“You’re not, huh?” she asked. His mouth skimmed down her neck and the heat of his breath prickled against the groove at the base of her throat. “Oh, Swain, my heart’s ready to jump out my chest.”
Sliding a hand up her body, he settled his fingers in her cleavage, resting his palm over her heart. “It’s excited.”
“ ‘Cause of you,” she said, “I never worried about surviving this voyage until the captain brought me to his bed.”
“The cap’n followed the cook’s orders,” he said.
Accentuating her lower lip, she traced her fingertip down his hairline past his temple. “It was just a simple, little request, Captain. You were so generous to accommodate me.”
Closing a hand around her breast, he enjoyed fondling her, squeezing and toying with the flesh he’d admired in her bikinis. “It’s my job to look after my crew’s needs.”
“I’m so pleased I’m the only woman on your crew,” she said and when his hand slid away from her chest, she pouted and grabbed it to put it back. “I like you doing that.”
“Your tits are real responsive,” he said, sucking in a breath then ducking down like he was about to dive beneath the water.
Kissing her nipple, he teased it with the tip of his tongue and sucked it against his tongue, making her laugh morph into a whimpering moan. “Oh, that’s nice, baby,” she purred, arching her back and running her hands into his black hair.
It was thick; soft between her fingers. Sassi liked how they disappeared into it, how her digits could sink into its sumptuous length that curled over his collar and around his ears. Sassi was so focused on what his mouth was doing that she didn’t notice his hand sliding down between her thighs until he began to massage her clit with a fingertip.
“Mmm,” she exhaled, her hips writhing against his torment. “Captain…”
“Captain.”
She heard the word repeated and at first thought it came from her lips. But, when she heard it again and realized the tone sounded masculine and that her own lips hadn’t moved, she panicked and grabbed Swain’s hair to pull him up.
“Swain, what is that?” she asked, her eyes darting around, trying to find the source of the voice.
“Intercom, baby. Stay put.”
Vaulting up the bed, Swain stayed on his chest and stretched over to the box on the wall above the fixed nightstand. “I’m busy, Jock,” he said after pressing the button.
“We picked up a pan-pan,” Jockey said. “What you want to do?”
When Swain exhaled and muttered out a few curses, she stroked his upper arm. “What’s a pan-pan?”
“Distress call,” he said. “No imminent danger, but someone out there needs help.” Reaching over again, he spoke into the intercom. “You make contact? Get any details?”
“Dead in the water,” Jockey said.
She gasped and sat up. “Someone’s dead?”
Twisting toward her, Swain smoothed her hair that had fallen over her cheek. “The vessel, baby. Someone’s not going anywhere fast. Either they’re out of fuel or there’s a mechanical issue.”
Bringing her knees higher, she curled on her side facing him, and reached out to touch his chest. “And no one knows engines better than you,” she said, scratching her nails in the hair on his chest. “Foist says your skills are unparalleled…” Curling her leg over his, she slid it up and down his thigh.
“Two minutes ago you were worried about being paid if we were out here too long, now you want to head off course?” he said, tensing up. It didn’t take her man long to get crabby. “And the babygirl act doesn’t work on me, I told you that the day we met.”
Maybe not, though she wasn’t convinced he wasn’t swayed. Wriggling closer, she draped an arm around his neck and rose to brush her mouth on his. Pressing her chest into him, she whimpered and urged her mouth closer, opening his lips with her own and sinking her tongue into his mouth.
“Captain,” she whispered and eased him onto his back so she could climb on top of him. “You wouldn’t let anyone get hurt, would you? There’s a captain out there with a crew in need. What if that was us?” She kissed him again and coiled her fingers around his erection. “I’d be mighty proud serving under a captain who cared so much… I’d sure want to impress him.”
Slowly licking her lips, Sassi began to kiss her way down his body until she could close her lips around him.
As she sucked on him, learning how to please him, and how to make him feel good, she heard his voice again. “Change course and tell ‘em we’re on our way, Jock,” he grumbled.
