Captured men, shackled and bound, grimed faces glaring back with mixed looks of fear, weariness and hatred. All of them appearing to be resigned to their fate, but still prepared to kill at the smallest of opportunities.

'Getting in the dragon's way... you won't find mercy at the end of his sword. His wrath will fall upon you,' Taunting words filled with mock spat in a broken, heavy-accented English, were unnerving, 'and soon you'll find yourself at the bottom of the sea captain.' The resentful snarl that denoted slight vindication accompanied by a reckless smirk were all the details she managed to focus on for a fleeting moment. And then her eyes had shifted to look at him after hearing the soft scuff of soles against wood.

James' steeled gaze and impassive expression remained unchanged, his shoulders drawn back as his hands orderly rested at his back. Nothing in him would have betrayed the restlessness inside him, and yet, she had known it was there.

A discreet tug on his sleeve was all she needed to attract his attention.

It was quick, only a second of distraction. But as she stared at her husband with curious concern, one of the pirates lunged forward, arms reaching past the metal bars. A sharp blade. Crimson red staining pristine white. Green irises shaking with pain, warm skin turning cold.

Her chest shrinking with dread as she tried to reach for him. Mouth opening but nothing coming out.

And then her eyes snapped open, her back lurched away from the bed as her chest heaved out of control.

Elizabeth felt so stunned that not one of her muscles responded to her commands.

The irrational dread ebbing away slowly from her heart as her eyes shifted around the brightly lit room. But the remnants of the distorted memory still clung to her with viciousness as she stared vacantly at her hands, so tightly fisted that there was a small tremor to them.

The strangling fear rapidly morphing into annoyance as she pushed aside the dampened strands of hair that were sticking to her face.

Awakening startled, agitated and alone was not enjoyable in the sightless, and remembering the events that unfolded following the last time she'd had a dream of such nature... felt like a bad presage. Which made her resent her mind's ability to bring forth unpleasant events while she was attempting to rest.

The reasonable voice inside her tried to reassure her. The trials had been expedited and the sentences carried out with swift efficiency after they returned to Port Royal once it became evident there was no useful information to be extracted from them.

Even then, she was not capable to completely quiet down the nervous anxiety at the back of her mind that arose from the moment she listened to the blatant threat for the first time.

But she also blamed James' aggravating capacity to worry for her unnecessary unrest.

The foolish warning had served no other purpose than to put him on such incessantly high alert that the security around the port and the city had been reinforced indefinitely. It had taken him no longer than a few days to begin his hunt, not even allowing himself enough time to recover completely from his injuries, just long enough that they wouldn't be a complete hinder. He had The Dauntless out patrolling the surrounding waters almost on a daily, and the soldiers constantly guarding all the city limits.

The entire city kept whispering, spreading ridiculous theories, and worrying. And in spite of it all, there had yet to be even a sighting of any suspicious activities nearby.

Elizabeth wanted to argue against such measures, convinced that his reaction was an excessive display on his part, and also the reason why their lives had become significantly busier after their return; or at least James' had.

Investigating the latest attack, hunting for the ones responsible for it, escorting the merchant ships out, patrolling the city... In addition to everything else, the frustrating man seemed to be on a personal mission to completely restructure the entire military personnel assigned to the island... James had been effectively living in Fort Charles, with what she was convinced was very few hours of rest.

It wasn't as if he had asked her no to visit him, nor had he ever tried to prevent her from doing so but...

They had crossed paths in town as he made his way to port on a few occasions, and each time he'd greet her warmly, giving her a reassuring look, but not staying longer than to allow a few words exchanged, quickly apologizing and then resuming his journey. She had already been deeply asleep the one day he returned home very late at night in order to retrieve some documents.

Each missed opportunity frustrated her even further.

A few days passed without her even been able to talk to him. And then eventually, after an entire week of being deprived of his presence altogether, she resolved to seek him out herself, determined to let him know her mind.

Although that had resulted into a failed attempt as well.

James had remained surrounded by people from the moment she walked inside his office, to the moment that she left it. Only able to offer apologetic glances on the few occasions he managed to turn his head away.

But as unhappy as she´d felt, she hadn't been able to fault him for it; his office had been an uncommon havoc of documents and maps, soldiers and officials moving in and out of the door in a steady rush of steps. It all made it impossible for her to lay leisurely on the sofa and relax in the way she usually would when he was too occupied.

Besides, seeing the remorse in his tired face every time he was allowed a glance her way, looking as remorseful as one could be -until his eyes would inevitably be reclaimed back to task,- made it impossible to remain angry at him.

When her lone venture to seek him out had proven to be fruitless undertaking, she reluctantly resolved to exercise some patience, feeling obliged to tolerate having him spent the past several weeks reposed inside his office in spite of her protests. Or at the least the protests she had been craving to voice, had she been able to steal him away for a moment of true privacy together, even if only for a short while.

And so she hadn't attempted it since.

...

