Destination Revealed

?I hate this shower!?

I really did.

At least I hated it whenever my wife was not with me. It was a damn small shower and any sudden movement of the ship would send me into the side of the shower stall. Now, when Wyheree was with me, that was a totally different story. One of us was sure to drop the soap and every time that would happen it would lead to some very interesting and sexy times in that very small shower. I had to stop thinking of that. It was doing me no good.

The first night out had not been an easy one. First, while we may have made it out of the harbor in the midst of an inexplicable melting of the ice, that did not stop the winter seas from giving us a pounding. Second, it?s no longer easy for me to sleep without my beloved in my arms. Her pillow smelled of her fragrance, and I held it to my face and pretended she was there with me. I don?t know how many times I kissed that pillow in the middle of the night, but I do know that I miss my wife terribly.

The Sea Wolf headed south for warmer and calmer waters, but the first day out from the Rhydin harbor was a rough one. Heavy nimbostratus clouds hung low in the sky all day, and a cold, biting wind seemed to go right through every crew member who needed to pull a duty shift above deck.

They wanted to know where we were heading.

I told them.

?Death?s Haven Cove.?

The Dream

The evening of the second day out, Frypan, the ship?s cook, had the crew?s mouths watering with fried chicken and sliced fried potatoes, a real treat on such a journey. Everyone who wasn?t on duty was in the galley, eating and drinking, and then doing more drinking and singing, and more drinking and story telling, and yet more drinking.

?Capt?n Black, it be yer turn t? tell a story,? Snakeskin (not to be confused with the SnakeEyes brothers) shouted out.

Seeing as how they were all drunk and in especially good moods, and that James was in a particularly good mood because he fully expected to meet his beloved wife in Death?s Haven Cove in another day, he decided to comply with the crew?s request.

?Okay. I?ll be tellin? ye all a story, but it be not really a story.?

?What b-b-be it then?? asked Rat.

?It be a dream, Rat. A dream I had last night, an? a very strange one at that.? The crowd in the galley got quiet except for the periodic burps and farts that were commonplace in such gatherings of the sea?s elite. ?I dreamed I be a god. Not a real god like one ye pray to an? who gives ye blessin?s, an? throws ye a rope when ye be flounderin? on the seas, but a god like ye oft find back in Rhydin who think they be like th? Almighty, all seein? an? knowin?.

?An? in this dream I had th? pow?r t? see anywhere I wanted t? see no matter how far away a thin? was. I could see it all in a detail that was amazin?. And in th? dream I be thinkin? t? myself, ?Black, ye bloody arse, why ?ave ye been spendin? all ye time sneakin? up on people and spyin? an? gainin? all kinds of knowledge when all along I could ?ave been sittin? in th? comfort o? me home an? seein? th? same thin??? An ye wouldn?t believe wha? I be seein?!?

The wide eyes of amazed and thoroughly entertained pirates blinked, totally absorbed in James Black?s recounting of his dream. ?What did ye be seein?, Capt?n Black?? a voice inquired from the corner of the galley.

?This be th? scary part! I be seein? m? precious an? beautiful wife, Lady Wyheree, all tied up an constrained by some evil men.?

?Say it?s not true!? shouted Governor. ?We?ll gut those fools an? use them for bait!?

Captain Black just looked at Governor as if he was crazy or drunk ? and he was well qualified for both. ?Gov, . . . it be a dream.?

Governor shifted in his seat and looked a bit embarrassed. ?Sorry, Capt?n. I knew that! Was just getting? into th? story, but it be a nightmare if ye ask me.?

?Aye, that it was, an? it gets worse. Ye see, because I was a god, I could put th? image in each of yer?s minds to see what I be seein?. Ye all wanted t? rescue m? wife, but I told ye I?ve got it all under control because in th? dream I could control everythin?.?

?Everythin???

?Aye, everythin?. I could capture back me wife an? no one could find her. Them evil fools could feel her happiness an? sense her, but they wouldn?t know where t? look because I control everythin? an? can keep anyone from findin? ?er. An? when they be tryin? to control things, I tell them they be jus? tryin? to act like gods an? I?m th? only one that be allowed t? be doin? that.?

?Ye wouldn?t have many friends being like that, and we wouldn?t have a captain who would be like that,? Mr. Blade remarked as he calmly spun a knife between his fingers and scrapped the remaining fried chicken from beneath his fingernails.

