The Pirate's Jewel (20 page)

Jewel had been kissed before, some stolen kisses, some
invited, but this was like none of those. The heat from Nolan’s mouth flooded
her senses, bringing on a shocking hunger for more. She parted her lips slightly.
He brought his hands to her head, holding her in place while he moved his mouth
over hers, tasting her in slow, languishing nips. She heard his breathing
quicken, a low groan in the back of his throat, before he pulled her closer and
slipped his tongue into her mouth.

He took control of her body and mind with that powerful,
demanding kiss. The sheer force of his desire held her in place, waiting for
his next command. When he slipped his hands down her back and guided her to sit
between his parted thighs, she eagerly did as he directed. The heat from his
body scorched her, but she leaned closer to the flame. Her nipples strained
against the cotton of her gown and she pressed into his hard chest, bringing
herself to an even more fevered pitch. Her action brought a groan from him as
he tore his mouth from hers to slide wet kisses down the curve of her neck. She
let her head fall back, giving him access to her tender skin.

His fumbling with the buttons of her nightdress captured
her attention. She brushed his hands away and opened the garment to her navel.
That she wanted him to kiss her breasts, touch her wherever he desired, was a
given. Only the knowledge that she burned for him even lower, would let him go
as far as he intended, sent out a shiver of warning to her brain.

Nolan parted the gown, dragging it off her shoulders until
he exposed her to the waist. He stared briefly, before tasting her in a trail
of liquid fire. As his kisses dipped lower, she ached with anticipation. She
felt her heart race as she had heard his do earlier. The same blind urgency
surged through her, and she arched her back to get closer to him. He kissed his
way down to her breast and took her nipple into his mouth without hesitation.
That wet heat weakened her with its unfathomable pleasure. She clutched his
shoulders to stay upright, her head seeming too heavy to be held up by her
neck.

His hands found the flesh of her backside, and she discovered
her descent into ecstasy had just begun. He pressed her against the hard ridge
between his legs and she knew exactly what that meant—even if she’d never been
truly told. An answering heat surged through her. The awkward position hindered
Jewel’s movement, so she managed to shift her weight to bring her knee to the outside
of his thigh. Instinctively, she rubbed her moist sex fully against him, the
unexpected intensity of that pleasure forcing her to gasp. In that moment, she
knew why a woman could so easily succumb to a man’s will. Driven by lust so
consuming she could do nothing but follow its lead, Jewel longed for Nolan to
take full possession of her body.

As if he sensed her total surrender, he efficiently rolled
her onto her back. He settled between her thighs before she could orient
herself to the new position. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and ground his
fierce arousal into her desire’s wet center. Even with the buffer of their
clothes, the shock of the contact, so much more intense with him in control,
forced her to gasp for breath. But he was there, too, invading her mouth with
his tongue, his taste. Her rapid heartbeat warned her she might faint if they
didn’t slow down, but even breathing was less necessary than getting closer to
Nolan.

He pressed again with his hips, creating a subtle rhythm
her body instinctively recognized. She undulated beneath him. The arching of
her pelvis sent lightning streaks crackling through her nerves. A rumble of
thunder sounded, and she wasn’t sure if it was in her own head or outside. She
slipped her hand beneath his hair to cup the back of his neck, deepening the
kiss in an attempt to blur their edges. A desperate ache grew that only
increased with each slight twist of his hips.

His hand followed the curve of her thigh, bunching her
nightgown to her waist. Another warning sounded at his breach of the last of
her defenses, but the heaviness of his cloth-covered legs brushing against her bare
ones banished any hope of intervention. The worn leather of his boots and the
wool of his breeches caressed her skin. Each new sensation shot ripples of pleasure
across her. The need to touch his skin urged her to yank his shirt free. She
caressed his back, all of him soft and hard at the same time. The muscles under
his skin bunched and jumped in response to her grazing explorations.

Abruptly, he pulled away from her touch and sat up. She
braced herself on her elbows to watch him fumble with the buttons on his
breeches. She shivered with the realization of what he was about to do. She
remembered the desperate pants and deep grunts she’d heard from a couple she’d
stumbled upon in the storeroom at the Quail and Queen. Another cool shiver
snaked across her hot skin. Her mind cleared somewhat, though her body still
vibrated with need. A woman’s fear reared its rational voice, urging her to
stop before it was too late.

