A/N: hello everyone, special treat - DOUBLE UPLOAD! YAY ^-^ I think we all deserve it - you for patiently waiting for me to upload and for myself, a reward for not tearing my hair out after the sever issues that have been going on… *sigh* Of course, that means that there won't necessary be an upload on friday, so bear that in mind...
Anyways... this is an M-rated fan fiction guys so I expect that you expect possibly some sex scenes between Edward and Tessa (?) - and I can tell you now that yes, there will be. This chapter is the first of many… please bear the fact in mind that this is the first time I've really written scenes like this… so if you want to give me so advice, go ahead - I am always open to your advice - but also know that it is my first time and I will improve. :)
For those who don't want to read smut (not that it really goes too far in this particular chapter… okay, I lie, it kinda does...) you may want to skim read or skip…
For everyone else, please enjoy the next instalment of Down The Rabbit Hole ^_-
-AshTree13 xoxo
P.S apologies for yet another lengthy chapter… I really can't resist
Chapter 15:
"Are you going to take Kidd's advice?"
"You mean carry out the paid missions?" Edward asks me, curling a red-gold strand of my hair around his index finger in a thoughtful, lazy motion, "I'm not sure… the pay sounds good though…"
"Hmmm," I reply, leaning back against his chest, listening to the muted sounds of the gentle sea.
I was more than a little relieved when Edward suggested that we retire to his quarters after boarding the Jackdaw; my head was starting to pound with the beginnings of a headache and felt heavy, as if there were weights weighing down my skull. My legs felt like jelly, a delayed response I suppose from my exhaustion, the muscles of my thigh and calf aching from their overuse or perhaps its an aftereffect of Edwards' rough, all-consuming kiss. Cheeks burning, I rest my warm cheek against his equally warm chest, my fingers tensing around a clump of his shirt as I recall that star-studded moment, although the sudden desire to pull away from the comfort and warmth of his embrace causes goosebumps to rise on my skin.
However, I don't move.
I'm far too content lying in Edwards' arms and besides, fatigue has weighed down my limbs to the point where even considering movement was almost sickening. I was certain that if I tried to climb out of the large bed, I would end up on the floor his cabin, possibly going down face first, becoming a heap of leather and thin cotton sheets.
"You okay?" Edward asks me, shifting slightly so the make himself more comfortable against his pillows, which tend to be as hard as rocks. His hawk-like eyes watch with me with their usual intensity, giving nothing away but curiosity.
I know that despite the lack of visible light in the shadow-filled cabin, Edward can see a faint blush appear across my cheeks which tell tales of my embarrassment. With that in mind, I squirm in his grasp and bury my face as much as possible into the curve of his neck, breathing in his strange yet familiar scent. "I'm fine," I tell him and it's more or less the truth; I'm not unwell, I'm just… just…
Highly uncomfortable, whispers a tiny voice.
But that wasn't entirely true either. I was comfortable... very comfortable where I was and had no plans of disturbing this peace any time soon.
"I'm just… tired," I yawn, allowing my eyes to close momentarily, sighing as my body relaxes.
"Do you want me to take the contracts?" Edward asks rather abruptly, ceasing his stroking of my hair which causes my eyes to flutter open and stare up at him in amazement.
"Why do you want my opinion?" I enquire curiously, tilting my head upwards so I can read his unreadable expression, one of my eyebrows arched in confusion. At the same time, I feel quite pleased that Edward was asking for a second opinion and that the person he was seeking advice from was none other than myself. It felt like, for what may be the first time, that Edward generally cared about my input and judging from his somewhat anxious expression, my opinion would be noted and considered.
"Well… if you're really sure?" I whisper, still giving him the chance to back out and make his own choices as he so often does. When he's still waiting rather patiently for my response, I take a deep breath and, "well… I think that it's okay for you to do them... after all, they do bring in a substantial amount of gold. To be honest, only you can make the decision to do it but it seems like a fair deal... no strings attached."
I shrug and look at him, surprised when I see disbelief and anger painted on his handsome features.
Did I say something wrong? I silently wonder, shifting uncomfortably under his exasperate gaze.
"So…" Edward begins slowly, as if he was struggling to comprehend what I just told him, "you're saying that if I want to murder people for money, then I should just go ahead and do it?"
"No!" I exclaim, pulling away from his embrace to stare at him with my own expression of disbelief, confused as to how the conversation came to be the beginnings of a quarrel, "no, murder is never okay. I'm just saying that Kidd is giving you a chance to earn a little more money-"
"By killing people," Edward points out, clearly frustrated.
