The Pirate's Treasure (#Wattys2017)

11. Morning Gratitude (Revised)

     The sun shines brightly through the large windows in Captain Wolfe's cabin. My eyes begin to twitch before opening themselves slowly. Everything seems to spin for a moment before I realize where I am. From sitting on the wooden chair, my back is hunched as my head rests upon my arm on the bed. My other arm, however, is extended and I can feel that my fingers are entwined with the Captains. I'm not sure when that happened, but it certainly is something I never thought would. My head rises from my arm as I can see his face, relaxed and in a deep sleep. Sunlight dances upon his features, captivating my eyes for a moment. His long hair lines his chiseled chin as the scruff upon his face is more prominent. My ears are filled with his heavy breathing and the occasional snore that escapes from time to time. I've never seen him so calm before, and it almost frightens me. Releasing my hand from his, I reach up and feel his forehead gently, trying not to wake him. The fever has gone down without a doubt, but I'm still not convinced that he's completely better. Standing from the wooden chair, I rub my face in my hands, desperately trying to wake up.

     "Kate."

I spin around to see Captain Wolfe stretching his arms up above his head. The muscles of his biceps flex themselves before his arm are returned to their appropriate sides. He looks upon me with a gaze I've never seen from him before.

     "You seem to be feeling better," I state while feeling the corners of my mouth tug up into a smile. "Even if you are feeling better, you still need to rest and take it easy today."

     As though to prove I'm wrong, Captain Wolfe sits upright within the bed, very slowly at that. He's obviously still weak from the serious fever. "I am the Captain, and this Captain needs to always be in control of his ship."

     "Well, you can be in control from your cabin."

Captain Wolfe chuckles slightly, gazing upon me once again. "You have quite the tongue on you."

I place my hands on my hips, narrowing my eyes towards him. "You listened so well yesterday, why can't you be the same today?"

"Because I am no longer in need of your services, Miss Maria."

"Good, because I wasn't offering them."

The Captain snickers with laughter, obviously enjoying every button that he has pushed of mine.

My eyes scorn themselves at him. "If you won't listen to me, fine, but don't call for my help when something goes wrong. I saved you once, and I will not be saving you again.

Captain Wolfe now howls with laughter, his teeth showing through his smile. "I don't count on needing your 'saving skills' again, but I do thank you for all you did last night."

I can feel my cheeks flush with warmth. "You're welcome."

"I assume I'll be seeing you for dinner tonight?" He questions with a sly smile upon his face, reaching down towards the floor to retrieve his blouse. "Captain Marco will be very jealous after hearing how you spent the night with me."

My face turns warm, but now with anger. "Oh, you are a cad!"

With that I walk to the cabin door and slam it behind me as loud as I can. Sooner or later, Captain Wolfe will be put in his place. Walking down the dark stairs, I storm into my cabin where the kitten is fast asleep. James' eyes open as he stretches across my bed, obviously just waking up himself.

"Oh, he'll get what's coming to him," I mutter angrily to the kitten while stroking his back kindly. "Just wait and see."

~~~

Sorry that this is short!