From all the changes that had been taking place around Port Royal, the most unforeseen one had arrived some days prior, along with The Dauntless.

One of the youngest maids had returned to the estate with a face filled with anticipation to excitedly inform her of the return of the mighty ship of the line from yet another one of their frequent escorts. Although this time it had returned hauling yet another ship.

Alarm had rang in her head, until the girl added that the crew had appeared to be in high spirits.

A visit to the Governor's Mansion the following day provided her with the perfect opportunity to inquire about the newest source of gossip with her father. Unable to resist stealing a look on her way there, she found the medium sized brig to be nothing out of the ordinary. A simple, inconspicuous vessel. What was truly unexpected was seeing it occupying the spot on the docks that had belonged to The Interceptor.

Over dinner Elizabeth had learned that the vessel The Dauntless brought back to shore had been seized and not rescued as she had guessed at first. Taken from a gang of smugglers that The Dauntless happened upon while they transported illicit cargo off of a confined island up North.

And then he had casually reported that James already had made plans for it.

"...I must say that his decision to repurpose that unkept thing for service took me by surprise" her father told her with a relaxed disposition. "But quite resourceful indeed." he praised with a jovial smile.

Elizabeth's hand stopped midway on its path to her glass. "Pardon?" she asked, fairly perplexed by the new piece of information.

Her father turned with a curious eyebrow raised. "Have you not heard about it yet?"

When would she have?

Even if her father was unaware of her current predicament, her mood darkened at his question. The fact that her own father had been able to spent more time with her husband than she had, irked her unreasonably.

"I haven't caught sight of my husband in weeks, Father" she couldn't help but grouch with the tiniest hint of childishness to it, stopping the scowl she wanted to make from showing on her face, but still wanting to complain to him about the injustice of it all, merely because the person she truly wanted to say the words to had not come to see her.

His kind features wrinkled into sympathetic understanding, reaching for her hand he strived to cheer her up "I'm certain he will tell you about anything you ask as soon as he is done"

Even if her sigh was unconcealable, Elizabeth made an effort to sound more lively as she smiled at him with gratitude. "Yes, I´m sure that will be the case."

Giving her hand a soft pat before letting her go and moving to retrieve his cutlery and continue with their meal, her father persevered on his efforts to cheer her up "And luckily, there does not seem to be much need for repairs. I estimate it will only be a couple of weeks more until it's ready."

"But what about the adjudication proceedings?" she asked abruptly, feeling immediately concerned once she remembered that James had never once kept any of the ships he had previously managed to capture at sea, nor ever attempted to.

Although she guessed that his recent brush with The Admiralty's most generous demonstration of leniency had not left him feeling much inclined to deal with them after such brief lapse of time, in the past he had always chosen to convene a court of maritime law and sent words back to England before deciding on the vessel's fate.

The possibility that her husband would get himself into further trouble over his decision, gnawed at her stomach.

"No need to worry, Dear" her father assured with a dismissive wave of his hand once he caught her expression. "That man has always been much too stern about following the norms precisely. In reality, it's not an uncommon practice for a captain to... salvage a captured vessel without first acquiring England's permission." He assured her, and the fact that he still retained his serene expression did made her feel less worried. "Sometimes it's not even done with the most forthcoming of intentions in mind."

Elizabeth wanted to argue that wouldn't necessary mean James wouldn't get in trouble for doing it himself.

"It will be fine." he reiterated confidently. Then in a quieter voice he added with a tiny, but conspiratorial smirk "Don't forget this wig is not to keep my head warm, Dear. I've already procured the necessary documentation to get it properly registered. The refitting will be completed once a couple of minor repairs are done and some equipment is added. That ship will be out at sea soon enough."

"Thank you, Father" she offered sincerely, as she realized he was doing everything he could to help James expedite the proceedings. Finally allowing the tension to abandon her body as understanding settled in its place, she returned his playful smile with one of her own, truly grateful for his intervention.

...

Over the next few days, Elizabeth's head had flooded with contemplations on what course of action would be best to take.

Getting acquainted with the new ship had sounded like an intriguing prospect, however, a cursory stroll around the docks compelled her into discarding any plans of infiltrating the new vessel rather quickly.

Her agreement with James had been for her not to put herself in a position that would compromise her; and there was simply too much movement around it for any of her plans to be carried out with ease. The brig was different from The Dauntless, much smaller compared to the imposing might of a first of the line galleon, and with less places to hide. Even more important, James wasn't anywhere to be seen, so it wouldn't even be worth the high risk of getting caught. At least not for the time being.

Promptly, albeit a bit unhappily, Elizabeth relinquished her quest, quickly loosing interest in it. Choosing instead to retreat back to the commodity of her home in order to practice her currently favoured form of entertainment: venting her grievances on a training dummy.

That´s how she now found herself training in the garden; having spent the last couple of hours tearing into the lump of wood and hay without care, same as she had been doing on most of the mornings for the past four days.

Using physical exertion as a way to unleash her frustration and concerns, resulted to be quite an effective, if unorthodox, method of relaxation.

