Obligatory disclaimer: The Mouse owns all, save my own original characters.

A/N: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for your positive comments! Decidedly an 'M' chapter, to be sure.

For what seemed like an eternity Julia watched as James slept next to her, slack-jawed and innocent as he dreamed. Every few moments, he would twitch and murmur, a conversation in his head that Julia hoped was peaceful. Unable to resist the urge, her knuckles grazed the smooth line of his forehead, then traced the length of his cheekbone. He let out a contented sigh and turned into her caress, her palm cupping his cheek.

Julia knew that within moments, he would awake and the occasion would be lost. But until then, she intended to cherish the last fleeting minutes James would spend in slumber. For with the beginning of a new day came a new chapter to their lives – and the story was not guaranteed to have a happy ending. But for all the days of her life, Julia would cherish the events that transpired of the course of the previous evening. In fact, her heart swelled at the contentment she felt and savored the feeling of joy that overwhelmed her emotions.

Julia turned away from the man sharing her bed and stared at the dark beams in the ceiling for a long while. Hearing the incessant rain hitting the window, Julia turned her head and looked out the rain-streaked window. Trees bending, swaying, dancing, in the wind left shadows on the wall as lightening flashed and illuminated the dark sky. Focusing on the sound of his breathing and banishing the idea of a new day, Julia felt her lips curve into a smirk as she relived the previous night's events.

o.o.o.o.o

Julia lay back against the pillows, James leaning over her, winding his fingers through her hair, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. These were the actions of a seducer, not the man Julia felt that she had come to know over the course of a week. But as her hand closed over his, Julia had never felt so safe in all her life. Safe. What an odd choice of words for someone acting so wanton.

James' lips hovered right above hers as he whispered, "I said before that there would be no turning back, but I shall give you one last chance to back out. Do… do you wish to stop?" His cheeks had looked clean-shaven earlier but his whiskers were rough against her skin, a fact of which she was not cognizant earlier, but his mouth was so soft, so smooth.

Julia's lips parted slightly and her breath became choppy. James' hand on her waist felt as if it were burning a hole through her skin. An overwhelming desire to grab his hand and drag it up to her breast caused her to momentarily forget his question, but as he gently drug his lips across her own, Julia shook her head in the negative, breathing, "I have no such wish for you to stop."

James swallowed hard and sighed in relief. "Good, because damn if I would know how to stop right now. I promise you this – I have wanted no one like I want you now. And another promise – once we start, there will be no stopping until the dawn." He surged forward, his lips burning against hers, full of wicked promise of what was to come.

James' hand slid down from her throat to trace his fingers over the swells of her breasts through the fabric of her gown. As the kiss deepened and his exploration of her breasts became more thorough, Julia felt the evidence of his arousal against her thigh and a spasm began to build deep within her, causing her entire body to feel as if it was on fire. Her body screamed for her clothes to come off, for contact of her skin against his. She wanted to feel him pressed against her, needed to feel him enter her. But that desire scared her, causing a hitch in her breathing.

James broke the kiss and scanned her face, concern and passion fighting for position in his eyes. "Are you…? Are you frightened, Julia?" James whispered as he kissed the side of her neck. He hated asking the question, for if she was not, he was only planting an unneeded seed of doubt. But there was no denying that there was a tension to her body that had not been there a few moments ago.

"Yes." The word was barely audible.

James drew back, concern furrowing his brow. "But why?"

Swallowing hard, Julia tried to smile through her unease. "Because I… do not wish to disappoint you. I… I have never before felt like this, never acted like this. I had heard…" Julia paused, not sure of how to best express herself. She tried again. "I was not a shrew – do not think I am saying that – but I had read about, heard about, desire. I never knew it existed. I really just thought it was a fairy tale. Until now. I mean, I was not oblivious to a handsome man who crossed my path. Or immune to the charms of an attractive man flattering me as we danced across a ballroom. But no matter what, I always felt cold inside. Whereas now, I feel like I am about to burst into flame. I feel… I feel like I am misrepresenting myself. Like someone else is reacting to your… attentions."

James wanted to cup her cheeks and kiss her gently. Her words nearly broke his heart, but it also strengthened his resolve to show her what it was like to be truly appreciated by a man. "I think that for the first time in a very long time you are finally free to show who you really are. And even if we were to stop right now, there is no way you would disappoint me. I thank you for this gift." James then let his lips capture Julia's, pouring into that kiss just how much he desired her.

Uncertainty still swam through her eyes, but she was grateful that James was unable to notice for she did not want the sensations coursing through her to stop.

Gently encouraging Julia to sit up, James's fingers made quick work of the buttons trailing down the back of her dress. Once the dress was open to the waist and free of her arms, he worked on the hooks of her corset until the only thing between his hands and her skin was the flimsy material of her chemise.

