Once again she responded beautifully. He moved up a bit more, swirling his tongue in the divot of her collarbone. She tipped her head back to give him more access and he licked, kissed and sucked his way along the column of her neck, over her chin until he claimed her lips.
He kept her distracted with the kiss while he kneed her legs wider and settled down with the head of his cock pushing against the apex of her body. She did whimper, and her hands took a grip on his arms, but he could feel the wetness, knew he could relieve her of this small barrier and still lead her to that climax. Releasing her lips he put his head next to hers. “A small renting, stay with me through it Nox, and I swear I’ll make you feel pleasures you’ve never known.” She nodded, gripped his arms tighter and with her next breath he pushed forward.
Her breath caught and she stiffened beneath him, a high whine escaping her lips. She was so tight, his first thrust failed to get him in further than the head. Pulling back he used more of his weight to seat himself. The third attempt and she cried out as he slid in as far as he could go. He heard her sob and quickly moved to cover her lips again. “It’s done,” he said and kissed her. “That’s the worst of it. From now on you’ll only know pleasures.” Under him her body contracted, perhaps trying to come back together from the stretch he forced on it. A second contraction and he knew he needed to catch the wind and sail forward before he was sunk and she was scuttled.
“Mason?” her voice cracked.
“Move with me Nox,” he coaxed as he slid back. He’d have to be quick in this lesson because never was he in a woman who felt so made for him. Every soft, hot, wet bit of her wrapped him in pleasure even he’d not known existed. Pushing forward, she whimpered. With his backstroke she hissed but at the end of that a gasp. Entering her as deep as he could, a moan. “Move with me,” he said and this time as he pulled back her hips dropped and a full moan spilled from her lips. She was a bit awkward the first few times she lifted to met those forward thrusts but before long she met him as naturally as if she’d been his lover for years.
As the pleasure for her grew she became bolder in her movements. Quickly discovering she could control the pace as much as he by clenching down. She’d found greater confidence in what they did as soon as she realized he was getting lost in it, perhaps more than she. But he needed to make sure the finish didn’t fall short for her.
Pushing back he knelt between her thighs and pulled her legs around his waist. The angle took him in deeper, though he couldn’t fit completely. Gradually he increased the pace. Keeping her grasping and crying out as no break in the storm came for her. On her way to climax, Mason waited until he was sure she’d find it before reaching out to pinch her clit. Her body arched off the bed, twisted, and clamped down so hard on his cock he couldn’t move. He was all but swamped with her orgasm. The scent of it, dizzying. The heat coming from her too much to bear. Three more thrusts and withdrawing completely, he sent shots of cum across her belly, chest, even as high as her chin. Still unbelievably hard, he slid his shaft back inside. She cried out and shuddered though a second climax. Panting, he fell forward catching himself on his hands before settling down on her for a moment.
“Beautiful, perfect,” he praised, setting his hands on either side of her face. Using his thumb to brush a tear. “A woman complete now. A woman free to take these pleasures offered,” he added when he heard the sniff. What her reaction might be ran the gauntlet. Virgins were unpredictable, it’s why he’d avoided them until now.
“It’ll always be like this?” she asked as he slid to her side and pulled her closer.
“I think it’ll always get better, and there will be no more pain,” he smiled against her hair. The memory of how she responded to the bite and the pinch. “Unless pain is what we want.” She sniffed again, nodding. “Rest, perhaps later I’ll prove that to you.” She cuddled closer as he drew the covers around her.
Mason lay in the dark and listened to the sounds of the ship and sea until dawn when he slipped from the bed and the cabin to fetch food, water and something other than his shirt for her to wear. He came back in ready to be late getting on deck to find Nox, Pressed against the headboard, knees drawn up, head down and sobbing.
“Nox?” he called. Seeing her press back and curl tighter, he headed straight to her and sat down. “Nox, what’s the matter?” She wouldn’t look at him but she waved her hand at something on the bed. He saw nothing until he flipped the covers back. The smears of blood, testament to what transpired last night. “Nox,” he chided.