While her own perception might not be the most accurate of appraisals, she was fairly confident to say that her proficiency with the sword had improved rather admirably, and catching James off his guard with new moves every time they spared was always enjoyable. He would mostly display an annoyingly impassive expression, but there were times his eyes would glint with obvious pride after she'd managed to disarm him with a strike he couldn't anticipate; even if an almost imperceptible scowl would follow at having being bested. That look of his made her strive harder just so she would see it.

After spending the last hour or so beating down on the sad thing, her body was becoming worn down. Sweat dripped down her face and neck to the point her shirt was clinging to her form, her arms were starting to ache with the strain and her breath was ragged from exertion. Even so, the warm rays of morning sun casting light on the garden made for a beautiful sight, and the exquisite breeze that fanned her face encouraged her to continue.

Her focus was such that she didn't pay much mind to the light creak of wood behind her, not until she heard his deep voice greet her from behind "Your forward motion is too wide, and you're leaving your flank exposed."

Elizabeth pivoted on her heels at the words with a look of pure excitement on her face.

She found him was standing at the top of the stairs, with his arms crossed and relaxed smirk.

"Good afternoon, Love"

"James!"

Throwing her sword carelessly to the side, Elizabeth sprinted at him with her full speed, which ended up with her enthusiastically jumping into his arms, snaking her own around his neck while her legs clung to his torso. Belatedly realizing she might have been a little too energic when she felt his back make contact with the wall behind them after he took a few steps backwards in order to steady them.

"Forgive me," she panted with a mischievous laugh after hearing his small groan, "was I too enthusiastic?"

He laughed with amusement, head immediately shaking in denial. "I don't believe that could ever be possible." he responded, arms tightening around her as he brushed his mouth over her jaw.

How silly.

But then she felt a little remorseful as she remembered his previous injuries. Untangling one arm from his neck she brought it in between them and down to his side, offering him a more measured as her fingertips carefully stroked his recovering flank over his bulky uniform.

"I've already recovered" he declared, before even allowing her the opportunity to ask him. His strong, prideful gaze that refused to exhibit weakness, was enough reassurance for her to know that he was indeed unscathed.

And then her eyes focused on everything else; his straight nose, his thin lips, his sharp jaw... everything feature she had been craving to see again. The urge to bury her face deep into the divot between his neck and shoulder was overpowering and so, she did.

"I've missed you" she sighed against his skin, relaxing into his body as his familiar presence distracted her senses.

"So did I." his deep voice was gentle and clear, his words were frank, almost relieved. As he pressed his lips to the side of her head with fondness, she felt the tip of his nose trace idle movements against her hair.

James maintained his hold on her just like that, and she was elated by the feel of his solid body around her. She was not conscious of how long they stayed like that, but after a while, she started wondering if he might be uncomfortable with carrying her entire weight for so long and simply waiting for her to release him. However, the moment she attempted to unlock her legs his palms swiftly slid down to her bottom, drawing her back to him with a firm pull of his arms and making her laugh.

Her head quickly moved back to her nest on his shoulder as she understood his request, peeking at the profile of his face and reaching up to idly stroke his jaw.

"How long did you spend secretly watching me?" she asked him knowingly.

The corner of his lip raised freely as he answered unrepentantly "Enough to watch you lose your grip, twice"

His cheek made her scoff, eyes rolling at him in spite of being fully aware he would not be able to see it, choosing instead to press her lips to the exposed skin of his neck, over the place where she could feel the rhythmic lull of his beating heart, and closing her eyes in order to truly focus on it.

"You're going to lecture me? Now?" she mumbled casually as her lips traced a path downwards, sighing with contentment when his hand dipped inside her shirt, pressing his palm against her lower back. "Being so oblivious is not an attractive trait."

James licked a slow path up the outside of her ear in retaliation for the jest, making her shudder at the ticklish sensation. She was about to protest when she felt a sharp sting, the warm shudder went directly to her lower belly this time.

It was all it took for her to remember they were missing something important, terribly so.

Lifting her face from her hiding spot, she used her index to push on the side of his jaw.

James' docile acquiescence brought their faces right in front of the other's, he offered her an arrogant smile when their eyes locked and his mouth parted "I won't…"

But before he could elaborate further, her palm slid to his nape, holding him still as her lips took enthusiastic possession of his.

Her kiss was all her, impetuous and wild, possessing and passionate, completely enthralling. He truly had missed her, desperately yearned to see her again, to the point of finding himself presenting unreasonable, time-pressing commands to the men working on The Audacious, all so he could hasten his return home.

Mr. Brown would probably be avoiding him for the foreseeable future, he thought with amusement as he remembered the grunted complaints of the old man after being tasked with the new shrouds for the brig.

When her thumb pressed on his chin indicating she wanted him to open up, he did so readily, mindlessly.

Forgetting all about his interrupted retort and stupid musings when her soft tongue wasted no time finding its way inside his mouth. Rather preferring to concentrate on the way her impatient lips took his and the suggestive way her body brushed against his.

