Standing at the railing looking out at the ocean, Virginia breathed deeply. The crisp, fresh air blowing her hair back certainly did feel good after so many weeks of being cooped up. Her earlier night time visits on deck hadn't given her much of a chance to enjoy it. The first mate had given her an extensive tour of the ship and she had met most of the crew. By now the story of why she was on board was well known and they behaved in a much more civil manner to her this time and she was grateful for that.
Drake stood by the wheel of the ship staring at Virginia. With her face tilted up to the wind and her flame red hair blowing out behind her she was indeed a vision. In a couple of months they would reach America. He usually hoped for quick crossings, eager to reach port, and even though the atmosphere between the two of them was often tense, this time he found himself wishing the voyage would take longer than usual.
Virginia was watching the sun set and was awed by the splendor of the sky as it turned red and gold.
"It's a beautiful sight isn't it?"
Virginia was startled by Drake's voice behind her. She hadn't heard him approaching.
She turned to answer him and found him standing very close to her. Her heart began to pound and she suddenly forgot what he had just asked her. Her mind immediately flew back to the wildly passionate embrace they had shared earlier and she was dreading that in a couple of hours they would be sharing a bed again.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked him.
Staring intently into her emerald eyes he said softly, "I was commenting on what a beautiful sight it is."
Virginia's breath caught in her throat. Staring deeply into his eyes, she agreed, that yes, it is beautiful.
At that moment, the first mate approached, and with a polite cough he broke the spell and Drake turned to him. They spoke briefly and he turned back to her. "It's starting to get cold. I'll escort you back to our cabin."
As Drake locked the door behind him, Virginia smiled at the way he had referred to the cabin as "ours".
Over the next few nights they managed to stay away from each other. However, the tension that permeated their cabin whenever they were together was exhausting. It was late at night, the light had been extinguished hours ago but Virginia was still wide awake, listening to Drake's steady breathing as he lay nearby. So nearby. All she had to do was reach out and touch him. And how her fingers ached to touch him, to stroke his skin, so soft over hard muscle, to caress his silky hair. And her body yearned for his touch as well. Her breath quickened as she recalled how magical it felt when his hands moved over her, caressed her cheek, her shoulders, her breast. A shiver raced down her spine as she relived the moment he had sucked her nipple into his mouth. She tried to let her imagination take it further, but she had no idea what would come next. Something that he would not do, would not let himself do.
She bit back a groan of frustration, desperately wanting to sleep but unable to, not with him so close. And even when she could sleep, she was tormented by dreams of him, dreams that she always awoke from aroused and breathless. It seemed that not a moment went by that she didn't yearn for him.
Drake lay with his back to her, listening to her tossing and turning, her frequent deep sighs. He sensed her frustration, felt it himself, in every fiber of his being. He had never had to exert so much self control in his life as he was exercising with this woman. Flames of desire scorched his body, igniting his need to draw her into his arms, hold her, kiss her, touch her. He let the memories wash over him, almost feeling her beneath his palms, her smooth skin, her soft lips and hair. His ears tingled with the recollection of her sweet sighs, her soft moans as he aroused her senses and her breathless pleas to not stop, to not leave her. Biting back his own groan, he desperately tried to think of something else, something that would calm the chaos in his mind and body. But no matter what thoughts he endeavored to conjure up she always managed to find her way in and he was once again fantasizing about her.
Jerking awake, he was first aware that he had managed to fall asleep, second, that there was a frantic knocking at the door as the first mate called out, "Captain, Captain, wake up!"
Drake jumped out of bed and opened the door. "What is it Simpson?"
"There's a storm up ahead, sir. It's still a ways off and we may be able to avoid it."
Virginia sleepily raised her head and asked what was happening.
Without removing his nightshirt he began to dress hurriedly. "We may be heading into a storm. Make sure those portholes are locked tight and don't light any lamps, the oil might spill and catch fire. Lock the door and stay in bed, it's the safest place for you." Seeing her frightened expression he said, "Don't worry V, I've safely sailed this ship through many a storm." Kneeling on the bed and pulling her to him with one arm, he stole a quick kiss and whispered, "for luck," just before he grabbed his jacket and ran out the door.
She locked the door and checked the windows before crawling back into bed. She gently touched her lips where he had kissed her and realized that he had called her "V". She wondered what that meant as she drifted into sleep.
She was woken by the ship violently pitching from side to side, threatening to throw her from the bed. She could hear the men above shouting and running. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed through the rain lashed portholes as she huddled beneath the blankets, frightened by the noises. Wood cracked loudly overhead causing her to cry out as she pulled the blankets tightly around her. She was terrified and kept checking the floor for water as she tried to remember Drake's words, that he had sailed safely through many a storm. She prayed feverently that this would be another one of those times.
It was still dark out when the storm finally subsided. Virginia could hear someone stumbling and tripping down the stairs. There was a banging on the door and Drake's voice, thick with exhaustion, called out asking her to open it. She rushed to the door and unlocked it, letting him in. He staggered into the room, soaking wet, the lines etched deep into his face. He groggily thanked her and fell face first onto the bed.
Virginia tried to wake him but he was sound asleep. She couldn't very well leave him lying there soaking wet, so she lit a lamp and set about undressing him. Starting with his jacket, she pulled it off and hung it dripping from a hook on the wall. Moving to his boots and stockings, they came off with relative ease. She struggled to roll him over and almost fell on top of him in the process. She pushed his wet hair out of his face and lifted his head, placing a towel under it, trying to dry his hair.
He was still wearing his night shirt and her fingers trembled slightly as she pulled the length of it out of his breeches. She struggled to lift him and managed to tug it up to his shoulders and the pull it off over his head. She sucked in her breath at the sight of his bare chest. She cleared her head with a shake and wondered how she was going to remove the remainder of his clothes. Her fingers trembled a great deal as she unbuttoned his breeches. She covered his midsection with the blanket and grabbing his breeches at the knees she managed to pull them off without disturbing the blanket. She was grateful to see that his underclothes had not come off with them.
She was sitting on the bed arranging the blanket over him properly when her hand brushed against his chest. She hadn't wanted to admit it but she had often wondered how he would look without his shirt and how his bare skin would feel. Before she knew what she was doing she reached out and touched him gently with just her fingertips. She could feel jolts of heat shooting up her fingers as she trailed them across his muscular chest. She was once again amazed at how soft his skin was and was reveling in the startling sensations when his hand suddenly shot out and grabbed hers. Startled, she looked up to realize that he was awake and staring at her. "What are you doing?" he asked huskily.
