Page 17 of The Pirate's Daughter

“Mia?” She almost groaned at the sound of his voice. She heard him rustling the brush as he pushed his way back to the pools. “There you are.” Damn if his smile didn’t make her need to shift to a shady spot. “You’re not in the water yet. I thought you’d be nearly done.” Of course he told her there was no rush, but now he was urging her to hurry. She ran a line down her leg, laid the strip and pulled up the last, relishing the quick sting a little more. “What are youdoing?”

“Have you changed your mind, must we now hurry back to the ship?” Mia asked and pulled off the strip while she held his eyes. The combination of his stare and the sting sent a pulse through her body. A second pulse thudded between her legs, as she pulled off the next strip, saw his eyes flash to her leg, back to her face and again to the smooth and hairless limb. She was a little more deliberate this time when she lay on the mixture, covered it with the strip and waited the needed time before ripping it back. “Captain, do we need to return to the ship or do I have time tofinish?”

“What?” Again his eyes only stayed on her face for aflash.

“Captain?” She was almost done with her legs, she’d move on next to the hairs under her arms and then between her legs but if he kept watching her as he was she might have to get in the water and cool off first. “Captain?” she said a bit moreforcefully.

“What?” he said, finally managing to stay focused on herface.

“Do I have time to finish or must we return to theship?”

“No, no there’s no rush.” He came around the pool, standing over her and again looking only at her leg. “What are youdoing?”

“Ovalamak sukkar,” Mia said knowing full well he didn’t understandPersian.

“Oh. Um, what?” He came down on his haunches next toher.

“Ovalamak sukkar,” Mia supplied again before he mutilated the beautiful language. “Sugar scrubbing,” she sighed. “Though this is more molasses and sand.” Sand wasn’t supposed to be in it but some always found a way. “It takes the hair off my skin.” His fingers reached out and drew a line up her leg. She could feel every ridge of the calluses and again her sexpulsed.

“Like silk,” he said. Before he could cause the quivering to worsen, she snatched his hand into her lap, put a dab of the mixture on his knuckle and then pressed a corner of a strip down. She waited a few moments, maybe a moment longer than needed, then yanked the cloth strip up. “Ow,” he gasped out, pulling his hand back to rub. Mia turned her face so he didn’t see the smile or the wickedness in her eyes she knew had to be there. “Ow, that hurts.” She shrugged and finished the strip on her leg. “That hurts and you like it.” he said in such a way Mia turned to look at him. “You do. Youlikeit.”

“It doesn’t hurt, hardly more than a warm sting.” She raised her arm and rubbed a good amount on then covered it with a wider fabric patch. Next to her, Devin winced. “Maybe you’re just too soft for such things,” she said repeating the action under her other arm. She pulled the patch, but before she lowered her arm, he caught it and used two fingers to trace the skin freshly cleaned ofhair.

“Soft, but,” he rubbed his thumb against two fingers, “sticky.”

“Hence, why I wash after.” She pointed to the pool. “Warm water is best, but with soap it comes off. Wait,” she cried and snatched back the tin before he could spill it or waste it some otherway.

“You’re done, aren’t you?” He reached for itagain.

“No.” She pulled two large patches of fabric from the basket, reached for the hem of her shift then hesitated. She’d never had a man watch her do this, but she’d never had a man watch her do her legs and arms either. Devin was her husband, last night he’d touched her and done things to her she’d only seen done. Still, he was right there, so close she could smell hisscent.

She put her hand out and pushed on his chest. “I need a little room if you shouldn’t mindit.”

Devin inched back a bit dropping his knees to sit on his heels. His eyes focused on her everymove.

“Oh, bother,” she said, then jerked up the hem, grabbed the tin, and scooping out a good amount spread it over hermons.

“Mia?” he called out, sounding almost horrified, but she’d already lay the cloth over both sides and was now pressing them down into the valley between her folds and herlegs.

The slightest hiss escaped her hips as she pulled off the first then that wash of pleasure she always felt caused her to sigh as she pulled the second. The sounds she made were drowned by her husband’s pained groan. But as soon as the cloth was gone he leaned forward and boldly put his hand between her legs. His touch instantly set her fuse burning and when he dragged his fingers up then back down, Mia could almost feel what he’d made her feel lastnight.

“Mia?” he said looking at her face then back where his fingers played. “Nowthatdid hurt,yes?”

“Aye, but only a little,” sheadmitted.

“But, you,” he said, and his fingers slipped down and rested at the edge of her entrance, “like it. You are so wet rightnow.”

Mia tried to press her legs together and scoot away. But Devin planted one hand on the ground behind her and using his elbow pushed her legs wide even as he started lowering his head. “What are you doing? Captain, what are you doing?” Mia cried as she felt her entire body wind up tight like a clockspring.

“Just a little taste, Mia. Give me a little taste. I planned on saving you for dessert tonight, but I need,” his head was between her legs, “alittle...”

She could feel his breath on her and that spring coiledtighter.

“Taste.” His tongue swept over her hard nub, licked down to the opening then back up before his lips closed over the entire area and he took two long harddraws.

Mia came unraveled. Her breath caught in her throat and she panted through the wave of excruciating pleasure washing over her. When his mouth became focused on that nub, Mia cried out and arched into him, lifting her hips from the ground. Every limb trembled so she couldn’t hold herself up. He sucked on her hard, and Mia gritted her teeth. The pleasure bordered on pain and she couldn’t get enough. Her head dropped back and she struggled to pull in air. The pressure of his mouth eased and Mia gulped in air, trying to quiet the shaking of herlimbs.

“Mia,” Devin called, “Mia.”

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