Elizabeth had been correct. It had been too long, the intensity of her affections was making it difficult to remember not to slacken his grip on her. And yet his mind still found it prudent to notify him of her hands making their way to his head, carelessly knocking off his tricorne, and then with a more forceful tug, his wig.

"You´re always tearing it off without much care." he mumbled against her mouth, getting completely ignored by her aside from a mild bite of warning to his upper lip, which sent a pleasant shock to the back of his neck. "You do remember I have a need for it, don´t you?" he insisted foolishly, holding no real interest in the answer. Feeling much more invested in the way her front was pressing against him, her impatient mouth moving back

Rather than answering him, Elizabeth dug her fingers deep into his scalp, tugging with force and bringing his face up in a steep angle that allowed her easy access back to his mouth.

"You are going to rip out my actual hair, Love" he protested half-heartedly against her lips, merely curious to see if he would go ignored once again. Even if some of the times her affections could be careless in her eager pursuit, Elizabeth's touch had never elicited any pain for him. Quite the opposite in fact, he greatly enjoyed every one of her ministrations.

His wife deemed him worthy of a brief response this time, "Your fault" was the mumbled verdict.

"Why?" he insisted, pulling slightly away from her when she tried to kiss him again, an amused twinkle in his eyes when her lip jutted out with distaste. Absently noticing how her hands moved front to pull on his cravat, unravelling the piece of cloth with practiced precision.

"I don't care for it" she informed him with a petulant huff. Finally getting sufficiently annoyed at his persistent interruptions while she tried to kiss him, Elizabeth completely abandoned his mouth, her attention changing to the task of disposing of his waistcoat.

He simply stared quietly at her as her avid hands made haste of the buttons of his waistcoat. Once she disposed of his belt her eyes lifted to his, bringing her hand under his shirt with a challenging stare and pushing her waist firmly against his stomach, her lips now taking interest on his jaw.

The weight of her body in his arms and her avid mouth over his skin was enough to distract him from the way the windowsill kept prodding against the small of his back. Readjusting his grip on her, he leaned his head back in order to grant her better access to his neck.

"Yes, I was able to gather that much" he replied with sarcasm, flinching down when her teeth sunk into him with a little too much might.

From the corner of one eye he managed to catch the mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she showed him an innocent smile.

"I would be concerned if you had not." she whispered nicely, behaving unfairly seductive as her gaze remained on his as her face lowered so she could languidly run her tongue over his Adam´s apple, licking a stripe down his neck and across his collarbone.

"You don't seem too fond of my uniform either," he added, finding himself entirely too focused on each trace of her delicate fingers under his shirt, feeling a familiar heat beginning to spread downwards due to the diligent work of her mouth.

"Stop talking already." she ordered, starting to sound irritated, "I've already shown more than enough restrain." The words were said with a hint of warning as she brushed his chin on her way to his lips.

He remained quiet like she requested for a couple of seconds, but found himself ignoring her request when her hands dug into the gap between his shirt and his neck and tugged on the side of his collar with enough strength to produce a ripping sound, then dragged it down to expose his shoulder.

"Are you planning to divest me of my clothes here?" he rasped, eyebrow raising with amusement and honest curiosity when she took away his cravat and let it fall on the grass with an exaggeratedly careless flick of her wrist.

But by that moment Elizabeth truly did not seem to have much interest in his irrelevant chatter, too busy dragging her smart tongue down his chest, gently sucking on it as her nails dug into his back.

In spite of her caresses James sounded entirely too composed, which made Elizabeth´s hands barely paused on her task when she looked up and inform him with a spark of irritation. "I plan to do much more than that to you." she declared, staring at him almost as if offended by the question "My intentions are entirely impure, so if you don't care for anyone interrupting us, I would propose it best for you to get us inside before I start" Her smirk was positively devilish as she finished with a carefully enounced "Quickly."

That last word was all it seemed to require to finally silence James and get him moving towards their room. It was almost commendable how he didn't bump into any furniture nor any of the servants with all their fumbling on their rush upstairs. She wouldn't have minded being discovered in the least, but as he was still quite intent on maintaining his reputation as the stoic, immutable 'Commodore Norrington,' she strived to comply with his desires. Still, she was sure the maids knew exactly what they were doing whenever they would lock themselves upstairs for hours on end, if the way the girls would avoid looking anywhere but at her face whenever their eyes met while helping her bath afterwards were to be considered any indication.

James went straight to their bed once he walked into the room, not stopping until his legs made contact with the bed. He leaned forward, keeping his hold on her until she was safely deposited on it, but when he unwrapped his arms and tried to move back he felt her cling to his torso with all four limbs, using her weight to bring him down on his side, rolling over him, then climbing his waist and pinning his wrists. All in a mere handful of seconds.

His face looked so bewildered she started laughing heartily, which prompted him to join her.