"Well... yes... that's what an Assassin does," I patiently explain, struggling to remain calm despite the anger being to boil within me.
"You used to scream whenever I knocked someone out," Edward says disbelievingly, shaking his head with incredulity, "now you're all for it? What the Hell Tessa? I don't get you."
"How did I become the bad guy?" I demand, feeling incredibly hurt by his sudden anger and more than a little pissed that he was directing his frustrations at me - as far as I knew, I had done nothing wrong. So then why was I under attack?
"You're such a hypocrite," he growls, turning his face away and angling his body so he as far away from me as possible on the bed we currently share.
"How am I a hypocrite?" I cry, reaching for his hand only to have him pull it away.
"How is it that you can judge me for my actions as a pirate, actions which I need to do to survive but then forgive my actions as a paid Assassin?" He avoids meeting my perplexed gaze but I can tell from the tone of his voice that Edward - the unreadable, sometimes emotionless, often sarcastic and flirty pirate - is hurt.
I sit there for a moment, considering his point of view and how it must have sounded when I told him to go for the Assassin contracts when, for as long as he had known me, I had always scolded him for injuring and killing men as a pirate. To be honest, I understood where he was coming from. If it were myself in his shoes and he was the one judging me for my way of life, I would be offended too and possibly incredibly aggrieved that someone I thought I trusted thought so little of me.
I was in the wrong and as a result, I had hurt him.
"I'm sorry," I apologise, my voice barely above that of a whisper, bowing my head in shame, "you're right, I'm a hypocrite. I shouldn't... I shouldn't have given you my opinion. Just forget what I said."
"Tess..." Edward sighs, turning to face me, surprised when he sees that I am climbing - although rather unsteadily - out of our cot. "Where are you going?"
"I think I should give you some space," I explain. When mine meet his steely azure-blue, I look down and study my fingers intently, trying to ignore the burning at the back of my eyes which hints that I am about to cry. There was no way I was going to burst into tears over this, it would undoubtedly make me feel worse than I already did and would most likely frustrate Edward further. "You should make this decision on your own," I whisper somewhat tearfully, sniffing slightly as the urge to cry begins to overwhelm me, "I'm sorry... it wasn't my place to tell you what to do."
"Don't apologise if you're going to cry," Edward says rather gruffly, almost as if he was defeated by the conversation - maybe it was just the fatigue wearing him down as it did me.
"But you're right. I do judge you for what you do... I judge you for surviving and... look, just because I was born as an Assassin and then trained to be a part of their Creed, doesn't mean I condone their actions. Murder is murder, even if it's done in the name of peace or survival... I suppose I'm quite black and white in regards to this topic."
"Tessa..."
"I should go," I murmur, turning on my heel in order to stride to the door but I'm prevented from going very far.
"Don't go," Edward whispers, his right hand clamped around my wrist, holding me in place. His grey eyes flicker to my face before returning his gaze to the ground, his voice rough and thick when he speaks again, "don't go."
Tugging my arm, I fall back into the open space between his legs, my hands bracing his shoulders as I steady myself. Tilting his face towards mine, he presses his warm lips to mine and immediately I respond, my hands curling into fists full of fabric at his shoulders, my mouth opening to allow his tongue to slip into my mouth and curl with mine. Like the kiss we shared on the beach, it's partially hesitant but incredibly heated - unlike the pash on the beach, I slide into to easily and my mind goes blissfully blank, simply indulging in the feeling of warmth spreading through my body and the gentleness to which Edward caresses my hair and face; tender… loving.
He lies back against the hard mattress, breaking our contact yet still keeping a hold on me. The motion pulls my body along with his so I too fall back on the bed, my legs straddling his hips, my hands flat against his chest as I lean down and resume our passionate kiss.
Again, he breaks away from me and studies my face intently, his fingers trailing down the side of my face to my cheek and finally my chin, his toughened digits coming to rest first on my neck then my shoulder. "I'm not mad at you Tess," he tells me in a whisper, inclining his head towards mine, his warm breath tickling my face, "I have no energy left to be mad at you."
