The slow burn is now officially a conflagration, you have been warned.

Billy stared mutely at her for such a long time that Sarah began to feel dreadfully exposed. She wondered briefly if he saw something deficient in her and was reconsidering her proposition, but there was a dark hunger in his eyes that both reassured and thrilled her.

Billy suddenly roused himself with a visible shake, took a shuddering breath and moved towards her. Heart hammering against her ribs, Sarah held up a hand and he stopped instantly, as if he had been half expecting her to take back her words.

'You said it could be pleasurable for a woman too, that it could be something…more than I have known?'

'Yes.' Billy looked almost amused.

'I can enjoy it?' she persisted.

'I'm certain of it,' he said confidently. Sarah let out a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding and dropped her hand. Billy approached cautiously, looking at her as if she might bolt, which she had to concede was a possibility. He put his hands to her face and gazed fiercely at her.

'Are you sure about this?'

'Yes,' she said, 'and no.'

Billy lowered his hands to her shoulders.

'You don't believe me, do you?'

'It's not that I don't believe you, it's just I don't know if I can take the disappointment if you're mistaken.'

'I'm not mistaken,' he growled, catching her up and kissing her almost roughly.

The moment his lips met hers Sarah gave a small sigh of submission and melted into his ardent embrace, her arms wrapping around his neck and a feeling of rightness overwhelming her. Billy eased the ferocity of his kiss, flicking his tongue against hers and sucking gently on her bottom lip, before picking her up and carrying her, unprotesting, into the hut.

Once inside the dwelling he set her down on her feet and stood facing her with an air of anticipation, his hands loose at his sides. Sarah realised he was waiting for her to take the initiative, to convince him that she had no reservations about their present course. Mustering all her courage she took a step towards him and then another. She reached out and with trembling hands tugged his shirt from where it was tucked into his frayed trousers, her hands skimming his chest as she pushed the fabric up. Billy helpfully ducked his head and lifted his arms but she still had to balance on the very tips of her toes to ease the shirt off over his head. She dropped it carelessly onto the floor and smoothed her palm across his stomach, fascinated by the play of muscles under his skin which tensed at her touch. An unbidden memory rose of another time when the muscles on his stomach had flexed and twitched under her hands but she swiftly drove that thought away. He was whole and well and, for the moment, hers.

Billy let out a long breath which turned to a groan when she leaned against him to press a kiss to his throat. His hands went to her braid and he tugged off the strip of leather securing it so that it unravelled. Tangling his hands in her hair he kissed her deeply, the intensity of his need clear in every press of his lips. Feeling unaccountably bold Sarah fumbled with the fastenings of her trousers, loosened them and pushed them down her hips until they fell with a soft rustle to the floor and she could kick them away. Billy stopped kissing her and pulled back a fraction. Sarah's shirt only covered her to mid-thigh and she felt the full weight of his gaze. Her fingers fell to the top button, but Billy stopped her with a hand on hers.

'Can I do it?' he asked hoarsely.

Sarah nodded and he took the fabric from her, flicking each button free as he worked his way down. She held her breath as he parted the garment down the middle and eased it off, smoothing his hands down her arms and dropping the shirt to the ground, all without taking his eyes off her. He reached out a hand and brushed the back of his knuckles caressingly along line of her jaw, down her neck and between her breasts before tracing the curve of her waist. Sarah followed every movement, fighting the urge to cover herself as her courage faltered, but then she looked back up at his face. In his eyes she saw an intoxicating blend of desire and reverence as his gaze swept over her body. Billy's hands clasped her waist possessively and then he sank to his knees, like a man at prayer, pressing soft lips to the curve of her stomach. Placing a hand under his chin so she could tilt his head up Sarah captured his mouth with her own, teasing him with her tongue in a slightly clumsy imitation of the way he had kissed her.

Billy rose slowly to his feet without breaking the kiss and began to carefully manoeuvre Sarah backwards with the gentle pressure of his hands on her waist until she felt the soft, worn wool of the blankets on the bed on the back of her legs. She sat down and shuffled back to accommodate him as he followed her onto the bed, covering her body with his own. The onslaught of his heated kisses continued as he slowly traced his fingers down her sides, over her hips and the outside of her thighs, fuelling her desire with the hot press of his body, the caress of his hands on her bare skin and the masculine, smoky scent of him. The heat between her legs intensified and she ached for something that she couldn't name.

