What happens when you grow up

Chapter 17

Present day…

Tigerlily didn't know how long she sat curled against the bed, but eventually there were no more tears to cry. Taking a shaky breath, she pulled herself to her feet. If it were up to her, she would have stayed there forever—or at least until James returned—but she had her tribe to think of. They needed their chief. And Peter needed his mother.

So she took another breath, squared her shoulders, and forced herself to push open the door and walk away—across the deck, down the gang plank, through the woods and away from the ship… away from James.

He'll be back, she comforted herself. He just needs to blow off steam. We've had fights before. He always comes back.

And he always did. Usually, he was back within an hour or two. And Tigerlily knew it was for the best—they both had such strong personalities, they needed time to process things on their own, to blow off steam and to let go of any negative energy. And when they came back to each other… well, the makeup s*x was amazing.

Just last month they'd had a go. It had been over his travel plans (it's always about his travel plans, lately). He had accused her of trying to control his life, and she had called him an irresponsible child, and he had stormed off. Then she'd stormed off. And they'd both returned to their teepee at the same time that evening, still sore at each other, still uninterested in talking things out, still carrying tightly wound balls of energy inside of them.

"You're back," she'd said, and that's all she felt like saying.

"Yep." His tone was as clipped as hers.

She turned away, wrapping her arms around herself. She had planned on crawling into bed and fuming until she fell asleep, but she certainly didn't want to do that with him next to her. She heard him starting to take his shirt off and turned around. "Are you staying?"

He paused with his shirt halfway off. The comical appearance was at odds with the frustration in his voice. "Where else would I sleep?"

"I don't know," she snapped. "I just think it's pretty cheap to waltz in like nothing happened and leave things at that."

"Well, I don't see you trying to make amends either, princess." She hated it when he used her old title, and he knew it.

"Gods, you're such a child sometimes," she fumed, stepping closer to him with an angry sweep of her arm.

"And you're such an ice queen," he fired back, storming over to her until they were barely inches apart. She could feel his heat, and he could smell her sweet blossomy fragrance.

"At least I can control my emotions instead of letting them run amok."

"At least I can let loose and live a little!"

He grabbed her then, kissing her furiously. She responded instinctively, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders and twisting her fingers through his hair as her tongue clashed with his. He spun her around, slamming her hard against the support pole in the middle of the teepee, and she tugged impatiently on his shirt until it fell to the ground at their feet. As soon as it was off, he grabbed her wrists in one of his hands, holding them above her head against the wood as his mouth continued to devour hers. He shoved a knee between her legs roughly, rubbing against her core until she was slick with desire. She moaned into his mouth, arching into him as far as she was able, growling with frustration when she was impeded by his iron-tight grip.

James tore his mouth from hers, peppering her neck and throat with harsh kisses. "You just need to let go sometimes," he growled against her throat.

"Then show me how, if you think you can," she growled back, licking his collarbone.

Without another word, James unbuckled his belt and pulled it off. Then he used it to bind her hands securely against the pole so that she was stretched up on her tip-toes. He grabbed her hair and gave it a harsh yank, jerking her head back so that he could more easily crush his mouth against hers. With his free hand, he grabbed one of her breasts, squeezing with just the right amount of pressure so that she swayed on the fine line between pleasure and pain. He squeezed again, a little harder this time, as he pushed himself more firmly between her legs, starting to grind against her in a familiar rhythm that sent flashes of hot anticipation through her entire body. Already she felt like she would go mad with desire if she wasn't allowed to release all the tension building within her, but James was only getting started. He suddenly let go of her breast and tore the front of her dress straight down the middle so that both breasts spilled into the cool night air. A pleasantly shocking chill spread across her and her n*****s immediately hardened. James latched onto one, rubbing against it with rough fingers and pinching it just hard enough to send more shockwaves of pleasure through her. With his other hand, he clutched between her legs, squeezing and needling and probing. Tigerlily groaned, out of both desire and frustration as she teetered on the edge of oblivion.

James removed his hand from between her legs and she hissed in disappointment. She watched him warily as he bent and retrieved his shirt. Carefully, he tucked it around her eyes so that she couldn't see a thing.

"This will have to do," he said, making a last adjustment to ensure she couldn't peek.

"What are you doing?" she asked, already breathless with yearning.

"Helping you let go of control," he replied.

Deprived of her sight, her sense of touch was that much keener, and she reveled in James' feathery-light touches as he skimmed his fingertips over her lips, her throat, her breasts and her sides, hesitating only a second as he skimmed between her legs. The touches were so quick and light, yet each one sparked a thousand nerve endings. She wanted to cry from desire.

She felt her husband fumble with something, hearing a rustle near her hip, and suddenly something startlingly cool and metallic pressed against the corner of her mouth. She sucked in a pleasantly surprised breath, her mind whirring to figure out what it was. It took only a second—it was the handle of his dagger, which never left his side. He had stolen it from the pirates months ago, thoroughly pleased with himself for snatching such a prize. The handle was fine silver, ribbed and covered in precious stones, about four inches long.