"Still… I'm sorry," I say a little distractedly, my focus more concerned with the fact that his lips - those soft, addictive lips - were a mere two or three inches away from my own. My entire body begins to tremble with want and although I am disgusted with my bodies physical response to his proximity and the promise it held, my mind was slowly being consumed with the prospect of his lips returning to mine. It was a kind of hunger, a desire, that I hadn't felt for so long, not since Desmond had… had…
No, my tiny voice shrieked in complete outrage, remember Desmond… remember your promise to him. You promised, Theresa North! You promised Desmond that you would… would…
Would what?
I couldn't think straight, especially when Edwards' fingers resume their exploration of my figure, trailing down my shoulder to my arm then to my wrist. He then curls his fingers around my joint and pulls my hand to his lips, where the soft pads kiss the tender flesh of my palm, skimming lightly over the still-healing abrasions located there - a physical mark of my clumsiness.
"You're trembling," Edward notes, a hint of mirth evident in his tone of voice, "are you cold?"
"No," I reply; in fact, my body felt as if it was on fire.
I wanted Edward and I wanted him now.
However, I mentally and physically restrain myself, desperate to ask a question that has been plaguing my mind since that moment on the beach. "Why did you kiss me? and don't say it was a 'thank you.' No one, and I really mean no one, has ever kissed me express their appreciation before."
"Their loss," Edward chuckles, grasping my hips and flipping me onto my back in one smooth motion, my head slamming gently against the mussed sheets.
"I… don't… if you're not serious then don't kiss me," I complain, bracing his shoulders to push him away, flustered by his flirty response and my sudden position beneath him, desire coursing through my veins like liquid fire.
Just shove him away! The tiny voice yelled, the high-pitched noise ricocheting around my mind, remember your prom-
"Why do you want to know?" Edward asks, raising an eyebrow in mock confusion and curiosity, one hand reaching for cheek, the pad of his thumb stroking my cheekbone, "are you that desperate to know the meaning behind my actions?"
"I just-"
"I'm a pirate Tess," he grins, shrugging his strong shoulder as he does, causing my hands - which were not gripping his torso - to slid down his front, resting just above his abdomen, "I take what I like, when I like it."
"I'm not a toy," I growl, a spark of anger igniting in the pit of my stomach, "I am not your toy."
"I know," he assures me, bending his head so that his lips can graze the exposed skin of my neck, the touch sending sparks shooting across my body - the good kind, the kind that made my heart flutter and my stomach do backflips and desire to coarse through my veins. "You're not even in the same league as my 'toys,'" he chuckles, raising his head once again, gazing down at me with his exquisite eyes, "you're something much better… still… you're mine."
I was burning, smouldering - there would be nothing left of me after this.
"Ed…ward?" I manage to gasp, wiggling under his feather-light touch, his fingers skimming down the length of my body.
"Yes, Theresa?"
I turn my gaze to his wicked smile, unsure exactly how proceed, how I wanted to express my desire for him. My hands trails up and down his chest until he grasps my hands in his and pulls my arms over my head, keeping them secured with one hand whilst the other continues to stroke and caress my body.
Finally, with a small sigh of realisation, knowing that I can't resist the temptation, I lock eyes with Edward and whisper, "kiss me."
0-0-0-0-0-0
I should stop.
Edward Kenway knew that he was walking a fine line between what was considered 'just sex' and 'sex.' Some would ask, what really was the distinction between the two?
If you were to ask Edward, he really wouldn't be able to give you a straight answer. To him, sex was… well, sex. It was fun, a great way to pass the time, to nourish one's deepest and often darkest pleasures. Like any pirate, he frequented brothels, payed for beautiful women to indulge him but unlike other pirates, he was also a married man and despite the fact that he spent time pampering his sexual appetite, he often considered himself quite loyal and devoted to his Caroline. His wife… he missed her, he would openly admit it if the fact that he was married wasn't such a 'scandal' in the pirate community, a order for free men. Marriage wasn't freedom.
Caroline… she was a beautiful, fire-haired woman with pale, alabaster skin and god was she stubborn… he'd always found that that was one of her more endearing qualities. When he'd left to pursue his dream of sailing the seas - a dream Caroline heartily disapproved off - Caroline had walked out on him, back to her parents; two people who despised Edward possibly more than anyone in the world, and he had a lot of enemies. But he had left with true intentions; the pursuit of a better life, for the both of them. He just wanted them to live a happy and secure life, in a house that didn't shake with the wind or leak with the rain, where they had enough food to feed both themselves and any children they may have in the future.
He had been sick of slowly starving, of working for a pitiful wage that would barely buy them a fresh loaf of bread at the markets. His Caroline deserved a better life than that - he deserved a better life than that.