It had never been like this with Woodes. Had it been perhaps she would not have found her marital duty such a chore. She closed her eyes for a moment, forcing away the unwelcome thought of her ex-husband as she pressed herself to Billy, one hand twining in his hair, the other sliding down his stomach to the waistband of his trousers. He caught her exploratory hand in his and pulled it away, pinning it gently above her head.

'There's time for that later, you first.'

She couldn't comprehend what he meant by that but the caress of his warm, rough hand across her breast caused her breath to hitch in her throat and stopped her from asking. When he followed the path of his hand with the brush of his lips she outright gasped and her ability to form the words fled, along with all her good sense. She knew that she shouldn't want this, shouldn't want the tender feel of his hands on every part of her or the soft touch of his lips, but she did.

She wanted him for as long as he cared to have her.

That was the only clear thought she had as he continued his sinful ministrations, the rest was lost in a maelstrom of heat, and need, and aching desperation for something she little understood but that he seemed to anticipate. She shivered with desire under his touch and in response to his gentle urging relaxed her thighs. When he touched her lightly where she had been, to her shame, craving to feel him, she gave a ragged moan against his lips and felt his answering smile. Every noise she made, every breathy sigh and gasp in response to his sensuous caresses seemed to please him. She found herself chasing his touch, striving unthinkingly for that elusive more that he had promised her, gripping his shoulders tightly as her breathing quickened. Her focus shifted to only that one place where his fingers pleasured her, her thighs shaking and her back arching as she tried to increase the pressure.

'Please, Billy,' she begged, unsure what she was asking for.

'Let go for me,' he breathed against her ear, even as he pressed a little more insistently and the tight coil of need inside her shattered without warning. She shuddered beneath him as pleasure engulfed her senses and whispered his name, wonder colouring her tone. Billy kissed her feverishly, swallowing her breathless moans as if he desired to taste every moment of her ecstasy.

Abruptly all the tension left her body and Sarah fell back gasping, uncertain what had just happened but content to bask in the glorious lassitude the crept over her, leaving her languid and satiated. Feeling Billy's finger brush her cheek she opened her eyes, unable to repress her satisfied smile.

'You look beautiful,' he said softly. Sarah turned away, shaking her head so the loose strands of her hair hid her face from his gaze. He cupped her face in his large hand, coaxing her to look at him. His eyes were serious as he smoothed back the heavy fall of her hair. 'You are beautiful.' Suddenly he grinned roguishly. 'And you look particularly lovely when you're sighing my name.'

Sarah blushed. Even though she knew he was just being kind, for a brief moment under his gaze she felt beautiful, she felt magnificent. She beamed at him and then lay her head against his shoulder, revelling for a short while in the sense that she belonged to him.

'Was that…? Was that supposed...? Was that what you meant by more?' she said eventually as her breathing settled.

Billy chuckled.

'In part,' he said. 'That's not all that…there is.'

Sarah thought she knew to what he was alluding. She was certain she knew what came next at any rate. Her stomach churned with anxiety but she wanted to do this for him so despite her apprehension she pushed herself up onto her elbows and twisted over onto her front.

Billy caught her with a gentle hand to her hip.

'Where are you going?'

Glancing back over her shoulder she said uncertainly, 'I thought we…'

Billy's jaw tightened momentarily and Sarah saw rage flash in his eyes.

'That fucking bastard,' he muttered. He rested his chin on her shoulder, the rough stubble of his short beard prickling her skin. 'I want to see you,' he murmured, his voice muffled as he mouthed delicately at the nape of her neck and then began to trail kisses down the curve of her spine. Sarah shivered and momentarily forgot her nerves, intent only on the scorching path of his lips. Billy's hands crept up her sides and he rolled her carefully back over, leaning forward to capture her lips in a searing kiss before he said again, 'I want to see you.'

