Chapter 123: You’re Mine and That’s That *
The captain’s cabin door had not even finished swinging shut before James slammed into the chart table, hard enough to send some chart, an inkpot, a compass, he did not know what more skidding across the surface and crashing to the deck.
Neither of them so much as glanced down to see what it was.
Anne had her legs wrapped around his waist, both hands knotted tight in his shirt. The kiss that had begun on the beach had only changed, turning hungrier now that a closed door stood between them and the rest of the world.
James’s hand brushed the cut on her cheek for the briefest moment, smearing the dry blood there. He only needed to know it was there before his hand wandered elsewhere, and the sting drew a soft cry from Anne against his mouth, low with pleasure rather than pain.
He brought her toward the bunk, but the wet planks betrayed him before he got there. His foot shot out from under him, and the two of them went down hard together, Anne landing on top of him in a tangle of limbs and breath and laughter that broke rough in her throat.
They rolled across the slick floorboards, the violence of it only making the kiss fiercer when they found each other again.
"The prize."
The words came reluctantly. "Somebody ought to see to the prize, James. The lootin’, the surrender. All of it."
"Whitlock and Cudjoe are dry enough and mean enough between the pair of them."
Still grinning, James rolled with her, pinned beneath her for a heartbeat before hauling them upright in one clumsy motion. He caught her around the waist before either of them could lose their footing again, kissing her as though the interruption had never happened.
"They’ll keep every man honest without me standin’ there countin’ every coin."
"Whitlock’s got the face of a disappointed schoolmaster."
"Aye, and I’d rather not be thinkin’ about either of their ugly mugs right now. Of all the moments ye could’ve picked..."
His lips found her neck, and whatever Anne had meant to add about the prize broke apart into a breath that held no words at all.
"The whole crew’s already callin’ you lady boss."
Anne caught his shirt and ripped it open, buttons flying across the cabin instead of bothering with them one by one.
"You say that like you think it’ll embarrass me."
"I didn’t say it would."
"Good, because it won’t."
She yanked him down by what remained of his shirt and bit hard where his neck met his shoulder. James hissed through his teeth, though his hands only tightened around her waist, pulling her hard against him.
"Say it again and see what it gets you."
"Lady boss."
She bit him harder this time, breaking the skin just enough to draw a thin line of blood that smeared across her lips. The sharp sting made James suck in a breath, and the taste of iron only seemed to please Anne more.
She smiled against his neck, the pain by the low, satisfied cry she had made when his fingers brushed the cut on her cheek.
James laughed into her hair while his hands searched for the laces of her shirt. Before long, both of them had abandoned any pretense of patience. Cloth was ripped apart quicker to force than gentle fingers ever could.
His shirt went over his head in a single motion and hers followed moments later, tossed aside without either of them caring where it landed.
"Easy there lass."
He eased her backward toward the bunk, his voice rougher now.
"You certain you know what ye’re gettin’ into? I’ve been told I’m more trouble than I’m worth."
"I’ve handled worse than you before breakfast."
Anne caught his hair and tugged until he tipped his head back, baring his throat to her. Her lips wandered slowly from his jaw to his neck, lingering where the pulse beat beneath his skin.
She licked the fresh bite she’d left nearby, savoring the blood before her teeth found him again in a series of slow, teasing nibbles that promised she could tear his throat out if she ever chose to. Instead she only smiled against his skin, letting the threat hang there as her mouth drifted higher once more.
"I gutted dozens of sailors one hour ago. You truly think you’re the dangerous one in this cabin?"
"I think..."
He drew one of her legs firmly against his hip.
"...I’d like very much to find out."
"Then stop talkin’."
He answered by kissing her again.
After that, everything unraveled quickly. Her hands found his belt while his fingers worked at the last of her laces before both of them gave up on finesse altogether. They stumbled onto the bunk together in a tangle of limbs and discarded clothing, still wearing only what neither had managed to strip away. Both of them were breathing hard, from the battle as much as from each other.
For a single moment, James drew back.
Rainwater, blood, and salt still marked both their skin.
Beneath the cabin lantern, Anne’s copper hair burned like banked fire, the damp strands clinging to her cheeks, her shoulders, and the gentle curves of her body. What little clothing remained on her was soaked through and drawn tight against her body, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. Her pale skin glistened with seawater, warm despite the chill they had carried in from the beach, and every breath set her chest rising softly against him.
Her eyes shone beneath the lantern, fierce and unwavering as she met his gaze, as though she meant to claim every part of him she could reach. The blood she’d smeared across her lips from his neck had only sharpened that wild look, making her smile all the more dangerous.
For a heartbeat James did nothing but look at her, imprinting every detail to memory before the moment slipped away.
"You’re mine."
The words came without thought or ceremony. They simply escaped him because they were true.
"You know that, aye?"
Anne did not need to answer.
Instead, she slipped a hand behind his neck and pulled him down until not even a breath remained between them.
James understood well enough.
Neither of them felt any need to argue the point again.