Chapter 5
Chapter Five
CYRUS
I’m sitting in this beautiful landscape, with the trees, the waterfall and animals to keep me occupied.
However, none of that is keeping my attention.
No, it’s the tiny woman a few feet away from me. Wet hair pooling on the grass below her, chest raised with her pebbled nipples on display. Legs splayed out like she’s daring me to trace them with my fingers.
I just broke down over the person I love being injured and her being in love with someone else. Somehow Tally’s making those worries disappear into thin air the longer she stays laid out.
She’s a shiny distraction.
One I think she’s trying to get me to take. One I’m swaying towards taking.
But I can’t.
Not yet.
Not whilst Amara is still unconscious, with death still at her doorstep. Not whilst my crew still needs me. As first mate, whilst Amara is incapacitated I’m port of call, and I’m MIA with Tally.
The breeze picks up blowing along my still damp skin and I decide that staying a few more minutes won’t hurt. I need time to accept everything too.
A few more minutes of admiring Tally spread out like a damned meal.
Her eyes are still closed when a smile breaks across her face. “I can feel you staring.”
Fuck.
Averting my eyes, I pin them to the waterfall.
A girlish giggle fills the air. “I don’t mind, stare away.”
Fucking fuck.
I think my extra couple of minutes of peace has ended. Standing up I start pulling on my clothes only to be reminded they are still covered in blood. It’s either walk back to the inn naked or have another bath when I get back.
From the heat I can feel on my back, walking back naked doesn’t seem like a good option. With any luck Tally will follow my lead as well. I don’t think I have it in me to watch her walk back naked without letting her become a distraction.
With my back to her I hear her sigh and get up, scuttling about on the bank to gather her clothes.
Throwing my shirt, trousers and boots on before picking up my outer layers to carry back. No way am I about to put that all back on. My shirt has minimal staining and my trousers are only a little worse for wear, so with any luck I can get back without being plastered in blood and gunk again.
When I finally turn around, Tally is still very much naked. All her clothes are folded inside her coat that she's tied up to carry. Her smile splits her face wide open as if she has no care that just about anyone can see her once we start heading back.
My gaze drops from her smile, to her perky breasts, down her stomach to her jutted hip. I use the last of my restraint to stop myself from peeking at the nexus of her thighs. Just about.
Her smile turns to a smirk. “Come on, let's head back to the inn. I need some food.”
Tally leads the way the whole time, leaving me the perfect view of her swaying hips and round arse, bouncing with each step.
The view is distraction enough until the back of the inn comes into view.
Then the panic sets in again.
My steps start to falter as my heart rate picks up. However my features remain set in place.
What if she died whilst I was out checking out another woman? What if she declined further and I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye?
What if she woke up and I wasn’t there to help?
Tally senses my spiral and grabs my hand. The smirk is no longer on her face, instead a small smile blooms across her lips. “We’ll go in the back, ditch the dirty clothes and go check on her. Then I’ll show you to your room. Okay?”
I nod.
I want to respond, but the lump in my throat won’t move enough to allow me.
Focusing on putting one foot in front of the other we make it inside the back door.
Tally takes the blood soaked clothes from my arms with a quiet, “Wait here,” before disappearing through another door.
She returns moments later– minus the sodden clothes– and now wearing a long coat that's far too big for her.
She twirls, grinning wide. “What do you think?”
I let out a huff. “That thing dwarfs you.”
With a roll of her eyes she grabs my hand again. “It’s my Dad’s, but he doesn’t need it right now.”
We weave through the throngs of people buzzing around. It seems the time away gave everyone a chance to come in and get seen by Doc.
Sweet aromas fill the air, covering the stench of death just below it.
When we enter the tavern, it's been converted into two different sections. One side is full of patients being treated by Doc and a few others. The other side has a full spread of food.
In the very centre is the table that Amara was laid out on.
Empty.
It’s fucking empty.
My heart instantly drops to my feet. My ears rush with blood and I fear I’ve forgotten how to breathe. No. Why isn’t she there? She can’t be dead. We weren't gone that long, so why isn’t she there?
Tally follows my line of vision and when she sees the table empty she winces. Great, so I’m not the only one assuming the worst.
When Doc sees us from across the room he smiles, not a sympathy smile, a fully fledged grin. Even with blood streaked across his face and arms the bastard is grinning.
His gaze flicks to the empty table before falling back on me. “She’s stable, Henri carried her to a room not long ago. She’ll be okay.”
“Has she woken up yet?” Tally asks, picking up on my inability to speak.
He shakes his head. “No, but she’s alive. She needs a lot of rest. Mabel’s with her.”
My heart cracks again. She’s with the one she loves. That needs to be good enough for me.
I nod and turn away. I need to sleep this day away. Sleep the whole experience away. Luckily my lack of words is nothing new, so no one picks up on the fact I’m falling apart on the inside.
Except for Tally, who’s footsteps follow behind me as I walk to the room I’ll be claiming for the next few days. Picking the one furthest away from everyone, I kick open the door and enter. Only for Tally to follow behind me.
I turn to glare at her, although all she gives me in return is another small smile. “Did you need anything? Food? A drink?”
I shake my head. All I want is to sleep and forget.
Then my gaze catches on her bare legs, partially hidden under the long coat and maybe, just maybe, I’m allowed a distraction to help me forget. Just this once I can do something for me.
“Stay.”
Her eyebrows shoot into her hair line as her mouth forms a little ‘O’. “You want me to stay?”
Do I?
I shake my head no. The thought was a stupid one.
I can’t let myself get distracted. The next few days will be too important to be distracted.
I need to be ready for when Amara wakes and needs me.
I need to be there for my crew. I need to be ready for whatever happens.
Not off taking distractions just because.
Even if that's what most of the pirates downstairs will be doing tonight.
I turn my back to her again, before kicking off my boots.
Hopefully she’ll get the hint and leave.
Then her hand finds my shoulder and turns me back around.
This close I can feel her breath hit me, and her dark eyes sparkle beneath the candle light. She’s so much shorter than me, her head is tipped back to see me.
Her hand is still on my shoulder, and with a gentle squeeze, I let everything go.
I can have one night of distraction. Fuck it.