by Eve Langlais
He snorted. “As if you’ll live that long. If you wanted to reward me, then you should do it now.”
“But I have nothing.”
“I don’t know if I’d say that.” His gaze went to her lips, and her breath caught.
“We really shouldn’t.” A breathless refusal that was at odds with her leaning closer to him.
“Shouldn’t what?” he asked, brushing a knuckle along the edge of her face, pushing back strands of hair.
“You’re known to be a rake.”
“I am. I won’t promise more than a few moments of pleasure.”
“You’re cocky.”
“I believe the correct term is self-assured.”
She swayed even nearer. “It makes no sense. We’re complete opposites.”
“I know. And yet, I still want to kiss you.” His hand cupped her head and drew her close enough that the hotness of his breath fluttered on her mouth.
“What’s stopping you?”
“Just waiting for permission.”
“And here I thought pirates plundered.”
They stared at each other for a long, heated moment, and then their lips smashed together in a torrid kiss that left them panting. There was nothing gentle about the way their mouths meshed and sucked. It was all heat and moisture as their tongues dueled.
It was as exciting as she’d hoped for. Electrifying, too. Every part of her vibrated with awareness. The stroke of his hands down her back, cupping her backside, brought a hitching breath.
Who knew where his roaming hands might have ended up if there wasn’t a knock?
“What?” Darius snarled, lifting his head, looking none too pleased at the interruption.
She could understand his irritation.
It was Tanzie. “We might need to move the ship, Captain. Something’s agitating the water.”
Only now did Shereen notice the rocking, but her stomach didn’t roll with it.
With a groan, Darius exited the bed, too many feet of virile man who took his responsibilities seriously. “Fuck me, I never get a break. On my way.”
He took a moment covering his seriously sexy chest before he turned and said, “We’ll finish what we just started later.” With a wink, he was gone.
And she had all day to wonder when later would come.
Chapter 10
The taste of Shereen lingered on Darius’s lips, but the real frustration throbbed below the belt. Probably a good thing they were interrupted before he did something that might change things forever.
He’d heard enough stories—some short, most tall—to know that kissing a princess was bad. The poor sod kissing had a tendency of being suddenly wedded to a stranger, getting eaten, or turned into some kind of monster. It depended on the tale.
What would be his fate for kissing a princess? Thoroughly, too. And while she was awake. The prince in that story got his head chopped off for kissing without permission.
However, he should have never actually laid his lips on hers. A pirate could not get involved with a princess. He’d just sail her up the river and drop her off.
That was the plan. He could already predict it would fail.
The princess had a way of getting under his skin and leaving it tingling. He didn’t want to ponder what that meant. Actually feared his reaction to her.
The words of his niece came back to haunt him. The part about him leaving his ship to live on land and having a few daughters. The idea had initially terrified, but now… Now he had to wonder if they were miniature Shereen’s. They’d be beautiful, probably stubborn, hopefully not as rambunctious as him.
Beautiful daughters. What kind of cruel prophecy was that for a man? He was well aware what boys thought about girls.
Which was why he’d never settled down with a woman. He glanced back at the cabin he’d left. And he’d especially never hitch himself to a princess, even a retired one. A crazy woman with delusions that she would suddenly inherit a psionic power and wrest back the legacy her father meant to leave her.
A woman who tasted too fucking sweet.
Darius held in a groan as he stepped into the iron bridge, the hot kiss of the morning sun baking his backside. The rocking waves were already calming. Clears skies greeted the day.
About time.
“Looks like whatever was agitating things is done,” he remarked. He clapped his hands and clasped them. “Are we ready to set sail up the Crocanile??”
“Aye, Cap’n,” rumbled Jorah. “I’ve got Ralf in da nest watching for nasties. Aquata and Tanzie are manning da cannons, and Clyde says to tell ya we at ninety-eight percent ‘ficiency.”
He arched a brow. “Impressive.” Usually they topped out at ninety-five. “Did they say anything about the foolishness of our task?”
Jorah shook his head. “They all like da princess, and unlike some people, we embrace our differences.” A not-so-subtle poke that meant he’d heard part of Darius’s argument with Shereen.
“I’ll admit it wasn’t my finest speech. I was just trying to make sure she’s paying attention to the ramifications of her actions.”
“The princess is smart, and da Lazuli aren’t what ya think,” was his cryptic reply.
“What makes you say that?” Darius asked.
“Because I’m not from a isles like I told ya, but Lazuli born. The village at da foot of da Crimson Keep as a matter of fact. I left when de bay turned red and killed my family.”
The bomb of information left Darius gaping. The things he didn’t know. “You never told me.”
“I seen how ya felt about dem. So I lied. But now ya know. Ya been sailing with one of da evil bastards.”
“You made your point. I should give them a chance.”
“Give dem a chance but never trust dem.”
He looked at Jorah and asked with all seriousness, “Can they help her?”
“If dey say dey can…” The big man shrugged. “Then probably.”
“With no side effects?”
Jorah’s expression proved less than reassuring.
As they neared the mouth of the river that dumped into the bay, Darius noticed the new set of links chained across the length of it. Thicker than his arm and sturdy enough to tear a chunk in his hull. Apparently, the Lazuli still kept an eye on things.
