So, I'd hoped to have this done at least a day ago, but it just wouldn't cooperate. Hopefully it turned out ok. On the bright side, I have chapter 6 up now as well, and 7 almost completely finished (and they have more violence and sex and all the lovely things you want from a pirate story!) No major warnings- just more creepy Hook.

V.

He snapped into awareness at her sarcastic question, bristling at her insinuation but letting his lips curl into a smirk against her neck. "He doesn't have to," he purred in her ear, his body wrapping around hers in the small bed. "But, aye, the woman I was with charged for her services."

"Why? Why not seduce some barmaid or farmgirl?"

"Or princess?"

She huffed, rolling her eyes even though he couldn't see it.

He shrugged, but seemed to be contemplating his answer.

"Why the sudden interest, lass? I think maybe you were waiting for me to come back, drunk and demanding, and ravish you, weren't you? Here you are, lying in my bed, no one to protect you, nothing to stop me." His hand continued to play over her skin.

"You wish," she grumbled, hoping he didn't detect the nervousness in her voice.

"I would very much prefer you willing, yes."

She snorted. "Then you'll never have me," she said.

He leaned over and sent her a tight smile. "I said prefer, not require. Besides, in case you haven't noticed, I'm devilishly handsome. Nearly impossible to resist, really. If you're still on my ship a week from now, I doubt I'll need the services of a whore anymore."

She glanced down at his forearm, "Why don't you bring Milah, on the tattoo, with you instead of you fucking whores and ravishing princesses?"

She felt him go rigid, his voice oddly distant when he spoke again. "I did. A long time ago."

"Where is she?"

"Gone," he growled. "Now leave it at that."

"Just, gone?" She actually sounded confused for a moment. "Oh. Gone. You loved her, didn't you?"

He sighed, sounding less angry when he continued. "Aye, I did. There are very few things I still enjoy in this world, princess, and having a woman happens to be one of them. I don't want to waste my time with extraneous details. A woman who's paid for her time understands the arrangement. It's that simple."

"I'm so sorry." she said, gently placing her hand over his. "But, it's not the same, is it?"

"No, though I can't say I leave unsatisfied. Still, there's a reason lovers fuck, darling." He reached to turn her face towards his, letting her see his eyes. "If a man knows what he's doing, it can feel just as good for the woman. Better maybe."

She shivered, her breath catching when she saw how he looked at her with undisguised need. "Better?"

He chuckled. "So I'm told. Now, unless youre looking to test that theory, princess," he raised a brow in challenge, "you'd best go to bed." He waited until she was asleep, then rolled away, letting himself remember curls the color of chocolate and mischievous blue eyes for the first time in months.


She woke to find Hook sitting at the table that doubled as a desk, an assortment of fresh fruit, bread, and some bacon lying on platters next to a pot of tea. The smell was enough to make her stomach growl. "Come, eat something," he said, pulling his attention from the map he was reading to look at her. Seeing the reluctance on her face, he sighed in annoyance, "You sleep next to me, pressed so tightly together that the only way we could be closer would be for me to be inside you, but eating a meal at the same table is too intimate?" He chewed a piece of bacon, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

She huffed and drew the sheet around herself in an attempt at decency, expecting him to comment on it or even take it away, but he said nothing, merely observing her with an amused expression. She folded her legs under herself, settling onto the bench opposite him. She picked up a pear, taking a delicate bite and closing her eyes as the sweet juice ran down her chin, only to look up to see his pupils dilated as he watched her, motionless except for a raised eyebrow when she wiped away the stray drop. Avoiding eye contact, she focused on peeling an orange, sipping her tea quietly.

"You know, most men would take your silence as offputting, but I love a challenge."

"You're going to love me then," she laughed drily. "Besides, I'm concentrating," she grumbled, not meeting his eyes.

"No, you're afraid to talk, to reveal yourself. Trust me, things will be a lot smoother if you do."

"You should be used to people not trusting you."

"Ah, the pirate thing," he laughed.

"You did kidnap me and threaten to violate me," she shot back, with an eyebrow raise that nearly rivaled one of his own.

"Fair enough, though it won't be my fault when you beg me for it." He raised a devilish brow of his own at her, giving her a flirtatious smile, "But I consider myself an honorable man, a man with a code. I've promised to give your beloved a chance to prove his dedication, so your virtue is safe for the time being. It's not me you're afraid of, darling, its him"

"Really?"