There was a rustle of fabric as he shifted to divest himself of his trousers. Involuntarily Sarah looked down and quickly looked away. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, absurd really when she considered everything she had already done and all that would follow. It didn't take long for curiosity to drag her gaze back to him and she let out a slow breath. The look on Billy's face was watchful as he carefully pressed her back onto the blankets, nudging her legs apart with his knee until his hips were cradled between her thighs. Sarah's anxiety ratcheted up a notch and she bit her lip. Billy's expression turned troubled.

'Sarah, you don't have to do this. We can stop if you wish it.'

Sarah's expression lightened and she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of her as she took in the tension across his shoulders and the almost pleading light in his eyes, trying to hide itself behind a veneer of self-sacrifice.

'You absolutely do not mean that,' she said, forgetting her fears and stroking her fingers fondly down his jaw.

'I do,' he said seriously and then continued candidly, 'but I'd rather not.'

Sarah laughed again and leaned in to press her lips to his. Billy hummed with pleasure and then pulled away to gaze keenly at her.

'Does that mean…?'

'Don't stop,' she whispered in his ear.

His sigh of relief was a balm to her fears, his palpable need calming the clamour of her thoughts. He pressed himself in close, she could feel the hot, hard length of him rubbing against her and it felt…it felt good. She shifted her hips provocatively and he complied with her silent invitation.

'Relax,' he breathed as he began to ease inside her. Sarah couldn't help the frown that formed at his quiet word; it was easier said than done. There was no pain, the expected sting was absent, but it felt odd and her expectation of pain prevented her from doing as he asked. Billy nuzzled her neck and began to suck gently on a sensitive spot she didn't know existed just behind her ear, distracting her even as he slowly pushed himself forward. When he caught her earlobe between his teeth she involuntarily rolled her hips against him and he gave a low groan of satisfaction.

'God, you feel so good,' he said, his voice hoarse and muffled against her neck. Sarah noted the tension in his frame, the rigidity in muscles of his biceps, how the tendons in his neck protruded and realised he was holding himself still to give her time to adjust to his intrusion. She felt a swell of love overwhelm her and cautiously rolled her hips for a second time, catching Billy's breathy expulsion of, 'Fuck!'

It made her feel powerful and she did it again.

'Jesus Christ!' he moaned. 'I don't think I can last if you keep doing that.'

'I suppose we could lie here motionless until morning,' she said mischievously. He lifted his head and grinned at her.

'Minx!' he said with a surge that made her gasp and arch her back. He chuckled softly and began to move slowly, his eyes intent on hers, gauging her reaction. Sarah gave him a small smile, relishing in the intimacy of the moment. It felt strange and wonderful, and nothing like she had expected. Billy's eyelids drooped as he increased his pace with a soft groan, his hard fought control slipping.

'Oh fuck, Sarah, you feel so…oh God, so good for me,' he panted out, claiming her mouth with wild passion, his grip on her thigh tightening and his other hand entangling in her hair. She met each of his thrusts with a roll of her hips, clasping a leg around his waist to pull him even closer as small grunts of pleasure escaped through his lips and his breath came out in desperate gasps.

'Sarah, fuck, Sarah, I can't… I can't!'

Billy's rhythm faltered and then he shuddered and went still, burying his face in the curve of her neck.

There was a long silence broken only by the harsh huffing of Billy trying to catch his breath. Sarah held him close, savouring the sensation of his solid weight pinning her to the bed, their limbs entwined. She stroked her hands lovingly down the back of his neck, along his shoulders and down his ribs, feeling the rise and fall of each breath under her fingertips, and struggling to suppress her very slight disappointment that it was over so soon.

'Fuck! I'm sorry, I'm sorry,' Billy suddenly mumbled, raising his head with a sheepish look in his eyes. Sarah caught his face between her hands, perplexed by his obvious embarrassment.

'Why are you sorry?'

He closed his eyes and tried to turn his head away but she didn't let him.

'I was like a God-damned green boy,' he muttered. 'It's been such a long time and you felt so good. I should have gone for longer, made sure you enjoyed it.'

'I did enjoy it,' Sarah hastened to reassure him. 'It was very pleasant.'

He caught her up in his arms, hiding his face against her collar bone and groaning discontentedly.

'Very pleasant?' he said with a slightly sour laugh. 'A cup of tea is pleasant. My pride had rather hoped for something more than 'very pleasant'.'

