Carried Away Chapter 7

For Disclaimer and other details please see Chapter 1.

CHAPTER 7

As soon as he felt the last vestiges of his release shudder through him Kevin abruptly rolled to the side. That move achieved two things. It stopped his arms just giving out and letting him collapse right on top of the woman underneath him ... even thought that was what he wanted to do. And it pressed her into the wall that his bed was built into, trapping her right where she was. There was no chance of her taking off on him. Hell even if she did manage to get away it wasn’t as if she could run very far or have a great choice of hiding places. He knew every inch of his ship like it was the back of his hand. Then he frowned just slightly. If she were so inclined he supposed that she could just throw herself over the side but he really didn’t see her as that kind of person at all. He had no idea why but he just knew that she wasn’t someone who would do that in a hurry. If she had no other choice then he was sure that she could probably surprise him but in this situation she wouldn’t act before she had given the matter the proper thought.

Looking to this side he could see the way that she was just lying there with her eyes closed. Letting his eyes drop a little he noted the way that her chest was rising and falling rapidly in deep, heaving breaths. Even though he tried to tell himself that he wasn’t proud to see that he was certain that it wasn’t working. He could feel the thin fingers of pride pushing their way through his mind. He was the one to have wrought that reaction in her. Though he had been told that it was shameful to feel this kind of pride in himself and his actions he had no intention of letting go of this emotion.

The slight sheen of sweat that covered her breasts was something that he was finding he couldn’t tear his eyes away from. It gave her skin an almost ethereal quality ... as if it were glowing.

As she watched the way that he was staring at her Mary could feel the growl of anger almost rising in her throat. Oh she was smart enough not to release it. Smart enough not to let loose with her feelings. The way that he just laid there looking his fill as he captured his breath once more was starting to infuriate her. “Enjoying the view?” She finally snapped out in a bitter sounding voice and then couldn’t believe that she had had the nerve to say something like that to him out loud.

“Immensely Mary.” Nash replied but didn’t even so much as lift his eyes to look at her face. Her body really was something that he was finding easy on his eyes. “But you might want to moderate your tone when you address me.” He added before rearranging himself on the bed slightly and staring right back at her. He found that he couldn’t quite stir up the same cold emotion that was currently spilling from her eyes but that didn’t bother him all that much. He was too relaxed right now to even think about losing his temper. “I would think that after what we just shared that you would feel so much more relaxed.”

She let out a snort of laughter and began to feel proud of herself once more. She was back to fighting him. That she could handle ... she was good at that part of proceedings. “It wasn’t that good.” She said and made sure to keep her voice as airy as possible.

“Liar.” He replied instantly and started to laugh. He would give her one thing, she had absolutely no fear ... or if she did then she was very good at hiding it. Of course if she came from the upper classes that seemed to be something that was drummed into them from birth. All of those that he had had the misfortune to meet had been nothing short of cold fish. He was glad that he didn’t have to life their sort of life. They could say what they want about him and those like him but at least he could live his life any kind of way that he wanted. And he did. “It was very good.” He added before rolling onto his side and looking down at her. At least this way he didn’t feel that he was constantly about to fall right out of bed. He needed to look into finding something bigger. And that had nothing to do with this little chit ... it was more to do with the fact that a man of his height had certain needs when it came to his comfort. “And I would have thought that you would know that.”

She did. Of course she did. A person would have to be a fool not to know that they had just indulged in something that didn’t happen every day. A fool or a ... virgin. “Oh yes? And just how did you come to that conclusion?” She asked and again was pleased that she had still managed to inject that note of haughtiness in her voice. That was something that she had to thank her aunt for.

“You ask far too many questions girl.” He stated and lifted his hand to stroke his fingers down her face gently. The split second before his fingers touched her cheek he was sure that he saw her tense right in front of him. He had no idea what that was all about. After what they had just done he couldn’t quite believe that she was going to throw a fit because he attempted to touch her cheek. It went beyond the upper classes desire not to be touched. There was something in her eyes that said more but he couldn’t decipher it at all. It bothered him ... and he hated that he cared. He hated that it bothered him.

“You should perhaps listen for a while. Maybe you could even think of answering a few of my questions.” He said and could see the wariness in her eyes appear once more.

Forcing another snort of bitter laughter to escape her Mary tried to act like she couldn’t care less. “I can assure you that there’s nothing that you could ask me that I would be interested in answering.” She pointed out.

Sliding his hand down her face and neck he continued all the way down her arm till he could hold her hand in his. Tightening his grasp he suddenly jerked her hand up to look at it and let her look at it too. “There is no wedding ring on this finger.” He pointed out to her. “Yet you were certainly no innocent little virgin ... Mary.” He said and then the humour of the last two words that he had just spoken to her occurred to him and he laughed out loud.