"I've been eagerly waiting to show you the progress I´ve made while you were not around, you know?" she informed him with a note of insolence as her palms down moved down the inside of his forearms.

"Then? What did you think of my newest skill?" she continued taunting him, her thumb and forefinger prying open the last few buttons of his shirt while her mouth followed after with a trail of hot, wet kisses.

"It is the most fervent desire of my heart that you never try this on anyone else, Love" he pleaded, sounding just a little breathless. Staring down at her wandering hands and lips as they moved down his naked torso "I would go mad with jealousy" he warned, closing his eyes when a pleasant shiver ran down his front as her lips reached the edge of his breeches, fingers hooking under it and beginning to pull down.

When he understood her intentions, his hand moved to lift her chin, shaking his head "Not that. Not now," he pleaded, convinced that he would not be able to endure it if she put her wonderful mouth on him, and he wanted them to enjoy it slowly. "I rather kiss you."

Her eyes shined with interest at his request and her lips travelled the same languid path back up his torso, to his neck and jaw, until she reached his mouth again. Her warm, soft tongue stroking his felt as magnificent as it always did, same as the firm press of her hands on him, the soft scratching of her nails on his exposed skin.

His hands distractedly stroked their way up the back of her long legs, but the fabric of the trousers obstructed him from the soft feel of her skin. James held onto her bottom and squeezed a little harder than he usually would, and for a moment he worried about the possibility of him behaving too roughly, but then Elizabeth let out an enticing sound of pleasure that only served to excite him even further. Completely forgetting about his previous qualms.

Feeling the need to have her enveloped securely in his arms again, he attempted to lift away from the mattress, but found himself pushed back down harshly as she pressed her palms to his chest and leaned all of her weight onto it, forcing out a grunt as he fell back on the soft surface.

Her face hanging over his looked absolutely mischievous and perfectly beautiful as she commanded him with a confident smirk "You are going to remain down there. Quietly."

James could not refrain his brow from raising in mild amazement at the unexpected surprise. But she´d already done plenty of improper things with him already, to him, they both had. There was no real importance to adding one more to the growing list.

"But what if I were to refuse?" he defied her with an arrogant smirk of his own, attempting to righten his back once more, only to receive the same treatment as before.

This time, Elizabeth found both his hands and held on tight, pinning them against the mattress.

"Oh, I will strive diligently to guarantee you´ll want to" she whispered softly. The way her clever eyes stared down at him as she said the words in the most alluring manner possible, had his heart staggering in the middle of his cadence before it sped up in anticipation as he lost any desire to continue their play of defiance.

Easily coercing him into submission when her fingers found their place in the spaces between his, his own enclosing over them without his awareness, giving her hand a light squeeze.

Then her hips pushed down roughly against his, and he was entirely unprepared for the strong rush of pleasure that jolted up his spine, making his abdomen contract and his eyes shut down involuntarily, a loud groan escaping his throat.

Her grin became wicked as her hands released him and she sat back on his stomach. "Stay still" she ordered calmly, sitting back on his stomach and bringing her fingers to her own shirt, finishing unbuttoning her own shirt with a languid pace.

"You're absolutely lethal" he strained out, keeping his eyes focused on tracking every inch of white skin uncovered with the release of each button. Feeling his fingers twitch with the need to aid her task, only able to restrain himself by remembering she had asked him not to, trying to force his arms to remain in place.

His wife cared not for his plight. Immediately after shrugging off the cumbersome piece of fabric, Elizabeth leaned over him with the most enticing gaze he'd ever seen, reaching for his wrists and bringing them up to her chest. The familiar feel of her soft skin, and the strong, speedy beat of her heart under his palms captured his attention completely, his fingers brushing over her hardening nipples.

The sight of her above him, with nothing covering eyes closed and neck exposed as hushed moans came out of her parted lips... was completely mesmerizing, making his heated excitement grow so rapidly it became painful.

"You´re exceptionally hard" she breathed with incredible delight, unable to hide the note of arrogant pride she felt at the result of her efforts. The feeling of his body hardening as his hands played over her skin was exulting.

When James failed to give her a response her eyes opened to look at him, feeling her abdomen tighten forcefully at the sight of his clear eyes completely engulfed in black.

Her hips fidgeted in a futile attempt to relieve the uncomfortably heat gathering on her lower belly, until her centre brushed against his hard abdomen and was not able to prevent the embarrassing way his name left her throat in a whine "James."

But he didn't seem to have paid any mind to it, as his eyes had fallen close and his hands slid down to her sides.

Her hips swayed again in an attempt to replicate the sensation, pushing harder against him, and for a moment she worried he would try to lift her away from him when she felt his hands clutch her waist more firmly, but instead he helped her guide her movements over him in the way he wanted to.

"James." she breathed again, gratified by the steady ripple of pleasure caused by the rhythmic sway of their bodies.

Her husband offered a drawn out hum as his only answer, dropping his head back on the pillow and pushing against her with a small frown drawn on his lips. His failure to offer a real response and his complete distraction, provoked an uncharitable idea to occur to her.