“I was supposed to save that. That was the only thing of value I’d left. What have I now, to offer anyone?” she asked never looking up.
“Nox,” Mason snapped, grabbed her arms and shook her. “There’s no value in that. That isn’t where your worth comes from. You’ve a great deal to offer anyone you might choose to offer it too.” He bit the inside of his cheek to avoid groaning with that thought. “Your worth, value, doesn’t come from here,” he pressed a hand against her sex, heard her moan and hoped it wasn’t from pain. There was more blood than he thought there’d be. “Your worth comes from here.” This time he pressed a finger into her head. “And here,” he touched her chest where her heart beat. “Any good man will know this.”
“I have nothing to offer a good man,” she said lifting her head and wiping at the tears. “What I was, what I knew to do… All that’s gone, lost to me. I’ve no skills anyone wants, if I did I’d not be here, with you. I’d be wed. Waiting to become a mother. No one wanted me before, no one will want me even less.”
Standing Mason crossed to where he’d set everything he’d brought with him. Picking up the borrowed clothes he tossed them at her. “Clean up and get dressed,” he commanded. Not sure why it angered him so much she thought no one wanted her. She was beautiful, better she was passionate. She didn’t seem stupid, perhaps sheltered. But in three days he’d seen enough to know she’d some depth to her. She’d be a prize to anyone. He’d make sure she knew it before she left the ship.
“Why?” she asked examining the clothes he gave her. He hoped the small smile was because the idea of wearing the britches intrigued her.
“If what you knew to do is lost, I’ll see you taught something new that can’t be. Get dressed and come topside.” He didn’t wait to see if she complied, he knew she would. She didn’t rebel at all unless she felt threatened. Or, as he soon learned, confident.
Chapter 9
“This is impossible,” Nox grumbled as she worked to undo the mess she’d made of the rope she was trying to tie. The tangle seemed to be increasing, not decreasing. She stopped asking days ago why she was being taught all these things. Mason’s answer had been simply he told her to. The crew though, especially Mr. Anders, explained if she was onboard she’d be part of the crew and learn to be helpful.
It came to her then what she was trying to learn could actually serve her as there was no reason she couldn’t earn her way on a ship as these men did. The first time she managed to correctly name each mast she was given a copper. It was rather inspiring until she learned that failing to correctly name something or explain its purpose found her with a brush and a bucket scrubbing the deck. And help her if she tried to refuse to be either right or wrong. Mr. Anders simply cried out the word “insubordination” and like magic, Mason would appear, strap in hand, to make her regret being so uncooperative.
Still even with that very thought fresh in her head, when the tangle refused to be undone, and the burn in her hands grew from the rough hewn of the rope, she was done. More so when she’d heard the laughter from the sailors up in the rigging. She’d asked every day if she could climb up there and look out the way they did. If she could have one of those duties, rather than one of the boring ones done on or below decks. Always the answer was not until she learned how to tie proper knots and to know which knot to use when. Well she hated rope. She felt her face heat and her stomach clench a bit. All right she hated knots. Again a heat rolled through her like a w
ave. Fine, fine, she hated being the one tying knots, or in this case untying them. With a screech she threw down the length and stomped her foot at it.
“Miss Rutherford, pick it up and get that cargo lashed down,” Mr. Martin warned.
His order and his address only increased her annoyance. It was one of her first lessons once she stepped above boards. Everyone was addressed so formally when working. Otherwise many used nicknames. The other lesson she learned, ship had a stiff pecking order and Nox was at the very bottom of that order. Everyone could tell her what to do and she was supposed to just do it. It seemed highly unfair, but at least there were only a small handful who could actually declare her insubordinate and with the exception of Anders they weren’t quick to do so.
“Its tangled,” Nox informed him.