“You coming topside?” Jock asked.
Breathing in through her nose, she sucked her captain as far into her throat as she could and heard him groan. “Not for a million bucks,” he mumbled.
“Cap’n?”
His body shifted, “Clear the channel, Jock. Fuck off. I’ll be there in a minute.”
When he relaxed again, his fingers combed through her hair on her crown. Still sucking and pleasuring him, Sassi reached up to tangle her fingers in his.
“Relax, Captain,” she said, kissing his thigh and his groin, then the head of his dick. “Let me make you feel good.”
ELEVEN
Swain did let her finish. After she’d swallowed, Sassi crawled up his body and somehow ended up talking about the fantasies she’d had that starred him. But, she’d only been talking for a few minutes when the deep rumble of his low snore made her look up to find he was asleep.
Sassi had trust in the other guys onboard to keep them on the right course and she guessed it would take time to rendezvous with this other vessel anyway. So, it seemed right to give the captain a chance to rest. She used his shower to clean up, kissed him while he slept, and gathered up her clothes, though she had to sneak back to her own room to change her underwear.
After going to the galley, she buzzed Jockey in the wheelhouse to ask how long it would be until they met the boat in distress. He didn’t seem surprised that she knew about it. Fidget must have told the others what he’d seen in the galley.
Jockey told her it would be a couple of hours; the boat in distress was far from the coast. A couple of hours was good and would give Swain some chance to catch up on the sleep he’d lost since starting this voyage. Sassi asked that the Captain not be bothered.
That request led to a gap of silence, which made her second guess making it. She didn’t think anything of making the suggestion when it came out of her mouth. It wasn’t supposed to be an order, she wasn’t getting ideas of acting above her station.
As far as she was concerned, a man was asleep, and shouldn’t be woken up because he wasn’t needed. Sassi would never ask something that might endanger Eros. If Swain was required, she’d go jump on him herself… to wake him up, not for other fun reasons.
But, the first-mate managed to calm her down just with the warmth of his voice when he’d agreed.
A little more than an hour after she’d had that conversation with Jockey, dinner was ready. Tune and Hector had eaten first and just gone up to the wheelhouse for their watch, though she didn’t know how their usual routine would work out with them on their way to answer the distress call.
The table was set for the second seating when the rest of the posse piled in sans the captain. Sassi was just putting the bowl of mashed potato in the center when Jockey, Foist, Swing, and Fidget entered to take their places around the table. The group were rowdy, even for them, and were arguing about something.
“What’s going on?” she asked, going toward the galley to start cleaning up.
“The boys here are having a little disagreement is all,” Jockey said.
“About what?” she asked, pouring the excess gravy into a jug to let it cool.
At the midnight change over, there were usually men in the galley seeking a snack. It always helped to have things on hand anyway. Sometimes there would be a buzz on the intercom and those on watch would ask for something to be taken to them. Because she didn’t have the best bal
ance on deck, she was given a reprieve from carrying up laden trays if it was dark, especially when there was a swell and a breeze. Swing or Fidget would take care of serving duties for her on those occasions, but it was still up to her to provide the food.
“Folks who don’t know what they’re doing shouldn’t be out on the water,” Foist said. “We should leave ‘em out there a while, teach ‘em a lesson.”
“We don’t know how long they’ve been out there,” Jockey said. “It’s not fair to leave ‘em.”
“Maybe we rattle ‘em a bit,” Swing said.
Sassi wasn’t sure how they’d go about that. “What do you know about the boat? The crew?” she asked.
Swain darkened the doorway, fixating his usual black scowl on her. Stepping inside, he stopped at the end of the table, staring at her like there was no one else in the room. Oh shit, was he mad? As her captain or as her… whatever they were.
“Captain!” Swing exclaimed.
Jockey reached out and gave his arm a nudge, but Swain kept staring.
