Autumn was done changing his bandages when Daniel's eyes flickered open. He looked at her.
"Autumn?" he said. His voice was hoarse.
"Shh," she said, putting her finger to his lips. "Don't talk."
"You have your voice back," he said.
She nodded. "I got it back yesterday," she said. "I'm so glad that you're awake."
"Where am I?" he asked.
"Home," she said.
"I cannot be," he said. "I belong on the ship." He pulled back the covers and sat up. His breath hissed through his teeth as he felt pain in his chest.
"No, you don't," she said. She sat behind him and made him lean against her. "You belong here. To get well."
He laid his head against her breasts. "How long have I been here?" he asked.
"Almost two weeks," she said.
"What happened?" he asked.
"You were injured during the battle with an enemy ship," she explained. "You caught a sword in your chest. Robert sent you home to get well. You had a fever last week."
He remembered feeling very hot. She stroked his hair from his face. It had grown a little.
"I cannot believe I am here," he said. "I promised myself that when I left, I would never return."
"I'm here for you," she said.
He took her hand. "I am glad," he said.
For the next couple of weeks, Daniel worked to get his strength back. A few of his old friends came by to see him. Autumn could feel herself panic every time a man kissed her hand or looked at her. She grew tired of feeling that way. She knew that she would never let a man touch her or make love to her. She was scared of intimacy. Her close escape of rape haunted her. She knew she had to do something. Soon she had an idea.
The next day, she went shopping. She bought a silk pair of lingerie. She was going to seduce Daniel into making love to her. She thought of no other man she wanted to give her virginity to. She felt secure and safe in his arms. She felt pleasure when he kissed her.
After supper, she went up to her chambers and put on the lingerie. It fit her form perfectly. It hugged her body in all the right places. It was made from white silk. She told Mary Ann to fetch Daniel.
She got butterflies in her stomach when she heard his footsteps. He knocked on the door. He came in when she told him to. He shut the door behind him and turned around to look at her. His mouth dropped open.
"W-what are you wearing?" he asked.
"Lingerie," she said, moving toward him. When she got to him, she began unbuttoning his shirt. She looked up at him. "Do you like it?" she asked seductively.
He nodded. She smiled. She slipped his shirt off his shoulders and down his arms. He was no longer wearing a bandage. The hole in his chest was closing. It looked bruised. She kissed his wound lightly. He gasped. She looked up at him.
"Did I hurt you?" she asked, worriedly.
He shook his head. She rose on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck. She lifted her face toward his.
"Kiss me," she whispered.
He wrapped his arms around her. He bent his head and kissed her. With his tongue, he coaxed her lips to part. They parted instantly. His tongue thrusted inside her mouth. Her arms tightened around his neck.
