At least I double-update when it takes me a while, right? This chapter contains exhibitionism, dub-con sex, and the usual assortment of profanity and consensual sex. Enjoy!

XIX.

Over the next few days, Hook had made it a point to watch his crew more carefully, Red's warning concerning him more than he'd let on. Outwardly, there were no signs of discontent, but most of the men had seen him discipline mutinous sailors before, and probably weren't foolish enough to be obvious.

"Ed," he called to the quartermaster as he steered, beckoning the man closer. "I need to speak with you."

"Sure, captain. What's on your mind."

"How are the men adapting to our situation with the princess on board? Truthfully."

"There are a few who've admitted that she's distracting, which I can't rightly disagree with. It's not always easy to ignore the, um, activity in your cabin. Of course, it's nice to have something pretty to look at, and she certainly qualifies. I'm sure some of 'em want her more than they admit, but their urges are in check for now. I think, in time, they'll accept her. If she's staying, that is." He amended quickly. "Little thing didn't seem to know what you planned to do with her, to be frank, captain."

"Oh, I haven't exactly discussed my plans with her, but I don't expect to tire of her anytime soon so assume she'll be aboard for the foreseeable future. That being said, she's still worth a fair amount, but I can't very well send her to her parents after I've let the whole crew have a go with her, so do what you can to squash any hopes of that. She'll return without her honor intact, but having only known one man."

"Aye, captain. They know she's yours."

Returning to his cabin, he heard boisterous voices within, discovering Emma to be playing cards with several members of the crew when he entered. "What the hell is this?" He exclaimed.

The men froze, all staring at Emma as she shot Hook a confused look. "Um, cards?"

He looked at Billy and Mullins. "You two know better. Get out of here, and take them with you!" He nodded to August and Walsh, who quickly nodded a polite goodbye to the princess and hurried back to their quarters.

"Gods, Hook, what the hell?"

"Emma," he glowered at her, "you are not to be alone in this cabin with anyone but me, Ed, or Starkey, understood?"

"We weren't doing anything wrong!"

"These are my private quarters, darling, not a place to fraternize with my crew. They know that. I don't want them forgetting their place."

She snorted as she cleaned up the cards. "And what's my place?"

He grinned darkly, slowly crossing the room. "Oh, it varies, but tonight it's on your back."


She watched him ready himself for the day, letting her eyes roam over his body with barely concealed interest. Even after being intimate with him dozens of times, she couldn't resist staring at his lean, muscular frame, tracing the dark hair of his chest downwards with her eyes. "See something you like, darling?"

"I don't know", she stretched languorously, letting the sheet fall to the side, "Do you?"

He made a show of tracing every inch of her with his gaze. "Oh very much so. I'll never tire of the sight of you laid out bare on my bed, though I should enjoy it now, because you'll want to stay under that lovely quilt you made come winter. It gets a bit drafty."

She looked at him quizzically. "Winter is six months away."

He hummed in agreement, gathering up his pants and pulling them over his legs, and while part of her was disappointed in the change of view, the knot in her stomach was definitely not related to it. She stood and began to dress as well, trying not to let her panic show.

"Are we still going to the islands?"

"Unless you have another port of call you'd like to see."

"Oh, well, I was just wondering," she began, "when are we returning to Port Jefferson?"

"I've no clue. A few months maybe. Is there something you wanted from there? I'm sure I can procure it elsewhere."

"A few months?! You must be joking. Where else are we going? Where specifically? And when?"

"I fail to seethe reason for this inquisition, lass." He sighed, slipping on a thin, black cotton shirt. "Part of the allure of being a pirate is the freedom. NOT having a specific schedule comes with the territory."

"Well," she began, gathering her courage, "I've just been thinking. How will we know if my parents agreed to pay my ransom?"

He didn't answer, ignoring her as he slipped on a red vest and buckled on his belt.

"Hook..."

"Emma." He turned to glare at her. "Leave it alone. You'll find out when I do."

"Oh my gods," she said, his silence confirming her suspicions as she saw how he was avoiding the question she'd asked. "You didn't send my letter."

He looked affronted at her accusation. "I did, actually, and we both know I didn't have to. Your parents know you are alive."

There was a lie there somewhere, she just knew it. "What else do they know? What did you send in your own letter?"

"Nothing."

"What?" She asked, her voice wavering slightly.

