Climbing out of the rigging, Ric saw her. Or better yet, he saw her walking away from him. Gone were the torn and ragged skirts Jocelyn been wearing for the last few weeks. The tan britches she had on in their place covered more, but the fabric hugging close to her behind and slipping past each thigh and calf had him adjusting the sudden tightness in his own britches. By rights, it should be his trousers she be in.
Even with her hair shorter and wearing men’s trousers there was no mistaking the fact she was a woman. There was something in the gentle sway of a woman’s walk--correction, this woman’s walk--it reminded him of holding those hips in his hands as he pushed into her.
Glancing around, he noticed he wasn’t the only one enjoying the new landscape of the beautiful Jocelyn Beauchamp.
“Get back to work. All of you. Summer, keep a steady course due west, but keep her far enough from shore to skirt--” his voice broke the word in two, but he recovered with a cough. “those reefs.”
Jocelyn stopped and bent over to roll the bottom hem of each pant leg. Ric stifled a groan as a rush of blood to his cock had him curling his hands into fists. “I-I’ll be below.”
Coming up behind Jocelyn, he hooked her elbow as she straightened. “I need to speak with you.”
She smoothed the fabric over the front of her thighs, “Yes?”
“In private,” he growled as he grasped her arm once more and came close to dragging her below.
“Ric?” She ran to keep up with him.
He didn’t answer and he didn’t stop until they were in her quarters. As soon as the door closed behind them, he pinned her against the rough wood and took advantage of her surprised gasp to ravage her mouth.
Lifting her arms over her head he grasped her wrists in one hand while he swept the other over her body and cupped the gentle curve of her ass pulling her against his erection.
“Good God, Jocelyn. What have you done to me?” He moved a line of kissed down her throat.
“Whatever it was, please tell me so I can do it again,” she whimpered.
He smiled against her collarbone, then gathering control of himself, tipped his head back and huffed like some caged beast.
He released her wrists and guided her arms around his neck before lowering his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry. I can’t seem to help myself around you.”
She cupped his cheek and placed another small kiss upon his lips. “Do you hear me complaining?”
“You should be. Damn it, you should be treated gently, not manhandled against a wall. Or taken on a floor, in the dust. You should be laid in a featherbed with clean white sheets and a mountain of pillows.” He brushed his hand across her breast and held its weight in the cup of his palm. “You deserve so much better.”
Jocelyn ran her fingers inside the open neck of his shirt to caress his skin. “I don’t care about any of those things. None of it matters as long as I’m with you.”
Slipping a hand around her waist, he held her close for a long moment. She rested her cheek on his chest and wrapped her arms about him. He loved how she tucked under his chin as if she’d been made for him. If only he could stay this way forever. Stop time.
Or better yet, turn the clocks back. Erase months and years and find her before his life’s path had been decided. He’d have chosen better. For her. He’d have changed his course and become something worthy of her. Something honorable.
“We should be anchoring tomorrow after daybreak,” he whispered. “By the time the sun sets on another day, you’ll be back where you belong.”
“Feels like I’m where I belong right now.” She held tight.
The words caught in his throat. He simply shook his head.
“We still have tonight?” Jocelyn pulled back enough to look into his eyes.
Ric fingered the dark curls at her temple before brushing them away from her cheek and tucking their softness behind her ear. “Aye, we still have tonight.”
She studied the open neck of his shirt. Laying a hand there again. Over his heart. “I-I don’t want to spend my last hours in this room. I’ll have an endless future of doors with locks. I’d like to be on deck. Surrounded by the night sky. Sea air. You.” She lifted her gaze. “Spend the night with me?”
“And wrap you in stars?”
Jocelyn closed her eyes and pulled in a shuddered breathe as she nodded. A single tear slipped beneath her eyelid and began a silvery path down her cheek.
He caught it with his thumb.
* * * *
Ric spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the entries in the ship’s log and trying to put the rest out of his mind. Tomorrow with the raising of a sail and the wave of a quill, he’d return things to their rightful place and go back to being a simple forward gunner.
Jocelyn was leaving. Tupper was ready to take command of the Scarlet Night once again. They could get back to life before fate had thrown them into the middle of this storm.
Things wouldn’t be as they were, of course. Too much had happened. Gavin and Neo and the rest of the crew were lost, but with a new crew and Tupper at the helm, at least they would go back to doing what they did best. Pirating. Laying siege to prey. Engaging in the fight. Battling for their lives through smoke and cannon fire and blood.
Ric set down his quill and poured himself more rum. He contemplated the way it sat in his mug for a long moment before drinking. An odd feeling washed over him.