Leaning forward, she allowed herself to rest comfortably over him, as she brought her mouth close to his ear.

"Dear?" she tried, gentler this time, gingerly brushing the delicate skin under his lashes, noticing the dark shadows there.

"... yes?

He finally answered her, but his eyes still refused to open, and she wanted to see them again.

"Have you been taking proper rest?"

She almost felt regret for teasing him in this manner, but her concern was sincere; besides, it was very entertaining to watch his expression shift with different emotions as he processed her words, and he required punishment for being absent for too long.

"...What?"

"You look exhausted"

His eyes struggled open into narrow, unwilling slits and her thoughts were derailed by the penetrating gaze that only had her in it, deep affection reflected inside. Without much thought her hand reached for his cheek, carefully stroking his cheekbone, moving down to the muscles of his neck.

"I adore your eyes"

His smile was so endearingly confused it made her chest flutter. His face neared undeterred to shifted to the side and kissed her in appreciation.

"Is the new ship finished?" she asked innocently as soon as they separated, letting her hand brush down his abdomen, reaching for his breeches and undoing their front. Without allowing him time to react, she brought her hand inside his underpants to tease his length directly, feeling the way his body flinched and tensed at the contact.

Brows furrowed down in concentration before he spoke. "You want to have a conversation… right now?" he rasped hoarsely, honest disbelief shining through as he let out a quiet noise of pleasure, thrusting against her hand gently when her grip tightened around him.

His pale neck was completely exposed to her and she couldn't resist moving down to lick it. Lifting her head for a brief moment she showed him a pitiful pout while meeting his eyes "I'm curious about what my husband has been doing for the past month"

"It was" he tried, halting with a confused groan when her hands started moving diligently over him, making his hips thrust upwards more insistently "...only a few weeks''

"I don't care" she informed him conceitedly, letting her hand redouble on her efforts to pleasure him. "Are you not going to tell me?" she insisted in a rasp. Although she was having trouble concentrating on words herself, as his hands had started moving aimlessly around her body. Eventually settling on top her thighs, thumbs stroking her inner thighs, inches away from the very place she truly wanted them.

He seemed at a loss on what to do, but just like she knew he would, James tried to please her wishes "As you know, the…"

And that's the moment she chose to lean up and kiss him deeply, brushing his lips with vigour and letting her tongue move to the inside his mouth, making sure to maintain the persistent movement of her hand around him.

One of his hands held onto the side of her face, keeping her in place as he returned her kiss with enough passion to spread the warmth inside all through her body, leaving her flushed and wanting.

Her impatience was becoming unbearable, making her ministrations on him become clumsy and rough, her free hand digging inside his hair as her tongue continued stroking the inside his mouth with careless pursuit.

James' muscles became more and more coiled underneath her, his hold more brusque until... he abruptly grabbed hold of her wrist and broke the kiss, throwing her an exasperated glare, "Stop for a moment Elizabeth" he demanded in a rasp. "I was trying to speak" he complained, voice sounding uncharacteristically feeble.

"And I'm trying to take advantage of you, Sir" she informed him, dropping an affectionate kiss on top of his heart. But relenting her grip and releasing him. Albeit only so she could sit up and shake off her boots with a few jerks of her legs, her trousers following right after.

He groaned, pressing the heel of his palm to his eyes when she pulled down on his trousers as well "You already are, my lady."

"Then hush now." she ordered with finality.

"You are the one who asked me to speak, Elizabeth" James complained, looking slightly irritated. But as her centre brushed him without the barrier of their clothes and her hips resumed their sway, he quickly quieted. His body following her lead without question.

"I just decided.. it can wait." she declared breathlessly, and completely unrepentant, making him huff.

She had asked, but she was much more interested in other activities at the moment, and the searing friction was making her head light.

She desperately needed more, needed him closer, deeper... She needed him inside her, and with that single thought in mind, she took a hold of him. Without wasting any of her time in trying to take the rest of his clothes off properly, she simply raised on her knees and positioned herself right over him.

The look of utter befuddlement he offered would have been so much more entertaining if she had not been in such a frantic rush.

"Elizabeth, what…mhh"

James' questions cut off with a loud growl when she lowered down on him in an unexpectedly smooth move.

As she felt him sink into her, her body made sure to remind her of a very slight detail. They had never been intimate in such a position before, her belated realization had a gasp escaping her at the unexpectedly overwhelming sensation of having the entirety of his length shoved so deep inside her with such abruptness.

Her eyes squeezed close as her toes flinched and her hands sought pursue as they crumpled the linen with force.

James was quick to notice her mishap. "Are you alright?" he asked with concern, looking mildly disoriented by the grimace on her face. One of his hands began stroking her back in soothing circles.

"I'm fine" she promised, thinking he truly was someone prone to worry. The sensation was a little discomforting, but she wasn't in pain, and although her breath was a little laboured, the strong shivers running up her back with every little shift of her hips felt perfect. He was warm and solid and very real inside her.

