Elena laughed and turned to take Reggie's arm to accompany him back up the dock to the carriage that awaited them. "You mean when she's not in your bed?"
"Sometimes, Elena, I think you know me too well," Reggie patted her hand. "If she was just a tad fairer, I might even think about marrying the wench. Of course then it would be just like the Commodore and that little quadroon wildcat of his."
"Oh, yes, how is dear James doing? And--Erin, isn't it?" Elena's voice grew arch and Reggie noted the change without comment.
"Evidently," Reggie didn't know either of them personally but there was always gossip. He filled Elena in as her bags were loaded onto the back of the carriage and they rode home to his estate. He had hopes for a remarkable round of fireworks now that Elena had arrived.
)O(
James Dunbar stepped onto the dock at Nassau and couldn't avoid the sigh of relief. Home at last. They'd been becalmed for almost two weeks during this trip, turning a fortnight-long run to Old Providence for supplies into a month of worry. Perhaps the Good Lord is trying to tell me something, James mused as he waited for the passenger they'd picked up in Old Providence to join him on the dock. It seems every time I go away from Aaron, I end up away for months at a time. Maybe I should stay home. But the catch of that, of course, was that he needed to keep his career viable so he could keep receiving the pension from his father. He found himself scanning the crowd for that one important face though he knew Aaron was not capable of coming to the docks to greet him.
He felt a tug on his sleeve and turned to look down into the face of the little slave that he'd purchased. Henry, the boy was called, smiled up at him in delight. "Well, my friend, are you ready to go to Rum Harbor and meet Erin and Beatrice?"
Henry, according to the man who sold him to James, was about eight years of age. He was also, according to the man, mute but whether he was deaf or not they hadn't been able to determine. He nodded in answer to James' question so James held his hand out to the boy. It wasn't far to the fort and once there, James could borrow a cart or a horse to get them to Rum Harbor. He had some explaining to do.
)O(
When Aaron saw the Valiant docked that morning just after rising from bed, he couldn't resist doing a bit of a jig. James was home. The joy he felt when James returned almost made the misery he felt when James left worthwhile. Almost.
"Aaron?" Beatrice's voice reached him as he descended the stairs.
He stepped around the corner and she smiled when she saw the look on his face. "The Valiant's home."
"Wonderful!" Beatrice set the plate she was holding down on the table. "Now, you have no excuse for doing anything but sitting down and eating. You'll need your strength, hmm?"
Aaron gasped in mock shock. "My good woman! What 'zactly are ye implyin'?"
He couldn't resist laughing when her face flushed a deep red. After a second, she glared at him and lightly cuffed his upper arm. He held his hands up to placate her but the truth was he had no fear of her anymore. It was a relief to have someone else to talk to who understood about what had happened to him and accepted him. "You keep a civil tongue in your head, young man, or I'll take a ladle to you!"
Aaron chuckled and sat down to his breakfast. Truth was, he wasn't all that much younger than Beatrice but she was a mother and wanted to take care of those around her. He was nearly finished with the eggs (something he hadn't been able to accomplish in a long time) when he heard the door open and James call out.
"Erin? Beatrice?"
Before James could get out "I'm home," Aaron was on him, his mouth hot and demanding, his hands with a death-grip on James' lapel and the back of his neck. Abruptly, he was pushed to arms' length and James was giving him a slightly alarmed look. "We have a guest, Erin."
Aaron pressed his lips tight together and felt the heat burn in his face where he was blushing. It was then that James brought the little boy around to meet him. "Henry, this is Erin, my wife. Erin, this is Henry. I bought him in Old Providence for you."
Aaron had been smiling slightly when he looked down at the child. A cute little lad with a shine in his eyes of intelligence and, Aaron suspected, more than a little mischief. Yet when he heard that James had bought the boy, his eyes turned on the Commodore with a flash of fire. At the look in his eyes, James grew somewhat sheepish though he tried to maintain an innocent air. "No, my dear, it's not what you think. The man who owned Henry was rather--'unkind' to his slaves, to put it frankly. He considered the boy worthless because he can't speak. I bought him from the man with every intention that we educate him and free him when he's old enough. What say you?"