Would they know his ship approached?
Tanzie leapt ashore and raced ahead, grinder in hand. The scream of metal filled the air as she cut into the thick chain. Darius kept the ship chugging slowly, the engines providing only the slightest thrust to keep the current from pushing them out to sea.
The red waters were darker here, more ominous, too. However, unlike the cliffs, plants and trees flourished, the vegetation thick and lush. Perfectly silent, which proved eerie. A true forest had living creatures. But things with beating hearts required water.
With a scream of tortured metal, the chain snapped and the heavy weight of it sank. As he coasted the Avenger through the opening, Tanzie leaped for the ladder and clambered aboard, the grinder bouncing off her hip where she’d clipped it to her belt.
“A smart person would have heeded the no-trespassing chain,” he muttered as Tanzie joined him on deck to look at the passing jungle.
Tanzie grinned. “Since when do we obey any signs? Cheer up, Cap’n, maybe you’ll get lucky and find the long-lost city of Apple.”
“Treasure would make this fiasco more bearable,” he mused aloud.
“You going to let the princess have a turn up on deck? Fresh air would do her some good.”
He glanced at the red river that would kill anything that tried to drink it. “I guess now’s as safe a time as any.”
“I’ll get her,” Tanzie offered.
He almost turned it down. A part of him wanted to be the one to fetch her from the cabin. Maybe steal a kiss. Except would he stop at just a kiss?
“Tell her to stay where we can see her. And away from the edges. I don’t want her falling overboard.”
Shereen emerged
on deck, looking more confident in her stride. Her pallor less green than when they’d first met. Had she finally found her sea legs?
He had no reason to be on deck, and yet, he stood there and couldn’t quell a spurt of pleasure when she chose to come to a stop beside him.
She glanced with curiosity at the jungle. “It’s so thick and lush. How is that possible with it so close to the red water?”
“Heartbeat.” He put a hand on his chest. “They don’t technically have one, so for them, the water is fine.”
“How far does it run red?” she asked, glancing ahead.
They chugged along, not too fast. He wanted the ability to maneuver if needed and advance warning of possible perils. He didn’t want to tear out the hull.
“We’ve got about two knots of it before it clears, if my sources are accurate,” he replied.
“Will there be towns and cities once the water fouling clears?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. It’s been a while since anyone has come down this way. I imagine if the water is drinkable that we’ll see settlements along our route, but the city you want is at the end of the river, almost to the center of the continent.”
“I never imagined the world being so big,” she mused aloud. “When you barely travel past city walls, you don’t realize just how small a portion you really know.”
“Ozz is only a small part of what’s out there, too, if you really want your mind blown,” he said teasingly. “I hear there’s a continent on the other side of the planet that is larger than this one.”
“You’re joking.”
He shook his head. “While rare, I’ve met a few sailors from the other side of the world. Seen two ships. Real beauties that can submerge when the weather is rough.”
“Why haven’t you ever gone? You sound intrigued.”
“Because no two maps of those waters are the same. I like adventure, but I enjoy living more.”
“My father used to tell me when I was a little that there was no other side of the world. That the Fall made the Earth flat and that the seas ran off the edge and fell onto the moon, where it freezes on the dark side. It melts when it comes into the light, giving us rain.”
“The earth is oval. Everyone knows that,” he said with a roll of his eyes.
“My history teacher said it used to be round.”
He snorted. “As if.”
“How many days will it take us to sail to the city?”
“You tell me. No one’s done the voyage in years since they shut off trade. Back in the day, three days tops. But that was when they patrolled it.” He glanced to the forest, the living yet dead forest. “If we run into trouble, we’ll probably lose a day. Two if we need to do serious repair.”
“Why didn’t you tell me it was this dangerous?” she queried softly.
“Bah. Wrestling sea monsters without a dagger is dangerous. Sailing up a river is easy.” He tossed her a wink, mostly because he loved seeing her smile. Someone dunk him in some cold water because a man shouldn’t get a little hard from seeing a princess blushing.
“Do you think any of the bounty hunters will follow us here?” she asked, glancing behind them.
“For ten bags of Dust? Probably.”
“Not reassuring,” she muttered.
“If you want reassuring, then I can lie.”
She shot him a hot glance. “I want the truth. Even if it’s ugly.”
She might be ready for it, but he wasn’t. The more time he spent with the princess, the more a certain emotion sloshed around inside. She made him feel things.
Darius didn’t want to feel things. He just couldn’t help himself.
Under the guise of keeping watch of his ship, he stayed up late. Late enough he was nodding off when Jorah nudged him from the chair, sending him to the floor to jolt awake.
Darius glared at his first mate. “What the fuck?”
“Go to bed,” Jorah rumbled.
A good plan. Except someone slept in his. The woman he’d been trying to forget about for hours. She’d left the door unlocked, meaning he could just walk in. Anyone could have walked in.
For a moment, he contemplated waking her and yelling at the lack of safety. What if the bounty hunters had caught up to them? They could have absconded with her.
His heart pounded. Anger fueled by fear.
Fear for her safety.