Swallowing her nerves, she retrieved his plate from the oven and hurried to the table to put it in the top place-setting. “I laid your place for you,” she said, curling her lips into her mouth, waiting for him to react.
The others had to have noticed his mood because a hush had descended over the crew. No one made a sound when Swain stomped the length of the table to take his seat at the top, still scanning the food.
“You okay, cap’n?” Jockey asked.
Swain was still examining the table. “Where’s yours?” he asked and glared at her.
“I… I didn’t—”
“You eat with me,” he said. “Every meal, understand?” She nodded. “Grab a plate. Fidget move your fucking ass down closer to Foist. Robins sits at my side, every meal.”
A chorus of, ‘aye, sir’ rippled down the table while she scurried off to get her plate. As soon as she put it on the table, he dragged it closer to his then snatched her wrist to pull her down. Seated at the end of the bench, there wasn’t much room for her legs because Swain’s were right there perpendicular to her. Instead of getting awkward, Sassi tucked her knee behind his, and coiled both legs around his strong calf.
Swain put his elbows on the table edge and locked his fingers to hold his arms in an arch. “Tell me what I need to know about the pan-pan. How far out are we?”
“Bout forty minutes,” Jockey said and proceeded to fill him in on what had happened.
Because the captain’s plate was still empty, she took the liberty of filling it from the bowls on the table, being generous with every spoonful. Putting it down in front of him, she licked her fingers clean and started to build a plate for herself.
Sassi didn’t typically sit and eat with the others though she was usually in the galley beavering away, cleaning or baking while they chowed down.
“Before their radio went down, you didn’t get details?” Swain asked, eating and focusing on his crew.
Returning to the table, Sassi sat and wrapped her legs around his calf again before she started to eat her own portion.
“Sounds like they don’t have a fucking clue,” Foist said. “They couldn’t give us the spec or nothing.”
“Complement?” Swain asked, but there was no answer. “Okay, we’re not going to do a full assessment in the dark. If they don’t have radio then they don’t have electric; their generator and back-up must be shot… Did they take damage?” Again, there was no response. “Okay, we secure the vessel, triage injuries and we’ll assign ‘em cabins here.” His focus moved onto her. “Soon as you’re done eating, you pack your shit. The boys will move it to my cabin.”
They’d had sex once and now they were going to live together? Sassi took a minute with her shock. “I… what? Why?”
“There could be a crew of forty rowdy drunk sailors on that vessel. Space is limited, everyone will have to double-up,” he said, his brows moving closer together. “Horny drunk sailors.”
“It could be a boat full of hookers or sorority girls… horny sorority girls,” she said, but lost her own argument as she considered how she felt about young nubile bodies like that writhing all over her captain. It might not be a bad idea to stick close to him and maybe stake a claim. The rest of the crew cheered, but Sassi’s face settled in a frown before she made eye contact with Swain again. “Okay, I’ll move into your cabin.”
The way one of his brows relaxed made her think he’d been in her mind reading her thoughts, but he wouldn’t tease or show amusement while the rest of the crew was around. “I’ll take watch tonight,” he said and her hand fell to her plate.
It seemed she wasn’t the only one shocked by that declaration. “You can’t take watch after an hour’s nap,” Jockey said.
When Sassi stopped looking at the captain, she realized everyone’s attention was on her. “Why are you all looking at me?”
“ ‘Cause they assume now that I’m fucking you, I’ll listen to your hissy fits,” Swain said.
“Then they don’t know you very well,” she said. Sassi would never ever undermine or manipulate him in front of his crew. No way. They all relied on him and his authority had to be absolute, it ensured that they all stayed alive. “But, if we’re taking a vote, I agree with Jockey.”
“You had a bunch of sleep to catch up on,” Jockey said. “You never slept a full night through when we were in port… Tune and Hector are already set up for watch.”
“It’ll be a late one anyway,” Foist said. “We’ll have to take shifts watching the other crew.”
