Page 19 of Breath From the Sea
Chapter Six
Antónia had never been so bold.
Oh, aye, she’d done her fair share of seducing men. But this… Well, this was altogether different. She might have offered herself up as payment, pretended that this kiss, that Titus’ touch, meant nothing to her, but then she’d only be lying to herself. And him.
She’d not been able to stop thinking about his kiss. His tongue. The hardness of his body. The exciting way that he looked at her when she’d boarded his ship hours before.
And now… Now, she’d never be able to forget the heat of his searing gaze and the way his fingers threaded through her wet hair. The way his tongue lapped at hers and how her naked skin felt flush to his scratchy naval uniform.
Every inch of her sang with delight, with need, with excitement.
And even more so at the fact that she’d won. The ring and the chance to bed him not once, but twice? What more could a wicked lass such as herself ask for?
Well, besides true love, but that would come later. That was why she wanted the ring to begin with. So she’d know when such a sentiment found her.
Titus’ hands skimmed over her back, moving down toward her rear. He cupped her bottom, hauling her against the tight, hard length in his breeches. She shuddered. If he could kiss this well, she knew the bedding would be good. She’d only been provoking him, taunting him to prove her otherwise, letting him know she wouldn’t settle for mediocre.
Not that she needed to worry. It appeared when Titus set himself to a task, there was no doing it halfway.
“Graves…” she moaned, tilting her head to the side as he kissed a path along the column of her throat. “I have to tell my crew…that I will be awhile. Else they take it upon themselves to rescue me and they massacre yours.”
Titus pulled away from her, nodding. “Aye. We canna have that.” His gaze roved over her breasts, his fingers following their path. He caressed one breast, bringing her nipple to his lips.
Her head fell back, delicious pleasure coursing through her at the swipe of his tongue. Dear heavens… She was in for a delicious afternoon…
“Graves,” she said again. “Let me dress and—”
“Ah-ha,” he said. “I know the game you play. You intend to disappear. Or cause mayhem.”
How funny that he didn’t realize how much she wanted this, and how fortuitous. “Fine, give me one of your shirts to wear, and ye can carry me up, if ye like.”
Titus narrowed his eyes.
“For the love of Davy Jones, I’m not lying, ye English sot. We’ve made an arrangement and I’ll not be the one to back out of it. Pirate’s honor,” she said.
That had the man chuckling. Infuriating.
“All right.” He unbuttoned his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. “You realize pirates have no honor?”
She rolled her eyes. “Ye know nothing.”
Antónia slid her arms through the sleeves and buttoned it to cover her nakedness. Titus lifted her into his arms as though she weighed next to nothing and carried her toward the door, managing to unlock and open it without jostling her.
“What will you say?” he asked.
“Does it matter?” She toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck.
Titus leaned down and bit her lip, sending frissons of sensual need rocketing through her. “Aye, wench.”
“Nothing to start a war,” she murmured.
“I’d hate to mar your beautiful skin,” he said, licking where he bit her. “’Tis a wonder ye’ve been able to escape a mark thus far.”
“I have not escaped my share of the strap. Granuaille just made sure they didn’t break my skin.”
“Lucky.” He carried her toward the stairs.
Antónia shrugged. “In that, aye, but when I misbehaved she new that the best way to punish me was to leave me at home, away from the sea and politics. My father and mother were always too enmeshed in their own chaos to notice me. I languished. I could have died of boredom.” She laughed as they made it up to the deck.