?An? I wouldn?t blame, ye, Mr. Blade. I would ?ave very few friends an? everyone would be laughin? at me behind me back. If I begin t? act like that, ye can attach an anchor to me privates an? throw me overboard.?

There was laughter and more drinking. ?What happened next, Capt?n?? a voice called out.

?Well, fortunately that?s when I awoke from th? nightmare. That?s me story, men.?

There was applause from the crew and the pounding of mugs that needed to be filled. Governor spoke up, ?Capt?n Black, ye be needin? ye lovely wife in bed wi? ye, we all be thinkin?. If nuthin? else, then jus? t? be keepin? ye too exhausted at night t? be havin? such nightmares.?

?I couldn?t agree more, mates. Couldn?t agree more. An? tomorrow night I should be holdin? ?er in me arms once more. Now, if ye would excuse me, I think I shall be gettin? some sleep.?

James staggered slightly as he moved through the narrow passageway that led to his and Wyh?s quarters in the stern. He undressed, stood at the closet and saw a blouse that his wife would often wear when on the ship. He took it and brought it to his face to breathe her fragrance and feel a bit closer. He missed her deeply.

That night he slept with it against his pillow.

Waiting and Worrying

I fell asleep in the tavern chair that night. My wife never showed up.

By the second night I was pacing the floor of ?The Crow?s Next?, worrying myself sick. What if she didn?t see the note? What is she was sick? Maybe she couldn?t portal here, or perhaps she went to the wrong place? That night I got into a fight and nearly killed a man when the wrong comment was made. He should have known better not to insult my wife. Once again I slept in a chair in the Tavern and waited.

The third night I was getting drunk. I was a storm of emotions from worry, to frustration, to anger, to fear. If my wife didn?t show up by morning, I?d sail back to Rhydin and hope to get back into the harbor. What else could I do?

So I sat at the bar and drank and talked to Higgins.

?Well, if it isn?t Captain James Black.?

The sound of a woman?s voice started James out of his thoughts with his heart pounding. His first thought was that his wife had finally arrived, but the relief lasted for only a moment. It was not his wife. He didn?t recognize her, but he could tell she was not bad to look at, even through his drink-blurred vision.

He looked back into his half-empty mug of warm, yeasty ale. ?Aye, I?m Black. What?s it t? ye, an? who be ye anyway??

Unexpected News

James caught her name and just grunted a reply, too concerned about the non-appearance of his wife to engage in idle chat. However, when she offered him her condolences, his head slowly turned toward her once more and his dark eyes narrowed. ?What are ye speakin? of, losing someone I love? She?s jus? be busy.?

Jack Higgins, the tavern owner, had been listening to Sully and James while wiping clean a mug. He had hesitated to say anything earlier, but now was probably as good a time as any since the subject was breeched. ?Aye, James. Jus? today now I?ve ?eard th? same thing mentioned from those who?ve been on th? crews o? two different ships.?

James stood and glared at Higgins, accidentally knocking over his near-empty mug of ale. ?What ?ave ye heard, Hig? What are ye not tellin? me??

Higgins looked down and shook his head in sadness, ?I was waitin? for some of yer crew t? be here before sayin? anythin?, James. But th? word is that yer wife was . . .", he leaned close and whispered the rumors.

James? legs nearly crumpled beneath him. ?Noooooooo! God nooooo!? Men set down their drinks and came to his side.

- - -

Some things are best left unsaid, and the proof of that wisdom was soon demonstrated in how a poorly thought out sentence by a well-meaning drunken fool of a pirate could set into motion a series of events that would not soon be forgotten. No one was sure who said it or what exactly was said, but the gist of it was that a pirate captain should not have a wife anyway, and that James was probably now far better off.

Captain James Black exploded.

Shots rang out and Black?s gleaming blade sliced the air looking for anyone or anything upon which he could take out his rage. Heads ducked and chairs were raised for protection. How no one actually died in the melee is an unexplained miracle that?s sure to be told upon the decks of ships for years to come, but for the next several minutes there was pure chaos in the Crow?s Nest, with furniture, drinks, fists and weapons flying from every position and in every direction imaginable. It may have gone on until everyone was dead or unconscious had not ol? Higgins pulled out his club from beneath the bar and cracked James in the back of the head and threatened everyone else with the same.

Captain James Black wobbled and fell to the floor unconscious.

Had he not been so drunk, the fall would have been considerably more precipitous.

