Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen- Day Three at Sea, the Evening

The night before, Dianna and Josey's crew had walked into a pub, soaking wet and insanely tired. Dianna had approached the pub owner, her long hair dripping and sticking to her face, her simple, sapphire blue gown drenched and clinging to her body.

"Pardon us, sir. Would you happen to have any room for us to stay the night?" The pub owner, an old man with a wrinkled face and small, beady blue eyes had looked astonished at everyone's appearance, then had turned to Dianna to respond.

"You can have four rooms to share amongst yourselves until the storm passes," he had replied in a smoky voice with the slightest hint of a French accent.

And so everyone brought their luggage in and Josey divided the rooms. He gave him and Mack a medium-sized room with two cots to share, then divided the rest of the crew in half, giving one of the larger rooms to one half and the other to the other half. Lastly, he had given Dianna the smallest, single cot room to herself.

"I'm sorry it is so small," Josey had told her, actually seeming genuinely sorry.

"It's fine. I'm alone, so I don't need much space." She had replied, giving him a small smile and going into her room. She still wasn't used to being nice to him. Before, she had felt as if every conversation between them was an argument. Now, she felt a bit shy every time she spoke to him. Her heart would begin to pound slowly and loudly till she was sure the entire crew could hear it. She couldn't help but blush and turn away every time she saw him.

After they had settled into their rooms, everyone had gone right to sleep. It had been a long day trying to save the ship from the storm, and they all needed a good rest.

They had all slept in this morning, not waking until lunchtime. The pub owner had served Dianna and the men roast beef, grainy bread, and hot ale, and he had informed them that the storm would pass after tomorrow night.

There had not been much to do. The storm still raged on outside, so no one could go out. Everyone just tried to keep themselves busy with the hot beers and ales served by the pub owner, card games, and sleeping. Dianna spent most of the day trying to practice her sewing. The pub owner's wife had some old needle and thread that Dianna used to try and remember how to sew. She hadn't sewn in a year, but her hands seemed to remember how to do everything. She sat by the fireplace in the small main room of the pub, sewing and chatting with Mack, who sat by her playing solitaire with a grimy deck of cards.

Josey had been absent from everyone's sight all day, but he had been nearer than they thought. He had been hiding behind the staircase that led to their rooms, watching Dianna all day. He watched as she sewed, nothing in particular, just a piece of cloth made with different colored threads, since there wasn't one color of thread that was enough to actually sew something. He watched her laugh and chat, joke and smile her graceful, beautiful smile. He watched her spend her day with Mack, and he felt jealous. Insanely jealous. He didn't think there was anything romantic between them, but just the thought of her spending all her time with Mack had him so jealous he couldn't stand it.

Josey had never felt like this before. The fact that Dianna was not like any other girl he had ever met engrossed him. She didn't swoon at the sight of him, and somehow that had humbled Josey in the short time he had known her. He was tired and full of energy, hungry but couldn't eat, eager yet scared all at the same time. He knew he couldn't wait much longer.

The pub owner began to serve dinner, a type of fish soup and cheese and bread and ale. Everyone gathered around the long dining table, happy for something to do, even if it was just eating. Josey came out from behind the staircase and sat at the table as well. Everyone ate, slurping at the soup and heartily munching on the fish in the soup. The cheese and bread weren't fresh, but good enough.

Once everyone had eaten, they all seemed a bit happier. Luca, the accordion-playing pirate brought out his accordion and began to play a lively jig. The pub owner and the crew members moved the table and cleared a space on the floor. Everyone got up and began dancing around and singing along with the music. The pub owner brought out a violin and joined in with Luca. His wife came out from the kitchens, a plump, lively old woman, and joined the dancing pirates. Dianna joined Mack on the make shift dance floor and they twirled around each other, laughing and having fun. Josey could stand it no longer.

He stood up and walked onto the dance floor, joining the dance. He twirled around with the pub owner's wife, jumping and kicking his feet the way this particular dance required. When it was time to switch partners, he twirled the pub owner's wife away from him, and Dianna twirled to stand in front of him. She smiled at him and they danced, clasping hands when they had to, moving apart when needed and twirling around each other. They switched partners again, but Josey didn't let his disappointment show. They switched two more times before Dianna was his partner again. When he danced with her, he felt complete, and happy, a feeling he hadn't felt in a very long time.

After the song ended, Josey went outside to think. He stepped out into the cool night. It was raining, but there was no wind, so the water didn't bother him as he stood under the pub's awning. He breathed in the clean, cool smell of rain and closed his eyes, thinking about Dianna: her smile, her eyes, her attitude, her body, her hair, her dancing, the way she talked and walked... Everything about her enchanted him, until it literally hurt him to think about her. His heart clenched and squeezed tighter and tighter every time he pictured her soft skin, dimpled cheeks, wavy tresses, sparkling eyes, and full luscious lips.