He regarded her cooly. "You're something of an open book, love. You know exactly what I want from you, but you have no idea where you stand with him. Your future husband is a man you barely even know."

She paused, uncomfortable with the fact that he was right. Now that her future was in Neal's hands, she found herself terrified. "Why should I tell you anything?"

"Well, seeing as how you're going to be staying with me for the next several days, we might as well get to know each other."

"I'm not staying with you. I'm your captive."

He leaned over the table, slicing the ropes around her wrists with his hook in a quick motion. "There. Better?"

She rubbed the raw skin gently, relieved to be free of her bonds. "I could use some clothes."

"I rather like you in nothing at all," he made a show of raking his eyes over her, "but I can get you something to wear during the day. You'll still be bare against me at night though, and any other time I desire to look at you."

"Fine." She could negotiate better terms later, but simply having something to wear was better than nothing. Sitting back with her fruit, she studied him for a moment.

"So, lass, that hold of treasure on your ship... Was that your dowry?" She nodded. "Any idea how much it's worth?"

"No, I wasn't involved in that part, sorry.". His eyes narrowed slightly, but as he stared at her, he pondered aloud, "No, you weren't, were you? Well, I should tell you, you apparently come with quite a fortune. I'm surprised quite frankly. Anyone can see you're gorgeous." He sat back, waiting for her to say something. He figured he might be able to get some useful information out of her, and if nothing else could find out more about this intriguing girl.

"Ok, I'll play. Why'd you become a pirate?" His brow furrowed at her question. "You're the one who wanted to talk," she reasoned.

"Believe it or not, my reasons were quite justified. I was escaping the service of a corrupt monarch." He saw her flinch at that, and used the moment of vulnerability to his advantage. "Why your Prince? I'm sure you had many suitors to choose from, and I can tell it's not because you've known him for ages."

She paused, obviously weighing how much to say, "I actually met him one night when I snuck away from a ball. Had a drink with him in the tavern, then went to steal his horse to get home only to recognize it as one of our own. I'd stolen a stolen horse." She laughed lightly. "Went right back in to find out who he was, since I knew he wasn't from our household, and for the first time I'd met a suitor I had something in common with. A few months of letters and that was that. It's a good match for the kingdom too. Prince Neal's kingdom has a fine military, good if my homeland even needs defense." She shrugged. "Being a princess has its drawbacks, you know. It's not just about finding someone who makes me swoon."

She almost thought she saw pity on his face for a brief second, before curiosity replaced it. "You weren't happy, were you? That's why you'd sneak out, why you're sailing halfway across the world."

She stared at him, her face a mask. "I didn't ask to be born in a castle, but nobody wants to hear me complain about it, so there's no point. Besides, you don't fool me. You're not happy either."

He sighed. "Well, aren't we the pair?" He paused for just a moment, shaking his head, rising to go above deck, then tossing her one of his shirts. "I'll get you something to wear, but you can have that for now. See you tonight, princess."

The shirt smelled like leather, salt, rum, and something else. Loneliness, she thought.

She probably smelled like it too.


It became a routine for them; she spent her days in a simple cotton chemise, reading his many books while locked safely in his cabin, but mornings and nights laying bare in his bed, asking and listening to each others' stories while he lay beside her. She told him about sneaking out of the castle and learning how to track from her mother or fight from her father. He described the time his men got so drunk in port that several of them had lost their hats, so they'd stopped a passing ship only to confiscate replacement hats and let them go with their lives and their cargo, explaining that they didn't have anything of great value anyway and the sun could be quite harsh at sea. She laughed in spite of herself.

As he often did, he'd been splaying his hand over her belly, while they talked, pulling her backwards towards him as he tangled his legs with hers. As she started to drift off to sleep, she found herself nearly falling off the edge of the bed. Trying to scoot backwards and getting nowhere, she poked the man sprawled in the middle of the bed. "Hook!" She whispered. "Hook! Move over! I'm going to fall!" He grumbled something and pressed against her, but didn't move otherwise.

Afraid of toppling off the rather small bed, Emma tried to roll further from the edge and switch sides with him so she was against the wall, only to be stopped when she was halfway over the captain, ending up in a sitting position straddling his hips. His hand and hook settled at her waist as he murmured, very much awake, "It's about bloody time," grinning victoriously. Feeling him pressing right there, between her legs, she pulled away, pointing to the edge of the bed. "I was about to fall off and needed to move over- I was trying to get on the other side of you, not on you, so you could be the one to fall on your ass."

