Heroes & Thieves

by Heather C. Myers

  Aaron looked at her deeply at that moment, trying to decipher the look in her eyes. "You know that I will take care of you, right?" he asked her seriously.

  "Yes," Belle told him.

  "Say it," Aaron continued, his grip on her shoulders tightening. "Say that you know."

  "I know that you will take care of me, Aaron," she said in a hushed tone, though she wanted to convey that she believed him.

  Without warning, Aaron's hand reached up and slowly began to caress the side of her face. Almost as though it was instinctual rather than anything else, Belle leaned into the intimate touch, wanting nothing more than to stay in this moment. It was probably one of the reasons she loved the pirate; he could be very harsh and demanding when it came to his enemies, but with her, he was calm and gentle.

  Aaron leaned his head in and slowly kissed the graceful slope of her neck, causing a whimper to slowly slip out of Belle's mouth. He continued to trail kisses up and down her neck as his other hand - originally on her shoulder - dropped so it wrapped tightly around her waist. Slowly, but with purpose, he began to lead her to the bed, resting in the center of the room. Before either of them knew it, the two were lying down. Belle was on her back, while Aaron was on his side, staring down at the woman before him.

  "Let me make love to you," he whispered in a husky voice as he curled an errant strand of hair behind her ear. His warm eyes never left hers, and he tried to convey his sincerity in them.

  "You don't want to make love to me," she told him softly, though a very faint blush tainted her cheeks.

  "Yes I do," he told her. "I do, more than anything I have ever wanted in my entire life." He continued to pool her eyes with his. "I promise you I will not hurt you."

  Belle returned his gaze, and she nodded, wishing for nothing more than to make love to the man she had given her heart to long ago. Aaron turned the young woman on her stomach before his long fingers slowly undid the lace of her bodice. When it was fully undone, he pushed it off of her body. For a long moment, he merely stared at her milky back, running the pads of his fingers over her soft skin, tracing the line of her spine. He turned her over, and smiled humbly as her arms were loosely crossed over her chest, keeping the bodice up.

  "I want to see you," he whispered in a husky voice before leaning towards her and gently pushing her arms away. His fingers coiled underneath the material and pulled it from her.

  However, Aaron refrained from looking at her completely. He wanted to take her in as a whole, though he was quite tempted to take a peek. Soon, the material that had previously encased her body was now sprawled over the wooden floor. Though it was dark outside, he could clearly see the woman due to the bright moonlight shining inside.

  "You're a masterpiece," he said, his warm chocolate eyes capturing hers.

  Belle didn't know what to say to that, but she was sure her blush said it all. Instead, she leaned forward and reached towards him so her fingers came in contact with his white tunic. She couldn't make eye contact with him just yet, so she focused her task at hand. She slipped her hands beneath the silky material and brushed her fingertips along the length of his broad shoulders, pulling the shirt with her. Soon, it too, crumpled to the floor, and just as Aaron had been with her, she stopped, transfixed.

  His body was hard and toned, bulky with nothing but muscle. Sprinkled throughout the majority of it was short black hair, and there was a vertical strip of it leading down his pants, just below his bellybutton. However, as usual when it came to beauty, there was pain. Belle could make out scars littered on different parts of him, including one right underneath his right shoulder blade that resembled the blade of a knife. Without thinking completely, she touched her lips to a particular scar before moving to another one.

  In a manner of minutes, both were completely nude. Belle slowly began to lose her shyness, especially when Aaron began to kiss her while inflicting pleasure on her body. She felt completely adored whenever his eyes swept over her body, and she wanted nothing more than to lose herself to him.

  Even though his entrance into her warmth was slightly painful, she trusted that Aaron would never harm her, and he distracted her with soft kisses along her cheeks and her jaw line. Soon, when she got used to his presence, he began to move inside of her, slowly at first, until he heard her breathing hitch and he knew she was experiencing the same pleasure he was feeling.