Aaron's eyes narrowed, shifting from James then back to the little boy. After a moment, he reached his hand out to Henry, who took his readily. They wandered off into the dining room where Aaron sat the boy down at the table. At that moment, Beatrice emerged. Once introductions were made, she absconded with the boy, making fussy noises about how dirty little boys got and how they needed proper food to grow into big, strong men. It was Aaron's turn, then, to look back at James.
)O(
Chapter 45:
Breaking the Fast
Aaron wasn't entirely aware of taking any steps but they met close to the middle of the room so he and James must both have done so. James grabbed him by the shoulders so hard that it was almost painful and returned his kiss from the doorway. Aaron's hands closed the back of James' greatcoat in his fists, his body pressing eagerly against James, feeling his own lust returned by James' body. He realized James had shifted his hands from his shoulders when he realized one hand was gripping the back of his head through his hair, the other rubbing his flank through the breeches he wore. Suddenly aware that they would be very visible to Beatrice and Henry, should they return to the dining room, Aaron pushed James away a bit, breaking the kiss off though he couldn't resist dashing little kisses against any portion of James' face he could reach as he talked.
"Too much of an audience, love. Let's go upstairs."
James' eyes were bright with banked lust and he licked his lips in a way that made Aaron moan at the back of his throat. "Fortunately, I'm not expected to report back until tomorrow morning. After you, my love."
Aaron turned and started up the stairs but was nearly prompted to cry out when James pulled him back around, threw him over his shoulder and began to take the stairs two at a time. At their bedroom door, James set him back on his feet and kissed him, this one slow, gentle but no less burning. Aaron snagged James' lapel with one hand and began to pull him toward the bed, his other hand not letting James break the kiss.
James drew Aaron's shirt out of his breeches, then let his hands slide up under the shirt to touch the golden skin of his lover. Aaron arched into the touch like a cat. When he tried to undo James' clothes, his hands were caught by James and restrained.
"Not yet," James said, his voice a growl of lust. "I have plans."
Aaron's eyes widened slightly in surprise but the grin he gave James revealed all his gold teeth and his own full-blown arousal. He let his hands drift down and away from James' to hover as still as they ever could by his sides. It was at that moment that James gently drew the hem of his shirt up. James dropped to his knees before Aaron and as Aaron's skin appeared, let his lips brush across it. An involuntary whimper wrenched out of Aaron and his skin jumped but not because he objected to the sensation. His hands raised and he reached for James' wig but he recalled at the last instant that he had been asked not to do anything.
James' hands tugged him down then to sit on the edge of the bed. Aaron thought his cock would break off it was so hard already and James' damned determination to touch every inch of Aaron's skin with his lips it seemed was bringing him ever closer to the brink. When James lifted the shirt up enough to reveal the hard brown nipples on Aaron's chest, he pulled it off entirely. He brushed a kiss across the left one and Aaron let his head fall back, whimpering.
At that second, James paused then stood. Aaron managed to look up at him but
he couldn't think coherently at the moment. He blinked and felt his smile become a leer when James removed his wig then his cravat, tossing both onto the chair. His coat was the next to be relegated to the chair, followed by his shirt. Aaron swallowed hard and sat forward to reach for James, who now only wore his breeches and boots. James caught his hands and raised them to kiss Aaron's knuckles.
"Not just yet, my love, not just yet," He laughed softly and the sound went immediately to Aaron's privates.
"Please, Jamie," Aaron could think of nothing else to say at the moment.
James undid the buttons on his pants and knelt again in front of Aaron, his hands finding the warm flesh again as he leaned in to whisper into Aaron's ear and inspire nearly uncontrollable shudders of pleasure. "I said, I have plans for you. Plans that include worshipping every part of you, my golden raven, as you should be worshipped."
Aaron panted for air and whimpered, words beyond him, when James began to lick and nip tenderly at his neck, his tongue visiting Aaron's earlobe. Aaron moaned and turned his face toward James, hoping they could kiss. Instead, James moved his attentions to Aaron's collarbone and shoulder.