“So having a wedding ring on my finger would magically make it all right for me to be bedded by any man in the vicinity?” She snapped right back at him and tried to tug her hand out of his. As she thought he wasn’t letting go without a fight. Damn, but in that moment she cursed the fact that he was such an intimidating physical specimen. He was so much stronger than her that she wasn’t even going to attempt to fight him.

Again he laughed. Her choice of words were suddenly funny to him. “Well I would think that any man might have a problem with his wife being bedded by any man in the vicinity.” He stated and knew that was true. Then he tilted his head to one side. “And before you start throwing my own lifestyle in my face I am not trying to demonise you. That would be foolish considering that I have now bedded you too.” At that he could see the surprise on her face. Perhaps he was doing the wrong thing here ... perhaps he should have been playing up to the fact that she seemed to think all criminals of the sea were the worst kind of scum. It could actually make things easier in the long run. “I just wonder what makes a young woman of your apparent position dismiss what I’m sure someone else went to great lengths to teach you.”

“What’s that?” She asked with a snap. “The good girls don’t philosophy?” She added.

He thought about what she had said before slowly nodding his head. “Something like that.” He said and it was the truth. He had met quite a few young ladies that he imagined were of the same station as Mary here. They were either all over every man that they ever met in an attempt to throw off the shackles of what they saw as an oppressive regime or they were like nuns in training ... their legs almost locked together at the knee.

“Well just in case it had escaped your notice, there may not be a wedding ring on my finger but my engagement ring is there for all to see.” She said but this time her voice had very little intonation to it at all.

Nodding Nash separated her fingers slightly and turned her hand from side to side. “I can see that.” He stated. “And it’s a nice one too.” He added.

She smiled, it was a harsh smile that thinned her lips but she smiled nonetheless. “It’s been in my fiancé’s family for many years.” She told him but that was her standard reaction when anyone commented on her engagement.

“So ... let me guess.” He said on a sigh as he pulled her hand a little closer to him and then pressed it to his chest. He could feel the way that she was trying to pull her hand away once more but he held it fast. It even made him smile a little. “Your fiancé was the one ... the first man to ... breach the walls so to speak.”

Her face twisted at the way that he had worded that. “You’re disgusting.” The anger was back in her voice. But she didn’t dare tell add more comment to what he had just said.

“And I bet that you’re on your way to join him now?” He added but didn’t wait for an answer; he knew that he was right. “What was it ... a parting gift? He told you that he didn’t know how he was going to live without you till you could come out to ... wherever to join him.”

As hard as she could she pressed against his chest in an attempt to get him to move. Of course he didn’t budge. “Let me go.” She said but her voice came out flat and quiet. He wasn’t right. Hell he wasn’t right about it at all. And she hated him for reminding her of the facts of her own life.

“We’re in the middle of the ocean Mary, or hadn’t you noticed?” He asked and laughed though perhaps it wasn’t as loud as his laughter had been earlier. Something had just happened. She had retreated back into the shell that she had been wearing when she was first brought to him. “I can’t let you go. Or maybe you don’t want me to take you to ... where are you going?” He asked realising that he had no clue. Hell he didn’t really care. No matter where she was going they had a schedule to keep to. If she wasn’t going to where they were going to then she really didn’t have much choice in the matter.

“Haiti.” She said and her voice had dropped to an even lower volume.

Hearing her answer his brow arched. “Really?” He asked but it was a question that he didn’t want an answer to. “And you can stop trying to shove me away ... I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re the ship’s captain. Don’t you have things to do?” She asked and at the same time let her hand slip from his so she could roll onto her side facing the wall. Anything other than looking at him.

Nash let out a long and heavy sigh. She had a point.

-o0o-

Hearing someone say his name Shawn turned around. His brows rose as he saw Nash coming towards him. He laughed a little as he saw the way that the other man was adjusting his clothing. “I didn’t think that I would see you again today.” He stated and saw the sharp look that his friend was currently shooting him. “Don’t tell me that she threw you out of your own cabin.”

“Hardly.” Nash growled out and shook his head. “I just knew that there was bound to be things that needed my attention out here.”

Arching a brow Shawn was smart enough not to comment on the other man’s last words. “So ... how was she?” He asked and grinned.

“Surprising.” Nash replied but found himself grinning too.

Shaking his head Shawn held up his hand before Nash could say anymore. “Okay, I know that I asked the question but perhaps we shouldn’t talk about this now. After all it will be days before we’re back in port in Haiti.” He pointed out. “I don’t think that I should torture myself with stories of someone else’s sordids.” Then he saw a small smile on the other man’s face. “What? What did I say?

“Nothing.” Nash replied but he was still smiling. “But maybe you should try staying on the lovely Mary’s good side ... you never know what could happen.”