A nearby call of a seagull and the gentle rocking of the ship begin to creep into her consciousness as she slowly rouses from her slumber. Opening her eyes, she's careful not to move and wake him, wishing for a moment to watch him sleep. His arm is still protectively wrapped around her waist, his leg wedged between hers on the small bed. Peering up from the pillow they are sharing, she takes in how long his eyelashes are, the hints of auburn peeking through his dark locks in the early morning light, how his scar makes his face somehow more impossibly beautiful. She curses the fates for having another crisis be the reason for her being here with him now, but she is thankful that she is.
She thinks back to the early morning when they arrived here, many hours of searching for the author for naught, parting from her parents in strained silence. He had led her here without words spoken between them, knowing what she needed, being her strength when hers was beginning to fade. She can still feel the tingle from where his lips had soothed her tears, the press of his strong arms holding her tight until fatigue and his presence eventually calmed her to sleep.
Unable to resist any longer, she lifts her hand from his chest to slowly trace his scar with her fingertip, watching as his eyelashes begin to flutter against his skin. His arm tightens around her waist as he leans towards her, his nose brushing lightly against hers as he begins to wake. Overwhelmed with the tenderness of the moment she leans in, tucking in closer on the pillow to gently brush her lips against his. His lips part slightly in a sigh under hers as he responds, kissing her back slowly, his hand moving to her hip to pull her closer. She runs her hand from his cheek down his neck, grasping as she loses herself in the feel of his mouth and the taste of his tongue. His thigh presses gently against her center and she gasps slightly, her other hand trapped between them gripping his charms tightly in her palm.
His breathing is labored when he pulls back, her name escaping his lips as he kisses her forehead before shifting up on his elbow to look down at her. There is a question behind the passion in his gaze, one that has a complicated, yet quite simple answer. Yes. Yes, I want you. Yes, I need you. Yes, I love you. She wants to say the words aloud, but they are stuck in her throat. She wishes she could give in to this moment with him, truly be with him here, ignoring everything else crumbling around them outside of his cabin. Frustration begins to take over and she can feel the burn behind her eyes as she closes them. The pad of his thumb is there to catch her single tear, his hand having moved from her waist to cup her cheek. She feels the pillow dip as he settles back down to face her, his fingers soft against her cheek as he once again sooths her with his touch.
Scooting down a bit so she can tuck her head under his chin, she wraps her arm around his waist and settles as close to him as she can get. His lips brush against her hair he shifts, pulling her against his chest as he moves to lie on his back. Sliding her hand into his open shirt to rest her hand on his chest, she listens to the water lapping against the ship in the same rhythm as the heart beneath her palm.
His softly spoken query breaks the gentle silence. "Are you okay, Emma?"
She presses a soft kiss to his chest and holds him a bit tighter before answering.
"Yes."
As she lies there in his arms she knows in her heart that as long as he is with her, she always will be.