Because they didn’t trust strangers to wander Eros’ passageways unchecked. A shiver went through her. “Do you think they’ll rob us or hurt us?” she asked, thinking how little she wanted to meet a career pirate.
“You’ve got every bastard on this crew watching your butt, Waif. No cunt’s touching you without my order.”
On their crew or the other one, she didn’t know what he meant, and thought it was unlikely that he’d order any other man to touch her. But, that did lead to a kind of relationship/subordinate grey area, she was obliged to follow his orders, whatever they were.
Swing sucked in a breath. “Hey, cap’n, how come you say no forni… foric…”
“Fornication,” Jockey said.
“Yeah, how come you said none of that with the cook without getting hitched and then you get to do her? Are you doing her?”
“I’m the captain,” Swain said. Swing’s mouth opened in silent confusion. “You never heard that captains can perform marriages? I take her to be my wedded wife. Waif, you take me?”
“I, uh…” All eyes at the table were expectant, eager for her response. “Sure, I guess.”
“There,” Swain said, scooping up so much food that his fork disappeared. “We are fucking married.”
That was one way to get around the rules. Swing and Fidget cheered; the youngster beside her seemed really overjoyed. She was pleased to see the laughter dancing in Jockey’s eyes too. The first-mate shared a look with Foist, who she couldn’t see, before turning to the captain, who was still eating.
Good, okay, so she knew it wasn’t really a legally binding marriage. Except, when she’d said the words a zip of emotion had shot through her. She couldn’t spend too much time thinking about what that meant. She just couldn’t.
Eating fast, Sassi finished her food after Swain and most of the other guys were on seconds and talking about some boxer or fighter, something she didn’t know anything about.
Leaning toward Swain, she whispered, “I have to prep dessert.”
He dropped his focus to her and kept his voice low to keep their conversation as private as it could be. “Go pack,” he said. “It’s in the fridge?” She nodded, hoping his question showed an anticipation of trying her sweet treat. He’d always been kind of indifferent about her desserts, but she liked the idea that he might actually enjoy what she prepared. “We’ll figure it out.”
Trying her best to be subtle, she grazed
the side of her little finger against his forearm that was resting alongside his plate. “Do you really think there are forty horny guys on the ship we’re going to help?”
“You didn’t think of that before your little stunt earlier, did you?” he mumbled. “Captains consider lots of elements before making decisions. First and foremost, the safety of his own crew. I never should’ve ordered a course changed based on the skill of your mouth.”
Smiling at him, Sassi knew she shouldn’t show the rest of the crew he’d flattered her. That might betray to them that the captain had said something nice to her and he was busy trying to be grumpy in front of them.
Yes, he was right. She should’ve let him go to the wheelhouse to quiz the other boat and get all the information he could before they lost their radio. After that, he could’ve made an educated decision on if it was best for Eros to use their resources and possibly endanger themselves to make the rescue.
Instead, she’d kissed him, put him on his back, and persuaded him. And, that was why she was flattered. Swain had, in his own way, just admitted that she did have the power to manipulate him; he probably would have listened to her hissy fit if she’d thrown one.
Sliding right to the end of the bench until her ass was teetering on the edge, Sassi tightened her legs around his to balance herself and tipped her lips up to his ear. Taking her hint, he lowered his head a fraction, it would be obvious he was listening to her, but everything else about his posture said professional salvage captain.
“If you’re on watch all night, I’ll have no one to share that big bed with,” she murmured, stroking a hand over his thigh beneath the table. “Will you really be able to leave me in your bed all night? Untouched?”
She eased back just enough to find his eyes. “You didn’t just say that,” he said. Sassi held her breath, hoping he wasn’t mad. “You fucking with my command?”
Panic tightened her chest until his gaze fell to her mouth. There was something in his tone, but it wasn’t anger. He might want to be mad, but he wasn’t. Letting her hand slide higher on his leg, she found out what it was. He was hard.
Sweet Seas Page 11