He eyed her suspiciously, but let her settle on his other side, remarking that it was a plausible excuse but that she needn't stand on ceremony if she wanted to be on top and that he rather liked the view from that position. He was rewarded with a huff as she settled in, letting him wrap around her from behind again. She felt him sigh in frustration against her as she settled in and closed her eyes.

She pretended not to notice the slapping sound of skin on skin when he rolled over and worked his hand over his length or his quiet groan of pleasure when he climaxed.


Two days later, they ate a surprisingly pleasant dinner together, though he made her take off the chemise he'd given her to wear, simply because he could. The dish was a seafood based pasta of sorts, with a delightful wine sauce that paired nicely with the white wine he'd brought for them to drink. "I have to admit, this is delicious," she complimented as he refilled her glass. "Though I'd enjoy it a lot more if you'd let me wear some clothing while eating it."

"And I'm enjoying it immensely just as things are," he replied in an exasperated tone. "You're the most delicious thing at the table, love."

She shot him an annoyed look as she sipped the last of her wine, moving towards the bed and climbing under the sheets for some coverage. "Uh huh?"

"Oh, I have no doubt that you taste absolutely sweet and sinful."

She looked at him, not missing how he licked his lips in a way that made her blush. "Don't you ever stop?"

He slipped into the bed next to her, his lips dusting her ear as he spoke, "Where's the fun in that? You're so lovely when you're frustrated."

He slowly moved his hand to her chest, kneading it with experienced motions while playing with her rosy nipple with his thumb, the flesh going hard and standing up under his expert touch. He felt shiver go through her as he continued to massage her breast, her body betraying her as her breathing sped up. Gods, her body was so responsive. He debated staying quiet, but she hadn't moved his hand so he decided to press his luck. Killian Jones had always been a bit of a gambler, after all.

"Are you soaking wet for me again, princess?" He growled against her ear. "You must know that I noticed the other morning." He felt her fidget beside him, attempting to wiggle away from him, but he pulled her back against his chest. "Oh, don't be ashamed, love. I tend to have that affect on women."

"I wish you'd stop. You promised I had until we made port." Her voice wavered, her arousal barely hidden by her nervousness. She'd never been touched so effectively before. It was a temptation she shouldn't feel.

He kissed her jaw again, sighing against her skin. "I promised not to push anything on you, but if you ask nicely, I'll give you anything you want. I really could make you feel so good, Emma."

She scoffed, "Please. I'm not stupid. As you're so fond of noting, I'm still a virgin. It's actually kind of hilarious that you think you're tempting me with something that's going to be pure hell for me."

"Where exactly did you hear that?" He asked, curiosity and loathing in his voice.

"Well, I was supposed to be consummating a marriage within a fortnight." She replied, as if the answer was obvious. She'd told Neal that she was a virgin (well, actually, he'd asked before proposing, wanting to be sure she was a proper bride.) She'd been told by him that it would most likely hurt, that she would probably bleed, that every girl's first time was painful but that eventually it would get better. He'd acted like it was common knowledge, and some of the serving girls in the castle had admitted that their first time with a man had been fairly unpleasant.

"Hmmm. Well, did you know, princess, there are all sorts of ways to pleasure you? Also, a woman's first time needn't be all that painful." He whispered against her skin as he began to kiss across her jaw and down her neck. She made a small sound in her throat, the slight buzz of the wine smoothing out her nerves. "That's actually a falsehood. By the time I'd be ready to fuck you, you'd have come so many times and be so wet and ready for me that you'd be begging me for it. It would be like nothing you've ever felt before, everything you'd want it to be. For your very first time, I'd give you so much pleasure, would want to brand myself on your body and heart, so when you're in the arms of some prince years from now, all you'll be able to think about is our time together and how good this dirty pirate made you feel. I want to absolutely ruin you for all other men." He was growling into her skin, dark promises of forbidden pleasure. She felt herself start to melt into his embrace, her back arching ever so slightly to push her breast into his hand.. "But I'm sure your prince can do the same." He added in a flippant tone, "So, as requested, I'll stop... for tonight."

He pulled his hand back to her waist, dropping off to sleep almost immediately as she lay awake, desperately trying to banish all thoughts of him from her head

Just two more days. She could endure him for two more days.

Right?