"Invite me to stay the night here with you."
A soft gasp was her answer. Her throat clogged with tenderness because he meant it. His entire body shook with need, but he would not remain without her invitation.
She rose up onto her toes, seeking his mouth as a reply. He waited for her to press the kiss against his mouth, his lips slowly mimicking her motions instead of leading. But she felt his hands shake. Just a tiny amount when she trailed the tip of her tongue across his lower lip.
The response filled her with confidence. Sliding her hands over his chest, she became bolder, kissing him with the same demanding motion he'd shown her. A harsh catch in his breathing
made her even more daring and she
reached higher to touch his shoulders. She wanted to touch him. Not merely be touched.
He jerked when she reached his erection. His fingers tightened in her hair. He took command of the kiss, his tongue thrusting deeply into her mouth in a smooth motion that drew a shiver from her.
But she wasn't willing to float away on the waves of delight. Her fingers spread over his cock, stroking him through his pants.
"You're bolder than you appear, Lorena." She recognized the raspy tone and it pleased her greatly.
"Because I want to give as good as I get?"
He chuckled. "Be careful, Lorena, you tempt me to treat you like the sort of woman who lives boldly."
"And how is that?" Her voice didn't sound familiar. It was husky and laced with hunger. Her fingers moved once more over his hard flesh and he jerked. He gripped her hips, lifting
her off her feet in one quick motion. She didn't have time to gasp, only reach for him. Her arms twisted around his neck, the only solid thing she could find.
"By placing your back against the wall instead of laying you down in a bed."
Her back connected with the wall in the same instant he spoke. He lifted her up, his body
pressing her thighs apart so he might settle against her sex. It was raw and uncouth, but
excitement raced through her, the nub at the top of her sex throbbing insistently.
"I think I might enjoy it."
In the dark she was almost sure she saw his eyes glow. Such a thing was impossible of course, but she felt the intensity of his stare, felt it burning into her own gaze. His mouth landed on top of hers and all teasing fell aside. There was only hunger now. His lips demanding complete
surrender, but she refused to yield. She kissed him back, turning her head to press
her mouth more completely against his own. His clothing frustrated her, she tore at the buttons, seeking his skin. Her passage was already hot and needy. The hard bulge of his cock too much to bear with the layers of their clothing separating them.
"Hold on to me."
It was a command she didn't mind obeying. Wrapping her arms around his neck, he pressed her firmly against the wall with his wide chest. Her skirt was swept aside in one sure motion, the front of his breeches taking a moment longer to unfasten.
The night air brushed along her bare thighs, touching her spread sex a moment before he closed the gap, the head of his cock pressing against her opening. Her grip tightened on his neck, the first thrust sending prickles of pain through her. But it was only a pale echo from last night. Her passage quickly stretched around his girth, eagerly gripping what it craved. He froze deep inside her, gripping her hips and shaking with the effort.
"Am I hurting you?" His voice was so soft she almost didn't understand the words.
"I'm in agony every second you remain still."
"Lorena..." He sounded exasperated but his hips flexed, giving her the motion they both craved.
"I'm sick of being correct. Do you really want me to say something sedate?"
He thrust forward, sending delight up into her belly. Then thought became difficult and
unnecessary. Her entire life had been about thinking. She wanted to feel instead.
"No."
His voice echoed with the same need that pulsed through her veins. Need was red hot, glowing and radiating heat that burned away everything else. Her partner moved faster and harder with each thrust.
She met him eagerly. Her hips straining toward him, the stress of the day driving her into a frenzy. She needed to feel alive. Needed to feel his heart hammering against her own. But what truly fed her hunger was the hard thrust of his cock driving into her. Deep, hard and over and over again until pleasure flooded her. She clung to him while it ripped through the hours of tension which had gripped them both. The white-hot sensation forced a ciy from her, and he
pressed a hard kiss against her mouth while his entire body strained against hers. His muscles corded beneath her fingers while his seed pumped into her passage.
