He might not have heard her or he may have chosen to simply ignore her entreaty. His mouth merely moved to her other breast, giving it a similar loving treatment while his hand caressed her thighs. Under his insistent touch Alexis’s thighs opened to him and his fingers found her warm and moist and ready. Her heat and energy excited him and he moved to allow her to feel what she was doing to him.
“I need you, Alex. Touch me.”
Alexis did not need Cloud’s encouragement. She was eager to return his caresses. Her hands and fingers moved nimbly over him, feather light at times, deeply massaging at others. Under his encouragement, in the manner he had taught her she shifted to please him intimately with her hands, then her mouth. She drew out the pleasure, having her revenge for his earlier erotic teasing. When his control broke under her languorous ministration, he released a low growl deep in his throat and pulled her from him, rolling with her until she was beneath him.
Their bodies met, arching, clinging, resuming the hungry urgent pace Alexis had set in the beginning, until, after climax, their exhausted limbs could offer no more than the gentle contact of thigh against hip, curving arm against curving waist, cheek against breast.
“Marry me.”
Those two words shattered the silence and penetrated the mist of contentment surrounding Alexis. She felt no pain at first. The words had the effect of an accidental cut, slicing the skin so cleanly and quickly there was no knowledge of injury until the line of vision included both the knife and the blood. She forced her eyes to look down at Cloud’s head, resting comfortably on her breast, and the throbbing began.
“Alex?” He could barely hear his own voice above the pounding of her heart against his ear.
“No, Cloud.” He started to lift his head but she wound her fingers in his hair and gently forced him to remain where he was. She did not want to look at him yet. She doubted she was strong enough to repeat her words if she had to look at his face.
“I don’t understand.” He tried to maintain an even tone as she continued. He was only partially successful. “I’ve given it some thought, Alex. You could turn over your command to Jordan and he could marry us on this ship. Or we could be married in New Orleans in a week if that would be better. Why did you say no? You never gave me any reason to expect that answer.”
“Please, Cloud. I said no because I anticipated you wanted to be married soon.” She hesitated, waiting for the constriction in her throat to pass. When she continued her voice was clear but the sign of her pain was in the tears stubbornly clinging to the corners of her eyes, then falling past her temples, into her hair.
“You want to be married before we find Travers. Isn’t that so?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Cloud refused to answer. Unconsciously his hand moved to her healing scar and his fingers followed the path of the reddened line. When he realized what he was doing he withdrew his hand abruptly. It was too late. He had already given her the answer she had expected.
“Afterward, Cloud. I’ll marry you afterward.”
“I can’t change your mind?”
“No. I love you too much to be your wife for only a short time.”
“Then don’t go after Travers.”
“Don’t say that to me again.”
“I despise him.” He lifted his head now, searching her face. He saw her tears, the clear blood of her wounded senses. He sat up, drawing her beside him, and cradled her head against his chest while she clung to his arms and the tears continued to flow, cleansing the hurt and easing the pain. When it was over his kisses were first a soothing balm and later more drugging than the laudanum. The sleep that followed the gentle unhurried uniting of their bodies was completely natural and Alexis found no reason to fear it.
Salt spray hit Alexis in the face like a thousand stinging nettles. Wind tugged at her cape and she struggled to continue standing upright. Six days had passed since she had resumed full command. Now the storm was laughing at her, she thought, making a mockery of her skills, pitting her ability against a force which had no regard for her command. TheDark Ladypitched wildly, throwing Alexis to the deck. She grabbed a rope and pulled herself upright, the task doubly difficult because both the rope and the deck were slick with sea water. She hoarsely issued new orders that were relayed by Jordan as he fought the wind to approach her.
“Captain, the ship can’t take much more of this pounding. Water’s coming in!”
“The pumps are working, aren’t they?”
“Of course,” Jordan had to shout to be heard above the rising wind. “They’re just not working fast enough!”
Rain was hitting both of them in torrents. Alexis squinted to see through the solid sheet of water glistening all about her. Lightning created a jagged patch of light across the sky. The masts of theDark Ladyseemed to be thrusting themselves brazenly against the night sky, almost daring the wrath of nature’s destructive forces.
“We’re changing course, Mr. Jordan!” Alexis shouted. “Our only chance is Barataría!”
“But that’s—”
“Yes, it’s Lafitte. It’s either him or Davy Jones!”
Jordan thought Lafitte was infinitely preferable to the bottom of the Gulf and he told her so. Alexis laughed and made her way to Wilkes at the wheel to change course. She had to repeat herself several times to be heard above the thunder but finally Wilkes understood and fought to control the wheel and head them to their new destination.
She slipped on her return to Jordan but she felt strong arms reach out to stop her from sliding across the deck.
