“I guess I’m just not used to being here,” she finished, looking into her bowl of porridge in hopes to avoid Johnny’s scrutinizing gaze. “Maybe I will. I” - She paused, blushing, before forcing her eyes to meet his. “I probably would miss everything more if you weren’t with me.”
This statement seemed to genuinely please Johnny, and he smiled quite brilliantly, so much so that Izzy felt a substantial portion of her breath disappear on its own accord.
“Well, darling,” he began, standing up with his bowl in his hand. He reached over and grabbed Izzy’s before placing them on the sink counter next to the other bowls that were waiting to be cleaned. “We have to leave soon. The crew should be at the ship in mere hours. Have you gotten everything you need?”
Izzy shook her head, following Johnny’s suit, and standing. “No,” she murmured, placing her fingertip on the point of her chin. “I should probably start packing.”
--
Izzy was nearly finished with the task at hand an hour later when a knock at the door caused any thoughts she may have been dwelling on to disappear. Believing it to be Johnny, she called for the knocker to come in, keeping her focus on finishing what she had set out to do. Surprisingly, however, it was not Johnny who was at the door, but Marion.
“Oh, Marion,” Izzy said when she realized who her guest was. She pushed up to a standing position, feeling the burn of her muscles due to the length of time she had been kneeling. “Are you all right? How can I help you?”
Marion smiled the usual beguiling smile, and for the umpteenth time, Izzy wondered why Johnny wasn’t in some sort of relationship with the Madame. She was stunning and sweet, and had quite a profit to her name. Though the jealousy in Izzy wanted to hate her, the feat was impossible because of the natural warmth Marion had.
“I am fine, Izzy,” she said, the name still sounding slightly funny when it touched her French accent. “Actually, I wanted to give something to you.” When she raised her arms, Izzy noticed that something was in them. “It is a dress. It is one of my favorites. I hope that by taking this, you will remember me.”
“I don’t need anything to remember you by, really,” Izzy said sincerely, her eyes pooling into Marion’s. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Please, allow me to do so,” Marion insisted, so Izzy reached out and took the material into her arms. “I think that Johnny will like it on you; the dress will bring out your eyes.” Izzy glanced down upon hearing Johnny’s name and looked at the sea-green material, wondering when she was going to ever wear it, but promising herself she would – sooner or later.
“Thank you,” Izzy murmured, placing it gently on the surface of her bed. Her eyes looked up and locked into the older woman’s. “For everything, I mean. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”
“Johnny and I are friends,” Marion told the young woman. “At least, I consider him to be so. There are people, both pirate and navy, that dislike him because of what he is supposed to do. I believe that with you accompanying him, he will stay grounded, more so than normal. I know you care for him, Isabelle. I can see it so clearly in your eyes. And I know that you will look out for him to the best of your abilities. It worries me, this whole prophecy, this impending war. Nobody is sure if Johnny will survive it. But with you, his chances are surely better.”
“I would do anything for him,” Izzy said, speaking before her mind could catch up. Though when she finished her sentence, she knew her words were true.
Marion seemed to know it too, for she nodded and said, “I know.” She smiled as she looked into Izzy’s eyes, nodding once. “And that is payment enough.”
Chapter 31
Johnny, Izzy, and the rest of the crew occupied the ship a couple of hours later. After saying goodbye to Marion, Sarah, Gabriella, and everyone else, the ship sailed out of the secluded dock and into the sea. Originally, Johnny was at the helm and Izzy was at the bow, leaning over the railing in order to look at the ship sail across the crystal Caribbean water. Johnny watched her for a long moment, taking in everything about her. He was awed by the fact that no matter how long he stared at her, he always found something else he was fascinated with. It was as though this woman was a magician, and somehow, he was cast in her spell. Oddly enough, he didn’t find any reason to complain.