She wasn’t sure if Nolan read her thoughts, or if he saw
her slight shaking in the dark. He froze, staring down at her without blinking.
Before she could speak, he braced his hands on the bunk, and then swung off
her.

Jewel sat up and gathered the remnants of her nightgown.
Nolan moved to the farthest corner of the small cabin, keeping his back to her.

“Nolan?” She pulled her knees against her body and clutched
together her open gown.

He paced the length of the room like a howling wind caught
in the masts. “Forgive me, Jewel.” His raw voice shook with an intensity she
hadn’t heard before. She sagged with relief against the wall. Then she realized
he was angry with her. Tension rolled off him and onto her like waves pounding
a ship.

He strode to the desk and fumbled to light a lantern. In
its flickering glow, his eyes looked wild and dangerous. Strands of hair hung
over his shoulders where they had escaped their ribbon. His shirt was untucked,
and a corner of his breeches hung open. He turned his fiery gaze on Jewel,
raked her with it.

She involuntarily slunk back. Nolan wasn’t angry. He was
furious. She clutched her gown until her knuckles turned white. With her other
hand she rubbed her swollen lips, still wet from his kisses. She must appear
frightful. Her body still quivered from his touch. Just thinking of it caused
her an involuntary shudder. She lowered her gaze, suddenly feeling ashamed,
though she was sure she had done nothing wrong.

“Did I hurt you? Tell me if I did,” he demanded.

“No. You didn’t hurt me.” She raised her gaze and saw his
fists were clenched. He seemed on the verge of strangling someone, and since
she was the only one in the vicinity, she feared it would be her.

“Then I scared you.” He lowered his head and pushed his
fingers through his tangled hair. His ribbon came loose, but she doubted he
noticed as it fluttered to the floor. “I don’t know what happened. Good God,
I’m sorry.”

Jewel didn’t know what to say. What had she done to cause
this change in him? She was too embarrassed to ask, but obviously she had
committed a serious mistake. With all the bawdy talk she’d overheard at the
Quail and Queen about what went on between a man and a woman, she hadn’t
realized there was something a woman could do to offend a man enough to dim his
lust.

“You didn’t scare me,” she said, unable to bear the
silence. Nolan’s reaction must have something to do with a particular aversion
to her.

He glanced up again, taking in her appearance with a quick
sweep of his eyes. He shook his head, as if what he saw completely disgusted
him. “I need to go.”

Jewel scooted to the end of the bunk, ready to block the
door. The very idea of him abandoning her was unbearable. It would be worse
than before he came. She swallowed her pride and found her voice. “Nolan,” she
pleaded, “tell me what I’ve done. I swear it wasn’t intentional.”

He paused at the door but didn’t turn to look at her. “It
wasn’t you, sweetheart. Go to sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

“Don’t go. You promised.” She got up from the bed and walked
toward him. “Tell me what I’ve done to offend you.”

“Nothing,” he ground out with such violence that she found
it impossible to believe him. He took another deep breath, and then turned to
face her. His scowl appeared as fierce as she’d ever seen it. “I can’t stay.
I’ll make love to you if I stay.”

Jewel laughed, releasing a tight ball of tension. “That’s
what I want.” Once the words were spoken, she realized that only the joining of
their bodies had any hope of curing the intense longing she’d developed for
Nolan over these past weeks—and she feared even that might not be enough.

Nolan splayed his hands against the solid wood of the door
as if holding back an awaiting army. His chest heaved with each breath. “You’re
vulnerable right now. You don’t know what you want.”

She reached for him, placed her palms firmly on his chest.
“I want
you
.” She fanned her hands, exploring the hard muscles in his
chest, the shape of his ribs. His reaction encouraged her. His eyelids grew
heavier as he stared down, mesmerized by the movement of her hands. It was as
if his whole being were connected to the point where they touched. Just the
warmth of him, the feel of his solid body, brought back the comfort and pleasure
they had shared a moment ago. Jewel forgot her earlier twinge of fear in her
desperation to return to the mindlessness of their mutual lust. To do that,
she’d use every instinct, every rumor, and every innuendo she had ever heard to
take him with her.

