The Pirate Lass

Chapter 9:


"Captain?" one of the crewmen asked him hours later as he came into his chambers.

"Yes?" he replied while keeping his gaze fixed on Eriana.

"Would you like to take command of the wheel now, or should I inform someone else to?"

"Inform someone else."

"Very well, Captain," the man said as he left, slamming the door on his way out.

"Umm," Eriana moaned in pain as she began to awake from the noise.

"Eriana!" Oliver cried in a whisper as he watched her awaken.

She turned towards her lover's voice and looked up at him. "What happened?" she asked sleepily as she began to slowly sit up, her right hand quickly moving to the side of her head that was still throbbing.

"I was about to ask you. What do you remember?"

"Being on the shore. With a man."

"You were on your way back to Ruby when a man stopped you. He would've ravaged you if the men hadn't come back when they did. I found you and brought you here," he continued, again blaming himself for her having been there.

She smiled slightly. "How long have I been here for?"

"I wasn't watching the clock, Beautiful," he told her as he smiled slightly.

Eriana could feel her heart almost leap at his words and what she knew his smile meant. That to him the minutes or hours that had passed didn't matter. That all that did matter to him was her. "Did we secure enough men?" she asked, her voice still soft through her pain.

"We did," he told her, a smile crossing his handsome face once more. "Do you need anything? Food, ice, anything?"

"No, I'll be fine. It just may take another few hours."

"Do you want me to go?"

"Never," she answered, her honesty giving them both a slight surprise. "I'm glad you're here."

"As am I. I just couldn't leave until I knew you were better."

"Not even for your shift at the wheel?"

He shook his head. "I'm of no use as a captain like this. This is why my previous crew wasn't entirely receptive of my having a quarter mistress. They knew this could happen and feared it would."

"Were you afraid of it happening?"

"I should have been."

"Your wounds? Are they any better?" she asked, deciding she had spoken enough of her own.

"They will be." Truthfully they had both been aggravated since having carried her, but currently he hardly cared. As long as she was fine and couldn't see the dried blood from his wounds having opened slightly, they didn't matter.

"Thank you, Oliver. For giving me what no other could."

Though he was convinced he knew the answer, he asked, "What could that be?"

"A reason to awake," she answered with a soft smile.

Oliver almost didn't know what to say. He was stunned she cared so much for him. But he knew then he loved her, too. "I could say the same," he said finally as he returned the smile.

They continued talking for the next several minutes before Oliver's overpowering relief began to subside enough to allow him to sleep. Eriana remained awake beside him, fearing slightly what could happen if she fell back asleep so soon after what had happened. Though also she couldn't help but enjoy being beside Oliver like this once again in his bed.

The ship continued sailing through the night and following day until night fell once again, though this time they were only staying long enough to get some new supplies for the ship.

Oliver and Eriana were the last to descend from the ship and Eriana couldn't help but feel she had been in this place before.

Realizing the familiar surroundings of the island, she turned to Oliver and asked, "Just which of the islands are we on?"

"Gilder Cove," he answered. At noticing her paleness at his reply, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Immediately, Eriana began glancing all around in hope she wouldn't see a familiar face. Her breathing began quickening and couldn't keep the terror from showing in her dark eyes.

"Eriana, tell me, what happened to you here?" he asked as he placed his hands gently on her shoulders.

"I can't be here," she answered as she tried to get out of his hold to go back to the ship. "You can't be seen with me. They'll kill you."

"Calm down," he instructed as his grip tightened slightly. "You can tell me. What happened?"

"There are men here that have been after me for years. They blame me for one of their ships sinking, taking the entire crew down with it. If they see you with me. Even if for a moment, they'll kill you, too and I can't - I can't -"

"It's all right," he told her as he coiled his arms around her and pulled her gently to him. "They won't find you."

"They will if I stay here. "There's not one of them who doesn't blame me."

"Never forget, I'm Captain Oliver Morrison. If any come near you -"

"You can't always be here to protect me. You saved me once, we may not be so lucky again."

"Come," he told her as he released his hold and curled an arm around her. "We'll go back to Ruby. We can wait for the others there. They'll never see you. It should only be a matter of minutes before the crew return as it is."

Relaxing a bit, Eriana walked with Oliver back to the ship and to the other side of it while they each had a seat close to one another. They were looking out to the water and to the darkened sky to the large white moon above. The closeness was offering them both warmth as well as allowing them the closeness to each other they had been wanting.

"How did you leave this place after what happened?" he asked her.

"I snuck onto a boat. Under the cover of darkness and just ran when the ship pulled into the port. That was how I ended up where we met. That was what I meant when I told you it had been years since I had been on the sea."

"You sailed again because of me?"

"I suppose so. The promise of riding aboard Ruby is hard to resist. Especially when her captain is you," she told him with a smile. She paused for a moment before saying, "And I don't mean that by the infamy of your name."

Oliver couldn't help but smile slightly to her at that. Knowing that she truly cared for him and not the prestige of being seen with him.

"Do you think it's possible to ever tire of this view?" she asked as she looked straight ahead to the indigo sky where it seemed they could almost touch the large white moon before them.

Still looking to Eriana, he answered, "Never."

"I imagined as much," she replied, unaware he had been looking to her. "I simply haven't seen it for so long, but now," she continued as she looked to him, "I'm seeing it again because of you and I don't think I can thank you enough for it."

"Your still being here is more than enough."

"Even with the misunderstandings, concussions, distractions and need for rescues?" she asked, unable to keep from letting a slight laugh emerge.

"Because of it all." Despite his nerves, he knew that this would be his best chance to tell her all he had wanted to say. He had already nearly lost her twice and didn't want to waste another minute when he knew she deserved to hear the truth.

"Do you really mean that?" she asked, unable to conceal her surprise at his words.

"When I thought you wouldn't awake after what happened on the shore, I was more afraid than I've ever been. I had hoped you'd awake while I was carrying you into my chambers and order me to set you down. That you were fine and could do it yourself. But when you didn't -" His words cut off there and he focused his eyes downwards to the deck, trying to keep her from seeing the fear he still felt.

"Oliver," was all she could manage to say at the sight. She soon placed her right hand against the side of his slim, smooth face to get him to look back to her as she told him, "Hear me now, you will not lose me. Yes, you've come close once or twice in the previous days, but I'm still here. Nearly each time because of you. As long as I have you, you will have me and the opposite is also true, I know."

When he saw the truth shimmering in her dark eyes as she brought her hand back down, he didn't know what else to say. Earlier there had seemed to be so much, but now his mind was nearly blank from her response.

The two looked to each other for a long moment and before either had time to really notice, they began moving closer to one another. Their lips brushing against the others' for a brief moment before finally meeting.

Slowly the kiss began to grow deeper, more sensual with each movement their lips made, their tongues soon twining slowly. Neither could deny how they had been longing for just this moment. To feel their lips against each others' like this again.

But soon it wasn't just their lips they wanted to feel against each others' as their kiss grew more intense. Already their bodies were moving closer as their tongues dueled while moving deeper into their lover's mouth.

Their hands were wandering within a matter of seconds. Eriana's to the buccaneer's broad shoulders and down his strong back while Oliver's concentrated their attention at the petite brunette's sides.

"Perhaps we should continue this in my chambers," Oliver said when he broke their heated kiss minutes later, now finding his hands nearing her chest while hers were lowering down his form.

Eriana nodded and stood with him. Once his door was closed and bolted again, she brought her lips to the pirate captain's smooth neck. But these weren't the fierce kisses from their previous times together. These were slow, tender and promising to last longer.