After a couple of hours on the sea, Johnny decided to teach Izzy how to handle a blade. “Beautiful day out,” he said, glancing over at Izzy. She turned to look at him, and then cast her eyes upwards in order to look at the sky. After a moment, she returned his smile, and nodded in agreement. “I have an idea, darling. Taking into account what had happened in Tortuga, I have come to the conclusion that you have no idea about the multiple tricky situations you could very possibly get into, and most likely will get into, so I am here to offer my services free of charge.”
Izzy raised her eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her chest. “What kind of services?” she asked, watching the pirate captain like a hawk watching its prey.
“I’m glad you asked that, darling,” Johnny replied, raising his index fingers “for I was just about to show you.” The pirate captain spun around on the worn heel of his boot, and walked over to vacant area of his ship. He turned once again, a mischievous smile on his face. Then, all of a sudden, he whipped out his sharp cutlass, and began to parry the air surrounding him, a determined look upon his face. Once his dance was done, he stood straight, looking at the woman before him, and then took a dramatic bow. When he rose, he eyed the Izzy a bit more closely. He raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. Her hand was over her delicate mouth, and her eyes were cast towards the sea, as if she were purposefully avoiding all and any eye contact with him. It was then that he realized that she was laughing at his performance.
Johnny walked over to her slowly, his eyes flashing with annoyance, and even some offense, but as he stepped closer, in hopes to intimidate her, her face got more and more distorted so she wouldn’t laugh at loud. He stopped when he was half a foot away from her, and leaned down so his nose would be brushing hers if it wasn‘t for her hand covering her mouth. Her face turned bright red, and her eyes lit up so strikingly that it caught Johnny off guard, but only for a quick moment. “Is something funny to you, missy?” he asked.
Finally, her eyes met his, and she shook her head, but her answer was in vain. She lost control over her laughter, and burst into a fit of giggles. It was so contagious that Johnny had to press his lips together to ensure that he wouldn’t laugh. Instead, he just stood there, his head tilted to the side, a fraction of a degree, trying to understand this young woman’s response to his display of talent.
Izzy managed to compose herself, but an amused smile still rested on her lips.
“Are you finished, then?” Johnny asked with annoyance.
Izzy nodded. “I do have a question, though,” she said, raising her hand to emphasize her point.
“And, pray tell, what would that be?” Johnny asked, trying to maintain his patience.
“Why were you doing that?” Izzy questioned, flailing her arms about in a manner of mimicking the man before her. “What is that, exactly? I already know how to dance.” Johnny turned to glance back at the young woman, a look of frustration on his face. “All right, sorry. I’ll be serious now.” She bit her lip, but failed to keep a smile off of her face.
At that moment, Johnny slipped off his tunic so his bronze chest was bare and grabbed onto the cutlass that had been hanging from his side. Izzy’s breath caught in her throat as she stopped abruptly. Her eyes couldn’t help but drink in the scenery before her; his brazen torso, his toned muscles, his built shoulders, the scars that decorated his body as ornaments decorate a Christmas tree. A feeling of arousal overtook her senses, and even though she tried desperately, she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He was beautiful.
“See something you like, darling?”
His voice clipped into her senses, causing her eyes to drift back up to his face. Her face felt like fire, and when she opened her mouth to
reply a witty retort, she could muster no sound. She felt like such a fool, being speechless because this man couldn’t dress properly. “Are you going to get decent?” she managed to say, after finding control of her voice.
His smirk deepened. “I don’t intend to, no,” Johnny said, knowing full-well the effect he was having on her. He loved being admired by women, especially beautiful women, women that he, too, admired in a strictly physical way. Izzy was the epitome of what he found attractive; beautiful eyes, a curvy body.
“Are you ready?” Johnny asked, forcing himself to speak. “Now, darling, pretend I’m coming at you, about to tackle you to the ground,” he began, standing in front of her. “Let’s say that instead of running, you decide to actually stay and fight.”
“Okay,” Izzy murmured, her eyes locking with Johnny’s.