But he seemed to be unwilling to accept her sincerity, because his hands gripped her hips more firmly as he started lifting her off of him.

Her hands flew to the top of his, stopping him with an annoyed glare.

"I swear I´ll send you back to the fort if you do."

His hands eased their grip at the threat, choosing to run his palms softly up and down her sides instead. Reaching to move a strand of hair away from her face as a smirk finally appeared on his lips.

"You shouldn´t have abandoned me for so long, you dolt" she couldn't help but complain.

A new gasp coming out of her when his soft laugh caused her to wobble on his lap, hitting his shoulder lightly and scowling at him.

"Stop that."

"Please forgive me" he begged easily, chuckling again. His laugh interrupted by a huff when her hands pressed down on his lower stomach in retaliation.

Feeling a bold smile of satisfaction appear on her own face as her nose scrunched down at him. Albeit her devilry only served to further provoke him. James' expression flashed with mischief as he held onto the outside of her thighs, keeping her in place before he gave a strong thrust upwards that made her squeal and her insides constrict around him.

Her face and neck flushing in embarrassment at the completely undignified noise, slapping his chest with a little more force than before.

"I believe I requested for you to stay still, James" she cautioned him in a low whisper, letting her nails scratch down his chest and abdomen in revenge.

"Doing that can't possibly help you get what you want, Love" he strained in accusation, although his movements did halt.

"I already have what I want." was her arrogant response, shifting forward a little and letting her palms rest on top of his chest.

The small change brought him impossibly deep, making all of her skin goose as a shudder went down her legs when he rubbed her from the inside and his fingers dug into her back to support her. The first few rolls of her hips were clumsy and uncertain, but when she hit the spot inside her that made her whole body tremble with ecstasy, her toes curled involuntarily and her vision blurred.

"Ahh..."

The sensation was entirely magnificent. So she kept repeating the motion, over and over again without restrain.

Staring down at him was entirely different, but not unwelcomed by any means. Her vantage point allowed her complete control over his pleasure, and that was more enthralling than anything else she was feeling. She could clearly see all the small details of his face much better, like the way his lips would pinch together every time she pushed a little too hard, or the way his beautiful green eyes fluttered dazedly when her finger pads caressed his cheek, his nose, his neck...

"I think... I can see the appeal to being a man" she giggled dumbly, feeling euphoric and weightless due to the pleasurable shocks continuously travelling thru her limbs with each sway.

His eyes regained some focus at her silly words. One of his hand running over the top of his head, messing his damp hair even further when he let his arm fall over his eyes as he told her "Sometimes I truly have no inkling of how your mind works, Elizabeth"

"I'm merely appreciating the view from above... having you underneath me is..." Exhilarating, delightful, irresistible "Intriguing" she offered simply, feeling not an ounce of shame as her hands travelled around the planes of his front, eventually settling back on his chest. His skin was burning hot and his heart thumped against her palms with surprising strength.

Fingers digging into the surface of hard muscle when her movements gained speed, trying to steady herself when she began pressing more eagerly against him.

"What you're enjoying is tormenting me" he noted, voice rough and deep.

She smiled down at him salaciously, absolutely taken by the combination of resignation and pleasure reflected on his face. Pushing her hips down even more forcefully. "Maybe some of that as well" she panted in agreement, feeling her walls contract tightly around him, as her ears began to ring.

"You're going to kill me like this" he warned with a groan of complaint, eyes closing down and brows drawing so close together she could almost believe he really was in real pain.

The way his muscles tensed and his veins pumped with the effort of keeping still, had her fighting off an excited giggle at his obvious struggle, somehow feeling sympathetic of his predicament and yet wanting to see him struggle even more.

One of her thumbs reached up to his forehead, massaging away the wrinkled spot that had formed just between his brows, stroking a path down his straight nose.

"Would you like me to stop then?" she whispered teasingly, stuttering in her movements and lifting her hips away from his just the slightest bit, but apparently far enough to gain his complete attention.

"Don't." he panted out roughly, managing to express all his annoyance at her suggestion in just that one word. Grabbing her bottom tightly and pulling her back down on him, forcing a magnificent wave of pleasure down her legs.

"You just said... ahh, I was torturing you"

"And I´ll willing meet my end in this manner" he strained out without delay.

He sounded so absolutely serious and certain of his words that this time she was unable to keep her composure, making her laugh mirthfully.

"You are so absurd." she complained weakly, leaning down and kissing his cheek "If you were to die, there would be no one left capable of making me feel this good" she reminded him very quietly, like she was sharing a secret with him.

Then she attempted to straighten back and continue their tryst, but being the one doing most of the effort was quite exhausting, her back was starting to falter and her legs wanted to cramp, so instead of sitting she ended up placing her palms on either side of his head and shifting most of her weight towards her arms.

The change in position made James become significantly more alert as his lips acquired a pleased smirk, making her realize that he now had an unobstructed view of her breasts.

