"Uh, Cordy?" Jack said unsurely.

"Yes, Jack?" she answered politely.

"Are ye happy on the ship?"

"Unbelievably.  Jack, I can't thank you enough for letting me come with you."

"Those meals o' yours are plenty thanks, love, er, Cordy…sorry, habit."

"I don't mind it, Jack, really."

"S'not righ'," Jack said, shuffling his feet a bit.  "I shouldn' use tha' so casually, least not with ye."

"Why not?"

"Jus' shouldn'."  He looked at Cordelia.  He started by locking eyes with hers; he then really took her in – all of her.  Her eyes were a warm, deep brown, much like his own.  Her hair, that was once just as dark as her eyes when he first found her, fell in now sun kissed waves down her back.  Her skin had tanned so that it was only a few shades lighter than his, and the dress that she was wearing on this particular evening accentuated every curve of her body.  She was beautiful and seemed so fragile…yet when she was dressed as the rest of the crew with sweat pouring from her brow, she was just as beautiful, but seemed as though nothing could break her.  Layers…like me.

"Jack, are you all right?" she asked, breaking his thoughts.

"I want t' kiss ye," Jack blurted out, not able to stop himself.

"Oh," Cordelia replied, not quite sure if she heard him correctly.  "Um, so why don't you?"

"I wasn' sure if ye wan…"  Before his sentence was finished, Cordelia's lips were against his.  Jack stood frozen for a moment, but soon relaxed and deepened his kiss.  Cordelia pressed her body against Jack's and he could feel her heart racing – she could feel his doing the same.  Their arms wrapped around each other as their tongues gently intertwined. 

Jack's hands began to wander and he quickly stopped, waiting for a hand to sting his face – instead, Cordelia put her hands on his and guided them to her hips.

Jack gently broke away from the kiss.  His voice was soft as he asked.  "Yer not gonna slap me?"

Cordelia smiled.  "No."  She continued to kiss him while guiding him to his bed.  She longed to see the body that dwelled beneath the layers that he wore and she hoped that that wish would be fulfilled in the very near future.  Once they reached the bed, Cordelia nudged Jack so that he was on his back.  She was deliciously slow in every kiss, every movement, and this was something that Jack had never before experienced.  Jack's hands were moving rapidly over her body, unsure of where to go or what to do.  Cordelia pulled back from Jack and said, "No need to rush, Jack, take your time."

"Not used t' tha' idea, Cordy, I usually 'ave t' take things by the hour."  Jack couldn't believe that he had actually said that – surely she was going to think less of him and leave.

However, Jack's worries were put to rest when Cordelia replied, "You don't have to worry about that with me."  Jack smiled and the gold in his mouth shone in what was left of the fading light.  Cordelia's lips moved from Jack's mouth to his earlobes and neck, causing him to moan softly.  She kissed the part of his chest left exposed by his clothing and then took his hand, lifting it to her mouth.  She planted light kisses on his fingertips and palm, then worked her way up his arm.  She paused for a moment to gaze at the "P" branded into his arm just below his tattoo of a sparrow.  Her lips lingered on the "P" for a moment before she lifted his other hand to her mouth.  She had begun to push up the sleeve on his left arm when Jack suddenly pulled away.

"N-no," Jack stuttered.

Feeling a bit hurt, Cordelia said, "I'm sorry, Jack, I thought that…I thought you were enjoying…"

"I was, I am, jus', jus' not tha' arm…I, uh, I pulled it today an' it's a bit sore."  Bloody liar.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Jack, I didn't know…"

"Don' worry about it, love."  With his right arm, he pulled her back down to him and kissed her.  Cordelia quickly forgot about the moment of awkwardness and once again began to lavish her affections on him.  Returning to his tanned chest, she let her tongue roam his skin, smiling as his flesh reacted to her touch.  However, her pleasure ceased when she began to open Jack's shirt further.  Jack gently grabbed Cordelia's hands.  "Ye know, I've ne'er actually taken me clothes off for somethin' like this before, is it really necessary?"

"Never?"

"By the hour, love, remember?"  I'm goin' t' hurt you for such a selfish reason…but I jus' can' let you see…  "So what d'ye say?"

Cordelia looked offended.  She had made sure never to reduce herself to a woman of the night, no matter how tough things were when Adelaide had died.  She quickly rose from Jack's bed and walked toward the door.  "I'm not a whore, Captain."  She left Jack's cabin, tears falling from her eyes.

Well, now ye've gone an' done it.  Happy with yerself now?  Givin' up her affections, possibly more…  Is yer bloody pride really worth tha'?  Jack hadn't moved an inch in his bed.  Part of him wanted to run after Cordelia, apologize, and bring her back to his cabin for a night he knew he would never be able to forget.  Another part of him wanted her to be mad at him, to hate him, not to forgive him.  There was still another part of him though…this part scared him more than any naval fleet, any enemy pirate, any noose around his neck.  This part of him wanted to walk into his cabin after a long day of plundering and find Cordelia waiting for him…and loving him.  Ye fool, pirates don' fall in love…  More importantly, nobody loves a pirate.