Stellan cleared his throat and moved to squat down, gesturing to his lap.
Her eyes widening, Caelina shook her head. “No, no, there must be another way.”
He tilted his head. “Sure. Tell me about this other way.”
Her stomach queasy, she turned incredulous eyes at him but was at a complete loss.
“Look, the pulley is not that high and I’m pretty tall.” Stellan studied her hesitant look before his mouth curved in a small smirk. “It’s okay, Caelina. We are more or less married now. It’s not like it would be inappropriate for me to touch you.”
She chewed on her lips again. He wasn’t wrong. But her hot-as-hell husband was asking her to climb him.
Mistaking her tension for revulsion, a shadow flitted past Stellan’s expression. “I know you would loathe to be anywhere near me but think of it this way, the faster you do this, the faster we get out of here, and then you can happily keep hating me.”
Her eyes lit up. “No.”
Stellan’s eyebrows rose.
“I don’t hate you,” Caelina said with a small smile.
Even in the dimness of the ship’s hold, the sun rose in his eyes. His shoulders squared, his chest puffed in relief, and his hazel eyes glistened in hope. “Really?”
She bit her lip, shaking her head in nervous disbelief instead of responding. “Let’s do this.” Taking a deep shaky breath to get ready, she walked up to him.
Caelina clutched at the hem of her dress to shift it up before she moved to wrap one leg around his waist, scooting herself to press close against him, then she propped her other leg across to sit astride his lap before she looped her arms around his neck.
She was sure her chain was biting into his neck but he merely nodded, “Good,” before straightening up with a loud grunt, carrying her aloft.
She gasped as she was thrust upward. She braced her arms tighter around his neck to maintain her balance, locking her ankles together around his back so she wouldn’t fall off.
Blinking in surprise at that strategy having worked, Caelina lifted her eyes to where her chain was hung. “I see it. You were right. I can reach it from here. I’m going to go unlatch it now, okay?” Breathless, she glanced down for his response, nearly jumping to find his nose right where the low cut of her dress was.
Her alarm made him unsteady, he nearly toppled back. “Settle down, Caelina!” he snapped. “Just relax. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
“S-Sorry!” Her every nerve ending tingling, she took a deep breath and shook off the shivers running up her spine. Clenching her teeth in an effort to balance, she unwound her arms from his neck so she could reach up and unlatch the chain from the pulley rig. “Almost… I got it!”
Stellan made a stifled noise from beneath her.
Caelina glanced back down at him. “What?”
He peered up at her through some lace and frill. She couldn’t see his cocky grin but she could tell it was there and his husky voice sent another thrill shooting through her.
“You…smell heavenly.”
That made her jump again and this time Stellan couldn’t control his balance and he fell back to the floor. Her head nearly smacked his as she landed on top of him.
“Oh my god! Stellan, are you okay?”
Breathless, Caelina stared into Stellan’s face, her hands clutching at his shirt instinctively as she lay flat upon him. He gazed up at her with the same wonder and surprise. They had never so much as exchanged a handshake before and now this.
Caelina’s eyes widened as she felt him beneath her and Stellan’s mouth dropped open.
He shook his head at the shock on her face. “Oh, dammit—I-I’m sorry.”
His heart was thundering beneath hers, but instead of straightening up and getting off of him, Caelina’s heavy-lidded gaze lifted to meet his.
Fire burned in her core, awakened by his own need. Stellan’s firm chest was unyielding beneath her fingers and the entire length of his body against hers was rock solid.
Curiosity overcame her, and ever so slightly, Caelina arched her back.
Stellan groaned when she pressed against him. He gasped out her name, “Caelina—”
Her mouth dropping open, her eyes closed for a moment at the searing intensity of the sensation.
He strained against the chains still binding his arms behind him. He probably wanted to touch her, help her. But he couldn’t move except to groan again, deeper in his chest, as she slowly moved against him once more. “Stop—stop!”
Caelina met his wild gaze. She was panting too. “What?”
“My love…” he rasped, gritting his teeth to maintain his control. “Let’s not have our first time together while we are bound and kidnapped by pirates.”
She tilted her head to challenge, “Why not?”
He sucked in a deep slow breath, his response mingling with a low groan. “You are my wife. You deserve more than this. I want you to have everything. Everything you want.”
Caelina studied the rich depths of his honey-colored eyes. On the rare few instances that their gazes had met throughout the years, Stellan’s eyes had always gleamed as if in pleasure, but she had never known the gleam in his eyes was only for her.
And now he was hers.
“I want you.”
Stellan watched the whispered words slip out of her mouth and the pleasurable shiver tremoring throughout his body rocked them both.
Heat and need pulsing through her, Caelina’s gaze dropped to his mouth as well and she tentatively dipped her head lower.
At the plain desire on her face, a low growl escaped Stellan’s throat, but before he could lift his head to take her lips in his, the trapdoor above slammed open once more.