Absurd indeed.

And yet, her stomach fluttered with satisfaction at his overt desire. "Are you truly planning to leave me to do all the effort until the end?"

James eyes darted up to her face, looking confused as he replied with an unsure "You asked me not to move before"

"Such an admirably, dutiful soldier" she praised him with mirth, moving a strand of sweaty hair away from his eyes and kissing his forehead, finding his sincere gesture immensely endearing "But I'm rescinding my previous order now. I´m tired."

Before the last word was out of her mouth his hands had already slid around her back, holding her close while his mouth latched around one of her nipples.

The noise that left her throat was half a moan and half a laugh at his speedy acquiescence, running her hand idly thru his dark hair. "Aren't you obedient?"

He grunted against her skin and sucked harder on her skin. The sensation of his lips sent shivers deep into her chest, almost feeling like it was too much, but then he let her go of her and moved to give the same attention to her other nipple, nuzzling his nose against the valley between her breasts while keeping her as close as he could.

"I do hope you understand you are the only person I would ever allow to walk away after ordering me around with such a wilful and reckless abandon." he mumbled into her skin.

"Is that so?" she inquired curiously. Unable to stop the smug satisfaction from showing in her face after hearing his words, Elizabeth burrowed her face on his shoulder and closed her eyes, letting him take control of the cadence of their movements and focusing her attention on the way his body brushed against hers with every thrust.

"I'm done being patient, Love" he warned suddenly, voice rough and deep against her ear.

What?

Before she had any time to gather her wits enough to concentrate on deciphering the meaning of his words, he spoke again, this time his direction was clear. "Hold tight." Not a second later he sat up, with a motion so quickly that the impulse of it caused her to lose her balance, feeling her body tip backwards a high pitched squeak came out as she tried to grab onto him.

James' arms caught her in a tight hug before she could get very far down, securing a strong arm around her back, and pulling her down on him with enough force to make her vision whiten that her vision blurred as his length buried deep inside once again. One of his hands slithering between their bodies and down her front, moving his fingers quite expertly over her.

"You're so good at that" she praised thoughtlessly, moaning with approval and mindlessly pushing against his hand, struggling to create more heat.

"Is that so?" he answered back, the conceit evident in his tone.

She wanted to be annoyed at his arrogant response, tempted to to try and fight away from his hold, but he truly was doing a most excellent job and she had no desire to distract him from his currently endeavour. Her mind was so addled with pleasure that she couldn't even formulate a proper response to his vanity, so instead of continuing to encourage his arrogance, she clung to his shoulders and sough out his mouth, muffling her loud sounds as best as she could once she failed to supress them.

Finding a bit of solace on the way his movements hesitated when her tongue delved into his mouth and her hips pressed down harder against him.

"James.. " she breathed out, when he recovered and his strokes acquired and almost delirious quality, hoping to beg for mercy "ngh… slow.. down" she begged, voice ragged and broken from the strain.

The shake of his head was immediate, lowly answering with a curt "No" against her ear. His hot breath combined with the insistent movement of his dexterous fingers continued to force her body into feverish euphoria.

Her own were digging against his sides as she fought to gather her words "James.. I really can´t…ahh" her words interrupted by another whine as his thrusts became rougher, hitting a particularly pleasurable spot.

"You can´t?"

She could only offer a faint shake of her head in response.

But the terrible man simply laughed and continued with his delicious abuse on her body. His hand tangling on the back of her hair, hugging her close and moving his lips to her ear. "Your hips have not stopped moving once, Elizabeth" he observed, casually as he gently nuzzled his face into her neck, sounding so completely satisfied with himself that she could envision the smirk on his face with perfect clarity, even if the way he kept placing wet, open mouthed kisses preventing her from higher thoughts, choosing instead to lean into his affections. "I don´t believe you truly want me to stop" he taunted.

Rake.

James maintained his rough pace while his other hand gripped her more securely so she would not escape even if she wanted to, which she most definitely did not. Feeling on the verge of reaching that blissful sensation, she discarded all other inconsequential details.

The peak of ecstasy that she had been missing while he was absent came suddenly and violently, making every muscle in her body tighten with the pure strength of it. Leaving her feeling drained and satisfied as his hot breath on her ear sent steady shivers down her neck, hips thrusting up with renewed strength, making her cry out and dig her fingers deeper into his shoulders. The simple effort of maintaining her hold on was sapping her of the little energy she had left, and so, her head fell tiredly on his warm shoulder, admitting defeat.

James' strong movements came to a halt with a powerful thrust that filled her with liquid warmth. Falling back on the bed and finally allowing them a respite.

Finding the will to move one of her arms, she held onto his face and brushed her lips against his forehead, then his cheek. Smiling gently at him as she mumbled a happy "Welcome home"

It managed to draw a proper belly laugh out of him, but then his demeanour sobered and he placed a sweet kiss to her lips "I love you."

More than anything, those were three words she had been wishing to hear.