?He should be taken to his room to sleep this off, Hig. If he doesn?t have one, then we can take him to mine.?

Higgins scratched his hair near his left ear and furrowed his forehead. ?Th? poor man ne?er ?ad a room. He?s been sleepin? in th? chairs ?ere, Sully; waitin? for ?is dear an? departed wife. So if ye be wantin? this smelly pirate in yer room, that be yer business.?

It was not long before several of the crew of the Sea Wolf came rushing into The Crows Nest. They had all been hanging out in a much less ?respectable? inn where the town?s prostitutes did a fine business. The Crow?s Nest was rough, but it served better ale and prostitution was not so common here, which is why James chose this inn as the location to meet his wife.

Mr. Blade just shook his head and picked Captain Black up and followed Sully up to her room. As long as the captain was breathing, the crew was not very concerned. This kind of thing was all too common in the world of pirates, and James? head had gone through worse treatment than this and always came back for more. After convincing themselves that their captain would recover, they all left him in Sully?s care, promising to return late the following day.

Lost in Thought

How I made it back to the ship I really don?t know.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I don?t remember anything from the time I left the tavern to the time I was on the ship and someone spoke to me about something or other. I can?t remember what it was. I can't remember who it was. I couldn?t tell you if it was sunny or raining, night or day, winter or summer, or the time of day; I just suddenly found myself in my quarters and removing my shirt and remembering that I needed a shower.

Next thing I knew I was at the bottom of the small shower stall, sitting there with the water sprinkling down on me, my head buried in my arms, tears mixed water - likely more tears than water. Then I was getting dressed and just standing in front of the closet and looking at my wife?s clothes. I don?t know how long I had been standing there. Nothing was right anymore. Nothing mattered.

I got cleaned up and dressed but I lost all track of time. I was supposed to meet that Sullivan girl for breakfast, but I didn?t know if it was still time for breakfast, or if lunch had past, or even dinner.

I walked toward the galley.

Once again I found myself in that comfortable place where I didn?t care if I lived or if I died. It was good in that place. No emotions were left. Nothing else could harm me.

I was supposed to meet someone.

I think.

James followed her to the starboard gun?le and laid his hands on the rail and looked over the town. His eyes lowered to see the ring on his finger and he hurt in the pit of his stomach. How could this happen? One day they?re kissing and wishing each other a good day with a ?See you later, sweetheart,? and a few days later she?s gone. He wasn?t hungry, so he couldn?t care less which meal they would have.

His voice was without strength or emotion, ?It?s your choice, Sully. I?m afraid I?m not very hungry, and besides, I doubt I?ll be enjoyable company.? He kept looking at the ring upon his finger.

?I?m nae hungry, but I can guarantee ye tha? Frypan?s food is second t? none. C?mon, go ?ave a seat before it gets cold.? James motioned to the chair closest to the door so that she?d have the view out of the wall of windows at the stern of the Sea Wolf. He sat opposite her facing the door, not bothering to pull his chair close to the table, but simply content to watch her eat. ?So, I guess ye be leavin? th? harbor soon,? he said just to make conversation so that the time would not be so awkward.

Sully went to the chair that James had motioned to and sat down. She was hungry, damned hungry, and was not about to let anything get cold. She picked up a piece of chicken and began to eat at once. When she saw he really wasn?t intending to eat, she picked up the jug of rum and poured a mug full for each of them.:: ?If you?re not going to eat with me, at least drink some rum while I eat, James. I?ll feel ridiculous if you don?t.? She ate some more chicken and washed it down with rum. ?And I?m not sure when I?ll be leaving the harbour. I expect it might be soon.?

James picked up the mug of rum and took a long swallow, emptying the mug of half of what it contained. ?Well, ye be the captain. I guess ye leave the harbor when ye decide ye should leave, if I haven?t got me organizational charts upside down, tha? is.? He finished off the remainder of the rum was in his mug.

She pulled off a piece of bread from the warm loaf and buttered it up before taking a bite. ?James, you were right. Your cook is second to none.? She refilled their mugs with rum, although hers only needed to have half added. ?Well, I have to confess, James. I have a little problem with my ship. It?s going to take a lot of work to get her sea worthy again.? She picked up her mug and had another sip, watching him over the rim.

James was feeling a bit better from the rum, and without realizing what he was doing he reached for the bread and pulled off a little and put it into his mouth. ?A shame about ye ship,? he said and took another long swallow of rum, once again emptying half of the mug. ?Th? harbor can be a treacherous thing.? He reached for the bread and pulled off another little piece.

