Cruel little circles of her hips milked him, keeping him in that threatened state. He feared moving, but couldn't stay still forever, or could he? Could he exist here forever—just stay in heaven and never leave? Pulling back, he thrust into her, making her gasp sharply. Hungry lips sought hers, wanting every part of her. His tongue surged into her mouth, into its delicious softness. How could something this good, this compelling, be allowed? He was enthralled, ensnared, and would for the rest of his life, do anything she needed him to.
But right now, she needed him to move and he was absorbed by her growing need and the pleasure clearly written on her face. Naked eyes beseeched him to give her more. He could only comply, thrusting into her again. Her shaking hands reached to his hips, gripping him to her, urging him deeper.
There would be no withdrawing this time. He would claim her in every way and if there was a child… If there was a child, there would a child, a creature half him and half her. It seemed too elegant to be real. A family. He wanted her to be a mother, to know that love. It would only make her stronger.
The sensations were growing too strong to wield any control over. Her hips strained against his, seeking more of him. Raising up on his arms, he put his weight and strength into her. Her soft moans drove him on, until her body convulsed powerfully around him, gripping his cock as she arched into her release, stunted groans stuck in her throat.
The sight of her pleasure made every part of him tighten impossibly, prepare. His release rushed through him, suspending him in a moment that seemed frozen in time. His seed pulsed deep inside her and for a moment, all his life seemed to have led to this moment—powerful enough to create a life. He hoped it did. Perhaps he wouldn't be content until there was some permanence of him inside her, as if God, the fates and the universe acquiesced to agree she belonged to him.
Powerful echoes of the release stole through him again and again, making him shudder with near painful pleasure. Every last part of him he'd given to her, all of his strength and the very last of his endurance. It all seeped away from him now, leaving him a husk of the energy that had driven him with steely determination over the last few days.
Soft arms accepted him as he sank down on her, his own refusing to hold him any longer. His chest felt fused to hers as if they were joining to be one being. Unable to fight it, conscious thought slipped away, leaving him wrapped in blissful togetherness. Every sense he had was filled with her and he felt every aspect of himself relax utterly. The delicate scent that smelled like a spring meadow, the taste of woman and slight saltiness. The perfect warmth of her and the wondrous sound of her breath slipping out over her lips. He wished he could kiss her, but he couldn't open his eyes, let alone move. If there was another heaven, it couldn't be better than this.
He didn't dream, as such; there was only a sense of completeness, mildly aware that soft hands were stroking his head, the lightest of kisses on his brow, ghosting over his lips.
Chapter 35
The port in Charleston was busy and everything was new. The town wasn't more than fifteen years old, but the port was filled with produce from the surrounding area, heading both north and south. They'd stopped here because they needed provisions, the currents taking them a more northerly route. It hadn't been worth fighting it.
Sarah was running around the deck querying the crew about what they were doing. Her eagerness to learn was unbridled and Joshua smiled as she demanded a man show her how to tie knots. That part of her that had grown up expecting everyone to answer her questions was still there and it would serve her in good stead. She was no retreating flower; she demanded what she wanted.
She was adamant at learning to be a pirate, embracing her chosen profession with gusto. Clara would serve as a good role model, and Joshua was excited to see them all again. He could well imagine the surprise when they sailed into Tortuga Bay. Christian, in his natural protectiveness of Clara, would be standoffish as he always was, because he knew Clara still valued Joshua's opinion. Perhaps now that Joshua was married and settled, Christian would relax from the idea that Clara would be stolen away. If only Christian would understand that nothing or no one would ever steal Clara away from him, but Joshua understood the almost frantic need to preserve what had been found in the arms of a woman.
He couldn't wait to get back to Tortuga Bay, now not quite understanding how he'd been so eager to leave. What he'd sought had been an illusion; he knew that now. It had never been real and the things that had made him flee his station in the first place, were the things that made it untenable to return. He hoped his country would strive to be better.
Provisions were being loaded into their hold, hoisted by ropes and pulleys off the side of the jetty. It wouldn't take them long and Joshua didn't want to stay longer than they had to. The people of Charleston weren't overly concerned about pirates, but it wasn't strictly a friendly port either.
A loitering figure caught his attention, a young boy standing behind a barrel, bedraggled and starved. Joshua watched the boy for a moment, whose eyes were on the provisions being loaded, looking for an opportunity to steal. By the look of the creature, Joshua could hardly blame him.
Moving close to the side, Joshua walked leisurely over the gangplank, taking a loaf of bread out of a basket. Better to give the boy something than to have him steal it. The port was a dangerous place for those who didn't know what they were doing. A tug in the wrong place and the pallet could tumble down.
The boy hid when he moved closer. "I know you're there," Joshua said. "Out of the goodness of my heart, I will let you have some of my bread."
A head half popped out, surveying him guardedly. Joshua held the loaf out and the boy snapped it out of his hand. "Ports are dangerous places. You should find somewhere safer to be."
