spilled spunk from his cheek, from his gasping mouth. A dip of the mattress and he was sucking James into him, eating his cock, sucking and moaning, so that James could hardly breathe or think as his body arched off the bed and he screamed his pleasure, sobbing out loud Alexander’s name.
Licked, kissed, released, he groaned blissfully as Alexander came back to his side, and wrapped his arms tight around him.
“Ah, gods, Jamie, I love ye. Stay with me.”
And all the fear was there, clear in the harshly spoken words. James stroked his face, kissed his lips lightly as he voiced his own fear. “For how long?”
“Give up what you were, stay with me. I’ll not steal again from any honest man. I’ll be good to ye. Good as I can be.”
The temptation was so strong it was hardly anything other than a decision. But…
“What would I be, Alexander? Your whore? I love you, but I couldn’t be nothing more than your bed-warmer.”
A hand gripped his chin and wild eyes glittered close to his face. “Never just that. Share the Siren with me, she likes you, talks to you as she does to me. You know she does. Sail at my side and we’ll explore the world, head south, past the China seas and look for mermaids, hunt sea-monsters, dive for Sirens. I care not. Just stay.”
“Alexander, you know I cannot stay.”
“Yes.” He was strung tight, so unsure. James shook his head.
“This is so strange, I thought that you might not want me…”
“Not want you? Alexander gasped. “We are both f
ools then.”
“But we’re fools together.”
And, smiling, Alexander kissed him, the accord sealed. Wrapped together they lay for a long time, whispering in the darkness, as the ship sang softly around them.
::::
Chapter 29
The harbour at Port Merrian was subdued. James Thomas stepped on docks and breathed in the salty air. It felt as though centuries had blown through and he was a long forgotten stranger. Perhaps he was now. He thought of his townhouse now which he knew he had willed to the Thompson’s, his only kin in the event of his death.
In his borrowed clothes and pirate hat, for the first time he felt in a long time he felt invisible here. In fact the crew of the Siren were more or less alone. James relaxed until he lay flat. The wood was warm under his feet, and he stared up at the sky through a pattern of sails. It was black, patterned here and there with stars or clouds, like something from a child’s storybook. After a moment Alexander drew beside him as well. His arm touched James’, the skin feeling chilly against his own. Leaning into his side, James stroked the damp, sandy skin with one finger. It made Alexander’s skin lift into goosebumps. “The weather’ll turn soon.”
“Rain and storms.”
“And more heat.”
“The Siren could head south?” Alexander turned and looked at him.
“Mmm, the Spice Islands.”
“The South China Seas.”
“More pirates?”
“Aye, but ones Admirals could prey on. Bad pirates, good pirates. Your favourite pirate. You could have fun.”
“Alexander Cruise, I swear you have the strangest notion of fun.”
“Maybe so, my Admiral, but at least I don’t have a raging tumescence in full view of the Siren – you know she’ll blush.”
James just grinned, lazily. “I’ve my breeches on. And besides, none of your crew are going to bother looking at us.”
“No?”
“No. I broached a fresh keg of rum…”
“Ah, now I see how you became an officer. For a while I thought you’d slept your way to rank – hey!” The finger stopped stroking and poked him, hard. Alexander grinned, gold teeth glinting in the moonlight . “Just teasing!”
The finger swept over his nipple and he gasped sharply. “Oh, unfair play…”
“All’s fair, Alexander Cruise.”
“Good job this is love then.”
“Yes. I’ve had enough of war. Enough of warring with you. Very well, let me go to the baker’s cottage. When I regain my rank – you can show me sea monsters.”
“I can show you more than that.”
“I know, Alexander. I’ll look forward to discovering exactly what as we sail.”
“James?”
“Mmm…”
“If you don’t stop – that! – yes that, with the… oh… nipple.” James smiled sweetly.
Alexander shivered. “Damn you, yes that! We’ll be doing more than lying on the beach and the Port Merrian will be educated along with the tree crabs and the gulls.”
James sighed. He lifted his finger and shook his head regretfully. “And there I was thinking you’d walk a little way inland with me, and maybe you’d find the time.”
He tapped once, lightly at the dark nipple. “The energy.”
A stroke this time that made Alexander gasp. “The inclination as well I’m thinking.”
Though the words were muffled, it was clear from the other man’s reaction that he’d heard them quite well. A nip of his teeth and James leant back. Alexander was glassy-eyed, and his cock was stiff, rosy hued and weeping. “What d’you say?”
“And now he wants words? All right then. I am going to fuck you long and hard. I may let you go before it gets dark, but then again…” The teeth gleamed. “Maybe I won’t.”
“Such promises!”
“I always keep my promises, Jamie. Always.”
And there was truth there. James nodded solemnly, and standing, he reached down to pull Alexander up to him. “Good. I will hold you to many of them, Mister Cruise.”
And stepping close he kissed the pirate hard. Distantly he heard cheering and a few choice words drifted past on the breeze. He didn’t care. Nothing mattered now, not really. Nothing except this. James was smiling as he stepped back. “So, until dark then?”
“Aye.” Alexander laughed then, and, his hand still clasped with another, turned towards the jaunty chaos of the Port and started walking. “Coming?”
END
Also by Vivienne Cox
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