“It wouldn’t be if you’d learn to handle it right,” Martin told her. “Pick it up and work it out. Tangles happen, you have to be able to undo them and finish the work. Rigging in a knot, in a tangle could take a ship down.”
“A wrong knot could sink a ship,” Nox scoffed. “Maybe a tiny boat, not a big ship like this.” She might know much at all about sailing and the sea, but she wasn’t stupid.
“You tie up a sail with the wrong knot in a storm, wind breaks that sail loose, tears the sail apart. Can’t sail home, everyone starves. You don’t tie the boon right way, it breaks loose, knocks a man in the head, he falls overboard and drowns,” Mr. Jones said as he weaved between the barrels and crates where Nox preferred to work. Bending he picked up her rope, with a few tugs had the tangle undone, and was handing it back to her. “Little things have a large impact on a ship, of any size, Nox. Best you never forget that.”
With a nod she took back the rope and this time took more care to correctly tie it, oddly relieved when she looked up to see Jones give her a smile and a nod. She finished helping the crew secure everything on deck, though until she stopped to eat she’d not known why so much more effort was being taken with the task. The ship’s sway under her feet today seemed a bit stronger than any other, but no one was remarking on it, so when she sat on a coil of rope and took up the net she’d been mending she rather expected to be left alone the rest of the day. Mr. Anders stepping up to her came as a shock, but not more than when he snatched the netting from her hands. “You got no time for that, go make sure the rigging is secured to the belaying pins and--”
“You mean at the rail?” Nox squeaked out as she scrambled to her feet.
“I don’t mean in the bilge,” Anders snapped.
“You want me to work by the railing?” Nox asked again, not because she didn’t understand exactly where she was being directed but because she wanted to give the man a chance to understand his own error. So far it hadn’t been any matter, that she stayed clear of the railing, always. She thought they all just understood she’d no desire to get so close to the edge.
“Snap to,” Anders simply said.
“No, I can’t, I--”
“Insubordination,” Anders yelled without even letting her finish.
“No, I’m not being…” she pivoted around to see if Mason was already heading towards them. He was and he’d that damn strap in his hand, turning back she looked at Mr. Anders preying he’d come to his senses. “I’m not trying to be uncooperative, but I--” A particularly strong wave cause the ship to pitch and while Mr. Anders only swayed with it, Nox stumbled several steps. Grabbing on to the longboat stowed most center on the deck. A second wave and she lost her footing completely, going down hard on her knees.
“Get those lines secured men, this is going to be a big one,” Mason called out. “What is the problem here?”
“Told her do something, she refuses,” Anders said, and usually that was enough to find her being bent over the nearest object. But, too, she usually didn’t ever try and deny she was wrong. Today she’d not hold her tongue.
“I didn’t refuse, I tried to tell him I can’t do it. I would, but I can’t,” she said, even as she did what she could to dodge Mason’s grasp. Backing further into the stacks of cargo and equipment as the ship continued to pitch and the wind whipped up.
“What did you tell her to do?” Mason actually paused to ask.
“Secure the rigging at the rail, she knows those knots, don’t know why she’s lying about that now.”
“No,” Nox was quick to yell when two sets of accusing eyes landed on her. “No, I know the knots, I do, but…”
“But what?” Mason snapped and this time when he reached for her he caught her and begun pulling her from the safety she’d found towards the very place she least wanted to be, the railing.
“No Mason, Captain. No,” she screamed leaning back and trying to dig in her heels. “No,” she cried out again and setting one hand out she braced to stay at least as far as she was from the very edge of the ship. She managed to break free Mason’s hold and twisting got a few steps more towards the mast before she was hauled up and swung back towards the rail. The ship pitched again and in the distance a crack of thunder. “No,” her scream choked with fear and anger at how he was trying to toss her overboard now.
She put up a desperate fight that didn’t end when he managed to pull both arms behind her back and secure her hands with only one of his. Her screams, whipped away by the wind and crashing waves along the side of the ship never ceased once she was leaning with as much as half her body over the railing. If that strap landed even once she couldn’t tell. Her whole body burned and ached with terror as she saw the waters rise up almost to her face before dropping back down.