"You heard me. I didn't send a ransom note. Is that what you wanted to hear me say, Princess?" He scoffed. "Don't act so surprised. You'd have figured that out weeks ago if you hadn't been so very distracted." He licked his lips and grabbed his cock through his pants, only adding to her anger.

"You bastard! You should have told me! I'm not just some plaything you can use for as long as you want!"

"Strictly speaking, that's exactly what you are, love." He dismissed her protests with wave of his hand, carefully facing away from her to avoid meeting her eyes.

"I'm a princess! You don't own me, Hook!"

He shrugged. "I needn't ask your permission. After all, this is my ship."

"Oh my gods. When were you going to tell me? You can't keep me here forever."

"All the more reason to thoroughly enjoy you, for as long as possible. Once you're gone, I somehow doubt I'll be given the opportunity to touch you ever again." A hint of sadness had crept into his voice as he gently laid his calloused hand on her cheek, but she was too angry to care.

"What makes you think I'll ever let you touch me now?" She snapped, pulling his hand away.

"Oh please. Don't even try to deny that you feel this..." He paused, searching for the right words, "connection, too. You want me. Just the idea of my mouth on you, or my cock inside you, is probably enough to get you soaking wet." He crept closer, whispering in her ear as a shudder of arousal tore through her body. "You may be a princess, but it turns out you're quite wanton, my dear. Why would I trade you away when your pretty little cunny is a golden treasure unlike any I could buy?" His hand gripped her hip as he pressed against her from behind. "You've been enjoying yourself just as much as I have."

She flushed deeper, anger and embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

"I'll ransom you if that's really what you want, but I'll do it when I'm good and ready, so I suggest you make yourself comfortable." He strapped on his sword and turned to leave.

"You can't leave! I'm not finished talking to you."

"Well, I am. This is not up for discussion."

"Get back here!" She followed him up the ladder and onto the deck, grabbing at his sleeve.

"Go back inside, Emma! This is my ship and I give the orders. I won't tell you again, lass." He shook her off, stalking towards the helm as she followed.

"Or what?" She snarled, rage overriding her good sense as she made a scene. This was exactly the kind of situation he'd wanted to avoid, but he feared there was no way to reason with her when she was this angry.

"Keep pushing me and you'll find out."

"I can't trust you now! How can I? You lied to me!" She screamed, her nearly hysterical cries drawing the further attention of the crew.

"Yes, I did. Pirate, remember? I do as I please. Your royal title means precisely nothing on this ship. Now go back to my cabin, or I'll be forced to show you just how much of a pirate I am." He leered at her, approaching her as he prayed she'd relent. At this rate, he'd be forced to prove his authority, and it was something he'd desperately hoped to avoid. If they thought he couldn't handle a woman, he'd lose the respect of his crew, damning the both of them. A mutiny was an ugly thing, and he didn't dare risk her safety, or his. How could she not see how precarious a position this was?

"Fuck you, Hook," she slapped him hard, the action causing a stunned silence to settle over the ship as every set of eyes turned in their direction.

He immediately grabbed her, spinning her around and pushing her over the railing as he crowded her from behind. "Fuck you? Sounds like a fine plan to me."

He hitched up her skirts, kicking her legs apart as his fingers delved between her thighs, thanking all of the gods above and below that she bore the lingering evidence of their last tryst and he wouldn't hurt her. In spite of the situation, she felt a rush of heat to where his talented fingers teased her apart. "Wait-here? You can't!"

"Oh, but I can."

"They'll see!"

"And? This ship is mine. Mine. As are you. I'll sail wherever I wish, and fuck you whenever I please. If I want to enjoy you right here and now, I will, and when I'm done you'll thank me for the bloody privilege."

She swung to look behind her, abruptly noticing the hungry and lecherous stares of some of the crew. Their rapt attention made it obvious that despite their polite behavior, these men still wanted her. She was considered Hook's woman and they dared not cross him, but if they thought he'd grown weak, if another man fancied the title of captain for himself, she certainly wouldn't be safe for long. She sniffed back a tear, steadying her breathing as she swallowed hard. What had she been thinking, striking him in full view of his men?

Her attention returned to more immediate concerns as she felt him working the lacings of his leather pants, pulling his cock free and teasing the tip against her entrance as he stroked himself. "You must know, I'd stop if I could. I'm sorry, Emma, but you've truly left me no choice. This is as much for you as it is for me," he whispered, before raising his voice so all could hear. "Normally, the penalty for insubordination is a flogging, but I suspect this should serve as an effective reminder..." Surging forward, he slammed into her, hips snapping against her ass as he buried himself deep.

