The Cursed Doubloon (10 page)

Opening my curtains, I watched Ladarius laugh with the other men on deck as they guided the ship in the direction it was to sail throughout the night. Lanterns were hung in various spots and illuminated the muscles on his shirtless back as he pulled solidly on a rope. What a very attractive man he was; he made my blood boil just watching him. And knowing that he was soon to come find me lit me up inside, making the intimate parts of my body tingle with the anticipation.

I left my window and sat on the edge of my bed. My fingers laced together on my lap and twisted around each other with nervousness. I needed an outlet, something to do to keep my mind off of his impending presence. My hairbrush was close, so I took it and ran it through my damp hair, hoping desperately to make myself look better than I must have looked. I wanted to impress Ladarius as much as I could on our first night together. But, I knew he thought I was beautiful no matter what. He had even watched me vomit over the edge of the ship multiple times and he
still
thought I was exquisite. I chuckled at the thought.

A light knock tapped against my door. I straightened my posture and crossed my arms over my breasts to conceal them through the paper-thin material. “Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

I shivered instantly at hearing Ladarius’s deep voice. “Come in.”

He opened the door and stepped timidly inside, closing it behind him. “Were you laughing a moment ago?”

“Yes, I was. I was remembering the multiple times you have watched me vomit over the ship, only to still be captivated by me.”

He smiled. “I
am
captivated by you; it’s hard not to be. Out of all the mermaids and human women I have seen, you are the most spectacular of them all.”

“I feel the same way about you.”

“And I am a lucky man for that reason.”

I smiled at his sweetness and the space between us fell silent. Looking at him, he didn’t seem to be the least bit anxious to be in the room with me, knowing that he was soon to be in my bed. As for myself, I was filled with jittery butterflies that felt as if they were swimming through my blood.

Ladarius’s eyes roamed over my attire. “You’re in a gown,” he pointed out quietly.

“Yes,” I said hesitantly while glancing down at my crossed arms. “I needed to get out of my dress. It was freezing being out of the water with it slicked to my legs. And it was quite heavy.”

“I could imagine.” The corner of his mouth rose with a smile. “May I join you on your bed?”

“Um, yes,” I agreed, my voice quivering more than I wanted it to. He sat beside me and I cleared my throat. “Aren’t you cold? Your trousers are still very wet.”

“I’m comfortable, actually. Pulling on ropes and running around on deck stirred my blood and made me warm.”

“Well that’s good. And I’m glad the sea is calm tonight or else that could have caused some more problems for you and the crew to have to handle.”

The small talk between us was ridiculous. That was the first time Ladarius and I had trouble getting to the point of something. I knew what was going to happen between us in my room, on my bed. I just didn’t know how to get from talking about small things, to doing the actions of big things. Experience wasn’t something I had much of in that department. Ladarius on the other hand was quite the mature man, seasoned in the enjoyment of lovemaking. I was waiting for him to make the first move, mostly because I couldn’t find the courage to do it myself.

He shifted slightly to face me, pulling his leg up on the bed and leaning his elbow against it. “You look very beautiful.”

“Thank you,” I laughed with shyness.

“It’s the truth. The candle light accentuates the delicate features on your face and the womanly curves of your body.”

“But I am dressed still. How can you know about the curves of my form?”

“I’ve studied you for a long time, my Grace,” he said, bringing his hand to rest against my cheek. “I know the contours of your physique; I am very much aware of every feminine curve that forms you.” His fingers traced down my neck, leaving a trail of goose bumps behind as he made his way to my shoulder, carefully pulling the edge of my nightgown down to expose it. “I’ve seen how you move in the water.” He stopped a moment to place a kiss against my bare skin. “I’ve seen how you can bend and how flexible you are.” His fingers pulled some more at the fabric, dragging my gown lower until almost exposing my breast. I closed my eyes, letting the sensations he was stirring up inside of me break free. “Do you know the one thing about you that I haven’t discovered yet?” he asked. “The one thing that I want to know desperately?”

