The Captain

twenty-five

I think my brain must have short-circuited. Instead of shoving him away from me as hard as I could, I practically melted into his arms, allowing him to pull me closer. Instinctually, my hands came up to rest on his solid chest. 

He wove his hand into the hair at the nape of my neck, causing me to gasp slightly. He took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. 

Despite half of me screaming to stop, I pulled myself even closer to him, as if that was even possible. Our bodies were flush against one another, lips moving in sync. My heart was hammering so loudly I was amazed he couldn't hear it. 

I'd only kissed one boy before. Leonard Johannes, when I was thirteen. He was the son of my dad's client, and he'd pulled me behind the house while I was giving him a tour of the grounds. That had been confused, chaste, barely even a peck. 

This was...

He was essentially holding me up now, as my knees had practically turned to water. 

Someone rapped sharply on the door and we pulled apart. My heart was beating so fast I thought I might faint and we stayed frozen that way, foreheads resting against each other, breathing in the silence.

"Captain!" knocking again. 

Maverick closed his eyes and stepped away from me. I felt cold without his presence and sank into a seated position on the bed as he went to open the door. 

My thoughts jumbled, I couldn't tell if I wanted to throw myself off the boat or back into his arms. He was a pirate for Christ's sake. 

So are you. 

That damn little voice. 

"What is it, Ernie?"

"Carnelisa, sir. We're here."

My stomach dropped and I glanced up at the older man in the doorway. If he had any inkling as to what had been happening moments before, he didn't let on, keeping his eyes on Maverick. 

We'd actually made it. 

Maverick nodded shortly, not even sparing me a backward glance as he grabbed his hat and followed Ernie onto the main deck. 

I lifted a trembling hand to my lips, more than a little confused. As much as I would have loved to sit there for the next, oh I don't know, eternity, thinking about that kiss and what it meant, I couldn't. The treasure was here, and a chance to change my fate along with it. 

I straightened my shoulders and followed the men up. 

*****

The island was lush, a small expanse of white sand and greenery. Flowers I'd never seen in every color imaginable dotted the outskirts of the jungle. 

"I can't believe we're here," I mumbled. 

"I can't believe this island is real," Charlie replied. 

Bastien rolled his eyes. 

"We literally saw a ghost ship and you're impressed by a shrinking island?"

I turned around. 

"Bastien! You're up!"

He grinned ruefully at me. 

"Takes more than a sword to keep me down."

Dalton watched him apprehensively, seeming to expect him to collapse any second. I couldn't blame him. The entire crew was a little worse for wear. We'd truly taken a beating getting to where we were. 

"Alright, everyone. To the skiffs."

Following Maverick's orders, we climbed into the two small rowboats after dropping anchor. 

Bonnie, Charlie, and I sat in the back while Ernie rowed us towards the land. Everyone except Nell was in the other boat, leaving her alone on the Mermaid's Revenge. 

Not that I blamed her. We had no idea what kind of potential danger could be lurking on the mysterious island. 

The boat lurched as we ran aground into the sand. 

"Fan out in pairs. Look for anything out of the ordinary. This isn't a large island. Meet back here at dusk."

Bonnie and Charlie headed off down the shore, while Ernie, Dalt, and a slightly wobbly Bastien trekked the other direction. 

"Into the jungle, huh?"

Maverick didn't respond, simply walking into the trees and leaving me to jog to catch up. 

"Hey!"

He didn't look back as we slashed through the foliage. 

"What?"

"You're kidding, right? You just kissed me like there's no tomorrow, and now you won't even look at me!"

He didn't answer, letting a branch fly back and hit me in the face. 

I tripped, eyes stinging painfully. 

"Maverick!"

He paused.

"Was it that awful? Or what the hell is wrong with you?"

He snorted before he resumed walking. 

"If you think it's because it was awful, you're less clever than I gave you credit for."

"Then what?"

He didn't answer, continuing to lead us into the heart of the jungle. 

I groaned in frustration, still practically running to keep up. 

Sweat was dripping down my brow, arms and legs aching and hair ribbon long gone. We must have been walking in awful silence for over an hour when he spoke again, stopping in a clearing just before a small waterfall.

"You're engaged."

I rested my hands on my knees for a moment, trying to catch my breath. 

"What?"

He turned to look at me, finally, dark eyes pained.

"You're engaged."

I straightened up, brushing the hair out of my eyes. 

"So what?"

"So this relationship is purely transactional, and once you get your share of the treasure, you're just gonna run back to Kenneth dearest. And even if you don't marry him, you'll probably just find some other eligible young lord to chase after."

I scoffed.

"You're joking right?"

He looked at me blankly. 

"My god, you aren't, are you? For a pirate captain, you've either got memory loss or are just incredibly stupid."

Maverick's face shifted from confused to affronted. 

"Excuse me?"

"The whole point of the treasure was to get me out of the engagement, you absolute idiot. All I wanted was to get enough money to get me and Amelie somewhere away from the stupid arrangement. Our father's inheritance wasn't going to be enough and I knew that. I wanted us to be able to live freely...marry who we wanted."

He stared at me, stunned. 

"How did you not expect this? Why would I have gone through all of this just to give all my money to whatever "suitable" match I found? Women have no control over their money. All of my father's money, anything I were to inherit, would automatically become the possession of my husband. Children, if I ever chose to have them, would be his and not mine. This treasure... This is my chance to change my destiny and give my sister the freedom I didn't have."

"I guess I just assumed..."

"Yes, well, try thinking a little harder before you jump to conclusions next time. Captain."

I brushed by him, more than a little incensed. How dare he assume this was all just to be richer? To add luxury onto whatever marriage I acquired? I was offended he thought so little of me, after everything I'd been through with this crew.

My closing statement lost a bit of power when the ground beneath me crumbled and I fell into the lagoon.