Carried Away Chapter 9

For Disclaimer and other details please see Chapter 1.

CHAPTER 9

Shawn found his smirk widening as he realised who was coming towards him right now. It looked like he might still have a chance to have a little fun on this boring night. Funny but he it had only started to hit him lately how bored he was almost every night now at sea. Boredom was something that used to never bother him. If he was any judge of character then he was sure that it still didn’t bother Nash at all. Maybe it was because they were so much older now. He had to admit, if only to himself, that when he had first started in this godforsaken business that he definitely hadn’t pictured himself still doing it now. He had always thought that by now he would have made enough booty to retire on and live on some quiet little island with his wife and family.

It was strange the way that things worked out obviously. Because not only had he never retired but he had also somehow forgotten to acquire the whole wife and family part of his fantasy equation. How careless of him. Then he gave himself a thorough mental shake. It wouldn’t be to let himself get totally lost thinking thoughts like this. It wouldn’t do him any good now anyway. What was he going to do about it? Go to Nash and start speaking like this. His friend would surely think him insane. No, it was time to remember just who and what he was.

Before he could change his mind he quickly stepped out effectively blocking the way of the people that he had been watching from the shadows for the last couple of minutes. “Now where have you been travelling to young lady?” He asked in the manner of perhaps some indulgent authority figure.

Hearing the voice and realising instantly that she found it familiar Mary jerked her head up from where she had been feigning intense interest in the boards of the decking. She scowled the moment that she noticed who was addressing her and that she did indeed recognise his voice. Should that be something that she was worried about? It wasn’t as if this man had even spoken to her directly all that often. She could probably count the sentences that he had said to her on both hands. “I don’t have to answer to you.” She managed to bite out but was pleased when she was able to hold the volume of her voice down to nothing louder than her usual speaking voice. Her father was forever trying to tell her that she lost her temper far too easily and all that achieved was to please your tormentor that much quicker.

He was of course right about that. Actually, now that she thought about it there was very little in her life that her father had been wrong about. Perhaps she should be more displeased by that than she currently was but there was no way that she could really dredge up that kind of negative emotion when it came to her father. She loved him too much to linger on his faults real or otherwise. He was the one man in her life that she loved without measure or limit. Then she felt something start inside her. Oh and her fiancée of course. She loved him too. After all what woman would travel this distance if she felt anything less than the desire to spend the rest of her life with a man?

“I’ll think you’ll find that you do.” Shawn said through lips that were no longer smiling and suddenly felt stiff. And to think that he had thought she could provide some kind of entertainment for him.

She shot him a smile that was patently false. It was so sweet that it was a wonder that just wearing it on her lips wasn’t hurting her teeth. “Oh I’m sorry.” She said and even deigned to thrown in a tiny curtsey that she directed in the man called Shawn’s direction. “I was unaware that you had been made captain since I left ... Nash ... in his cabin.” She said but her voice had stumbled over the captain’s name. She didn’t like saying it out loud. It felt like something that she shouldn’t be willing to say ... something t hat she shouldn’t even know.

“I haven’t.” Shawn said and this time he managed to stretch his uncooperative mouth into something that he could just hope would resemble a smirk or smile. As it was this felt far too painful. When she spoke back to him like that he had felt his palms tingle. Of course he hadn’t given in to that impulse. He was many things but he had never been accused of being anything other than a gentleman whenever a woman was in his presence. He wouldn’t stoop to beating or even slapping one at this point in his life no matter how much it had just struck him as a good idea. “But it would do you some good to remember just who you’re talking to.” He added and shot her a meaningful look but wasn’t even sure if she would be able to see it in the darkness. The only light coming from a lamp somewhere behind him wasn’t enough to throw his features into stark relief. “I’m still someone who has more power in this situation than you do.” He smirked and this time it wasn’t false. “You aren’t at home with everyone to do your bidding now princess.”

Her eyes narrowed and even though she couldn’t see him she was sure that she would be able to hazard a guess at exactly what expression he was wearing on his face right now. It would be one of smug self satisfaction she would be willing to bet. Then she shook her head. Betting ... now that was something that she really shouldn’t be thinking about. It wasn’t as if that was something that her family did with any great success. “I don’t care who you are.” She stated but was still pleased when her voice came out sounding relatively normally instead of her losing her temper. “No one speaks to me like that.”

“Until now.” Shawn stated with another grin. At the same time he was sure that he could see John take a short step backwards. Good, there really was no need for the younger man to still be here considering that things seemed to be under control once more. Then he thought of something and quickly reached out to catch the woman’s wrist in a firm grasp. He took a step towards them and could hear her sound of disgruntlement at his treatment of her. That was too bad though. His hands were rough hewn from long days of hard work and if she didn’t like that then she could kindly keep her opinions to herself. Having seen her behaviour so far though he was sure that she probably wouldn’t.

So before she could open her mouth and no doubt start on some kind of rant or other Shawn got there first. “Where did you find her?” He asked and then found himself wondering just how long young Cena had been in her presence. For all he knew anything could have happened between these two. After all Mary didn’t exactly seem thrilled to be in the young man’s company. Then again he was sure that she wouldn’t be happy in anyone’s company right about now.

“Um ... well.” John began and shot the woman a look out of the corner of his eye. He was caught and he knew it. He wasn’t sure if he should be honest and just say that he caught her before she could successfully throw herself overboard to her death or if he should lie and say that he found her wandering brazenly around the deck. If he lied it could get him into even more trouble because he didn’t know just how long Shawn had been watching them. He knew that it had taken him by surprise when the older man had stepped out in front of them. He had had no clue that Shawn had been there. Hell if he had wanted to then Shawn probably could have stayed right where he was and let them walk right past him and John was sure that he would have been none the wiser. That was something that no one could do better than the man that he was looking at. Being stealthy was something that Shawn could stake his life on.