"I didn't mean to take you like that."
Disgust edged his words. But his hands were gentle. He cradled her against his chest for a long moment before setting her on her feet. Once again, he swept her clothing from her body without a single protest from the fabric.
"I swear to God I know better."
Reaching up, she stroked his jaw. He froze, that single touch commanding his complete attention.
"So do I."
It was a soft admission, one that humbled him. She felt his body shake, emotion rippling along the hard length of his limbs. He shed his clothing before he settled her in his bunk, the moonlight washing over his satisfied grin.
"This time, we'll have to curb our impatience and savor the journey. Most of the enjoyment is found in getting to the destination."
Warren held true to his word. Hours later, she collapsed against him, every muscle limp with exhaustion. Ripples of delight echoed throughout her body.
It was too hot.
Lorena frowned and kicked at the layers of bedding. Her mouth was dry and the bed too warm to endure. She rolled over, fighting her
way into the corner. A soft sigh passed her lips when she found a cool section of sheeting to lay her cheek against. Relief went through her, so she rubbed her cheek against it some more, trying to absorb the coolness.
A large hand landed on her shoulder and her eyes opened instantly. Memory returned but she
shrugged, trying to dislodge Warren's hand.
"It's too hot." Her throat didn't want to work either. It was parched and dry from the heat. It was sweltering, all she wanted to do was sleep. There was comfort in that. She let her eyes close and shrugged once again to get Warren to lift his hand away.
"Lorena?"
Warren wasn't willing to let her sleep. The bunk shook and the hand on her shoulder rolled her back into the center of it. But her eyelids felt heavy. It was still dark in the cabin, only a faint pink on the horizon. She groaned. If it was this hot before sunrise, the day promised to be dismal indeed.
"We lost the wind again," she groused.
"No, we didn't."
Lorena opened her eyes to glare at the man. He disagreed with her just to be obstinate. His blue eyes watched her, his brow furrowed for some reason. Well, heat soured everyone's temperament.
He reached out and she could actually feel the warmth of his hand before it touched her.
"Warren, it's too hot."
His hand settled on her cheek in spite of her words. She stiffened and the furrows on his brow deepened.
"You're too hot."
She snorted and turned her face away from his touch. "As if you aren't." It seemed impossible to control the sharpness of her tone. The heat was hellish and her head ached
because of it. She knew she was surly but was too uncomfortable to care.
"I'm not, Lorena."
Confusion swept through her, but her mouth remained dry. "How can I be hot and you not?
We're in the same cabin, aren't we?" The question made no sense but she had to ask it anyway.
Her brain wasn't willing to work and the look on Warren's face disturbed her.
He left the bunk. A soft sigh rose from her chest because it was cooler now. She kicked the last corner of bedding off her lower legs, muttering in relief. Light illuminated the cabin and her bare skin. Her eyes grew round when she looked down her length and found nothing but skin. She
wasn't wearing a stitch.
And she was burning up.
The truth exploded through her brain and she reached up to finger the line of stitches still in her throat. The edges were swollen and weeping.
"Damn it." Warren tipped her chin up without asking. Fury danced in his eyes.
"You swear rather often."
He released her chin, confusion crossing his features. "I what?"
"Use profanity. Didn't you have a mother who taught you to avoid harsh language? It's ever so disrespectful to her to swear so much."
He grunted in reply. "Can we discuss this another time, Lorena? I rather think getting Ronan in here is more important."
"The Huntress doesn't have her own surgeon?"
Warren reached for his clothing. "Ronan is better."
And he needed the best. Lorena was burning with fever. He likely had the three days of
sweltering heat to thank for it, but what tore into his gut was the fact that he'd failed to notice sooner.
Such as when his hands had been roaming over her.
She was his responsibility, that wound came from his own hand. Disgust filled him. He'd been so intent on getting his cock back inside her, he'd failed to notice. It was unacceptable. He was the captain and solely responsible for her welfare.