"Oh," she groaned as he trailed it down her jaw line and over the hollow of her throat. Its smooth, cold surface pricked her skin with pleasurable bursts of icy delight. Lower and lower it traveled, circling each n****e, running over her bellybutton, and then dipping lower still. James kicked her legs even further apart to give him better access, then started rubbing against her entrance, circling her most pleasurable zone, teasing, taunting, sliding in ever so minutely, retreating out. Tigerlily gasped as he finally slid the handle inside her all the way to the hilt, unexpectedly abrupt but agonizingly arousing. Faster and faster, he rocked it within her, hurling her into such ecstasy that she feared she'd go mad—but never letting her tip over the edge into oblivion.

"Do you want me?" James whispered in her ear, his voice strained with lust.

"Yes," Tigerlily gasped out.

"What do you want me to do?"

Tigerlily fought to think straight, but it was difficult when she was so deeply lost in the haze of pleasure. "I want…" She caught her breath as he dug in particularly deep.

"Yes?" The handle stayed where it was, waiting expectantly.

"I want you to f**k me!"

It was all the encouragement James needed. The dagger disappeared as he grabbed her by the knees and hoisted her up, slamming himself into her. Again and again he pounded into her, knocking her back into the pole and sending spikes of sweet pain through every fiber of her being. He yanked on her hair once more, biting at her ear, and she desperately wanted to rake her nails across his back. She couldn't, though, so she did the next best thing, sinking her teeth into his shoulder. He gave a grunt of pleasure and grabbed at her backside, squeezing it tightly as he shoved himself even more powerfully into her. Finally, when she thought she would die from the anticipation, she toppled over the edge into sweet release. James followed shortly afterward.

It took them some time to catch their breaths as they leaned against each other, gasping for air. Finally, Tigerlily felt her heartbeat start to slow down. But she wasn't done yet.

"All right, cowboy," she purred into James' ear, "untie me. It's my turn now."

James quirked a curious eyebrow. "Your turn?"

"Come on," she said with an impatient tug against his belt, "or are you scared?"

"Madam," he replied with his dazzling grin, "I'm fearless." He pulled at the belt, his fingers clumsy with desire. "Do your worst."

Tigerlily chuckled, then sprang up on her toes and kissed her husband hard on the mouth, pushing him backwards until his legs hit their bed. Then she pushed him hard, hard enough that he took a surprised step backwards—or tried to—and tumbled onto the mattress. Before he could recover, she had scrambled on top of him, catching his wrists and tying them to the headboard with his own belt.

"Sneaky little vixen, aren't you?" James drawled, desire darkening his eyes.

"You have no idea," Tigerlily replied with an impish grin. She straddled his hips, careful to keep a thin stretch of her dress between their bodies, and started to rock on top of him. At the same time, she reached down and grabbed his shirt from the ground where it had fallen, dropping it over his eyes so that he was blindfolded just like she'd been.

This time, it was James who groaned in both pleasure and frustration. "That's not fair."

Tigerlily rocked harder, heat pooling through her legs as she felt his hardness through her dress. She had to fight to keep her voice steady as spikes of ecstasy rolled through her. "All's fair in love and war, darling."

She leaned down and kissed him hard on the mouth, then let her tongue trail down his neck and over his chest, reveling in his salty taste. Her tongue glided over one n****e, then the other, as she reached back with one hand and wrapped her fingers around his hardness, stroking skillfully. James groaned again, more desperately this time. She kissed her way further down his chest, then reached his stomach, slipping her tongue into his bellybutton. James' chest hitched impatiently underneath her as she made her way even further south.

"Do you want me?" she asked, hovering over his hardness so that her lips barely brushed it.

"Oh, hell, yes!"

"What do you want me to do?"

James' voice was desperate. "I want…" He groaned as she nipped him, losing his train of thought for a long second. "I want you to suck me dry!"

She took him into her mouth, sliding her tongue around his hardness and slipping him further down her throat until there was no more to take. James moaned in frantic pleasure, arching against her as she sucked. Just as she felt him ready to release, she paused wickedly, letting the anticipation stretch out.

"Bloody hell! Don't stop now!" James begged.

So she gave him one more suck, and he was undone. She stood up, catching her breath and letting James do the same. She leaned over him and untied the belt buckle, swatting the shirt away afterwards. As soon as his hands were free, James sprang up, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his lap.

"You're amazing," he gasped, peppering her with kisses much lighter than before. "Just amazing."

"So are you," she replied, kissing him just as passionately.

He cupped her chin. "I'm sorry for the things I said."

"I am too," she replied, winding her fingers through his.

And so they made up, like they always did. And it was that pattern that comforted Tigerlily now as she trudged back to the village. This was certainly one of their worse fights… perhaps their worst fight. But they always made up, and this time would be no different.

That's what she told herself, anyway.

But in her heart of hearts… she wasn't so sure.