It wasn´t until several hours had passed when they eventually stopped, and the sun had started to set by then. She couldn't even tell anymore how many times he had brought her to that point of ecstatic delight before finally taking pity on her worn body.
She felt utterly sated, but also completely sapped of all her energy. So she simply laid over him, waiting to catch her breath as she listened to his erratic heart go back to his normal, steady beats. When she recovered a little, she managed to mutter a raspy "You liar" against his chest.
The only part of his anatomy that reacted to the insult was his head. His eyes glanced down at her with amusement glinting clearly in them, and with a curious tone he asked her "What exactly did I lie about?"
Her face lifted from her comfortable place and her eyes looked at him from under her lids, throwing a him a grumpy pout "You were just pretending to be prim and proper, but it turns out that in reality you're worse than me. I can't even move" she practically whined the last part out.
"...Is that a complaint or a compliment, Love?" he questioned with a velvety laugh.
She tried squeezing his fingers on their intertwined hands in childish revenge, but her strength didn´t seem to be enough to even make him flinch, because he laughed again.
"Both" she admitted with a huff of annoyance as she let her forehead fall back down on his shoulder and she nestled closer to his warmth.
The hand that was not holding her hip went to cover his eyes as he grinned a little too devilishly for her taste. "I do not remember ever saying I did not want to. In fact, I was desperate to make you mine"
If she'd had the energy to, she would have whacked him for that. But she really, truly, couldn't find the will to at the moment, sitting up didn't sound too appealing either. "Yet you kept denying me before, you bad man" she continued grumbling against his neck, but there was no real grudge behind her words.
"It was necessary to wait until after we were wed" he persisted, sounding completely unrepentant for denying her.
She bit him at that. Even if she was not able to do much at the moment, she wanted to make sure her dissatisfaction was known.
He let out a small grunt of pain and jerked a bit, but didn´t try to shift away from his place beneath her. Instead, his hand went to the back of her head and carded his fingers thru her scalp soothingly as he shifted enough so he could give her forehead a gentle kiss "Can you not do that, please? Attacking an unarmed opponent whilst they're defenceless is a reprehensible conduct of engagement"
She couldn´t help but snort at that. With much effort, her head lifted up once again -away from the comfort of his skin,- all so she could give him an unimpressed stare. Suddenly offering him a sly smirk when her eye caught on something "I distinctly remember you were enjoying my 'reprehensible conduct' but a few moments ago" she remarked happily as her hand lifted to his clavicle, feeling a great deal of conceit while her fingers traced one of the many red marks she had just put there not even ten minutes ago.
She watched with amusement as he fought to maintain his aplomb while trying to ignore the way his neck and chest coloured at her remark, so much so that it almost managed to hide her work. The silly sight made her giggle.
In the end, he sighed resignedly without arguing her words.
"Besides" she continued speaking, allowing one of her hands to move up and cradle the side of his face "I know there's nothing defenceless about you, you knave" she practically purred against his mouth. Feeling immensely pleased when his arms came around her back and caged her in and brought her closer so his lips could capture hers in a deep kiss. The unrushed strokes of his tongue against hers succeeded in distracting her from any other thought.
It had gotten much too late to do anything productive, the sky was already tinted completely black. And so, they silently agreed to continue lazing on the bed instead.
Elizabeth stared absently at the delicate designs carved on the wood of the armoire, the drowsiness had taken over her and she was close to drifting asleep. But then, she unexpectedly remembered a request that she had been meaning to make for months; since the day he had taught her how to read charts.
Shifting so her eyes would be level with his, she took the time to study his profile. His eyes were closed and his features relaxed, but she knew he was not yet asleep.
Taking a deep breath, she called out his name to get his attention "James"
He hummed back in response and nuzzled closer to her, but his eyes remained closed.
She smiled at that, bumping her nose against his chin and trying again "There is something I truly want" she confessed honestly, knowing it was best to be direct about it.
And with just those words, she regained his full attention.
His eyes fluttered open and gazed attentively at her as he asked groggily "What is it?"
She hesitated for just a moment before announcing "I want you to train me on how to use a sword" with as much earnestness as she could muster.