“Get into a stance in a manner to defend yourself,” he told her, and Izzy did as she was told, her right foot in front of her left, her right shoulder hunched over as though she was defending herself. “Ah,” he said smiling. “We have a leftie on our hands. All right, that’s good, but you need to make you’re stance strong,” he told, and then to prove his point, he pushed her. She lost her footing quite easily, but managed to catch herself without his aide.
“Here,” Johnny said, getting into his own defensive stance. “Why don’t you push me?”
A smirk appeared on Izzy’s face, and she immediately pushed him, throwing her weight into it. It was all in vain, however, for he moved, maybe, about an inch, but his footing was steady. He chuckled with amusement. “Nice try, pet,” he said. “Now you try.”
Izzy locked her jaw, and nodded, showing she was ready. Her muscles were tense, but Johnny still managed to get her to lose her footing. She groaned, frustrated, only causing Johnny to laugh again. They repeated this procedure a few more times before Johnny was finally satisfied with her stance, though he must admit how much he thoroughly enjoyed touching her.
When they finished, Johnny pulled out his cutlass, and moved so that he was standing shoulder to shoulder with her, his weapon horizontal. “Take it in your hands,” he gently commanded, and Izzy wrapped her left hand around the hilt of the sword, while her right hand remained flat, her palm underneath the cool blade. She stared at it with wonder; she had never before held a weapon in her hands, and while it intimidated her, she was awestruck at the power she was now feeling. She felt in control of herself.
“This is the hilt,” he told her quietly, placing his hand on hers. The intense energy between them seemed to have come back to surround them; they shared a passion for the weapon in her hands. His had been around the day he had first picked up a cutlass, and hers seemed to have resulted the same way his did. “And this is the blade. These are the two parts that make up a cutlass.”
“What is the difference between the cutlass and the sword?” Izzy asked, craning her neck to look up at him from behind her.
“A marvelous question, my dear,” he replied. “The blade of a cutlass is shorter, blunter… easier to fight with. Swords have longer blades, which could very easily get tangled in riggings and whatnot. Swords also feel more awkward, and are not necessarily as damaging as cutlasses.”
“Teach me,” Izzy breathed. Her eyes looked up to him. “I want to learn.”
“Good,” was Johnny’s curt reply. A funny feeling pitted against his stomach, looking into her eyes and seeing desire, passion.
Johnny taught her, and when he stopped for a break every now and then, she would practice until he arrived to resume his lesson. She yearned to learn more, and when he complied with her request, she learned quickly. It was so intriguing for him to watch her because the moves that he taught her were aggressive, and to see her put her feminine grace to it was beautiful.
When the sun was near the horizon, Johnny stopped, his toned chest drenched with sweat. He studied Izzy for a long moment and found her face was smooth and clear. While there were beads of sweat on her forehead, she did not look like she had just spent hours practicing everything he taught her. He thought it to himself a lot, but she was beautiful.
“You’re well onto being a pirate,” he told her, taking her hands in his in order to remove the cutlass.
Izzy smiled, a nodded a couple of times. “That would be unexpected, hmm?” she asked him, raising a brow as she looked at him.
“That it would,” Johnny agreed.
“You should put on a tunic,” Izzy murmured, casting her eyes down at his bare chest, changing the subject. “You look cold.” She smirked as she sauntered away, deciding to change into a new set of clothes.
Johnny looked down at his chest, noticing that, indeed, goose bumps had erupted onto his chest, and his nipples had become erect. Shaking his head, the pirate captain followed Izzy over to his room to find a clean tunic to wear.
Chapter 32
Izzy’s hands were placed on the surface of the banister portside of the ship, her shoulders pushed up as her eyes scanned the sea. It was probably the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. The golden rays of the sun bled into the horizon of the sea, meshing with the bluest water, causing strings of blue, pink, orange, and even some purple to stain the sky. The young woman had never seen anything quite like it. She thought she was lucky for being able to watch the sunset every day at the beach, but this… This was completely different. She had always wanted to experience a true Caribbean sunset, especially on the sea, but she never expected it to be so… perfect.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” a voice mumbled from beside her. Izzy glanced to her right and found Johnny standing next to her, peering out at the horizon, just as she had been doing.