“What?” I managed with a whisper.

“How much you can arch your back.”

I opened my eyes and was met with the intense stare of a man on fire. His mouth was inches from mine and I could feel his warm breath slightly shake when he released it. For the first time that night he seemed nervous. Nervous, but still confident. He leaned in and our lips connected. I responded easily to him, welcoming his tongue to explore my own. His fingers continued their journey and wandered into my gown to feel the fullness of my breast. I moaned into our kiss, feeling completely intoxicated by his gentle touch on an area that was so private.

I was not a virgin, but Ladarius made me feel virginal. My minded roamed back to the time when he had told me that I would have my virginity back when I was with the man I loved. He was right. In a sense I
was
getting it back being with him, because that’s the way he made me feel. And I was about to lose it to him.

My confidence was growing with his. I smoothed my hand along the strong muscles of his bare chest and down to his stomach. When I reached the wet fabric of his trousers I continued to explore, grazing my fingers past the laces and running my hand over the manly prominence that was pushing against the constricting material. I wanted to free him. I tugged on the strings, desperately trying to untie them.

His lips broke away from mine and he stood up in front of me, his hands dropping to his laces, pulling them free with determination. My eyes devoured every inch of his manhood as his pants fell to the floor.

“Does what the curse left me with please you?” he asked, honestly searching for my approval.

My cheeks reddened. “Yes, yes it does.”

“Good,” he smiled. “Hopefully it will please you in other ways as well.” He stepped closer and knelt down in front of me, keeping his eyes locked with mine as his hands found my ankles and carefully began moving up beneath my gown. When he reached my calves I trembled, and my eyes closed when his fingers rounded my knees. His hands felt rough and masculine yet touched me with a gentle tenderness and docility. I moaned pleasantly when their warmth moved up my thighs; I opened my legs, silently begging him to explore deeper.

“You enjoy that,” he pointed out matter-of-factly.

I smiled, my eyes still closed. “I do.”

“What about this?” His hands smoothed higher up, his thumbs turning in and barely grazing the sides of the place I wanted him to touch the most. I breathed heavily as he pushed his body closer into the space between my legs and ran his hands further up beneath my gown, roaming along my stomach and reaching my breasts.

I opened my eyes and looked down at him, smiling out of the corner of my mouth. “You are teasing me.”

His lips mimicked mine. “That I am. You don’t expect me to just dive right in, do you?”

“Well you
are
good at diving.”

“That’s very true. But I want to make this a night you will never forget.”

“I can assure you I will never forget this night.” I leaned down and kissed him deeply before placing my hands on his shoulders and moving him back; it was my turn to make a move and show him the passion I was feeling. His hands came out from under the fabric of my gown as I stood up in front of him. He stayed on his knees, waiting to see what I was planning. I gathered the thin material in each of my hands and pulled my garment up my body and over my head, leaving myself completely exposed in the candle light.

His breaths deepened as his eyes left mine and focused straight ahead on the space between my legs. “Grace,” was all he could manage to say. He ran his hand up and along the inside of my thigh until he was met with the slickness of my arousal, and he rubbed my sensitive flesh, bringing me to sigh with pleasure as he let his fingers glide inside of me. I tightened around him, feeling overtaken with the fullness and strength he was giving off with every stroke he made. I pouted when he pulled them out but then sucked in a satisfied breath as I felt his tongue follow the same path and land between my legs, giving me even greater pleasure than before.

“Mmm, Ladarius,” I uttered quietly as I lowered myself back down on the edge of my bed. His tongue moved melodically, knowing exactly where to go and what to do to send me over the edge. I leaned back on one hand and used my other to pull his face in closer. “Don’t stop.” He kept his pace perfectly, working to bring my passion to the surface of my body. I could feel it, feel the warmth spreading through the lower part of my stomach and encompassing my thighs. “Ladarius,” I moaned. “Keep going . . . I’m . . .” I couldn’t say another word. The warmth exploded between my legs and I moaned loudly while grinding against his mouth. The waves of pleasure lasted a wonderful length of time and when they subsided I stilled.