Unable to help himself, James's hands slid upwards over the fabric to her breasts, where her hardened nipples were a shadow beneath the thin, white fabric. His hand spread, hugging the mound, caressing it gently, yet persistently.

Wanting nothing more than to pull up Julia's skirts, James had to temper himself not to burrow inside of her. But he also wanted to savor the moment. Wanted to make the night last forever. An since it had been nearly two years since he had enjoyed the company of a woman, there would be no way he could last that long. So, instead, he wanted to give Julia as much pleasure as he could before taking his own.

He untied her chemise, then tugged it down off her shoulders. Julia sat up slightly, helping James strip her to the waist. Lying back on the bed, Julia looked down at her breasts, rising and falling with each heaving breath, tipped by hardened nipples, eager for James' touch.

James kissed her throat, his fingers pinching one of her nipples between his fingers, eliciting a soft moan. His mouth roamed lower until his lips captured her other peak, suckling it, then flicking his tongue over the tip. The sensation caused her breathing to quicken and the heat between her legs to swell. Julia wanted to grab his hand as it traveled lower, but she allowed James to encourage her hips upward, as he tugged her garments down her legs one handed. It was slow going until Julia caught on and used her own hands to help. Soon, Julia was laid bare before him.

James felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked down at her body. Her breasts rose and fell in apprehension and she modestly crossed one leg over the other. Her embarrassment was endearing – and very enticing. He could not help but pause and admire the lines of her body, as if she were a work of art. The small swelling of her breasts, the plateau of her belly flanked by the curves of her hips, the muscular tone of her legs. James swallowed hard.

To cover his momentary loss of composure, James returned his attentions to her abandoned chest. Julia trembled beneath his ministrations, but amid the pleasure the captain inflicted, she as able to recognize that there was no trembling of James; his actions, his person, were sure and true. His hand once again traveled lower, across the plane of her abdomen, until it paused at the juncture of her thighs. He waited for her breathing to resume before parting her legs slightly. Then his fingers slid past her folds, resting against her core, causing her breath to shorten and grow jagged. When Julia did not push his hand away, James slid his hand up and down, reveling in the sounds emitting from his partner. Faster and faster his fingers slid, all the while he was sucking and nipping at her breast.

She let out quiet moans of pleasure, as if unsure of her reactions but helpless to stop them. He hated the analogy, but teasing her was like playing an instrument. Slowly, almost achingly so, he pulled the orgasm from her, thrilled at the knowledge that he was the first one to give her such pleasure. When her body finally gave in, Julia let out a long, guttural moan that was the sweetest melody James had ever heard. The scent of her desire floated through the air.

"What was that?" Julia asked when rational thought returned to her.

James chuckled low in his throat. "That, my dear, was pure, unadulterated pleasure. And you will be experiencing more of that before the night is over." And with that promise, James grabbed handfuls of her hair, crushing her lips against his.

James groaned aloud, breaking their kiss as he panted against her jaw line, when her fingers trailed up his torso, his shirt pooling in her fingers as more and more of his skin was exposed. Through the thin fabric of the shirt, Julia could feel his muscles flex and contract beneath her hands. Heat radiated off of him, sending Julia into a frenzy. Her hands slid up his back, clawing at his shoulders as she tried to pull herself through him. If he did not give himself some relief soon, James knew that he end before even getting a chance to begin, like some inept schoolboy before his first woman.

James resumed kissing her swollen lips and divested himself of his shirt in one swift motion. He then pulled away from her completely, rising from the bed and quickly shedding his pants, standing before her tall and proud. A long, pale scar ran from his abdomen to the top of his right shoulder. Other scars peppered his body; testaments to a life lived hard. Julia sat up, rolling forward onto her knees, and planted a row of kisses along the line of the silvery blemish on his otherwise tanned skin.

Although her lips felt like cool water against his searing hot skin, James wanted to push her head down to kiss him lower. But not wanting to scare her, James raised her hand to his lips and kissed the palm, nipping gently, eliciting a playful squeal from Julia. Then, his eyes locked with Julia's, he directed her hand down to his sex. He clasped his hand above hers, encouraging her familiarity with the fullness and depth of his hunger for her. "This," he paused for emphasis, "is what you do to me. What no other woman has been able to do for a very long time."

Julia felt her breath catch in her chest. He was more beautiful than she thought possible. Dark hair lightly furred his chest and abdomen, trailing down to a nest of curls and the shaft that pointed upwards, nearly touching his bellybutton. Feeling color stain her cheeks for staring, Julia looked at James through the fringe of her eyelashes. He looked neither embarrassed nor amused; hunger smoldered in his eyes as her hand glided over his hardness. Suddenly, she felt cool and composed. The uncertainty that had lingered up to that point suddenly dissipated. Releasing him, Julia fell back against the bed, a mischievous smile beckoning James to join her.