"I go where I want," the boy said sharply in an Irish accent. Obviously, a runaway of some description. Stuffing bread in his mouth as if he hadn't eaten in days, the boy considered him suspiciously. His clothes were mere rags. He'd either been on the run for a long time, or the person tasked with caring for him had done a poor job.
Joshua hated seeing the condition of the boy. He gave him some coins out of his pocket, and the boy accepted it in a filthy hand. "Well, then," he said. "You best be on your way."
He didn't move. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"South."
The boy wet his lips and surveyed the ship.
"This might not be the ship you want to stow away on," Joshua said. "It would only lead you into trouble."
The kid lifted his stained face in challenge. There was bravery in this boy, and anger like Joshua had never seen.
"What's your name?"
"Jamie Malloren," he said.
"And how old are you, Jamie?"
"Nine."
He looked much younger due to his slight frame and thin limbs. He had no shoes and there were scars across the top of his feet. So young and already an outlaw. He would be whipped to bits of they caught him, but by the look of him, this little creature already knew its harsh bite.
"Well, Jamie," Joshua said, lowering his voice. "How do you feel about giving them hell?"
The boy didn't say anything, but his eyes watched him intently. "Tell me how," he finally said, the rage in that small body drawing his mouth tight.
Joshua smiled. "Oh, you would have much to learn before that, but yes, you do the things you need to, and you will have a chance to pay them all back."
The boy only took a moment to query his suspicion before he nodded.
"There will be no going back," Joshua warned.
"Back to what?" Jamie said defiantly.
"Then step aboard."
The boy clambered gingerly over the gangplank. It was a wonder his thin legs carried him. He stood, hiding his uncertainty until Joshua arrived, his eyes watching what everyone did.
"First and foremost, you will have to take orders."
The boy nodded, looking up at him eagerly as if he couldn't believe his luck. "Tell me
what to do and I'll do it."
"Being little, the crow's nest will be yours."
"What's that?"
Joshua pointed up to the crow's nest at the very top of the main mast. "If you're afraid of heights, this is not the place for you."
"I'm not afraid of anything."
"This should work out then," Joshua said. "Now go to the galley and tell them to feed you. You will need to be strong if you're going to succeed at this."
"I will succeed," the boy said with supreme confidence.
"No doubt," Joshua said with a smile at the boy’s retreating back, off to find the galley.
"Who was that child?" Sarah asked, joining him as Joshua watched the crew close the hold.
"New recruit."
"A bit young, don't you think?" Sarah said with concern.
"He'll be fine. We either take him or he starves. Someone will find an intent for him and I suspect ours might well be the most honorable of the lot."
Her arm slipped around his waist. "Compelling argument." Reaching up, she kissed him and smiled, her eyes shining with excitement. "I think we are ready to sail, captain."
"So we are. Cast off!" he roared to the men and led Sarah to the quarterdeck. "I think it is your turn to steer, my love."
"Yes!" she said as she'd been pestering him to let her take the wheel. She ran ahead of him and took a broad stance behind the wheel, surveying her domain. Yes, she will make a good pirate. Joshua smiled.
"Let's go home," he said and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, feeling her body along his. He already was home, now they just needed their place to dwell.
The End
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Other Books by Camille Oster
Defying a Pirate - Icy dread gripped Gemma Montague's heart as she stared at the approaching pirates. Their captain was dead, the lieutenant useless, and there were pirates approaching.
Having spent years indulging her father's passion for studying Naval battles, Gemma knew this pirate was either very competent or very stupid, taking on a much larger ship.
Captain Jack Molloren wasn’t stupid; he knew how to spot wounded prey, and the British man-o-war was disadvantaged. But he hadn’t expected defiance, particularly in the form of a beautiful English rose.
https://www.amazon.com/Defying-Pirate-Camille-Oster-ebook/dp/B00EU8SNPC?ie=UTF8&keywords=camille%20oster&qid=1465086161&ref_=sr_1_9&sr=8-9
Truth and Sparta – Spartan do what they please when it comes to Helot girls and Chara curses the day that Nicias—effectively an enemy of her people—lays eyes on her and decides that he wants her for himself. His attention places her and her family in an awkward position, exasperated by her brother’s increasing appetite for rebellion. Soon she is placed in a position where she needs to take decision action to save her family—no matter the cost, and that includes the building attraction she feels for the Spartan soldier who is the cause of all her problems.
http://www.amazon.com/Truth-and-Sparta-ebook/dp/B00D0GX58U/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377249689&sr=1-2
The Notorious Marquis of Wickerley - With the king’s execution, madness has descended on England and Cecily Alderman’s father pushes forward the moment she’d been dreading for six years, her marriage to the most notorious libertine that ever graced the king’s court. Sent to the wilds of Cornwall, she has to face a man exiled from all society, chased by the uncertainty and dangers of a country ripping itself apart with war.
The contract to be the Marquis of Wickerley bride might be the worst injustice her father had ever visited on her, and dealing with this man who shows her no manners will prove an impossible task.
http://www.amazon.com/Notorious-Marquis-Wickerley-Camille-Oster-ebook/dp/B014CM17HQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1457151568&sr=8-3&keywords=camille+oster
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