Several more times the salt water splashed up before she was finally pulled back and released. Her knees gave out and not until she hit the deck did she know for sure Mason had landed the strap. Gasping for air Nox worked to back away from the railing again but the deck was slick with the rain pouring down. When it started she didn’t know but she was soaked as was everyone in the crowd around her.
“Nox,” Mason called reaching for her.
She slapped his hands away and crawling like a crab made it where she could rest her back against a dingy. He reached for her again. “Get away from me,” she screamed wiping the wet hair and water from her face. “Get away, I hate you. I hate you.”
“Nox?” Mason called.
“I hate you,” she repeated.
“Come now,” Mr. Jones said next to her ear as he lifted her to her feet. “What is this, that you stir such mutiny?”
“I hate you,” she said looking back one more time at Mason before turning against Mr. Jones and giving into the storm raging inside her. She could barely catch her breath and if not for Jones holding her she’d be back on the deck for all the sobs coming out in both relief and pain. He must have really laid that strap on her, but didn’t he always?
“Nox?” Mason called stepping into view beside Jones. “What is wrong with you? Why do you hate me now?”
How dare he sound hurt or offended. How dare he. She knocked his hand away again then lifted her face. “I hate you, I hate you. I want off this ship, before you do actually cause my drowning. Before the lot of you cause it.”
“Nox, you’re not going to drown. No one here is trying to drown you.” Again he reached for her, she pulled back but Jones impeded her moves.
“Then why do you force me to the railing? Why did you try and toss me over it? I’ll drown you know it. If I go over it. I’ll drown.”
“Nox, you won’t drown.” He sounded utterly annoyed, but she wasn’t having it.
“I will.”
“You won’t, you might have to tread water a bit but--”
“I can’t,” She screamed in his face when he stepped up to take her from Jones’ arms.
“You could, it wouldn’t be for long and--”
“I can’t swim. I can’t swim at all,” she sobbed, sucked in a few breaths and with her next breath managed to scream it out. “I can’t swim at all.”
She didn’t think the rumble she heard next was thunder. Though the
skies above had darkened to almost black and the wind and rain continued to whip. What happened next she didn’t know. All she knew was the next time she saw Mason she was sitting in a puddle in the middle of his cabin, still wet from the rain, but not soaking, listening to him muttering as he banged around the space.
When the banging finally stopped he was squatting down in front of her, still so soaked he dripped heavily. He took hold her chin and forced her eyes to his. “You should have said first thing you don’t know how to swim. It should have been the first thing out your mouth the moment you stepped on board.”
She sniffed and drew her arm under her nose. “It wasn’t my concern then thinking as I did.”
She watched him inhale deeply then blow it out. “No,” he said getting to his feet and pulling her up to hers. “It probably even seemed like drowning was a better option.” He grabbed hold her braid and squeezed. Water splashed loudly to the floor. “But, now you know better and so do we all. So get undressed, and get dry.” He pointed to the pile of linen and clothes on the table. “When this storm has fully passed, I’ll make sure you can swim.” He stepped up cupped her check in his hand and leaned in. “Don’t hate me Nox, I’ll make sure you can swim. Swim well enough you’ll never have to fear drowning, no matter the storm raging.”
Such a sincere promise he made. And like she simply did now, she accepted it because… what else might she do?
Chapter 10
Mason eased from the bed, not that he’d much to worry on Nox could sleep through almost anything. His lips curled up into a smile. Even if he’d not worn her out, either with ship work or bedsport. Though the later at least gave him the opportunity to get a fairer share of the bed and covers.
Standing he turned to look down on her. The urge to wake her with kisses strong, but he’d some work that needed doing before he could take on the regular duties of the day. One being charting course for one of the smaller, more protected coves where he could continue showing Nox how to swim. Reaching for his robe he stepped away.
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