She veered her exploration lower. She dipped her hands
underneath his shirt and around his loose waistband. No matter his words,
nothing had cooled in him. His skin was as hot as it had been before, maybe even
hotter. Stretched taut over his hipbones, it sent sparks through her caressing
fingertips and pulsed heat through her body.

He leaned his head against the door, and she sensed his
resistance melting. She slid her hand lower. The coarse hair curling just below
the smoothness of his taut belly gave her pause, but only briefly. She slipped
her fingers through those crisp curls, marveling at how different they felt.
Nolan’s breath encouraged her in heavy gusts against her hair.

Her fascination lured her on, not courage. Wayland’s
suggestion had seemed insulting only a few days earlier. Now touching him
seemed a natural continuation of their first kiss. Jewel’s fingertips found the
source of his fierce heat, and a mere brush of his erection caused Nolan to
jolt. He kept his hands at his sides, but he appeared anything but relaxed.
Jewel glanced at his face. His head tilted back and his eyes remained tightly
closed. She measured the length of his sex with her palm, wrapping her fingers
around him when she slid back up. Hot liquid formed at the flared tip. She
rubbed her palm across his cock’s swollen head and let the moisture coat her hand.
Her heartbeat pounded in her throat. A damp, consuming heat pooled between her
legs.

She wrapped her fingers around him tighter, knowing without
knowing that touching him this way was right. She closed her eyes and moved her
hand up, and then down, following a rhythm as instinctive as breathing. She
ached, longing to match the movements with her hips.

Unable to reach his lips to join their mouths, she lifted
his shirt with her free hand and kissed the center of his chest. The salty taste
of his hot skin increased her need for more of him. She turned her head to the
right and found his nipple. He rewarded her boldness with a strangled moan. She
flicked her tongue across it, teasing him with her mouth as he had her.

He grabbed her wrist that disappeared down the front of
his breeches. He squeezed so tightly, she gasped at the pressure.

“Stop. Please, Jewel,” he gritted out between his teeth.
She gazed at his face, taken aback by the dazed glow in his eyes. Though his
features strained as if he were in pain, she could tell he didn’t want her to
stop—far from it. A small smile tugged at her lips. Wayland was right. She
stroked Nolan again and wasn’t surprised when he loosened his grip on her
wrist, almost guiding her movements. His subtle coaxing changed her rhythm and
concentrated her touch. His head fell back again. He bit his lip and his brows
drew together.

“Lay with me,” she whispered.

With those three simple words, he came into motion. He
lifted her in his arms, carried her to the bunk and deposited her with more
urgency than gentleness. He fell down on his knees between her thighs. Without
encouragement, her nightdress conveniently worked its way up to her waist. In
the soft glow of the lantern, she felt horribly exposed. At least when she had
touched him, she couldn’t see her hand wrapped around him; she could only feel
him.

He dipped his head between her spread legs, and then the
heat of his mouth was on her. Licking her. She arched into his kiss, not sure
if she were trying to get away or maneuver closer. It was all too shocking.
“Nolan,” she panted. The tip of his tongue found a spot she hadn’t even known
existed, and she relinquished her battle to speak. Sensation created a pressure
deep inside her that was both delicious and unbearable.

Nolan brushed his hand along the inside of her thigh, and
Jewel realized her every sense had been heightened. He eased a single finger
inside her, and she couldn’t stop the shameless press of her hips against his
mouth. Her body took over, denying any restraint she’d ever had. She was all
sense and hunger. “Nolan?” she whispered, slightly panicked at how thoroughly
he controlled her with his hands and mouth. He didn’t answer.

She closed her eyes, writhing at the sweet torment. He
slipped his finger from her body, and then pressed forward again with two. This
time, it was with an urgency and rhythm that signaled his control was slipping.
Her body responded in kind to his abandon. Each movement of his hand brought a
wave of pleasure greater than before, but painfully less satisfying.