I hadn’t been sure at the start whether Maggie was interested in me romantically, or simply saw me as a savior who was taking her away from her terrible life in Claytonsfield.
But even if she was a bit reserved in the beginning, there was no mistaking the fiery passion in her kiss now.
She wanted me. I wanted her.
Those giant blue eyes of hers were so earnest. So delicately sweet that it reminded me that I would have to do everything in my power to care for this precious girl.
The only thing was, I wasn’t quite certain whether we should tell the rest of the crew how things were between us until we were a bit more certain ourselves.
We had just found a good balance with the ship, the crew, and our routine. It didn’t seem like a good time to change things.
After a rowdy supper full of strange tales from Willy’s previous adventures, with Maggie giggling sweetly at every opportunity, Dobbs came back from above deck, tilting his head to me.
I followed him to the side of the room. “What is it, lad?”
“I can’t quite be sure, Captain, but I may have seen some lights behind us.”
“Consarnit,” I cursed under my breath. “Where’s Willy? We need those eagle eyes.”
Willy had incredible eyesight, and claimed to be able to tell you whether a coin was gold or silver from a half mile away.
We went up to the stern, and followed to look where Dobbs pointed. “There. I’m not sure whether it could be lanterns on a ship, or maybe an electrical storm far away. But it didn’t seem to be following us.”
Willy steadied himself and focused. “It’s too far away for me to be positive, but that could definitely be a ship.”
After a round of colorful cussing, I said, “Willy, set our course two points northerly.”
“Off the course, Captain?”
“Yes. Not enough that we lose too much time, but enough so that if they’re following us, they’ll be confused.”
“Aye, Captain.”
We all went to sleep shortly after, with Dwyer on watch. Once again, Maggie slipped into bed beside me, keeping a little distance between us. Yet she seemed to grow a bit more comfortable about touching me every night.
I knew it was just a matter of time before she curled
completely into my arms for the night from the very beginning. I would have to be patient, since my beautiful girl was clearly quite innocent.
It shouldn’t arouse me as much as it did, knowing that I would be the one to show her the ways of the world, and the ways of her deliciously delicate body.
Drifting off, I felt her little hand reach out to rest over my heart as I fell asleep. Nothing could have been more perfect.
It felt like several hours later when I woke up to feel Maggie curled around me completely. Even her legs were pressed up against me, as if she was quivering with desire. Reaching my arms around her, I held her close, stroking gently along her spine as she released a long, low sigh.
As I pulled myself completely out of sleep, I considered how to proceed with my sweet little lamb.
Then I realized her teeth were chattering.
A sharp knock made me sit bolt upright, with Maggie still clinging to me.
“Captain, I tried to bring us back, but I think we’ve gone too far off course,” Dwyer said urgently through the door.
I realized with a start that the air around us was positively icy. The Captain’s quarters were more spacious and refined, but between the wind whipping around the walls and the large window it got colder in poor weather than the bunkroom forward.
“I’ll be right there,” I called out.
Lighting the lantern, I said to Maggie, “Pull your dress on, wrap yourself in blankets, then carefully take this lantern forward to the bunkroom.”