She watched him starting to eat, and she began to be hopeful that her plan would succeed. ?Aye, James, it is indeed a shame. A real disaster.? She put butter and gravy on her potato and picked it up in her fingers and bit off a piece. ?Yeah,? she said with her mouth full, ?it?s going to be a shame to miss out on the biggest treasure to ever be taken on the high seas. People would have spoken about it for years to come.?: She took another bit of the potato, then another sip of the rum, and then reached for another piece of chicken. She waited to see if Captain Black would go for the bait.

He finished off the second mug of rum and reached for the jug, then refilled both their mugs. ?Biggest treasure ever t? be taken, eh?? he said while reaching for a piece of the fried chicken which was looking more and more desirable to him. He took several bites off the thigh and leg. While still chewing he asked, ?An? just ?ow big is this treasure??

Sully took a drink to hide her smile. She nearly had him hooked but she had to do this carefully. ?Oh . . . well . . . from what I hear, it would be enough to allow you and every one of your crew to live the life of ease for the rest of your lives.? She licked the chicken off her fingers.

James listened and reached for the last piece of chicken, very much feeling the effect of the rum. The curiosity was killing him. ?An? just what is all this treasure doin? floatin? around on th? high seas, anyway?? He took more rum, but just a sip this time, looking at Sully as she licked her fingers.

She wiped her fingers on a piece of cloth set out as a napkin, then leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. ?Rumor has it, James, that it?s money to support the war in the continent to the south. The one against those sheiks that you might have heard about.? She took another sip of her rum, tapping her fingers softly upon the mug.

James had indeed heard about that war. It had been going on for over a year now. He sat there for a moment, looking into his drink and thinking. Finally he spoke. ?An? just who does this 'biggest treasure ever' belong to, Captain Sullivan??

She smiled and leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin in the backs of her hands.:: ?Why, James, it belongs to the King of England, of course.?

I began this little tale by telling ye that most adventures in our lives which are worth remembering in our later years, begin without warning and are completely unplanned.

Such was this one.

When I awoke the following morning the sun had already been up for several hours ? that was the first thing I noticed. The second thing I noticed was that Sully was still sleeping with her head nestled against my shoulder in the crook of my arm. The third thing I noticed were the empty rum and wine bottles laying on their sides ? one at the bottom on the bed and the other in the crook of my other arm.

All of that would have been quite unsettling if I hadn?t noticed the forth thing. Sully and I were both fully clothed with the exception of our boots. Whatever celebration we had done the night before was done without anything sexual, and for that I was quite thankful. As I told Captain Sullivan the day before, my gratitude went only so far, and anything done without clothes would have been far beyond that self-imposed boundary.

It was not that she wasn?t a fine looking woman - damned fine. I brought my nose to her hair and inhaled; and if she wasn?t the nicest smelling pirate captain on all the seas, she was certainly the nicest I?ve had the pleasure of smelling.

Then I remembered the reason for our celebration ? that journey into madness we spoke of. While Sully slept with her head on my shoulder and her arm across my chest, I went over the entire plan in my mind. So far the plan was to get to the narrow pass first, separate the treasure ship from the warships, get the treasure, sink all the ships, and come home.

It occurred to me that we were probably missing some of the steps in between ?heading for the pass? and ?coming home?. We had a lot of work to do.

?Sully,? I said softly, shaking her a little. ?Sully, girl . . . wake up.?

After Captain James Black and Captain Sullivan finalized their plans, they both left the Sea Wolf - Sully for her own ship and James to the pubs and whore houses to round up his crew. The plan was a disaster waiting to happen, a quick exit from this world to the next, a sure-fire way to place one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel ? but it was also something to do, something that would take his mind off the emptiness within him, something that would give him purpose and have them all go down in a blaze of something that approached the elusive fringes of glory.

The crew of the Sea Wolf had gathered on the main deck at 4:00 p.m. sharp for the ?planning session?. As usual, the meeting was called into order by Governor. As usual, the Sea Wolf Social Hour would follow the meeting, and they would drink until they had all passed out. This always took far longer than an hour, but no one ever kept time and no one ever complained that the designated ?hour? had elapsed three hours earlier. It was the way of the Sea Wolf.

