Cloudless Skies

Chapter 8

"Who is his father?" Emma questioned Cole.

"That is none of your business. I have to be careful what I say around you. For all I know, you could be off telling him as soon as you get the chance. Just know, if he finds any of this out, you don't get your payment," Cole hissed through his teeth.

"I understand, Sir." Emma lowered her head.

"Good." He raised his fingers up and jabbed Emma in the side. She cried out in pain and fell to her knees. Tears threatened to escape her eyes. "I'll see you around."

Cole left the room and the trumpets sang. She wasn't sure how long she was on the floor for, trying to catch her breath as the pain only got worse. She heard footsteps in the hallway, but she couldn't get enough breath to scream for help. The doorknob jiggled and the door slowly swung open. She turned her head to see Killian's shoes.

"Swan, I brought you-" He cut himself off and the sound of metal on metal was heard. He knelt down and turned her onto her side. "What the bloody hell happened?" His voice was laced with fear and panic.

"Ran into something," she choked out. She buried her head in his thigh. "Help."

"I'm going to lift you up and put you on the bed. It's going to hurt, but you will be much more comfortable." He put his hand in hers. "Squeeze as hard as you can."

He lifted her up, and she did exactly that. She bit her lip to the point of drawing blood to silence her screams of pain. But when she was back on the bed, she was more comfortable. The pressure was immediately taken off of her ribs.

"Thank you," she gasped.

"You're welcome, darling." He handed her the tray of food. "I brought you something to eat."

There were two covered dishes, two glasses, and two sets of silverware. An ice bucket held a bottle of champagne.

"You're eating with me?"

He shrugged and opened the bottle. "I didn't want you to be alone."

A smile appeared on her face, but it quickly disappeared. She wasn't allowed to have feelings for Killian. He was supposed to get married after the cruise was over, and she'd never see his handsome face again. Never hear his beautiful, accented voice. She wouldn't get lovely dinners anymore. And she was doing all of this for money? She had enough saved up, and she knew she could just find another job that paid well, and live with Mary Margaret and David until she got back on her feet.

"Something on your mind, love?" He asked as he popped a piece of chicken into his mouth.

"Yeah. I was just thinking about you."

He smirked. "And what are those thoughts filled with?"

She blushed. "I don't kiss and tell." She ruffled his hair and went back to eating her food.

After they finished their food, Emma laid down and cradled her side. Her ribs were burning and stinging at the same time. Killian sat at the end of the bed, massaging her feet.

"Thank you for dinner and the massage, Killian," Emma said and put her free hand under her head.

"It's not a problem, Swan," he told her.

"I think you should go before anyone sees you in here."

"Do you still think that I'm ashamed of you?"

"Maybe?"

"Oh, Swan." He crawled up beside her and put his hand on her cheek. "I could never be ashamed of you." He pressed his lips on hers and kept this kiss gentle. She tried to scoot closer to him, but ended up breaking the kiss with a gasp.

"Fuck, that hurt." She leaned back on the pillows and pressed her hand to her side. Killian's hand wound its way to hers, and he scooted hers away and placed his there. He added some more pressure, and she relaxed. "Just like that."

He smirked and laid his head on her chest. She played with his hair as he held his hand to her side. He'd kiss any part of her body that he could reach. He knew he was warming up to her. He could feel it. "It doesn't feel like your rib is broken."

"It hurts like it is."

"I'm sure you'll be fine tomorrow."

"I hope so. I have to work."

"Swan, you can't work in these conditions."

"This isn't the first time I've been hurt while on the job here."

Killian's eyes widened. He propped himself up on his elbow, but kept his hand on her side. "What do you mean?"

"I've had other injuries. Wealthy people think they are so much better than poor people are. They think that they can do whatever the hell they want, and there will be no consequences for their actions because they can buy their way out of jail!" She yelled, but cut herself off as her side started to hurt even more.

"Emma, relax. Breathe." She took deep breaths and the pain started to fade away as her body relaxed. "Good girl."

They laid like that for a few hours. Killian waited until Emma fell asleep to leave. It was like she was afraid to drift off to sleep. He knew that if she was, then it was because of his father. Killian also knew that Cole was the one that made her hurt this bad. He didn't know what his bastard of a father did, but he was determined to find out.

As Killian looked at Emma, a smile formed on his face. He slowly took his hand off of her side, but she didn't move. Once his hand was completely away, he stroked her face and got off the bed. He pressed a feather light kiss to her forehead, and worked his way down to her lips. She still didn't move. He pulled away and left the room in search of his 'father.'