The sleepiness disappeared from his expression as his eyebrows climbed up his forehead. He didn't say anything right away, but his eyes acquired an intrigued glint before finally asking her with confusion "Whatever for?"
What for indeed. That was the difficult part to explain, it wasn´t like she had any true need to but…
"After being kidnapped by pirates, I think I should learn how to properly defend myself." She tried to explain it as if it was some obvious necessity instead of something she simply yearned for. Although she knew she failed when his eyes turned serious at her words, and his hold tightened around her protectively.
"I will never allow anything like that to happen to you again, Elizabeth. You have my word on that"
Ughh!
His expression was so devoid of humour as he promised it that her heart fluttered dumbly, but she still had to scowl with frustration.
Shaking her head she helplessly tried to clarify "That's not what I meant" feeling a little exasperated he hadn't understood it "I want to learn how to wield a sword!" she confessed with tenacity.
They were frozen in place as their eyes locked for a long moment. He was trying to read her intentions at the same time she tried her darndest best to convey to him just how much she wanted this.
His hand brushed aside a curl from her face as he relented with a nod and a soft smile "Alright"
Her scowl vanished in surprise and she couldn't help but beam at his acquiescence "Thank you!" she exclaimed effusively, dipping down and giving him an enthusiastic kiss while clinging tightly to his shoulders.
When she eventually pulled back so they could breath, he chuckled a bit. It was very obvious he was pleased by her happy reaction as his eyes gazed at her with amusement.
She bit her bottom lip, considering whether or not she should just ask him now, but it felt like the best chance she would have "…and I also want you to teach me how to shoot," "please" she rushed to add when he blinked at her in surprise.
His smile changed into something that was a little difficult to understand as he sat them up fully, his back leaning against the headboard. "Navigation, and now swordsmanship and marksmanship..." his words were wondering. As if he wasn´t really sure what she was asking.
"I can do it, just not.. properly"
She still had her arms wrapped around his neck, while one of his hands was petting her head and the other held her comfortably against his body as she straddled his lap.
"Is there a particular reason as to why you seem so interested in mastering such skills?"
It was her turn to be confused, she cocked her head to the side and asked "What do you mean?"
"Do you have any plans to join the Navy or something?" there was still mirth in his voice but some apprehension was visible in his eyes now.
Oh… she hated that look in his eyes and so, her mouth was open and moving before she was even sure about what she wanted to tell him.
"I…I love my father, I really do, he's always been kind to me and gave me everything he could, but… I have always been interested in those sorts of things, since I was little. Although, since I was born a woman, he has never permitted me to do things that are not considered appropriate for a lady… But now that I am married, he can't stop me anymore… and you said that you wanted me to be happy… and…" she was rambling now, and they both realized it.
"Elizabeth" he finally called for her attention, holding her face in his hands.
"You can do whatever you want" he soothed her "I won´t stop you, and I will give you whatever you ask of me. If you want me to teach you, I will" his eyes looked at her with nothing with sincerity, before he hesitantly added "It's just that, I´m…"
His words trailed off without him ever finishing them, but she could see the worry plainly drawn on his face. Her heart dropped and her gaze fell when she understood why.
"Scared" she realized sombrely. Avoiding his eyes, she concluded for him "That I will run away"
It was unreasonably painful to think he would believe she would ever do that to him now.
But he rushed to reassure her gently "Not that, Love" he denied, softly caressing her cheeks while lowering his head to her level, trying to catch her eyes. When she still refused to look at him, he gave up after another moment, opting to lean his chin on the top of her head instead.
With a sigh, he confessed "I am worried. It concerns me that, developing those sorts of skills would…" he looked around the room as if searching for the word that would offend her the least "encourage you, to get into situations similar to the one with those pirates before."
She was still quite offended. Her head pulled back from under him and she finally looked up "That was not my fault" she defended with an indignant scowl.
"I'm not saying it was" he corrected her promptly "But, you have to admit that you´re quite prone to getting into dangerous situations," he noted, offering her a slight teasing smirk while adding with a note of nostalgia "from way before you ever got tangled with that lot."
