Tempest's Embrace

Chapter 17

The brisk, cool, sea air, brushed over her as she sat quietly perched above a crate on the far end of the ship. Her eyes looked forward staring out into the water. Her mind toyed with the images of what she did. Or was it a dream?

When she woke up her head felt heavy as if it held bricks. She would not wish that sort of discomfort on her worst enemy. She shook her head and paused with that thought.

.....Yes, she did!!! He sat below deck in a holding cell...

She briefly shut her eyes as the effects of her drinking still had a grip on her. When she sat up in bed, she looked over to the door to see Justin standing there. He stood with his arms crossed before his broad chest, leaning against it; observing her.

For a while, they stayed that way as she endured the slight thumping in her head. The moment she raised her fingers to her temple and moaned, he was sitting at her side. Then he tilted her chin up and gazed into her eyes.

"I take it you won't be binging anymore?" he held an amused look in his eyes.

All she could do is shake her head. The sudden images flooded her memory and her gaze lowered briefly to his lips before looking away.  He urged her to go above deck for fresh air to calm and settle her stomach. Gladly, she accepted and bounded off the bed without a second glance towards him.

How could she face him?

She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes and enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face. Every so often the slight tingle on her lips would bring back the image of what happened last night.

They kissed.

She was sure of it...

It felt...like nothing she has ever felt before. She slowly brushed her finger along her bottom lip. He was gentle.

She shivered with the warmth slowly crawling up to her cheeks as she reminisced in the sweetness of his kiss and caress. Shamefully she had to admit to herself that...she liked what she felt. And it was clearly so the moment his fingers intimately touched her breast. She was not that incoherent to not know what she was doing. Although, it was wrong....it felt right...And she reveled in the sensation he was causing her.

She felt at odds with her feelings about such a turn of events. From the moment of being captured and sort of rescued.  She should not feel such things. Although his lips were tender and his fingers were soft, they still belonged to a man with a pirate's soul.  He was still a ruthless rogue that committed acts of violence against others. At the snap of a finger, he could even...end her life.

She shivered with the thought and slowly brought her knees tighter to her chest and hugged herself.

She felt so conflicted. Many times she has sat and listened to Millicent weave intriguing tales of vicious pirates that did horrible things. From One-eyed Casper, Minault the horrible to that vile dog below deck, Cuthburt and The Black Scourge of the sea. Each one of them is no different from the rest.

So he should be no different...
No matter how tender those lips were...

Her heart fluttered.

She battled with her thoughts. Battled with how her body responded to his touch. It was all wrong.
Oh, Tempest you foolish girl! She breathed.

She tightened her eyes and lowered her head to rest on her arms. She never saw the tall figure standing in the distance watching her. She only felt his presence as he got closer and gently sat on the crate beside her.

She felt the crate move slightly, she lifted her head up to look to her side. He sat in silence beside her and looked out at the water.
She couldn't help but glance up at him, feeling butterflies in her stomach. That was the sensation she never felt before that puzzled and worried her most. That feeling of her stomach dropping at the sight of him. That roguish handsome face of his did things to her.  He turned his gaze to hers and looked down at her. She bit her lip and looked away.