Besides, they still corresponded - although, it was once or twice a year and the replies he received were often quite short but nonetheless, they stayed in contact. And what really mattered most was the fact that he stilled loved her… would always love her. Thus, his liaisons with prostitutes and courtesans were just for pleasure, purely business. Sex was sex, no emotions, no connection, just a way to pass the time until he was able to return with a bounty of gold home to his loveable wife.
But then… there was Tess.
Theresa bloody North.
How was it that this girl - no, this woman - kept drawing him and without even meaning to? Before today, before everything literally got shot to Hell, Edward was able to denounce the tingly, butterfly-like feeling he got in the pit of his stomach every time his beautiful, graceful companion smiled him. He was certain that the pull to her was in light of her sunny, warm personality that would engulf him in a tender embrace or simply it was her smile; her smile was like the sun bursting out from between storm clouds, setting the sea aglow.
It wasn't love… not even close… it was just a need to be near her, to protect her.
She was such a fragile creature despite her stubborn demeanour, stumbling along like a fawn, exploring the somewhat frightening world with large, luminescent eyes filled with innocence. He had to look after her, to keep her safe - that, he believed, would never change. Not even after finding out about her blood-drenched past; she was his.
His…
He had told her that earlier, that she belonged to him… what exactly was he thinking, saying those heartfelt, chaining words?
He just couldn't escape! She kept drawing him in with her red-gold curls that felt like water and/or silk when he ran the soft strands through his rough fingers. And then there was her eyes, two jewels that were sometimes blue-green, sometimes green-blue but always two colours, never one - eyes that reminded him strongly of the ocean; no wonder he was able to feel a sense of peace when he looked into them. Her skin - oh God, her skin! - was a pale, unblemished ivory that was soft to the touch and always seemed as if she were made of delicate china; no matter how much sun the girl received, her skin remained as clear and as pale as if she were a fine aristocratic lady living in a expensive manor in London, never directly in the sun for long.
He was falling for her. Hard.
No, screw that, he was already in love with her...
Fuck.
I really should stop, he repeated to himself as he caressed Tessa's body through her thin layer of clothes - not that he would.
One hand slips underneath her loose blouse, touching her warm, smooth stomach whilst the other holds her hands above her hand, his thumb rubbing circles into the soft, tender skin of her wrists. His feather-light touch causes Tessa to tremble, her back arching off the bed as a small whimper of pleasure escapes from between her closed, vibrant red lips.
Her closed, vibrant and dangerously kissable red lips.
Bringing his face close to hers, Edward presses his lips against the velvety surface, satisfied when Tess immediately responds, her mouth opening to allow his tongue to entwine with hers without him even encouraging the heat-filled action. Letting go of her wrists, his free hand rests on her waist, sliding up her now exposed abdomen with the other until both are resting just above her ribcage, just below her breasts where his fingers skim along the bondage holding her bosom in place.
Underneath him, she gasps, squirming in his light embrace, face flushed with chagrin - as it had for most of this evening - whilst her eyes stare at him, slightly glazed-over as if she wasn't entirely present. "We should - ah… - we should s-stop," she stutters, her eyes widening as she begins to come back down from the high of pleasure, "seriously… we sh-sh-!"
Edward doesn't let her finish, knowing when he moves his face to the curve of her neck, placing delicate kisses on the flushed skin, that it would immediately silence her. In fact, the only sound she made was a tiny gasp as he sucked heartily on her tender flesh, determined to mark her unblemished and pale flesh.
He was already starting to realise where she was most sensitive to his touch - the curve of her neck, a spot just above her collarbone, her abdomen where the waist of her pants met the frayed edge of her blouse, and last but certainly not least, her right shoulder. At that thought, he moves his face to that very spot, pushing the sleeve of her blouse of her shoulder so his lips can find the sensitive flesh, planting his airy peaks when the skin is exposed to him.
He smirks in delight when Tessa cannot stop an arousing moan from escaping her precariously kissable lips, her arms looping around his neck, her sharp nails trailing down his back.
"Yes, Theresa?" he purrs, continuing to peck at her soft, white, perfumed flesh, indulging in her varying expressions of pleasure, her face turn a shade darker each time he presses his lips to her hypersensitive skin. Watching her return to that hazy-eyed, slightly glazed-over appearance, he allows his smile to widen into what Tessa frequently told him was his devil-may-care smirk. Trailing one hand back down the length of her torso and then stomach, his fingers teasingly play across the bare skin just above the waistband of her leather pants, pleased when her breathing continues to grow shorter and heavier with desire with his continual ministrations.
