Trembling,Henry’s mouth came back to mine and I felt him let go of the stressheld within his bones. His strong arms loosened up, able handscaressed body, and I felt my center warm from the excitement. Wequickly became a twisted mess of desperation and passion, clawingat one another, removing the layers of our clothes until there wasnothing more than two naked beings standing before one another in aheap of linens and leather.
“God, Ilove you so much,” Henry told me as he stood and gazed at mynakedness. A few seconds seemed to be all he could stand. Massivehands grabbed at my thighs and hoisted me up where I eagerlywrapped my legs around his waist. He leaned back and sat on thebed, cradling me in his embrace.
I couldn’t stopgrinning. Finally, I was getting through. Bit by bit, I would getmy Henry back. I threw my head back in ecstasy as his lips andscruffy face brushed across the naked skin of my breasts, sendinggoosebumps scouring down. Yes, I would get him back.
And what betterplace to start?
***
“Whatabout naming it after your mother?” Henry asked as we lay in bedand his fingers twirled mindlessly in my curls.
“Constance?” I replied, put off. “Nah, I don’t really care tocontinue the Cobham names, if I can help it.” My fingertips trailedalong the pale skin of his chest, noting all the tiny scars leftbehind and admired how they glistened a pinkish silver in thesunlight. “What about your mother? What was her name?”
Henry’s facesoftened at the memory and he smiled. “Audrey.”
“That’s abeautiful name,” I told him. “It’s settled, then. If the baby is agirl, she’ll be Audrey.”
The gloriousman in my bed leaned in and took my mouth in his, anall-encompassing kiss that left me breathless. When he pulled away,I gasped for air and shifted closer to his naked body. “And if it’sa boy?”
I shrugged,still reeling from the kiss. “Uh, what was your dad’s name?”
Henry quirkedan eyebrow and grinned. “Archibald. I’m not sure I wish to inflictthat on my son.”
I laughed andplayfully pushed at his shoulder. “Why not? Archie. It’s cute.”
“For aboy, perhaps. But he’ll become a man one day.” His lips then pursedin thought. “What about Arthur?”
My heartskipped a beat at the name. One that I hadn’t heard in so long. “Mydad?”
“Yes,” hereplied. “It’s a strong name. Fit for both a boy and a man. Yourfather seems to be lost in your life’s story. Why not keep hismemory alive?”
The sentimenttouched my heart and I swallowed hard against the tightness thatsuddenly formed in my throat. After a moment’s thought, I nodded.“Well, then. Audrey for a girl. Arthur for a boy. I like thoseoptions.”
“I aswell.”
I held hisbushy face in my palm and thumbed the skin under his tired eyes. Weremained there, bodies twisted together, as we held each other’sgaze and silently assured one another that everything was going tobe alright. It had to be. We both knew it.
“You needa shave,” I said.
His handreached up and rubbed his short blonde beard. “You don’t likeit?”
“Actually, I do,” I told him honestly and then laughed. “Muchbetter than Finn’s. But I know you prefer cleanly shaven.”
“That Ido,” he replied. “But I quite like it. For now.”
My lipswidened. “Then so do I.”
I cranedmy neck to catch a glimpse of the window and saw thatthe sun was low in the sky.It was getting late. We’d stayed in bed most of the day andsuppertime crept up on us. As much as I deeply desired to remain inbed with my pirate king, I couldn’t ignore my duties much longer.Someone would come looking for us soon.
“Weshould probably get dressed and head out,” I suggested. “BeforeFinn and Gus come beating down the door.”
I shiftedtowards the edge of the bed, but Henry’s hands grabbed my waist andswiftly hauled me on top of him. I could feel him growing withexcitement beneath me and his hips drove upwards.
“Letthem,” he growled.
I pushed at hisnaked chest and laughed as I attempted to remove myself from atophim. But he grabbed my arm and pulled back. I knew he was justbeing playful, so I tried to ignore the slight force he used andthe protest my shoulder made at the tug. I remained in a halfon-half off position and waited for him to let go. Everything wouldhave been fine if he’d just let go. If he just didn’t hang on forthat second too long.
Henry’sface changed, shifting from happy to suddenly stunned shame and hereleased his grip fromaround my wrist. I tried to hide the way I held it tomy chest as I got out of bed and reached for my clothes. But theskin stung. Should I have said something? Or would that cause himto retreat the short distance I’d help him travel on his road torecovery?
I heardhim behind me, rummaging through linens and shoving on his blackpants. His footsteps closed in and stopped at my side. Withgreat willpower, Imet his eyes. His sorrowful eyes. The man plunked down in my redchair and slid his fingers in between mine.
“I’msorry,” he said, a barely audible whisper. “I-I don’t know whatthat was. I panicked at the thought of you leaving me. Even to getdressed.” His fingers dropped from my hand and I peered down as heleaned forward in the chair and wrung them through his long, blondehair. “What’s wrong with me?”
Ifinished tightening my leather belt and tucked in my white cottonshirt before squatting down in front of Henry and bringing myforehead to his. “Nothing we can’t fix,” I promised. “There’s goingto be hiccups. There’s going to be fighting and emotions flyinghigh. What you went through, not just recently, but ever since youmet,” I swallowed hard, “her…it’s going to take some time.”
Henry’shead raised up from his lap and he stared at me. He was always ahard man to read, the stone-cold expressions he often woreprotected whatever thoughts ran through his mind. Butin that moment, I read himlike a picture book. He was scared. He was tired. And I knew thepirate was unsure whether he could overcome the darkness thathaunted his dreams.
“Ipromise,” I