She cried out at the intrusion, more in surprise than pain and he stilled, giving her a moment to relax before setting his hand and hook on her waist. His thumb traced gentle circles over her hipbone as he took her from behind, the force of his thrusts a glaring contrast to his soft touch. He kept her skirts around her hips, effectively blocking her bare body from their sight while still giving him access. Pressing down on her shoulders with his hook to change the angle, he reached his fingers around to rub at her clit while continuing to take her hard. "Come for me Emma," he whispered. "Let me show them that you're still mine. They need to see that you want me, love."

There was no finesse to his movements; his roughness stealing her breath as he pushed her closer and closer. Curling her fingers around the railing, she pushed back to meet him, whimpers of pleasure picking up as he praised her loud enough for the men to hear.

"There's a good girl. Fuck, princess, you're so wet. Always so wet for me..."

"Oh gods," she moaned, trusting his judgement as she arched her back even more so he could go deeper. "Don't stop, please. I'm so close. Harder. Harder!"

He could feel that she was telling the truth, her body taut as a bowstring as she pressed back against him. "Killian," she whimpered quietly, the sound of his real name passing her lips always sending an extra surge of desire through him. "Oh gods..." She cried out, relief flooding over her as she came, bliss momentarily erasing any embarrassment as her walls pulsed around Hook's cock. He slipped out quickly, twirling her around again and pushing on her shoulders.

"Kneel, darling. Let's see you use those lips for something more productive than defying me, shall we?" She sank to her knees shakily, still recovering from her orgasm as he grasped her hair and pressed his cock between her lips.

"Ah, now that's so much better! So compliant. Doesn't she look gorgeous with her mouth around my cock? Gods, but you're a bloody vision on your knees, Princess."

He fucked her face, her soft lips and teasing tongue bringing him quickly over the edge, and came in her mouth, watching her swallow his release with a quiet moan like it was an ambrosial delicacy. She gently cleaned him off, green eyes locked on his in challenge. Looking down at her, he asked, "Now, your highness, have you learned your lesson?"

"I don't know." She purred coyly. "If that's my punishment, you're not giving me much incentive to behave, Captain." She cocked a brow at him, a slight smirk ghosting over her lips.

He heard one of the men behind him drop something in shock, muttering, "Bloody buggering fuck," while another grumbled, "She did not just say that."

He picked her up, pulling her to his body as he kissed her passionately, heedless of the lingering taste of his seed on her lips. This was his fierce and beautiful princess, a woman who could give herself over to him one minute and stun him with her boldness the next. He had to marvel at her, even as he kissed her breathless. She'd managed to publicly accept his authority without seeming the least bit subdued, and allowed herself to be fucked in full view of the crew without truly yielding in the end.

He realized, with a start, that Ruby had been right. If ever there was a woman he could love, it would be her.

He chuckled against her lips. "Not one to be vanquished, are you?"

"I'm far more interested in negotiating a treaty than accepting defeat." She nibbled at his bottom lip.

"Emma," he groaned as he began to work his way down her neck, ushering her back to his cabin as the crew cheered. "You may not like being lied to, but did you really want to leave so soon? Because, if you were trying to convince me to send you home, you failed miserably."

"I didn't say send me home," she growled, kicking the cabin door shut behind them, "but I did say that I'm no mere plaything. If I'm going to be sailing with you indefinitely, I need to be more than just the woman you're screwing. I'm not used to this Killian. I was raised to lead, and I can't do that if you treat me as little more than just another whore. If you don't respect me, neither will they."

He sighed. She had a valid point.

"Fair enough. But on deck, I am still the authority. That cannot change. Ever."

"Understood." She nodded.

"And you'll stay here, on my ship, for as long as I wish?"

"Let me send a messenger bird to my family again, just so they know I'm safe. Besides them, what do I really have to go home to? Gossip, and a whole new set of suitors hoping my newly devalued status gives than a chance. No thank you. I'll have to go back eventually." She saw him open his mouth to speak and cut him off, "but not yet."


Mom and Dad,

You raised me on grand stories of adventure. Now, I've found one of my own. Please believe that I am safe and well. I love you so much.

Emma