A/N: Anelah, I agree! And to all reviewers (+silent readers) - THANK YOU! I love hearing your thoughts.
She's Engaged
Chapter V
Jack cannot put a finger on what it is, but lately, Angelica has behaved differently. As of a dinner recently when she sat across him beside her George, never tearing her eyes from Jack. She kept having her lips separated with slightly peering eyes. Not peering as if 'wanting-to-kill-him'. It was more like 'wanting-to-devour-him' and that caused Mr Jack to fidget in the chair.
When he made a joke, about how 'dinner was pleasant and that he certainly did not hope dessert would disappoint,' she even winked flirtatiously at him.
And even if Jack is the first one to notice her change in clothing, well aware of precisely how low her cleavages go; he can swear she has pushed the ones she has worn recently way further down than they tend to be.
He even may dare to say that when she once caught him off guard on deck, standing behind him; he froze when seeing her bosom welling out of that pressed corset below the fabric of the cleavage dress – and she was smirking. He can bet on that one.
She was saying something to him, but he simply had to leave her there to ramble for herself. Or else she would have noticed his tightened pants and he would never give her the pleasure of knowing what affect she had on him, still.
She had muttered, 'Estúpido,' with fists resting on her hips.
It only comes natural with her. Beauty. Perhaps that is great part of George's attraction to her.
"You look lovely tonight, Angelica," he breathes.
She smiles widely at his compliment and lets him take her hand in his. She notices that the table is only set for two, which is unusual.
She swirls around with a wondering expression, motioning to the setting with her finger.
"Jack is not dining with us tonight?"
George smiles and approaches her again. He places a kiss on her cheek after deciding to not regard her on the matter of not titling the commandeer.
"No, my dear. I just wanted the two of us tonight. A night for ourselves."
Her smile is stiffened and she has to force her white teeth to be visible.
"Oh, how lovely."
He pulls out the chair and she sits down. She follows him with her gaze as he rounds the table and she sips on the red wine.
"The wine is divine," she speaks.
George nods and snaps his fingers to a servant. He immediately runs forward with the plates and put them in front of the couple. Then he quickly leaves the room.
"I think so too. My slaves are quite well after all. At least doing wines, I must say."
Angelica pauses her drinking and muses on the thought.
She may wear fancy clothes and believing this is what she wants, but deep inside she knows just as much as anybody should, that she is not one of those tea-sipping ladies. A wealthy man is good for children. They will have no worries and they can have anything in the world, but she truly does not agree to the ideas of the rich. She never has, and probably never will.
George is a good man. To her. He is a good man to her.
But she cannot say that he is to the rest of the world.
She usually prefers the blind viewing. The pretending that he is as warm hearted to everybody as he is to her.
Then again, he has probably never known any better either. He was born in golden decorations among rubies with the opportunity to have exactly anything he wants. Lately, that anything or everything was somehow Angelica.
George notices her empty stare. How she pretends examining the wine sloshing in the circular glass cup.
"What bothered you, if I may ask?"
She swallows and shakes her head.
"I just... don't know about this thing with slaves," she meets his eyes a bit uncertain.
He frowns. "My lady, that is a great part of what brings us all of this." He gestures to their surroundings. Her eyes do not follow his motions.
Instead, her look is kind of harsh and her jaw is clenched.
"Those are still people," she says and looks down onto the food. She grabs a tight hold onto the knife and fork, ready to dig into the food. "Just like us."
"Just like us?!" George questions. "Unbelievable." He places his hands on the top of his chair as he leans over it. "Perhaps," his finger is raised as if in a warning. "You should know your place as a woman and keep your silence."
Ouch. That is definitely a first. He has never uttered such words nor attitude towards her.
Angrily she stands up and drops her fork and knife on the way. She is fuming, storms out of the room and does not look back even once – to witness how he is running his hand through his hair, knowing his mistake.
She is seeing red. Never does she hate anything as much as when somebody tries to push her down. To undermine her. For whatever reason she will never really understand, she has stormed up unconsciously to the helm and crossed it. Jack's doors are pushed open and she is standing in the doorway, panting heavily. The bothersome frown she wears alongside her slightly peering eyes, skin flushed – Jack knows she is upset.
He jumps up from his chair at his desk at once and marches over to her.
"What did the drip do?" he demands.
Quickly she snatches his upper arm and stops him from leaving his cabin. She does not really understand herself why she decides to enter her former lover's cabin. But it is like another side of her mind is living its' own life.
"Nothing Jack," she speaks softly. Her expression also softens somewhat.
Her tone causes Jack to relax and take a deep breath. He closes the door behind her and gestures to her, referring to her previous upset appearance.
"We had a disagreement, in words," she explains and takes a few steps inside. She scans the room for the very first time and takes in the surroundings.
There is a desk and a chair, which now is laying on the floor from Jack's jump. He is now bending down to lift it back to place. An unfolded map is sprawled out on the mahogany desk and the windows are straight in front of her. There is a wooden closet, a woven Persian carpet and a mahogany bed with a carved wooden pillar in each corner.
The bed seems so comfortable, big and just... tempting. Fluffy white covers and pillows. It is almost as if she can feel Jack's hands on her, his hot breath in her neck and the trail of kisses he usually leaves on her body. The sweat between their bodies and the sound of a cracked bed moving against a wooden floor and wall, alongside their moans.
She blushes and looks away but Jack has caught her staring. He walks up behind her and gently rests his hands on her shoulder. Slowly, he leans into her neck to brush his lips against her ear.
She draws in her breath and silently prays he does not notice the bumps on her skin. But he does.
"Go and lay down, luv."
"I shouldn't..."
Jack pulls back and locks the door. He does a circle around her and then takes his hat off, placing it neatly on the desk.
"Everybody needs a good sleep, luv. Don't ye agree?"
Her shoulders sink. She really should head to her own cabin. But she just feels this urge to be near Jack. Her Jack. Always so comforting.
He escapes his coat and hangs it on the backrest of the chair at the desk. He sits down on bed as he kicks off his boots and turns to let his back face her.
"Take off the outer gown, luv. Cannot be comfortable sleeping in it."
She does as being told and unties the laces. He is acting like a gentleman, which is unusual, but he actually catches a glimpse of her bare leg from a mirror as she is adjusting the petticoat.
She slips inside the bed and deeply knows how inappropriate it is. And still, she cannot stop herself.
Jack blows out a candle on a nightstand and then joins her. She is facing away from him and he can see her waist rise and fall in her breaths.
He moves closer to her and wraps his arm around her waist to hug her closer to him until they are fully spooning. And she actually lets him. He shuts his eyes in frustration as he hopes she cannot feel what effect this has on him. He leans down and leaves a soft kiss on the side of her neck before burying his face in her hair. The scent flourishes into his nostrils and he takes a deep breath. Again, hoping she did not notice his sniffing.
Suddenly her hand moves on top of his and he is now not even doubting about the fact of her feeling him or not. She must.
God, how he wants her to just turn around and ease her skirt up, give him access to her entrance. Her legs parted and him plunging for the remainder of the night. The need is so strong Jack can even feel his own heart throbbing.
But her eyelids are down peacefully and her thumb is gently stroking the hand he has resting on her belly. And he is comfortable with that too. Any moment with he manages stealing from her is worthy tons of gold.
Eventually she relaxes into his chest and he knows she has fallen asleep.
A/N: They really do fit well together, don't they? Hope they'll sort things out or she is off with her future husband.