When he opened his eyes, Dianna was standing next to him under the awning, almost as if he had conjured her there. She smiled at him and squinted into the darkness in front of them, letting one of her hands drift out from under the awning to feel the rain pour into her palm.

"What're you doing out here?" She asked him, still mesmerized by the rain.

"I needed some air. To think," Josey replied, still shocked at the sight of her.

"What do you have to think about? Our journey?" She continued questioning him, now bringing her hand back to her and wiping the wetness off on the skirts of her light green gown.

"Yes, a little bit. Our journey together is almost over," he answered, looking down at her sadly. She looked up at him, questions etched across her face.

"You seem sad about it."

"I am."

"Why?"

"After we take you back to your father, we shall never see you again."

"I know. I think I shall miss everyone," Dianna replied, looking down at the dirty ground.

"Everyone? Even me? I didn't think you liked me."

"Well, I... At first I... But now I... I don't know. I think we didn't get off to the best start. But as we got to know each other, we grew to have a mutual understanding," Dianna finally replied, looking back up at Josey with a nervous smile on her face.

"Do we really know each other? All I seem to know about you is what your father told me, and that you can be a big help on a pirate ship. But that's all. What do you know about me?" Josey asked, locking his eyes onto hers.

"Um, I suppose not much after all." Dianna replied, laughing as if all this was a simple joke. But Josey was not joking at all.

"Exactly. I don't know your favorite color, or your favorite food. Your favorite pastime, or your favorite dance or song. And you only know about my sad excuse of a childhood, but nothing else."

"What're you getting at, Josey?" She asked, seeming anxious now.

"I'm saying, we barely have any time left with each other, and we barely know anything about each other. I want to know you, Dianna Desmond. I want to know everything about you, until I know so much it hurts me."

"Josey--"

"Dianna. Don't you feel it too? Don't you want to know me?" Josey asked, grabbing her shoulders and looking deep into her coco eyes, imploring her to understand.

Dianna could deny it no longer. She hadn't known it before, but as Josey had been talking to her, she had realized it was true. Josey had challenged her like no other man had, he had allured her and intrigued her like no one had before. He was special, and she wanted to know just how special he was, she wanted to bask in that specialness.

"Yes, I do." She said. Without further ado, Josey leaned down and kissed her.

At first he was gentle, because he didn't want to hurt or shock her. He simply placed his lips down onto hers and held still. When he felt Dianna move closer to him, stand on her tip toes and open her mouth, he then began to kiss her harder. They were fervent, rough kisses, rushing all the little time they had together into this small space. Josey picked Dianna up as easily as picking up a feather, and held her against him, letting her hands feel through his golden hair and hold onto his shirt tightly as desire enveloped them both. They felt heat pass between them, a form of energy that awakened their desires further. Josey had kissed many women in his life, but kissing Dianna was like kissing a ray of sunlight: warm, energizing, perfect.

Josey slowly put Dianna back onto her feet and after a few more feverish kisses, they pulled apart.

"I want you, Dianna, like a hungry man wants food, or a poor man wants money. Like a cold man wants a warm blanket and a hot man wants to dance in the cool rains," Josey said. He stepped out from under the awning and pulled Dianna with him, so they were both under the steady rainfall. Dianna giggled as they were both quickly drenched. He pulled her into his arms and laughed with her, feeling rapture envelop them both.

"I want you, too. In every sense of the words. I want to hold you in my arms and kiss you until my lips bleed." Dianna told him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing herself against him.

"Are you sure? I know you are virginal. I don't want to hurt you." Josey said, suddenly serious. It had always been physical with him, but now with Dianna, he felt as if he could wait a thousand years if he had to. He didn't want her body, he just wanted her.

"I'm sure. I want to know you just as much as you want to know me. In every way." She said, standing on the tips of her toes so she could trace a line of kisses up his neck. Josey felt himself give in to her completely.

"Then let's have each other," Josey said. He kissed the top of her head, then sent her back inside. He would wait a while before entering the pub himself, so as to not cause suspicion.

Josey leaned his head up toward the heavens, the rain washing his smiling face. He finally felt that missing part of his life click into place. He was complete.

~

Author: don't worry! There's A LOT more to come! As I warned before, the next chapter will be mature, so please don't read unless you are over the age of thirteen. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING THIS FAR INTO THE BOOK! the good parts are just beginning, so bear with me! Please vote and comment! I love all my fans, and please enjoy reading the rest! :))))