15. Chapter 15

We spend way too much time explaining the situation to Drake. At first there is the outrage and disbelief I’d expected to get from Pete and Jack when I first told them the story. Then there is the confusion and an outright adorable gaping fish look when he realizes that both the other pirates believe me.

After we convince him of the truth, all three men pepper me with questions about the real world. Or… well, I suppose this is their real world.

Pete’s curiosity focuses on technology and everything one can do with it. As my knowledge stems as far as how convenient things for me can be, I have little to tell him. Drake keeps asking me about the weapons we have, and unfortunately, other than the blades I like to spar with, I don’t have much to tell him about modern weaponry either, other than the mass destruction it causes.

“What about you?” I ask Jack, who’s remained quiet while the other two have kept me busy with their enquiries. “You don’t want to know about anything?”

My gentle giant shrugs before leaning across Pete to tuck a rogue curl behind my ear.

“If you go back, will you return to us?”

His whispered question hits me straight in the heart. My eyes mist up and I blink quickly to dispel the tears that threaten to fall.

“I don’t want to go back.”

“Will you have a choice, my heart?” he responds.

This time the tears do run down my cheeks and Pete rushes to kiss them away, dislodging Jack’s hand.

“We won’t let you go anywhere, my temptress. You are ours now.”

My wobbly smile falters and I swallow down the lump in my throat before responding to him.

“You won’t even know I’m gone. You’ll still have Vixen.”

They have nothing to say to that, because they know I’m right. Vixen will remain with them. And if nothing else, Vixen is me. I refuse to dwell on the sad truth, so I bring up the only other thing they haven’t questioned me about yet.

“Now, back to this whole Gin and Tonic thing,” I say, wiping my face with the back of my hand. “I don’t know how long I’ll have here with you, but I don’t want to miss out on my birthday and my favourite drink. I’d like to take it back to the island with us and have some fun with the families there. Will you help me?”

All three men agree, obviously hoping to cheer me up after our discussion took such a drastic turn for the worse.

I share all my childhood stories with them, and together we plan what we will do for the families that have been waiting for their men. At some point, our discussion quiets down. Pete is the first to pass out, his head on my naked breast. Jack follows him into slumber not long after, his soft snores filling the cabin with an unfamiliar, yet comforting sound. Drake’s arm is heavy around my waist and I’m certain he’s also deep into dreamland when his soft voice whispers against my ears.

“I made you a promise, princess. Your heart is mine. And whether or not it’s here in this world with us, or in your world with you, I will know it, without a doubt, and follow it wherever it goes. It’s taken me months to get you where I want you, and you’re not getting rid of me now.”

“What am I even supposed to say to that?”

Drake tips my face up to his and places a tender kiss on the tip of my nose. “You go to sleep, and dream of us. Then tomorrow we head for home.”

My heartbeat picks up and my hands grow clammy as I realize why I was stretching out our discussion tonight. “I’m scared to go to sleep. What if I do and I wake up at home?”

“Then we’ll find you. No matter what, we will always find you. Now sleep.” His order brooks no argument and he kisses my eyelids, silently willing them to stay shut. When my heart rate slows down, he hums a sea shanty and the gentle cadence of his voice lulls me into a dreamless sleep.

***

The gentle sway of the ship and the sound of a seagull crying out pulls me from my slumber. A satisfied smile stretches across my face as I realize I’m still on the ship. The scratch of stubble against my belly and the hand tracing patterns on the inside of my thigh can only belong to one person.

“Hmmm, morning, Grin. How’d you sleep?”

He kisses my hip before tugging my hand. “Look at me, will ya?”

I slowly blink open my eyes, letting them adjust to the light. Looking down I find his questioning gaze waiting for me. “What’s wrong?” I ask, confused about the serious stare.

“What’s your name?”

“Loralei… Why? Did you forget already?” I send a grin his way, but deep inside I’m secretly pleased by the question. Even more so when the answer garnered me the biggest smile from him.

“Just making sure I’m in bed with my girl.” He shrugs before looking down at the hand travelling further up my thigh.

“You know,” I say, scooting closer to him so I can get my hand on a certain flag pole, “Vixen is technically your girl.”

“That, my sweet temptress, is where you’re wrong.” His fingers reach their intended destination and delve into my wet depths. “Vixen was a shallow imitation of the person who’s been in our company and bed the last twenty-four hours.” My back arches as he fills me with two fingers, crooking them so they can touch that special spot inside me. “She didn’t react the way you do, she didn’t taste like you do, and she certainly didn’t come close to making the same beautiful noises you do.”

Before I can say anything in response to the sweet words, his mouth claims mine and I’m lost to the pleasure of his tongue tangling with mine.

His fingers work me until I am a shaking mess and then he pulls me over him to straddle his lap before lifting me over his manhood.

There’s no urgency or fireworks. The way he fucks himself up into me is almost lazy. It’s exactly what I need right then. Our pleasure builds slowly, but when we finally lose ourselves to it together it’s no less intense.

“Yes, definitely my girl,” He whispers before kissing me again. “Now we need to get up and see what your crew has been up to in our absence. There’s only so long we can hide away in here before they will get suspicious.”

He’s not wrong, so I smack him on his hip as I get up.

“The three of you thoroughly debauched me last night. I’m going to need to get cleaned up.” I pause, thinking for a moment before swallowing my reluctance. “Will you call Bella for me?”

“Of course, temptress.” He grins before grabbing his clothes off the floor, quickly getting dressed, and rushing out the door.