That finally eased the hurt and allowed her to relax the death grip she had on him.
"Then, wouldn't it be much safer for me if I had the means to best defend myself?" she asked while raising her eyebrows expectantly at him.
His expression was a bit defeated as he agreed with a nod "I know that"
She was struggling to understand him on this "So what is the problem?"
"I don't want you running head first into danger just because you feel like you can" he argued reluctantly.
"What danger exactly?" she asked with her nose raised in defiance "There is no one remotely dangerous around Port Royal anymore. You have been making sure of that."
He frowned at her. "You´re too smart to pretend you don't know what I'm referring to" he chided her, making her eyebrows twitch.
"And you´re not my father" she reminded him brusquely, tightening her arms around his neck for a moment "I´m not a child, don't treat me like one."
There was a sad little smile on his face as he shook his head weakly "I'm really not trying to. And you're right, I'm not your father" his voice became incredibly soft when he added "But I am your husband now and I love you. I just want to keep you safe."
His words caused a pang in her chest, making her truly feel like a child. "I know that" she assured him with an unwilling mumble, refusing to concede.
The soft bump of his forehead against the side of her temple called her attention back to him "And you have to know your father loves you more than anything. In all the years I´ve known him, I´ve only seen him worry about your happiness. I'm sure that he has never forbidden you from anything for the sake of making you miserable" he explained with kindness, making her feel even more like an immature child.
She kept silent, still refusing to accept the validity of his words, even if he was right.
As his hands came up to knead the back of her shoulders soothingly, he whispered near her face "I´m not trying to upset you"
Her eyes closed at his attentions, letting her body lean against his even more. "I know that too" she relented, brushing her nose against his cheek.
"So could you promise me then?" he pleaded softly.
"What?" her eyes opened, inches away from his.
"I will teach you everything you want, but in exchange, you have to promise me that you will be careful"
He wasn't fair.
"I'm not planning anything" she assured him with exasperation, but he only stared at her expectantly. She could read all the emotions reflected in those beautiful green eyes very easily now, and they were begging her to agree.
"I promise" she finally conceded. Besides, it wasn't like she had any real concrete idea once she learned, she just wanted to be taught.
His eyes flashed with mirth when he noticed she was not quite happy about the results.
"Promises need to be sealed" he reminded her, lifting her chin up and leaning even closer.
She was a little surprised he remembered that, but smiled naughtily while moving forward the rest of the way, sealing their deal. As his mouth met hers in a way that raised the little hairs of her arms, the only thought supplied by her mind was that it felt even better than the one they had shared that day, and somehow, that pleased her beyond words.
"Can we start tomorrow then?" she questioned impatiently as soon as her lips left his.
"How about we settle you down here first? You still have to finish bringing your belongings from the Governor's Mansion"
She had to stop herself from jutting out her lip at the reminder.
"You don't have any other clothes here." he insisted, flashing her an endearing smile.
"While that might be true, it doesn't feel like I will have much need for them anyway" she retorted, eyes glinting with mischief as she looked down at their naked bodies pressed together snuggly and swayed her hips with a bit of a tease.
"You will, if you want to learn how to be let outside" he replied in a way that left no room for negotiation, even as he clearly struggled to ignore the way their bodies kept brushing together.
She exhaled with exasperation, but dropped her face on the hollow of his neck and kept herself close to him.
"Fine." Her stomach chose that exact moment to growl, reminding her she had not tasted any food since the modest dinner she had on The Dauntless the night before. "I'm hungry" she whined, without moving from her perch.
"Yes, I can feel that" he replied with a low chuckle.
She couldn't see his face from her position but she heard the clear teasing in his voice. So she bit him once again, a little harder than before.
This time he retaliated by hitting her behind, not hard enough to make it painful, but enough to make her yelp out in surprise. Her narrowed eyes quickly lifted to find his, showing him a warning expression, which he had the gall to return with a self-satisfied smile.
"You really are a fraud, Norrington"
Her accusation was ignored in favour of snaking one of his hands behind her neck, holding her in place and leaning forward until he reclaimed her unresistant mouth.