He almost turned around and walked out. Instead, he shed his boots quietly then his shirt. He kept on his pants as he slid into the bed behind her.
Her voice was groggy as she said, “Did you lock the door behind you?”
The realization she’d intentionally left it open for him had Darius burying his face in her hair. “I did. Go to sleep.” He draped his arm over her. Her breathing even out, and lulled by it, he soon followed suit.
When he woke, it took him a moment to take stock of his situation. Which was soft and warm, with a body snuggled against him. Fully clothed. But that could change with a few flicks of some buttons. He angled himself slowly and carefully, and she made a sound of protest, a murmur really, with her eyes shut. From his new angle, he took a moment to stare at her fine features, the sun-kissed streaks in her hair, the tan to her skin. A woman who spent time outdoors.
In repose, her lashes brushed the tops of her cheeks, and her lips appeared pink and inviting. She shivered, and he immediately placed an arm around her, tucking her into the heat of his body, where she snuggled, rubbing her face against the bare skin of his chest.
The strangest feeling filled him. A calm he didn’t often enjoy. A protective instinct to urge him to keep her safe. Which put him at odds with his agreement to sail her to the Lazuli city. A festering strange place. Or so he’d heard.
Perhaps things had calmed down since their internal power struggle. Could be travelers no longer disappeared never to be seen again.
Maybe.
He stroked her silken hair from her cheek, tracing the line of her ear, unable to help the light caresses.
She rolled into his touch, practically purring. Her eyes opened slowly, and she offered him an even lazier smile. “Morning, Captain.”
He’d never been happier. “You’re a bed hog.”
“More like seeking heat. You’re nice and warm.” She snuggled back into him, and he groaned.
“You are testing my patience.”
“More like you’re testing mine. I seem to recall a certain pirate promised to finish something he started.” She rolled atop him, winked, and then hopped off the bed.
“Kind of hard to do with you out of reach,” he grumbled.
“I’m brushing my teeth,” she sassed over her shoulder.
She wore only his shirt. Anything underneath?
He joined her at the basin and scrubbed his own teeth and had a sip of water. But when she started brushing her hair, he growled and tugged her into his arms.
She laughed. “Too much?”
“You’re just going to mess it right back up,” he drawled before finally claiming those lips.
The heat ignited between them immediately, but he took his time. Devoured her lips, plastered her to his body.
Shereen moaned into his mouth, a growly sound that pleased. His mouth meshed with hers, a fiery kiss that had him hardening. Aching. Needing to bury himself in her.
He walked them back to the bed, laying her down upon the mattress then covering her body with his. When she would have twined her arms around his neck, he grabbed her wrists and pinned them over her head. She moaned again and writhed under him, her body undulating and bringing a shudder.
“Keep your hands there,” he ordered as he released them.
She regarded him through heavy lids as he gripped the hem of the shirt and tugged. It took only a little shuffling to have it gone, leaving her bared to his view.
She reached for the waistband of his pants.
“Not yet.” He feared rushing things if she touched him too soon.
Once more, he covered her body, this time skin
to skin, the friction of it making them both pant in between hot kisses. Her hands were no longer over her head but wrapped around his neck. She broke their kiss to dot feather-light kisses along his unshaven jaw.
He returned the favor but went past her ear down her neck, nibbling and nipping at her flesh. Hearing her gasp. Feeling her fingers dig into his scalp.
He slid his mouth farther and traced a path to her breasts. She arched when his lips brushed over her nipples. Cried out when he blew on the wet tips and groaned when he took a tight nub into his mouth.
He should have taken off his pants because, nestled between her legs, the cream of her arousal wetted the fabric. Teased him with the fact she wanted him.
But he didn’t skimp on his exploration. He let the nipple in his mouth pop free and moved to the other, but rather than suck, he teased her. He feathered his mouth lightly around and around, circling the nipple before he finally sucked it between his lips.
A good thing he pinned her, because she bucked and yelled. He sucked, and she uttered a low moaning cry, and her lower body ground against him.
The heat of her scorched through his pants. He had to feel it.
He inched backwards, letting his mouth trace a path over her belly and down to her pubes. She quivered and held her breath in anticipation.
He liked having her on edge. He pressed his mouth to the soft skin of a thigh. Kiss. Slide. Another kiss and a nip. Then he switched to the other side, blowing hotly on her core before he teased that other thigh.
She fisted the sheets and panted with need. She was so close. He stopped teasing. His warm breath fluttered across her nether lips. Her breathing hitched.
He parted them with his tongue, getting his first taste of her nectar. He swiped again, flexing it to apply a bit of pressure on her. Her hips twitched in reply.
He made sure to hook his arms around her thighs before he flicked his tongue against her clit. A good thing. She jerked hard and cried out. But he had a good grip on her and kept flicking it, again and again.
He watched Shereen as he pleasured her, and when she opened her eyes and gazed on him, her expression full of passion, tenderness, need…
He throbbed in reply. Wanted to sink into her so badly it hurt. Instead he kept swiping with his tongue, short licks on her clit. Long ones along her cleft. He spread her lips with two fingers. and while he lapped her clit, he thrust his fingers into her.