Once the meeting had begun, Captain Black explained the mission as vaguely and with as little detail as possible. It was something like, ?Men, there?s going to be the treasure to beat all treasures making its way across the seas, and we?re going to give it our assistance.? The crew?s celebration of cheering and saber waving and pistol firing went on for so long that they all forgot that they weren?t given any further details. That suited Black just fine.

James had Rat select twelve men to get the ships food supplies loaded. He assigned Governor the job of having a new anchor chain made. This chain would be three times as thick and three times as long as any chain anyone had ever seen to hoist an anchor. Governor had two men to help him. Turmoil was assigned to get several dozen of the little rum kegs ? but empty. Whiskey Jack was assigned to load up twice as many powder kegs as they usually carried, and twice the ammunitions. He had ten men to help him. The rest of the crew had the usual assignments that involved getting the ship ready to sail. Mr. Blade was assigned to make sure everyone did their job.

When the meeting was finally over and the ?social hour? had begun, James went over to the starboard gunn?al and looked across the now dark harbor to where Sully?s Sea Witch was anchored. He wondered if all the preparations that she was responsible for went according to plan. James stroked his black beard and began to wonder about her in other ways, the more pleasurable ways.

Preparations and Delays

Preparations for the journey took far longer than expected due to the heavy and lengthy ?anchor chain? that was being prepared in the village?s blacksmith shop. Pulleys, winches and other supplies were also difficult to obtain and required a trip overland in a wagon to the closest town of reasonable size. The delay would have ended any possibility of reaching the channel before the king?s treasure ship arrived had it not been for the extremely good fortune that the winter weather persisted longer than expected and was keeping the treasure ship and its escort of warships delayed from leaving the king?s port.

That was perhaps the only good news that Captain James Black had heard since he had first entered Death?s Haven Cove over a month ago. Sully?s seventeen men had assimilated into the Sea Wolf?s crew without incident, although the culture they discovered on board the ship took some getting used to and nearly led to their abandoning the ship altogether after two days had not Sully been so insistent and commanding with her men.

The weeks of preparation were not enjoyable for the crew because James was nearly always in a foul mood no matter what Sully or his men tried to do to cheer him up. He drank more, sulked more, yelled more, and stayed in his quarters more as each day passed and the awareness that he?d never see his wife again or even know what happened to her relentlessly eat at him from the inside without mercy, giving no quarter to his suffering.

The sm?rg?sbord of anger, self-pity, guilt, rage, sadness, and some ?just desserts? might have continued indefinitely had not Captain Sullivan finally made a breakthrough with James the evening that the chain had finally arrived and the Sea Wolf set sail.

-= to be continued =-

The winter evening descended upon the Sea Wolf, and with it came the cold night air and a sky blanketed with stars so numerous that they practically hid the patterns of the constellations. The crew members who were on duty were bundled up in clothes and still they shivered. Some who were not on duty were below deck, keeping warm with rum and playing cards, telling stories and playing instruments. Others were already sleeping, worn out from the day?s work.

Captain Black and Sully were in his quarters which was kept toasty warm with a stove that burned pea coal. They were seated at a table which was actually brought in for purpose of eating, rather than the map table which was covered in maps for a change. Their plates were now empty, as was a bottle of wine ? the last of which was still in their glasses. Sully was not her usual talkative self, which James was not yet sure if he was happy or sad about. At least when a women talked, he knew what they were thinking. Quiet women drove him crazy because you never knew what was going on inside their heads. ?Well, that was a good meal,? he said to break the silence. ?Guess ye?ll be going back to yer room now,? he added hopefully, referring to the small officer?s cable that was the first door next to his quarters.

Sully finished her wine and set the glass down. ?No, James, I think I?ll be staying here just a bit longer. It?s time we have that talk, and you can thank me for waiting until you finished your dinner.?

James followed suit and finished his wine. ?I was hoping ye be forgetting about that little talk.? He really didn?t want Sully to leave, but if it came to getting lectured to or having her out of his cabin, he?d take the door slamming on her butt any day.

?James, I?ve about had it up to here,? she said while moving her hand up to her raised up chin. ?You?re not the first man to ever lose a wife and you won?t be the last. No matter what happened to her, it?s not your fault and you can?t be blaming yourself. It?s time you got over your loss and got on with your life. You have a crew depending on you. Hell, *I?M* depending on you!?

