Again they cleaned each other up and again they found themselves wrapped up as they’d been before. They spent hours in that bed, until day rolled into night. There were realms to explore and treasure to discover, but Hook only wanted to be right here, right now. The gentle rocking and swaying of his ship was like a lullaby, easing them into a sensual languor.
“So you mean,” she picked up where they’d left off, “Barrie was a fairy?”
He smiled, such a tenacious little bird. “I do not know for certain, but of a surety, whether it was he who wrote it or was merely told the tale, the stories originated here.”
“That is so cool. You know Sircco told me when we went to his realm that there was magic even in my world. I didn’t really believe him, because to see my world and yours, there’s no comparison. It’s easy to believe in magic here, there…it’s all science and facts and whatever magic does happen, happens in Las Vegas, which involves smoke and mirrors and wires.” She smiled. “Then tell me, who are you really?”
A million thoughts flitted through his head. Both good and bad, should he tell her he loved to laugh, loved to read, to hear the breathy sounds spill from her lips as he moved inside her? Or that he was sometimes known to have a violent temper, that he enjoyed looting, the thrill of a chase? But he found that he wanted her to draw her own conclusions where he was concerned.
“I am a man. That is all.” He kissed the palm she placed against the corner of his mouth.
Malachite eyes roamed the length of his face, the moment full and pregnant with something powerful. Hook wished he could name it, wished he even understood what it was happening between them.
“You’ll be leaving in a couple of hours.”
“Yeah.” She didn’t sound happy about it, more resigned.
If he was going to prove to her that her place was here with him, he didn’t have much time left to do it. Determination gripped him. “Get dressed,” he said, pinching her ass.
She slapped his hand, then stretched and gave a loud yawn. “I’m so sleepy. I feel like I haven’t slept in years. So tired.”
Tweaking the tip of her nose, he scooted off the bed and gathered his clothes from the floor. “I do not wish to waste another hour with you. Meet me above deck, I’ll set a course.”
Smiling broadly, she hopped off the bed. “That sounds mysterious and exciting. Fine. I’ll be there, give me about ten minutes.”
Shrugging his shirt on, he gave her one final look. Nude, blonde hair spilling around her back and shoulders, she reminded him of Venus being born from the waters. The temptation to walk back and toss her onto the bed was strong, and if they had more than a few hours, he’d do just that.
“Call me a bastard,” he growled, refusing to censure his thoughts in that moment because his heart was thumping too hard and his chest ached with something he could not name, “but I aim to ruin you for any other man.”
Chapter 14
Trisha stood, mouth gaping like a dying fish as she stared at the closed door. Had he really just said that? No way.
Clearly still in a sensual fog, he hadn’t known what he was actually saying. Because there was no way he was actually telling her what she thought he was, right? Right? This wasn’t real.
And she wasn’t thinking of Neverland, because like it or not, she knew this place was real, crazy as that made her feel. But discovering that there was actually someone in the world she enjoyed being around as much as him, it just didn’t happen. She’d seen love fail too many times.
“Oh my God,” she muttered, walking to the chest, “what am I saying?”
Love? She wasn’t actually thinking that word. Goose bumps raked her arms, her back, her legs…a cold sweat dampened her skin. He couldn’t love her. He didn’t know her.
Hands trembling, she grabbed hold of the chest. “Give me something Hook would like.”
It wasn’t until after she asked that she realized she wanted to please him, that there were times she was thinking of herself not as a ‘me’ but a ‘we.’ The mere fact that she’d just phrased her request with his name in it showed that she wanted to please him, wanted to see his eyes grow wide, fill with heat and desire.
A bright golden halo of light forced her to shield her eyes. When it cleared she looked down and then smiled. “Of course it’s red.”
Stomach fluttering with nerves, she swathed her body in the luscious silk dress. The red was so dark it almost appeared black in the dim lighting. But when she moved little flickers of light winked back at her. She had no clue how it was happening, because it wasn’t silver thread or tiny jewels catching the flicker of flame. It was part of the fabric itself.