Undoing the top button of her trousers, he slides his hand down her most sensitive area, over the fabric of her undergarments which were already damp from her arousal, until he reaches the ultimate source of her pleasure - her clitoris. Pressing his fingers against the sensitive bundle of nerves, he watches as her eyes - which had been fluttering closed prior to this moment - fly open, her nails raking down his back, fingers desperately clutching at the fabric of his shirt as she begins to come undone.
"—ah! —" Throwing back her head, Tessa is unable to keep the cry of bliss from bubbling out of her. She tried to push her thighs together, to prevent him from further pleasuring her, her face burning with embarrassment but her eyes alight with want - with need!
"Who knew you could make noises like that?" Edward teases, unable to resist the flushed-face, squirming girl beneath him, removing his fingers from the delicate spot only to slide that same hand beneath the dampened fabric so he could directly caress her arousal, very much aware of the tightening in his pants as he continues to satisfy himself and her.
"—Ed…ward—" she gasps as he rubbed at her clit harder, with a new-found determination she honestly didn't expect, trying to with-held the low moan building at the back of her throat and unable to prevent herself from unconsciously spreading her legs to allow him better access.
She knew she was close to unravelling under his touch.
And it appeared, so did Edward.
Deliberately and painfully slow, he gently pries her moist folds apart and presses his index into her entrance, a pleased grin working it's way across his handsome face when she jerks her hips from the intrusion.
"Ahh!," she manages to gasp out once again, thrusting her hips in time with her orgasm and his fingers, riding out her pleasure with her eyes squeezed shut, bathing in the orgasmic high that was rippling throughout her body. She arched her back, mirroring her earlier action, her body shaking with pleasure, her hips grounding against his fingers as her thighs clenched with effort.
Edward didn't stop his stimulation of her senses until she collapsed against the bed, panting with the effort, her hands falling to her side after releasing him from her strangling grip.
He would have gone further after letting her relax - by this point, his own arousal was almost unbearable - if it wasn't for the sharp knock at the cabin door.
"Captain, we're preparing to depart from Tulum," Adéwalé calls through the door, "would you prefer for me to steer or would you like to take the helm?"
They were still in Tulum? The fuck? How long then, had they been in here? Certainly not for very long if they hadn't even departed from the coast of Mexico.
Looking down at Tessa's flushed face and rising chest, mostly exposed from his lavishing of her body, he let out a low groan and forced himself out the best, trying to ignore the throbbing down south and his own needling desire to return to Tess, fuck her brains out and then move on.
No… sex with Tessa… it would have to be done right, he had a feeling that it wouldn't mean anything - and sex with her would mean EVERYTHING - if he went at it for 2, maybe 3, minutes. Waiting for Tessa to pull herself together, he unlocks the cabin door and pulls it open.
Knowing that his face was both flushed with anger and sexual frustration, he takes the opportunity to glare at his cabin mate, "for fuck's sake, Adé, could you're timing be any worse?"
"Apologies, Captian," Adéwalé says, bowing his head in forgiveness, his eyes trained on the deck, "the crew are anxious to set off and wanted you orders."
"We should have been on our way hours ago," Edward snarls.
"Edward…"
Glancing over his shoulder, his expression softens when he sees Tessa behind him at his back, her hand resting on Edward's shoulder, her touch sending a sort of calming presence tingling throughout his body - and other 'tingly' emotions but it would not do him any good to dwell on them now.
"Let's go home," she says.
Taking a deep breath, Edward nods in reply and leaves Tessa at the doorway of their cabin, his step lightening as the refreshing sea-breeze clears his mind and calms his sense further. "Okay," he agrees, shooting Tessa a smile, enjoying the way her face heats up as she recalls their steamy moment in the cabin just minutes ago, "we'll go to the Iguana first… and then onwards to Nassau."
A/N: sooooooo? hopefully it was good but yeah, that's up for you to decide :)
So in the next chapter, Edward and Tessa return to Nassau... Edward does a little pirating... Tessa forms a new relationship with Thatch and repairs the one with Kidd... then both Edward and Tess come into contact with Vane and Calico Jack - I wonder what the two of them make of these two notorious pirates - and plot with the two of them and Thatch to score some riches...
well... that's the plan anyway :)