His wordsweighed heavy on my heart and I had no response.
But Henryquirked an eyebrow and grinned playfully. “With a little help fromGus, of course.”
I laughed then.“Yeah, he told me how he knocked some sense into you.”
His face turneda little grim. “The days were spent searching for you, but mynights were poisoned with nightmares of Maria. I couldn’t shake herfrom my mind. I was breaking. I could not handle it. So, I drankthe last of the ship’s rum in an attempt to drown out her presencefrom my mind.”
“Did itwork?”
Henrymoaned a sigh. “No, it did not. I plunged further into a nightmarethat night. When Gus came along, I thought he washer and began to fight back. I thankthe heavens every day that it was he and not Lottie or youngCharlie who’d stumbled upon me.”
“Don’tkid yourself, Lottie would have wiped the floor with yourface.”
He laughed.“You’re probably right.”
I leaned intohim, basking in the warmth his body offered. “And now?” I asked,terrified of the answer. “Is her presence still there? I still feelyou tossing and turning at night.”
“No,she’s gone,” he admitted, and his face turned down with a heavyfrown. “But something else still plagues me.”
I tipped hischin up so our faces were nearly touching and asked in a whisper,“What?”
“How totell you what I did.” His bearded chin rubbed against my cheek.“How…how I betrayed you.”
Shocked, Iripped away from our intimate embrace to fully take in hisexpression. “What are you talking about?”
Henry’seyes already pleaded with me to forgive him before he even mutteredthe words. “I’d beendelusional. Starving. Beaten. I could barely tell whether itwas night or day. I lost track of how long I’d been tied to thatchair. My mind wandered to a far away place, one where you existed,and we were together.” His face was relaxed, eyes adrift inthought. “Even now, looking back, I think I was close to death.That I was seeing a glimpse of heaven.”
I felt frozen,stuck to the bed as I heard the memory spill from Henry’s mouth andmy own images of horror flashed through my mind. Finding himstrapped to that chair. His frail and broken body. The swolleneyes. The blood. So much blood. Henry shot up then, and leanedforward on his knees, raking trembling hands through his goldenhair.
“I shouldhave known. I should have realized.” His voice suddenly becamestrained with regret. “When the dream of you began to feelreal; the warmth of yourskin in my hands, the brush of your curls against my face… But itwasn’t real. It wasn’t you.”
Tears welled inmy eyes. I didn’t want to admit it to myself. Every fiber of mybeing wanted to refuse the possibility of what he was telling me.But I’d be a fool.
Henrywiped at his eyes and his head turned back to me. “I let her puther hands on me, Dianna. To have her way with me. When I came to,it was too late. It was already done. I-I’ll neverforgive myself.”
It was my turnto shoot up from the bed. I rested on my knees and took Henry’sbeautiful face in my hands. “I forgive you,” I told him sternly.“You didn’t know. Your mind wasn’t right, Henry.” The things thatwoman has inflicted upon my beloved pirate king, the damage she’sdone. It’s beyond repair. All he can do now is get through it andmove on. Live with the scars.
His blackeyes still pleaded with me. “I made myself sick with worry abouttelling you. Talked myself out of it a hundred times for fear youwould leave me once you knew. But,” he inhaled deeply through hisnose and pursed his lips, “you had a right to know. And I wouldunderstand if…”
He couldn’tbring himself to say the words and I didn’t want him to. There wasno need. I lifted one leg and sidled myself in Henry’s lap where Iwrapped my arms around his neck.
“I wouldnever leave you, Henry. Haven’t I made that clear?” His mouthopened to protest, and I slid a finger over his lips. “If it’s myforgiveness you want, you have it. Even though there’s no need toask. Maria took something from you, something that rightfullybelongs to me.” Myhips bucked, and Ikissed his lips once.
I felt Henry’sfingers grip my thighs tightly. “Is that so?”
My breathingquickened, as did his, while my body rolled gently against him.“Yes. She stole your trust, took away your right to say no. Yourbody,” I paused to kiss his panting lips and unbutton his shirt,“belongs to me.”
I felt Henrygrowing beneath my legs and longed for him to be inside of me.Hastily, we clawed at one another’s garments until they were a pileon the floor and we were nothing but two naked bodies heavingdesperate breaths of need and wanting.
He grabbed holdof my thick hair with one hand and tugged it gently, pulling mecloser. Our faces touching. He kissed my mouth, hard and long, thenwiped his warm lips across my cheek to whisper in my ear.
“Thentake it back. Reclaim what is yours, Dianna.”
His raspy wordssent a shiver down my spine, and when he pulled away, I could seethat’s what he wanted. What he needed. His dark eyes begged for it.Gently, I pushed at his chest, forcing him to lay back. My fingersexpertly traced all the magnificent lines of his body. Every bump,scar, freckle. They were all beautiful because they were a part ofHenry.
And allmine.
ChapterFifteen
I stood and looked in the old mirror of myquarters as I adjusted my leather belt around my waist. My daggersheathed at one side and my sword at the other. I bent to tuck thelegs of my pants into the brown leather boots and then stood toslide on my long red jacket. I sucked in a deep and nervous breath.Today was the day. Finn had told me over breakfast that, accordingto the