Without warning, Aaron felt the terror return and he began to gasp for air. When James let his teeth brush the flesh on his shoulder, Aaron cried out and shoved him away. "No!!"
He scrambled at that to get to the other side of the bed, looking back to see if it was McSwain who was there after all. The face was still James', the eyes still green and not that soulless blue, but he knew it would change any second now. After all, it always did. This was a nightmare, wasn't it? Or a delusion. Where was the Lash? Why had Henry not appeared this time? When James stood and began to approach him, Aaron seized the waistband of his breeches and fled, half-crawling, into the nearest corner. He buried his face in his hands and hunched his shoulders. He couldn't stand to hear that laugh but he knew it was coming.
Instead, there was no laughter. A minute passed then two before he managed to pull his hands away from his face. Crouched beside him, his face saddened, was James. Aaron darted looks about the room.
)O(
"I'm not a figment of your imagination, my love. He's not here, I swear to you," James' kept his voice soft. "Here."
James took his hand then and raised it to his own face, letting Aaron feel the warmth of him, the solidity of his flesh. He planted a kiss on Aaron's palm and stroked his fingers across the tattoo on his forearm. He could feel Aaron was still trembling, still trying to convince himself that this was real. Carefully, James leaned in and pressed a delicate kiss to his cheek.
"I'm sorry I frightened you," James continued. "That was never my intention. I only wanted to make you feel as special as I believe you to be. I simply forgot about--."
"I can't," Aaron said suddenly, his black eyes round with the horror he had recalled. "I wish I could ferget but he-it happened so often! I want t' ferget. I wish it'd never happened!! But there were too many times and too much done. I'm sorry fer ruinin' yer plans, love. I'm jus' so sorry."
"You didn't ruin a thing," James said, letting a sweet smile curve his lips. "I am still willing to continue when you are ready. If that's in an hour or next week, I will wait. I still feel the need to adore you, to let you know just how much I love you. But we will only go forward when you are ready."
Slowly, Aaron pulled himself out of the corner then into James' arms, resting his head against James' chest. James just held him though the smile faded from his face quickly. He had no idea how or even if he could ever make this up to Aaron but he knew he had to try.
To James' great pleasure, it wasn't long before Aaron's hand was rubbing lightly up and down across his stomach. When the skilled fingers tugged lightly at the opening to his breeches, James leaned his head forward and pressed a kiss to Aaron's forehead. At that, Aaron raised his head and smiled, the ghost of his fear still in his eyes but the fear itself was gone, replaced by desire.
"I need ye, Jamie," Aaron pushed himself up so that he could straddle James' lap, his mouth assaulting James' again.
"The bed is more comfortable than the floor," James said quietly, his own hands busy caressing Aaron's warm torso, trying to ignore the too-prominent ribs and the scar tissue that never seemed to fade.
"Is it?" Aaron answered, cocking his head to one side and glancing from James to the bed. "What a brilliant idea, love."
Unable to stop the grin from spreading across his face, James levered himself to a standing position with Aaron somehow still atop him. He made it to the bed, barely, and collapsed atop it, looking up reverently at his partner. "I fear I am bound for hell, my love. The merest sight of you is better to my soul than all the church services I've ever attended combined. My golden idol."
Aaron shook his head as he gently opened James' britches, moving slightly so he could pull them down to reveal James' obvious arousal. "Nay, love, ye're bound for heaven. Else why would yer presence heal me like an angel's touch? I- Would ye be willin' t'--?"
James had to bite his lip to control his reaction. He almost feared speaking things were so precarious at the moment. At his smile and nod, Aaron fumbled in the bedside table and brought out the pot of lavender scented grease. Aaron took a few fingers of the unguent then offered the container to James, who followed his lead. Aaron began to work, carefully, on James' cock, covering the stiff as completely as possible but doing so slowly enough that James could retain control over himself. While he did that, it was James' obligation to find Aaron's hole and address it, gently, teasingly, until Aaron's manhood was nearly the same hardness as his own.