  Belle wasn't quite sure what to feel or how to accomplish such a feeling, but Aaron reassured her with his eyes, and her trust was only enhanced. Soon, tingles began to erupt in her pelvis, and soon, it was hard to breathe let alone see straight.

  "Don't stop," she begged in a voice just above a whisper as both of her hands gripped his shoulders tightly.

  Aaron glanced up to look at her without stopping his penetration, and cocked the corner of his lips up so he was smiling crookedly. "I won't stop," he promised, and continued plunging into her, as deeply as he could possibly go.

  It wasn't long before the two lovers reached their climax, nearly simultaneously. In that instance, Belle realized this was what making love should feel like. Not the way Commack had come and took what he had never asked for, never deserved. She loved Aaron more than anything, for everything he was and everything he wasn't.

  Long after the two had finished their love making, Belle was still clutching to Aaron almost desperately, afraid that now that she had Aaron, he would suddenly be taken from her. She couldn't let that happen.

  "What's the matter, doll?" he mumbled with a tired voice in her hair. His fingers had been caressing mindless patterns into her side as he dozed off, feeling nothing short of pure content with his life right then. "Can't sleep?"

  "I don't want to go to sleep," she admitted, glancing up at him. "I want to have all the time we have together."

  He smiled before tilting his head down and kissing the top of her head. "Don't worry," he murmured. "Now that I have you, I'm never letting you go."

  Chapter XXXVI

  To say that Belle was exhausted when she woke up the next morning would probably be an understatement. However, she had never felt more content in her entire life, so any soreness or tiredness was not much of a priority compared to the elation she was feeling.

  Aaron had woken up before she had, and he took advantage of Belle being asleep to properly study the woman next to him. Her blonde hair was tussled and her cheeks were still slightly flushed. When his eyes hit her lips, he smiled, recalling just how soft they really were. He honestly could not believe just how beautiful the woman before him really was. Their bodies fit together perfectly, as though they were created by God from the same piece of clay. And who knew? Maybe they were. But Aaron felt as though they belonged together, not out of some sort of need or lacking, but because he didn't want to be with anyone else. Belle was the treasure his heart most desired, and he wanted her because he loved her.

  He smiled when the thought crossed his mind and he pulled her closer to him. Leaning down so his nose buried into the soft strands of her hair, he whispered, "I love you." And he smiled again. Many men he knew had been afraid to say words to women, but Aaron realized just then there was nothing to be afraid of if one was with the right woman.

  And Belle was most definitely the right woman.

  Belle awoke only shortly after, and she smiled up at Aaron when she saw him looking down at her. His lips quirked up as he looked at her while she blinked a couple of times, trying to get used to the light seeping into the cabin. At that moment, a faint blush touched her features.

  "What is it?" Aaron asked, nudging her bare side with his hand. His tone was teasing, but he was genuinely curious. Surely she didn't regret what had happened between them, did she?

  "Surely everyone would know what we did together last night, Aaron," Belle said, her blush only deepening as she tried to snuggle deeper into the bed, hiding herself from the transparent eyes only she seemed to see.

  An arrogant grin took his smile's place, and his grip on her waist tightened. "
You're my girl now, doll," he murmured, his lips millimeters away from the edge of her jaw line. "And I want everyone to know it."

  Belle seemed genuinely touched by this, and though her blush was still there, she smiled brilliantly, catching him slightly by surprise. Before the young woman could respond, Aaron leaned down to kiss her, as though he had been compelled to do so by some unseen force. In actuality, he wanted to taste the beautiful smile for himself.

  "There are clothes in the chests that you might feel comfortable in," Aaron said, once he had broken the kiss, and gestured towards the wooden chests scattered around his room.

  Aaron knew he was a very lucky man when Belle stood, completely naked, and began to search for some clothes. She was shy, but Aaron didn't seem to notice. He took in everything the sunlight shone upon. She was… Was there a word he had not used? Maybe he should expand his already enviable vocabulary. But Belle was causing him to realize that sometimes, words could not always do something justice. Instead, he leaned back and merely enjoyed what was offered to him. And the best thing was that she loved him nearly as much as he loved her.