At one time, the thought of battling and pirating put a fire in his belly and filled him with a rush of reckless danger. It was exhilarating. Manning his gun, smelling the hot oiled steel of the cannon barrel, watching the flame of the quick match drop into the fuse hole, and feeling the power of each blast rock through his body. Seeing that ball hit its mark and explode the target. Turning wood into slivers. Twisting iron like a screw. It’s what drove him. Excited him. It’s who he was, and he was one of the best.
But now…the idea of it didn’t bring the same thrill. Maybe the haunting images of the earthquake’s aftermath were taking their toll. Perhaps the responsibility of being captain was too great. Or it could be deep down he realized he could never go back to how things once were.
He couldn’t rush through life with the same naïve, carefree attitude. He wasn’t immortal as he’d always believed. Defying death took on a new meaning. It wasn’t only him anymore. Jocelyn was part of him now whether she was in his arms, or on the opposite side of the ocean. Or more correctly, he was part of her.
No matter where he went or what he did, she would still hold his heart. The idea brought with it brilliant joy and cavernous, crushing sorrow.
Damn it. The day was almost here, and he still couldn’t think past raising the sail on the sloop. The idea of saying good-bye to her. Walking away without looking back. There was a chance he wouldn’t survive.
Ric emptied his mug, raised the light in the lamp to finish the logs.
“Still at it?” Hornbach came into the galley rolling a barrel of what appeared to be salted meat.
“Aye.” Ric rubbed at his eyes. “Did you manage to gather what I asked for?”
“Ye don’t ask for much now, do ya?” he grumbled. “fresh bread, cheese. Surprised ye dinna ask me to bake ye a cake.”
“I’ll remember a cake for next time,” Ric countered. “And the blankets and lanterns?”
“Aye, it’s all out there.” Hornbach flipped a hand.
“Good, and you’ve passed the word along to the rest?”
Hornbach rolled his eyes. “Aye, we’re all te leave ye to yer tea party.”
Ric didn’t care for the man making light. “I don’t want anyone on deck tonight. You told them?”
“Aye.” He threw his hands up and gave Ric an impatient look, “Why all the fuss? Ye’d think ye ne’re fucked a bloody chit bef--”
Ric was out of his chair and had his pistol pointed in Hornbach’s face before the man could finish his sentence. Ric cocked the hammer. “If you ever talk about her like that again, it will be the last thing to cross your lips.”
“Easy, easy!” Hornbach pushed the muzzle of the gun away from his nose. “Ye ken, there be a time when ye could take a blasted joke.”
“Does it look like I’m joking? Shut your hole and get back to work.” Ric shoved his pistol back into his baldric
Hornbach snorted and lumbered away. “Be glad when ye’re done captainin’. Ye been a lot more fun ‘fore ye started walkin’ round here wit that stick up yer arse.”
Ric snapped. “I thought I told you to shut up.”
Hornbach flipped him a one-fingered salute with both hands. “Aye, aye, Capt’n.”
* * * *
Not long after eight bells, the sun relinquished the sky to the moon. Ric stood in the bow and waited for her.
“I’m going to miss this view.”
Ric turned at the sound of her voice and drank in the sight of her profile in the fading light. “As am I.”
Jocelyn gave him a coy smile and pointed toward the horizon. “I was talking about out there.”
“I wasn’t.” He took her hand. “Come with me, I have a surprise for you.”
Ric led her down the length of the ship and up the stairway to the quarterdeck and past the large oak wheel.
“Ric…” Jocelyn gave a surprised sigh.
At the back rail of the ship, he’d set them a small oasis. A few lanterns scattered the light into a darkened corner where several bottles of the wine they’d scored in stealing the sloop awaited them along with some food, the last of the fresh fruit, bread, and cheese. He’d used more than a dozen blankets to construct a comfortable area for them to relax.
“You wanted to sleep out here. I thought you should have something a bit more comfortable than a coil of rope to rest on.”
Jocelyn held a hand over her heart. “I-I don’t know what to say.”
Ric gathered her in his arms. “Say nothing. Just kiss me.”
She threw her hands around his neck and lifted onto her tiptoes to bring her lips to his. Ric took full advantage of the stretch of her body to slip a hand down the back waistband of her trousers.
When his fingers cupped the roundness of her behind, she pulled away and looked past him. “Someone will see us.”
“Not if they don’t want to be keelhauled come morning.” He smiled. “I gave orders for everyone to stay below deck tonight.”
She pushed her fingertips into his hair. “So we’re alone?”
“Just us and the moon.” Ric jerked his chin toward the crescent rising off the bow.
Jocelyn tilted her head back. “And the stars, don’t forget the stars.”
Ric kissed her throat. “After you explained your conversation with Tupper, I’ll never look at stars the same way ever again.”