She gaped down at him, at a loss as to how to articulate her feelings. It had been many times more enjoyable than Woodes' callous disregard would have had her believe possible. There had been no discomfort and parts of it had been pure rapture, an unmixed blessing of intimacy and bliss that she knew she would never have experienced were it not for Billy. She did not know how to tell him all of this so instead she kissed him, licking at the seam of his lips demandingly until he opened for her and surging into his mouth. There was no grace in her deed, her teeth clashed with his in her haste, but he didn't seem to mind, returning the kiss with equal fervour. She pulled away with a breathless moan as he ground himself against her.

'It was very much better than pleasant,' she said, pushing back at the insistent press of him. Following his lead she sank her teeth delicately into the soft skin of his throat, the warm salt taste of him on her tongue, delighting in the shudder of pleasure that vibrated through him.

'Next time…' he said with a delicious hint of promise in his tone, kissing along her jaw line.

'Next time?' Sarah said, a little mystified. Woodes was a man of distinct routines and visited her bed chamber like clockwork once a month.

'Just give me some time to recover,' Billy whispered, much to her surprise. He frowned at her expression and said diffidently, 'That is, if you wanted to?'

Sarah nodded quickly, ignoring the protests of her better self, and it was worth it when Billy gave her a small smile. He brushed a quick kiss across her lips and then, to her dismay, pulled away from her and got up. She felt oddly hollow without the warm weight of him and sat up quickly, tucking her knees up by her chin and pulling a blanket over her to shield her modesty, ridiculous though it seemed at this stage in proceedings. Billy disappeared out the door, returning in moments with a damp cloth in his hand. She couldn't help but stare as he advanced upon her, the sight of the defined planes of his naked body causing a pleasurable tightening in her belly that she now recognised as desire. Following his movements she unconsciously licked her lips as he crossed the room and sat down next to her. He tugged gently at the blanket and she allowed him to pull it away.

'I thought you might want me to clean you up?' he said, his expression bashful and the tips of his ears a little pink.

Sarah stared uncomprehendingly at him for a time, then blinked and felt her eyes fill with tears. She remembered all too well the crushing isolation she felt the night of her wedding as she had cleansed away the remnants of her absent husband's seed. Watching the blood defiling the water in the washstand, the face staring back at her from the mirror tear-stained and pale in the flickering candlelight.

All those times she had concealed her suffering from Woodes behind the mask of duty and now Billy's gentle request to tend to her was proving to be her undoing.

'Did I hurt you?' he said, misconstruing the reason for her stricken look. Sarah shook her head but his expression remained downcast and sceptical.

She took a moment to gain enough mastery over her voice.

'No, you didn't hurt me,' she said firmly.

He fiddled with the cloth, staring at his fidgeting hands.

'Regrets then?'

Sarah's throat tightened again; he looked so vulnerable. She tipped his head to face her and kissed him hard. He responded immediately but pulled away before she could become lost in his embrace.

'What was that for?' Billy asked, his expression slightly dazed.

'I do not regret what I did, no matter the consequences and I did not want you to think that I did.'

His smile was hesitant but luminous and she couldn't help but respond to it. Kissing her softly he began smoothing the cloth up her thigh but between the gentle press of his lips and the warm touch of his hands his efforts in washing her were entirely wasted.

Later when Billy took her for the last time, swathed in the golden glow of the lamplight, before fatigue claimed them both, it was with a tenderness that almost broke Sarah's heart and as she shuddered and breathed his name like a prayer he was right there with her. Inside her, enveloping her in his strong arms, a part of her. In that moment of total communion each of his kisses seemed to speak eloquently of longing and passion and she could almost believe that he loved her as she loved him, an exquisite fantasy that made her ache with a peculiar, painful kind of joy.

She lay in the aftermath, stroking the hollow of Billy's collar bone, her head cushioned on his shoulder while he slept soundly beside her. She was scared to go to sleep. Morning would bring the return of Jack and Anne and the end to everything, but despite her best intentions her eyes eventually fluttered closed and she didn't wake until the sun rose the next day.

There's a little Easter egg in there for you, it's almost a direct quote and it seemed too perfect not to use it.