The Journey To Acre

Chapter 22

Marian sighs in her half-awake state, but does not move for she is determined to ignore the noise as long as she can.

It seems that Guy feels the same because he pulls the sheets over their heads, draws her deeper into his arms and buries his face in the nape of her neck.

"It is your turn I'm sure of it," she teases, indicating he should go to the door and he punishes her with gentle nips to her skin that make her gasp. Encouraged by this, his lips travel to hers and it's just as he's rolling on top of her that the wailing begins.

"Oh Archie! Can you not give us a bit longer?" Marian asks, not unamused by the feline who is now doubling in his efforts to scratch through the door. She's about to get up to let him in but Guy is not prepared to share her just yet – distracting her with hot open mouthed kisses to her neck that draw delicious moans out of her he never tires of hearing. Her body curls around his – the natural response to the massively pleasurable things he's doing to her – and his body responds; curling around hers, close as close can be, his tongue slipping into her mouth, mimicking that which he would do if there were no layers of material between them. Their fingers entwine and he pushes her arms up above her head, pinning her as his body moves in an unmistakable rhythm... It's just as he pauses a moment to make sure she's on board with all this, his eyes taking in the loveliness that is her flushed complexion and kiss swollen lips, that the scratching at the door is drowned out by a hammering of knuckles and a voice that in no way belongs to a feline:

"C'mon now you love birds! Quit shaggin', we've got work to do!"

.*.

The couple arrives on deck to the usual round of teasing.

Marian wishes the ground would swallow her up.

That she and Guy haven't done half the stuff the men seem to think they have is beside the point, her noble upbringing bristles at any suggestion of wanton behaviour.

Were they married, it would be another story, but as an unmarried couple, 'marital relations' were officially off the table. Naturally, this puts Marian in a difficult position where her virtue is concerned and she finds herself agonizing over her conduct by day, forming resolutions to take things slower, only for her good intentions to melt under Guy's touch by night.

Her saving grace is that she can say the word anytime and he'll stop. That much is certain. The problem is though, her brain isn't in the driving seat when she's with him. A thrum of excitement seems to take over mid-evening and all sensible consideration on matters of purity is done for as soon as they're alone.

It's confusing and more than a little alarming when one considers how things were between them as the journey began. The force with which she now wants him (fueled by the fear she'll lose him) is at times overwhelming, and no matter how much she tries to understand this thing that burns white hot between them, she cannot... All she knows is that the only thing that makes sense anymore is when he is with her in this way. In these moments, all questions as to how they got there become insignificant.

This puts her in a permanent state of flux. Head over heart. Heart over head.

The long shadow of Acre looms over them. Vaisey might be so careful as to leave them be whilst others are watching, but she knows it won't last...

The clock is ticking...

As they break their fast with the others up on deck before they go attend to their duties, Marian lets the sound of the waves drown out the coarse banter of the men. She has enough on her plate, without letting that get to her as well.

**********

It had not been Sully's intention to take on paying guests in his employ, but this was a journey of many firsts and he'd had to roll with the punches.