  Belle grabbed an undershirt and slipped on black pantaloons, boots, and a sky blue tunic. They were undoubtedly too big for her petite frame, but upon seeing her choice of outfit, Aaron cocked a grin at how adorable she looked, especially with her messy hair.

  "I shall see you soon?" Belle inquired. Both of them knew she should start getting ready to engage in their plan, and surely Belle wanted to spend time with her sister beforehand.

  Aaron nodded. "Without question," he told her, and with that, Belle slipped out the door but not before flashing Aaron another shy smile.

  Unbeknownst to Aaron, Belle merely wanted some time alone to digest everything that had happened to her in the last twelve hours. She hoped that Brylee was asleep when she silently crept into the bedroom she, until last night, had shared with Brylee, because she knew that Brylee would be questioning her about her lack of fitting clothing and where she had been. And Belle didn't think she had it in her to lie to her sister.

  However, upon a quick sweep of the room, Belle found that Brylee was up and fully awake, almost as if she had been waiting for Belle to make her appearance.

  "Do I even have to ask?" Brylee said in a suggestive voice once Belle had closed the door firmly behind her. Brylee took in the sight of her sister and her eyes widened slightly. "You were with Aaron last night, were you not? Those clothes look like ones he has worn in the past. Just what were you doing, Belle?" Though the words might have sounded insistent, Brylee was actually quite interested to know the answer, though from the new blush currently crawling upon her sister's cheek, Brylee could surely guess.

  "Aaron and I," Belle began, but stopped. A delighted smile touched her face, and though she was slightly embarrassed, she wasn't ashamed of her actions last night. "Aaron and I made love last night, and it was the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced in my entire life."

  Brylee was about to question the validity of the statement when she caught sight of Belle's smile, and realized Belle had to be telling her the truth.

  "What was it like?" she asked suddenly, her brows perked up.

  Belle looked down at her sister and realized Brylee was serious in knowing more about sex, so she took a seat across from her and hoped she could explain. "It is not the act itself that is so magmatic, Brylee, but if you share it with the person you love, if it is with someone who cares a great deal about you, the experience can be life-changing," she said in a voice just above a whisper.

  "I feel quite drawn to Rick, Belle," Brylee said, "and I've been experiencing these feelings... Feelings I never imagined I could feel for somebody – a pirate. But I begin to realize that the fact that he is, in fact, a pirate, has drawn me to him more so than if he was a gentleman."

  At that moment, a knock on the door interrupted the two.

  "Come in," Belle said, and Rick walked in, holding up a dress.

  "Here you are," he said, handing the older sister the dress. "Aaron wants to leave in a couple of hours. That should be enough time for you to get ready, right?"

  Belle nodded, and after Rick took his leave, Brylee began helping her older sister get dressed. It took about an hour and a half, maybe a little longer, for her to finally be ready to leave. The dress itself was pink, and the corset that went along with it was tied tighter than any other time Belle had to wear such a contraption. When she argued, Brylee reminded her that the Duke of Arden preferred his women with curves, and even though Belle was quite bountiful, the corset dramatized them even more so. The skirt cinched at the waist and flared out in small folds, the hemline barely caressing the wooden floors beneath Belle's feet. Brylee had tied Belle's blonde hair up so her curves could easily be seen, and when the sun hit the locks, the younger sister was sure it would appear even more blonde than it already was. Makeup was only slight, and on her feet were a pair of matching slippers.

  When she stepped out, Aaron was taken aback, but he forced his personal feelings aside, and accompanied her to the general area of where this particular brothel was located. With one quick kiss and a reminder to be careful, he disappeared, leaving Belle alone. Though she was slightly nervous, she forced herself to walk into the building with nothing short of burning confidence.

  "Hello," she greeted a young woman who appeared to be keeping track of guests that entered and exited the brothel. She looked up and gave Belle a friendly smile. "The Duke of Arden is expecting me."

