Swashbuckling in the Dark

Chapter Twenty-One

“My beloved,” he sighed fondly, running just the tips of his fingers over her, lightly caressing. “My beauty, my everything…”

He leaned over to brush his cheek against her; so smooth, so warm and inviting. He wished to hold her and never let go, to never allow harm to befall her again. He reached out to embrace her, feeling joy bloom tentatively in his heart. Was she better? Could it be true?

He couldn’t fight the urge anymore. He longed to kiss her, to feel her perfection with his lips. They had been separated for far too long. Now they could make up for lost time.

“Would you two like a moment alone?”

The tender moment died, leaving the captain awkwardly bent over, hugging the wheel of the Ebony in a sweet embrace. He immediately ceased rubbing his face on the dark, polished wood, clearing his throat loudly.

“Well not anymore,” he muttered in annoyance at the interruption.

Carlos snickered. “You’re certain? I could be back in a moment with the finest champagne, perhaps a blanket and some rose petals. Then I could quietly slip away and leave the two of you—“

“No, thank you,” Dark said forcefully, face burning with embarrassment. “That won’t be necessary.”

Letting his amused grin fade into a look of flat seriousness, Carlos continued. “As you can see, she’s fixed. Now, as I’m willing to overlook the initial theft of my ship,” he said, patting the rail fondly, “and allow you to keep her, I’d like the fee that we agreed upon.”

“You shall have it,” Dark replied, hardly listening. His focus was on the bow of his newly repaired ship. He was studying the figurehead: an ebony-haired woman with her arms outstretched towards the sea.

Absent-mindedly, he reached for his belt, snagging the moneybag he had tied there and pulling it free. With the sure practice of someone who has spent his years amassing and collecting riches, he counted the coins inside before tossing the bag to Carlos.

Cynically, his friend recounted, assuring himself that Dark had not cheated him. Satisfied, Carlos stowed the payment in his vest. “Nice doing business with you,” Carlos commented dryly, though Dark noticed the grin lurking under his beard.

Dark traced the carved groove in the ship’s wheel. “You did good work,” he said. “She looks good as new.”

Carlos grunted in agreement, busy eyeballing the deck and rails for any spots he might have missed. There weren’t any.

“You’ll be able to leave tomorrow,” Carlos said. “Raoul asked me to tell you that your supplies have been restocked.”

Dark nodded, distracted by the glimpse of the bay just outside Carlos’s warehouse.

“Dark, can I offer you a piece of advice? About the woman-pirate, I mean.”

He was so startled by this statement he almost fell over. Dark choked on a laugh. “You want to offer advice? To me? About Zaina?”

Carlos shrugged. “I’m not keen on the idea either, but I got to talking to the lass while she was here. Even convinced her that her place was back in your crew, as unlikely as it sounds…”

Dark was stunned. “You convinced her to come back?” he asked with disbelief.

The shipbuilder kept talking, not listening to Dark. “I just wanted to tell you that you don’t get another chance. You brought her into this life, so it’s your job to keep her safe. You know as well as anyone that things are different now…”