Black rose up from his chair, knocking it over. ?It?s none of yer business, Sully! Ye did nay know m?wife. She was th? sweetest an? most beautiful woman a man could e?er want! We ?ad a life together, a good one! An? if I hadn?t let ?er out of my sight that day, she?d be ?ere wi? me right now.? He turned and went to the stern bay windows, looking out into the night through the old and rippled glass.

Sully moved up behind him, her voice softer as she spoke again. ?I?m not saying she wasn?t sweet and beautiful. I?m not saying she wasn?t the perfect wife in every way.? She?d like to say that, but she wasn?t about to at this time. ?All of that may be true, James, and your loss and grief may be great, but grief ain?t gonna bring her back, and you have a lot of living to do. It?s what she?d want for you, James. If she was as good as you say, she?d want you to get on with your life.?

James pounded his fist against the frame of the window area, grabbed onto the hard wooden frame, and then rested his forehead against his upper arm. ?I miss ?er, Sully?, he said softly. Deep down he knew that what Sully was saying was true. He had to let go and leave his past behind. It was just so damned hard to do. He had no time to say goodbye to her, or bury her, or anything else to make this death real to him.

She stood behind him and laid her hand upon his broad shoulder. ?I know you do, James. It?s not easy losing someone you love,? she said from experience, which is how she became captain of her ship. ?But I do believe that we honor those we lose by living hard and well . . . and, even by loving again, James.? The last few words were spoken at almost a whisper.

He turned and faced her and took her into his arms. He needed the hug, the closeness so much. He held her tightly to his chest and moved his cheek against her hair. They stayed that way for some time, feeling the warmth and closeness and the movements of their bodies as each one breathed in and out. At last James finally spoke again, ?Ye be right, Sully. It?s time that I put th? past behind me. If she be dead, grievin? will nay bring her back t? me. If she be livin?, well, then she ?as left me, for she could ?ave been here otherwise. Either way, it?s over. It?s th? past and th? past should be left behind so I can live again.?

With that, James released Sully and moved out of her arms. ?Come wi? me, Sully. I need ye t? be my witness.? He took her hand and brought her up on the quarterdeck that was above his captain?s cabin and what would be the officer?s quarters on anything other than a pirate ship. The cold wind bit through them and whipped their hair around, for they really weren't dressed for being out in this cold weather.

Sully said nothing, but she gave his hand a squeeze as she followed him up on the quarterdeck. She was freezing and stayed close to his body for warmth. Then it suddenly occurred to her what he might be doing! ?James! Don?t you even be thinking that you?re going to jump off this ship! I swear I?ll kill you before I let you jump! You hear me, James!?

He led her to the stern rail and released her hand. ?I?m nay gonna jump, lass.? He blinked and realized that for the first time he referred to Sully with the term he always used for his wife when then had first met ? lass. ?But I do have t? be lettin' something of me die ? m? past.? He removed his wedding band and just looked at it for a moment, all the memories flooding back at once. Then he took the ring and held it to his lips and closed his eyes. ?G?bye, lass. I love ye, an? pray ye be in a far better place now.? He opened eyes and looked at the ring one more time, then gave it a toss and watched it fall into the blackness of the night, and into the cold, rough sea.

She stood and watched with a lump in her throat, knowing that couldn?t have been easy. She went and stood next to him and just put an arm round his waist, shivering against him. There was nothing she could say but, ?I?m sorry, James. I truly am.?

He turned and faced her and placed a kiss to her forehead. ?Thank ye, Sully, lass. You?re helping me get through all this, an? I do appreciate it yer know.? He had a weak smile, ?I better be getting ye back inside before ye catch a death!? On the way back to his captain?s cabin James gave her a playful nudge and smiled, ?Would ye really ?ave killed me if I tried to jump?? Sully gave him a playful slap and they disappeared into his quarters and the door locked.

Sully slowly awoke to the early morning light of the new day with her face nuzzled into James? neck and their bodies pressed together. They were facing each other on their sides and his arms were around her, and legs were intertwined. This time they were naked and she smiled as she remembered their loving making and the way his body felt, and the way they had moved together. She hadn?t been with a man like this in a very long time, but it was definitely worth the wait. He had made her feel wonderful in ways no one else had ever done, and she hoped that she had done the same for him.

She moved her hand over his smooth, muscular body and up into that silky long black hair. He smelled so good, and she could feel herself get excited once more. She wanted him again.

She whispered. ?James. Are you awake, my love?? She moved her leg against his body.