He stood up before me. “You are an extremely provocative woman, my Grace,” he said, panting heavily as he grabbed his length and ran his hand along it.

His body looked stunning in the flickering light, made solidly of muscle that had been bronzed by the sun. I wanted him desperately and needed to show him just how much. I rose from my bed and knelt before him, taking his largeness into my mouth. He moaned pleasantly and continued to stroke himself while I tasted his smooth skin and ran my hands along the muscles of his stomach. His other hand guided my head and pulled at my hair while he gazed down at me. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. “You best not look at me like that,” he whispered. “You’ll make it happen more quickly that way.”

I pulled away with a smile. “Is this not how you want it?”

“Yes, and no.” He took my hands in his and pulled me up against him. “When my passion releases for the first time I want to be deep inside of you.” I smiled and he kissed into me, swallowing my mouth with a deep kiss. I could taste myself on his breath, my own flavor gratifying my senses.

We made it back to my bed and he lay on top of me, his weight a pleasant pressure to feel. As he kissed my neck his body instinctively ground against mine. I reveled in the sensation of feeling his throbbing length rub against my wetness, waiting for the opportune time to slip inside.

“You are teasing me again,” I smiled.

“Not teasing, seducing . . .” He lowered himself and ran his tongue across my breast. “Arousing . . .”

“It’s working,” I told him assuredly.

His mouth came up to meet mine once more. I kissed into him as I felt his hand wander down my side and cup my backside. While keeping with the smooth movement of his tongue sliding against mine, he moved his length down my wetness and pushed deep inside of me with one solid stroke, pulling me closer against him with his hand that cupped me.

We moaned into each other’s mouths. The feeling was incredible; there was nothing on earth I could compare it to. I wrapped my legs around his waist and moved against him with every stroke as my fingers dug into his strong back. The ship swayed gently and Ladarius moved right along with it, rocking into me with tenderness like the calm waves that lapped against the ship’s wooden sides.

“Oh, my Grace,” he breathed softly. “You feel just like a virgin.” A gust of wind rattled the ropes outside as he continued his careful movements. “May I have you another way?”

“You can have me any way you desire.”

He pulled out and grabbed onto my hips, twisting me with a delicate motion, urging me to turn over. I complied willingly and laid my stomach against the bed. Our vessel began to rock with the development of heavy waves as Ladarius lifted my backside, thrusting himself deep inside of me from behind as a swell of ocean water crashed against the ship. He moaned and reached around, rubbing between my legs while pushing harder and harder. His other hand ran up along the skin of my back before gripping onto my side and digging his fingers into my flesh. Another angry wave hit the ship outside and he drove himself inside of me again, going as deep as he possibly could. I gasped, losing my breath with the moment. He was like a wild animal, and I absolutely loved it.

The wind died down outside and the waters calmed. Ladarius pulled out and turned me over, gently sliding inside of me once more. His tongue tenderly found mine. I reacted instantly to him, accommodating the soft strength of his kiss. He rocked slowly with the ship as before.

He moved his lips next to my ear. “Grace, I want you to know that I love you.”

“I love you too, Ladarius. More than anything in the world.”

His breaths quickened; I knew he was close. I opened my legs as wide as I could manage, spreading them out to my sides so he could get as deep inside of me as he could. The warmth I had felt before was returning. I moved timely against him, our rhythm completely in sync. He slid his hand behind my lower back and continued to gently thrust. His next forward push was all he needed and he moaned huskily into my neck while he pulled in and out, filling me with warmth. When his sighs subsided he continued thrusting, making sure to get me to the height of my arousal. I pulled at his hair, becoming entranced by the sensation of his wetness adding to mine and making him slip in and out of me even easier than before.