Chapter Thirty-Four

Promises

I own nothing except Melissa, Kate, and any other OC's that I create.

Italics are Kate having a dream.

Thank you to my reviewers!

By the way, I bow down to those of you who can do the jive. It kicked my ass when I did it.

Kisses started on Kate's forehead and trailed down to her nose, skipping her lips, then her chin. Kisses showered her neck, then slowly down to her stomach. Those kisses...they were driving her mad!

She felt someone touch both of her arms gently. They started near her shoulders, then slowly went to her fingertips. She felt a long, passionate kiss on her lips. It was nothing like Will's, but it was just as good.

Those lips broke away from her's and trailed down to her neck again.

No! she thought. Please don't...!

God, those kisses...

Kate opened her eyes and saw that her eyes met the ceiling. Her heart was beating faster. Her mind was still groggy from the dream. Did that actually happen?

She rolled over on her side and expected to see Jack laying there grinning at her, then showering her with kisses. Then a feeling of dread took over her.

Why did she expect to see Jack laying next to her? Why hadn't Will come to her mind first to be the man kissing her like that?

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. That dream seemed so real...or did it seem real because she wanted it to be real?

She was now more awake. Kate longed for that dream to be a reality. She became disappointed that it was only that – a dream, a fantasy.

Kate started a pot of coffee and started up her laptop. After the coffee was made, she poured some into a mug, then went outside. She carried her laptop and mug outside and sat on a wicker chair. There was no mail for her, which she expected.

The morning at the cabin was beautiful. The deck was a little wet from the morning dew, and the sunrise reflected onto the pond, that took on a rich blue mixed with splashes of orange and pink. She wanted to live up here...maybe when she could buy it from her uncle when and if he moved.

Kate pulled up her dance team competition movie that she competed in last month. Each of the ten competing schools from around the state had to do three dance routines. Her school's two captains decided to the jive, jazz, and a hip-hop routine.

Kate got through "All That Jazz" and "Bananza (Belly Dancer)", the jazz and hip-hop routine. It wasn't until she got to their final routine, "Candyman", that Jack decided to come out. She paused her video and couldn't help but feel a little awkward after her dream that she just had of him...at least she thought it was him. She wanted it to be him, anyways.

"Ah, Katherine," Jack said, taking a seat next to her on the spare wicker chair. "You're up early. Any wonderful dreams about myself?"

She started to blush, which was practically a dead giveaway. "Why do you want to know?"

"Curiosity," he said.

"Yes, I'm sure," Kate said, resuming her movie.

"Jack likes 'is girls feisty," he said.

The last time that he said that was when Kate called him out with playing Melissa. Why did it seem so different this time when he was doing the same thing? She was not going to over think this...there wasn't even anything to think about! Jack and Kate were playing each other, and the other knew it!

"You know..." Jack said, looking at a group of fifteen girls doing the jive, "I can dance, too."

"Good for you," Kate said.

"We could do a dance sometime."

She tried to focus on the lyrics of the song...God, even those reminded him of Jack!

He had tattoos up and down his arm

There's nothing more dangerous than a boy with charm.

"I'd rather not," she said.

"You're not...curious?"

"Stop using that word!" Kate said, trying not to raise her voice.

"What word? You're?"

"No."

"Not?"

"No..."

"Curious?" he grinned.

She narrowed her eyes.

"You lust me, but yet you hate me."

"I do not lust you."

"Keep tellin' yerself that, darlin'."

She closed out of the video and logged online.

"Ah, you didn't say that ya hate me. This is good progress, dear Katherine."

She was silent as she went to her favorites page and clicked on the page that said "Sienna Miller Tattoo Pics."

"I want this tattoo, Jack," she said, pointing to three small stars outlined in blue, but not filled in.

"That's wonderful, love," he said. "I'm glad ye're takin' a risk."

"Do you...do you like it?" she asked, ignoring his comment.

"They're girly, that's fer sure."

She paused, collected her thoughts, then said. "I want that tattoo."

"I know. Ya said that, I'm not deaf."

"I'm aware of that. But I want it right here." She lifted up a little bit of her pink t-shirt and pulled down her equally pink pajama shorts to below her hipbone. Kate touched an area near her right inner hipbone. She locked eyes with him.

Jack looked at her skin. She was almost daring him to touch her. He moved his hand toward her inner hipbone, but not until she pulled her shorts back up.

"I want you to get one with me," she said, eyes still on his. "Even if all we do is ever talk about it, Jack...I want one with you."

"And I would get a girly li'l star to match?" he asked. "Seeing as I am a pirate captain and all...A li'l star would not be very manly."

"No...it has to mean something to you. Maybe get a skull-and-crossbones mark? It's what you are, after all."

She saw that his shirt sleeves were pulled up to his elbows. Kate saw that there was a pirate brand and a tattoo of a sparrow flying over water into a sunset.

"Did it hurt?" she asked. "Getting a tattoo, I mean?"

"It depends on what your pain tolerance is."

That doesn't help, she thought.

"But, seein' as we were on th' topic of what tattoos mean...What does a star mean to you, dear Katherine?"

She paused. "To know that I can always do better."

There was an awkward silence until Will came out on the deck. He looked to be in pain. He probably was, since he was sleeping on the sofa bed with a bar that dug into your back like no other.

"Will! Good morning," Kate smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm decent. What about you, my love?" He kissed her forehead.

"I'm fine. Does your back hurt?"

"Yes...do you have anything to fix it?"

"Yeah, there's a cabinet by the refrigerator. Pull out a bottle that says 'Advil', alright, Will?"

He nodded and got up and went back inside the house.

"If you say anything to lead either of them on..." Kate pointed her pointer finger at Jack.

"I thought you didn't lust me."

She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, then closed it, then opened it again. "I'm going to go help Will with his medicine." She got up before Jack had the chance to aggravate her some more and went inside the house.

"Um...Kate, must I really take all of these?" Will said, looking at the open Advil bottle.

"Not unless you want to die." She pulled out two round tablets and handed them to him. She filled up a glass of water and handed it to him. He quickly took the tablets, then they stood in silence.

"Will...you know that I love you, right?"

He looked at her suspiciously and nodded. "Yes."

She put one arm around his shoulder and nestled into him, closing her eyes. She felt him wrap his arms around her "I love you so, so much."

Kate's Blog Entry

I love Will. I love Will. I love Will. I feel horrible for thinking what I think about Jack. I don't deserve Will. I don't deserve such a great man who loves me as much as he does. I really do love him.

XOXO,

Kate