Instead of saying anything in return, Izzy merely nodded and turned her attention back to the sunset. “You’re so lucky,” she murmured, watching as the sun slowly started to slide behind the body of water. “You get to see these every day.”
“You realize you do too, right?” Johnny asked, glancing down at the woman next to him. For whatever reason, Johnny moved his left arm so it rested next to Izzy’s left hand while Johnny’s right hand rested next to Izzy’s right one, so the young woman was trapped between his strong arms and her back was caressing his chest. “I mean,” he said, tilting his head down so he could all but whisper in her ear, “you are here… now… with me.” Izzy did her best to ignore the sensation his hot breath caused when it touched her skin, but the way his voice sounded, low and husky, was making the task harder than she had originally thought it would be.
“Can I ask you something?” Izzy asked, releasing the banister once the sun had fully set and turned around so she could look Johnny in the eyes. She just wasn’t expecting him to be so close, his lips mere centimeters from hers, the corners curled up in that cocky grin he was famous for.
“Anything,” he said in the same tone, his dark eyes focused primarily on her lips. Goodness, he wanted to kiss her. How long had it been since he had last been familiar with her lips?
“What is this war you’re destined to lead other pirates into?” she asked him, her voice soft. A touch of worry laced through her words, and her brow was pushed together to indicate that she was indeed worried for him.
Johnny had to pause his response, in hopes to memorize every inch of her face at this precise moment in time. He had never seen somebody so worried about him. This, of course, was his fault if anything due to the conscious choice of forgoing friendships, but seeing it so clearly in her brown eyes caused something warm in him to spread throughout her body. He, of course, had already admitted that he loved her, even aloud, even to somebody else, but was it possible to love her more than he already did? She didn’t even know that he cared for her, and yet she was still worried about him.
“It’s a war,” Johnny replied, trying to think of a way to respond to her question. “And I am destined to lead pirates to it.” He winced slightly, knowing that wasn’t exactly the answer Izzy was looking for, but he realized just how hard it was to explain. “It’s a longtime coming, darli
ng. I really don’t know exactly what to say or how to explain it. But it’s something I’ve known my entire life.”
“But why you?” Izzy asked, cocking her head to the side very slightly. “Why not some other pirate? Is this karma from some past life?”
“Love, to be completely honest, I have no idea,” Johnny replied. “All I know is that it’s me, which is why I chose to run away.”
“If you know you’re supposed to lead this group of people,” Izzy began slowly, her eyes scanning Johnny’s in hopes for some kind of answer, “do you know the result? Do you know if your side wins or loses? Do you know if you…?” She let her voice trail off, unable to finish her thought before biting her bottom lip. “Is that why you choose not to have any friends or anyone close to you? You’re not sure if you… survive?” Izzy wasn’t sure if the whole line of questioning would offend Johnny or not, so her voice was light and wary.
Johnny opened his mouth, ready to refuse her query before pausing. Was that why he didn’t have any friends? Why he chose not to depend on anyone because he knew that if he were to die, it wouldn’t matter. “In all probability,” Johnny began, “yes. I do not know the outcome of this particular war.” He pushed his brows together, an idea suddenly popping into his head as he gazed down at Izzy. “But you, my love, you are from the future. You must know the outcome. What is it?”
“I didn’t even know there was a war between pirates and the Royal Navy,” Izzy told him, uncomfortable at the fact that she should know this, but oddly enough, never learned of it. “I mean, I guess if Jack Sparrow was based on you, and if Pirates of the Caribbean was based on your encounters and your life, then there is a war in the third movie. But you don’t lead the war. Elizabeth gets voted Pirate King, by Jack’s vote. And she leads everybody in war.”
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