Piracy

21. Hurt By Him

After Harry had satisfied me yet again with his skilled kisses and his long , adept fingers, we melted into each other and slept for a good part of the day.

Evening drew near and we awakened, still entwined with one another. I pushed myself up to kiss his lips and to ask, "Are you feeling better now?"

He grinned and replied, "You always make me feel better."

"So what happened?" I asked.

"Nothing you need to know about."

"Harry, please. I just sit in this cabin most of the time and I'm clueless about what's going on out there. I just want to know so that I can be here for you."

He sighed wearily. "They took everything."

"What?!" I whispered heavily.

"Somehow they found the room where most of my loot was stored. I have no idea how because it's well-hidden. But they took most of it."

"I'm sorry. But you're a mighty good pirate. I have no doubt you'll be able to get it back."

"Aye," he sighed. "We're pursuing them."

Since he was opening up to me a little bit, I decided to ask more about his life. "Will you please tell me more about your family?" 

"Why do you want to know so badly?" He muttered.

"Because I care about you, Harry."

He was quiet for a few moments. "You don't need to know about my past to care for me now," he reasoned.

"But I want to know. If you want me to stay forever, you can't just hide from me."

"It's none of your business!" He retorted.

I sat up and turned to face him while he still lay on his pillow."It is my business because I...I..." I was afraid to say it, afraid of how he might react.

"You what?" He asked, his voice more gentle now.

"I love you, Harry."

My confession was met with deathly silence. He closed his eyes and threw his arm over his face. I didn't know what I expected since he'd already said he didn't believe in love. I guess I had hoped that my love would soften him somehow, that it might help to heal some of the hurts from his past. He was still quite young, and not too long ago, he was still a child. Maybe he never experienced love the way he should have, so I wanted to give it to him.

But he didn't accept it. "Wren," he finally mumbled. "You can't love me. I'm an outlaw. Besides, I told you there's no such thing as love."

"What do you mean by that?" I demanded. "I can love you because I already do!"

"You're naive," he said, still covering his eyes.

"And you're a fool!" I snapped.

He took his arm away and looked at me with fierce anger. I faltered briefly, but then continued. "You don't scare me, Captain Styles. Sure, you're savage when you encounter your enemy, but I'm not your enemy. And I know you would never hurt me."

"Except that you want me to love you and I can't," he replied.

"Well, then I guess I was wrong," I said, biting my lip and forcing the tears back. "You can hurt me."

I got out of bed and dressed hurriedly, not even taking the time to put on shoes. I stalked toward the door, lifting the latch and throwing it open. Harry called after me, "Wren!" But I just kept going, without his permission.