  "Ah, of course," the woman said with a slight hint of a French accent. "Room two twenty, on the second floor."

  "Thank you," Belle murmured before heading up the stairs.

  It didn't take long for the young woman to find the room she had been directed to, but when she opened it, darkness clouded the occupants of it. Belle furrowed her brow. That was odd…

  "Well, well," a low, familiar drawl said in a mocking tone as Belle heard the door suddenly shut behind her. "With you gallivanting around the world with Aaron Donovan, it really is no surprise to find you here."

  All of the blood coursing through Belle's body ran cold.

  That was not the Duke of Arden speaking.

  It was Commodore Dustin Commack.

  Chapter XXXVII

  "Now," Commack said, stalking over to Belle before she could make any sort of escape. "I never claim to be a smart man, but I am bright. I also am quite knowledgeable when it concerns matters of piracy. You see, in order to catch the scoundrels, one needs to think like them. It is quite easy to dumb down rather than to brighten up, so I figure that he must be around somewhere, though I am quite certain he has not entered the brothel or one of my men would have informed me immediately." He flashed a dark grin in her direction that did not quite reach his gold eyes.

  Belle gulped. She had no idea where Aaron was or what to do given her current predicament. She hoped that nothing had happened to the infamous pirate captain, but currently, her mind was focused on just how to escape from where she was. Before she could contemplate it, Commack reached out and hoisted her over his shoulders.

  ---

  It was only then did Aaron make his appearance outside. It had taken him a while to climb up one of the many vines that crawled up the brothel's back wall, and once he silently hoisted himself onto the balcony, he slowly padded over to the large window. What he saw caused his heart to drop in his chest. Belle was being taken out of the room, and Aaron had an idea just who was holding her over his shoulder.

  It was Commack. Commack had her and there was nothing Aaron could do to stop him.

  Although… maybe it was possible for the pirate to cut the commodore off. Without thinking twice, Aaron climbed on the edge of the balcony and jumped off. He landed quite gracefully, and though he felt something strain on the inside of his right leg, he didn't think about it just yet. Instead, he dashed around the large building and could just make out Belle's golden hair before two Navy men cut him off.

  "Aaron Donovan?" one
asked, his cold, blue eyes narrowing at the pirate. "The Royal Navy is promptly placing you under arrest."

  Aaron wasn't aware that his wrists were being shackled. In fact, he couldn't hear what they were telling him, or even that he was being arrested. His brown eyes were straining to keep his sights on his Belle, but soon, she and Commack had disappeared through the crowd. It was then that Aaron realized he couldn't quite escape.

  At least, not yet.

  ---

  Surprisingly, Belle was all but dragged to a dining hall of a tremendous ship, being offered a seat by the help, rather than to a jail cell somewhere on the island. When everyone disappeared, Dustin Commack took a seat in front of her and stared sharply at the woman's features before him, before snapping his head back and laughing.

  It was a sound that scared Belle to no end, a sound she wanted nothing more than to forget.

  "You know," he began, once his laughter had subsided, "I always knew you were a whore, Arabella, but I had no idea you could stoop so low as to being a pirate's whore." For whatever reason, this seemed to amuse him, and as such, he kept smiling.

  Belle clenched her teeth together, but even she didn't have enough self-control to contain some sort of retort to his insult. "Better his whore than your wife," she snapped, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

  Commack reached out and slapped her right across the face. His whole amused demeanor changed into a snarl in less than a second, but he did not get the reaction out of her that he had wanted. He wanted her to scream, maybe whimper, but she didn't do any of that. She closed her eyes and winced slightly, but no sounds slipped out of her pretty little mouth. Then, after a moment, she opened her eyes and they flashed emerald, a dangerous color, as they regarded the man across from her.

  Commack flashed a charming smile, though it fell flat on its audience. "I'm sorry, my dear," he said, after chuckling a bit. "But I must inform you that you should not be saying these things when I have a deal I would like to make with you."