"Ah, James, I'm so happy ye're home," Aaron sighed and gently lowered himself onto James' cock.
James inhaled harshly and caught Aaron's elbows with his hands to help him balance. Aaron's eyes drifted closed with pleasure and he let himself settle fully onto his lover. James watched Aaron's reactions with a smile, seeing Aaron's face relax as he surrendered to the sensations. As much as he wanted to take command, to press the matter with Aaron, he wanted more to see Aaron have some joy in the moment. When Aaron rose up a bit then reseated himself, James realized he was going to slip over the edge far too early. Tenderly, he tickled Aaron's cock, applying a little pressure to his lover's balls. Aaron groaned at the feeling and the sound caused James to lose control.
)O(
Chapter 47:
Female Trouble
James was on his way back to the fort after tea a few days later when he spotted the woman walking toward him, accompanied by a couple of the local plantation owners' wives. She seemed familiar and James realized, as he drew a few yards closer, that it was Lady Wendover, Governor Robbins's sister-in-law. She and the other ladies were strolling, parasols aloft against the sun, and laughing preciously.
"Heaven help me," James muttered and stiffened his posture. Truthfully, he would rather face a ship full of pirates than this one woman and the idea made him cringe inwardly. He heaved a sigh and continued on his way.
"Ladies," James said, nodding to them as they passed, nearly succeeding in getting away before Elena spoke.
"Commodore, how wonderful to see you again!" Her voice was sweet in that unnatural way that some people have of saying polite words but intending horrible meanings. "How is that lovely bride of yours? Edwina? Egret?"
"Erin," James managed, the smile on his face, never genuine, becoming forced. "She's been ill, unfortunately. We are hoping for the best."
"Ah, yes, Erin. Such a lovely young thing. Abigail sends her regards, Commodore, and to Erin as well. We heard about the attack at Santiago not long ago. Wasn't that Ike Stern one of your house-guests for a while?" Elena arched an eyebrow and looked supremely aware of their audience.
"It is most unfortunate but, yes, Ike Stern did stay in my home while he recovered from some serious injuries. He was a key witness in the prosecution of the crew of the Saucy Maid, you know. They were able to hang those monsters almost on the strength of his testimony alone," James turned to regard the other tw
o ladies who were with her, wives of prominent men of the community that he had yet to meet. "He hadn't turned pirate at the time. After the horror that he lived through, it is quite tragic that he has become what he once hated so much."
The ladies nodded solemnly but he could see by the brightness of their eyes that they found this quite amusing. "If you please, ladies, I must return to the fort at once. I do have some inspections to do this afternoon."
"May I have a word, Commodore, privately?" Elena cast a meaningful glance at her companions and they moved off to a respectful distance. James felt as though he should just leave, courtesy be damned, but he was afraid that would do serious damage to his social stock.
"Milady, I do hope this is an important matter," James muttered.
"I spent some time in Port-au-Prince, actually," Elena said after a moment, her eyes narrowed. "They never heard of any such woman as Erin Petit. As a matter of fact, no one in society ever recalls hearing any stories about any such daughter of any plantation owner. Who is she really?"
For a moment, James wasn't sure what to say. He stared into the woman's grey-blue eyes with every bit of determination in his soul. Finally, he spoke. "That is none of your concern. She is my wife and we are very much in love. That is all you need to know about the situation."
"If she's so much in love with you, why does Lieutenant Chambers spend so much time with her while you're away?" Elena's smile made James' hands ball into fists. "Winston Edwards himself told me that he'd seen them behaving improperly once while riding by your home."
"Again, that is none of your business, milady--and I use that term very loosely. The Lieutenant has been a good friend of mine and my wife's for a long time. As for Winston Edwards, he is barely more than a child and children do have flights of fancy now and again. I would ask why he was riding by Rum Harbor since it is so far out of his way," James took a breath to steady himself. "I am not entirely untouched by gossip myself, you know. I have heard things about Master Edwards' behavior toward women alone. Perhaps it was a good thing my friend was there to help protect my wife?"
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