“Thinking about lying to me there John?” Shawn asked in an almost airy manner as if he didn’t care when the opposite was, in fact, true. “That’s not like you. Usually you can’t wait to share whatever little displeasure is going through your mind.” He could feel the way that that woman in his grasp was fighting him and he shook her arm. Not to hurt her but just enough to show that he meant business. He had something other than her to deal with right now. “Now tell me, where did you find her?” He repeated the question that he had just asked a moment or two ago. “Was she hiding out?” He added not able to stop the small smile that crossed his features at that thought.

What with all of the sounds that she had been making when she was with Nash earlier then he was sure that hiding out should be the least of her worries. Those had definitely been sounds of pleasure so why would anyone try to run away from that? Why would anyone try to deny themselves pleasure if it was right there being offered to them? Then again it appeared often that woman were a breed unto themselves. Many men had tried to understand them and their sometimes odd behaviour but most had failed dismally. Perhaps that had something to do with the fact that he had never gotten married.

Opening her mouth Mary fully intended to answer this question before the sea faring clod got in there before her. She could come up with something plausible she was sure. But before she could even inhale a breath the man behind her ... obviously his name was John ... answered.

“She was trying to catch a glimpse of the sea.” John stated thinking as quickly as he could. This way if Shawn had seen the woman at the railing then he would still believe this story. He didn’t have to tell the older man that he had caught her in the act of committing suicide. “But when she realised that in this kind of darkness that she didn’t have a hope of doing such a thing then she changed her mind. That was when I told her that the captain would probably be looking for her.”

“I wouldn’t think so.” Shawn said musing that thought over in his head. He had to take the younger man’s word for it considering that he hadn’t seen them till they were walking towards him. He hadn’t noticed what was going on before that. “If Nash had discovered that she was missing then I’m sure that we would have heard him bellowing like a bear with a sore head.” He added and grinned again. “I can take things from here John.”

Nodding John took another step backwards. “If you’re sure.” He said in a friendly way.

“I am.” Shawn declared as he took a few steps back in the direction of the cabins. “Don’t you have some duties that you should be seeing to?”

Only just resisting the urge to roll his eyes John instead nodded and even managed to dredge up a smile. He wasn’t sure if his boredom was showing through though. “Probably.” He said and shrugged.

“Well then get on with it.” Shawn told him but at the same time he had to laugh at John’s attitude. “You never know you might run into a superior out here.”

“Hell I wouldn’t want that.” John said and smiled this time it was genuine.

Feeling the definite tug on her arm that meant she was being taken out of the night air Mary felt like screaming out loud. This was so unfair. Yes it was cold out here but she didn’t care. Being here meant that she was taking a few breaths on her own and now she had to go back to being under the rule of some man. Before she was pulled away completely she turned her head and just managed to catch sight of John’s face in the strained paleness of lamplight. She couldn’t make out all his features but at the same time she thought that if she were to see him in daylight that she might recognise him before he spoke. She had no idea why he had told such a condensed version of what had happened between them but she liked him for it.

John was about to walk away but something stopped him. He thought that she might have been looking right at him. He couldn’t be totally sure about that considering that he couldn’t really see her face in the poor light but it was just a feeling that he had. And for all that he tried he couldn’t make his feet move him away. He wanted her to see whatever it was that she was looking for. Standing his ground a moment or two longer he finally moved when he realised that if he didn’t then he was practically inviting Shawn to berate him for his lack of diligence to duty.

-o0o-

“You really shouldn’t walk around on the deck at night.”

Letting out a snort of poorly concealed sarcastic laughter Mary shook her head. “Why? No one could see me.” She pointed out. “So you’re precious captain couldn’t lose face.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.” Shawn said in a breezy and light way. “The deck of a ship can be a dangerous place at the best of times but on a night like this when there is very little light to guide you then that danger increases tenfold.” He moved at a steady pace but held her wrist tight enough so she was walking alongside him and he wasn’t dragging her along behind him pathetically. “Plus there are a few men on this ship who haven’t ... been in the company of a woman for some time. What would you have done if you had run into one of them instead of a young gentleman like Cena?”

Arching a brow at him even though she was sure that he wouldn’t be able to see her Mary again snorted out a laugh. “Oh you mean someone like Nash?” She asked but had to fight to inject enough bile into her voice. What on earth was wrong with her tonight? “Someone who would take advantage of a young woman by undressing them and having his way?”

“I’m sure that I didn’t hear you fighting Nash earlier.” Shawn said with his tongue firmly in his cheek. “Those were the sounds of a woman being brought pleasure.”

Feeling her indignation build that he was even daring to speak to her this way Mary tried to tug herself out of his grip. But to no avail. He only held her tighter. “How on earth could you know that ... Shawn?” She asked and felt quite daring herself that she had managed to get that question out there. “I’m sure that you’ve never brought any woman pleasure your entire life. Unless you count leaving a room that a woman happens to be in.”

Suddenly leaning to the side to open a door that they were almost past Shawn slightly ruthlessly tugged her behind him then spun her around so he could look at her. “How about we test that theory?” He asked and finally letting her go he crossed to the side of the room and took his own sweet time lighting the lamp there. When he looked back at her he saw the look in her eyes and wanted to laugh out loud. Talk about a frightened deer.

“W-What do you mean?” She stammered then looked around the tiny room that they were now in. This was his cabin.

“I’m certain that you know what I mean Mary.” Shawn said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Reaching her he caught her by the shoulders when he was sure that she would have darted around him. And holding onto one of her arms with one hand he manoeuvred his other hand between them and tugged at the waist of her pants. Hell he didn’t even wait to fully undo them before he was yanking them down her legs.