Page 64 of Found at Sea
I need you.
Something told me it took a lot for him to say those words.
“It’s hard to trust you,” I admitted, no longer feeling as befuddled. That line of conversation was sobering. “I want to…but I’m afraid.”
“I will never harm you,” Kellan said. “Even when you anger me beyond words and I lose my temper. I’d rather chop off my right hand than lay a hand on you out of anger.”
“Then you could get a hook,” I suggested as another hiccup escaped my throat. “Do pirates really have those? There are so many legends and stories that it’s hard to sort truth from fiction. I also thought pirates saidarrgha lot, but I am disappointed to report that I have not heard one member of the crew say it in my time aboard theCrimson.”
When Kellan laughed, it was as if everything else in the room faded away. He was all I saw. The sound was lighter than his normally gruff tone, and it reached my ears like the sweetest of melodies.
“And eye patches!” I exclaimed. “I’ve only seen one man on this ship wear one. What kind of pirates are you?”
“I used to wear one,” Kellan spoke before draining the contents of his goblet. I cocked my head. “It was shortly after I joined the crew. I wore it on the right side, because too many men were uneasy about the paleness of this eye.” He touched the edge of his pale blue eye before looking toward his desk in the corner of the room. “I thought by hiding my abnormality I’d fit in with the crew. That was before I understood that it’s not only my eyes that make me a monster, but the blackness of my soul as well. And that is a thing I cannot hide.”
“I don’t believe that’s true,” I said, not taking my eyes off him. Even in my slightly drunken state, I still found him to be the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.
“What do you know of it?” His tone was harsh, but vulnerability remained in his eyes. “You know nothing of my soul, boy.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” I said, not affected by the hostility in his voice. “I might not know your soul, but Idoknow your heart.” He looked as if he was about to argue, but I held up a hand. “I’m not finished, Captain. Alek told me that you carried me all the way back to the ship after I passed out. You could’ve made Dax carry me, but you didn’t. I also heard you talking to Dax about keeping Alek’s history private for his protection. Those are not the actions of an evil man.”
Kellan stood from the table, and I watched in silence as he went over to his desk and leaned against it.
“I thought I knew who I was until you came along,” he whispered, hanging his head.
Standing from my chair, I stumbled a bit and grabbed the edge of the table to help steady me. The winehadbeen very potent, and it felt as if the whole ship just turned on its side the moment I got to my feet.
In an instant, he was in front of me, grabbing my shoulders and looking down into my eyes.
“You need to rest,” he said before guiding me toward the sleeping quarters.
“I do not wish to sleep,” I whined but followed him anyway.
“That was not a request, Fletcher,” he said, leading me into the other room. “Sit.”
He motioned to the bed, and I plopped down on it, too tired to argue. My belly was full of delicious food, and the wine was coursing through my veins, relaxing me and making me sleepy. But I refused to admit he was right.
Kellan kicked my knees apart and stood between them. He removed my belt and sash before gliding his hand to my chest. As his long fingers unbuttoned my shirt, I felt wave after wave of desire. The act of him undressing me was so intimate, and I wished to have his hands all over me, touching me and stroking me.
“Do not look at me in that way, boy,” he said, narrowing his eyes as they darkened.
“Or what?” I challenged before licking my bottom lip.
His eyes followed the action before moving up to meet my lustful gaze. “Or I will not be able to stop myself from fucking you.”
“And that would be bad?” I asked before licking the side of his neck.
Kellan tilted his head back as a soft groan left him. But then his hands were gripping my shoulders and pushing me away, holding me at arm’s length. “Aye, it would. You are too taken with drink.”
I grinned. “So you have morals after all.”
“Only with you.” He removed the rest of my clothes before dressing me in a simple linen shirt worn for sleeping.
I fought to keep my eyes open, but they closed of their own accord. Warm hands lifted me and placed me somewhere soft before a blanket was tucked in around me.
“Sleep.”
That was all I remembered before falling into darkness.