Glancing back at his bunk, he felt that disgust turn to fear. She wasn't in her right mind. A tiny smile curved her lips while her eyes slid shut once more. She wasn't pulling the sheet up to cover her body, wasn't interested in preserving her modesty at all. Instead, her breathing became shallow and her lips turned colorless.
Swear? He hadn't even begun using profanity.
Now looked like a good time to start.
Hell truly was a place to avoid.
There was no way to keep track of time because every minute felt like an eternity. The only relief came when her mind shut down and took her away into a deep sleep. But that was far from peaceful.
Dark dreams filled her sleep. Visions that raised the heat to an even higher degree. Sexual scenes which played out in vivid detail, so intense she could feel the hands moving along her skin. She became so needy, it felt like it would consume her. The hunger raced through her veins,
tormenting her until she jerked up and away from the dreams only to know she would fall back into them when her strength drained away.
When she opened her eyes again it was afternoon. Dim light filled the cabin in spite of the curtains covering the windows. They weren't actually curtains. Just fabric tucked around the tops of the windows to keep the bright daylight out.
Holly was missing, her cage empty. Lorena stared at it, thick emotion clogging her throat. Tears actually stung her eyes. She wiped them away, but not before a tiny sniffle got past her efforts to control the surge of emotion.
"Welcome back, Miss St. John."
Ronan spoke from the table where a book was open in front of him. He inclined his head when her gaze jerked from the empty parrot cage to him.
"Don't worry about Holly any. I had her moved so she wouldn't wake you." Ronan flashed her a bright grin. "I seem to be lacking in the skills of persuading parrots to be quiet so my patient can rest."
"I see." Actually she didn't. Her mind felt fuzzy and her memory refused to offer up any clues as to what had transpired in the last few days. It was nothing but a hazy chain of disjointed images that didn't make any sense. She looked away from the surgeon, trying to recover some sense of time. Instead her eyes widened when she looked down her body and found nothing but one of
Warren's shirts covering her. She reached for the bedding but gasped when her arm made it only halfway across her body before her muscles gave out. Her arm simply fell and sweat popped out on her forehead when she forced it to move again.
Ronan moved much faster. The surgeon stood over her before she'd managed to snag the sheet
folded so carefully alongside her.
"You'll be feeling mighty weak, ma'am. Best allow me to fetch what you want."
Her cheeks turned scarlet. Her eyelids fluttered because she couldn't look the man in the face while wearing his captain's shirt. She was as good as naked.
More shame tormented her when she realized someone had put that shirt on her. So she had been naked and had no memory of just how many sets of eyes had seen her so.
Ronan didn't give her suffering modesty any space. The surgeon placed his hand on her forehead, pressing it against her skin. She watched his expression. Deep consideration held his features while he removed his hand and gripped her wrist.
"You've finally given that fever the shake. Your heart rate is much more to my liking now." He tucked her hand back along her side. "There'll be more than a few relieved faces on deck."
Ronan reached for the sheet and pulled it over her body without flinching. There was a calm look on his face that didn't match the way her face was burning. In spite of the weakness, she reached up to her neck, fingering the cause of her fever. The stitches were gone now, the skin soft but healed.
"I'm sorry to say the infection raised up the edges of the wound. It will scar."
"I'm not vain." Her voice cracked because her throat was so dry. Her tongue felt coated in wool.
"I imagine you're thirsty."
"Yes." She answered quickly, biting her lower lip when she heard how desperate she sounded.
Pushing her hands into the mattress, she slowly sat up. It was embarrassing to discover just how pleased she was with being able to accomplish what had always been such a simple thing.
But it was also embarrassing to notice how the surgeon studied her with a critical eye, clearly doubting her strength. He placed several pillows against the wall, obviously expecting her to need the support.
"Sip slowly. Your body needs to ease back into normal habits."
The mug he handed her was only half-full of water but it weighed her hands down. Her arms