Unforgivable

Sorry it's taken so long for me to update!!! This story has not been abandoned, I promise - and it WILL be finished. Unfortunatly I have major shit going on in RL which has left me with little energy or time for writing of late. BUT I will continue and complete this fic, I swear!
Hope you enjoy the next chapter, and that it was worth the (very long) wait!

Jack opened his eyes to moon-silvered shadows and the silken caress of Lizzie’s hair draped across his thighs.

When her lips found him he moaned approvingly and she glanced up at the sound, a smile in her eyes. He returned it, then gave a contented sigh as she settled to her task.

It took very few minutes for soft, dormant flesh to swell and harden under her ministrations; no time at all for the heat to gather in his loins and begin its inexorable rise. He soon found himself murmuring her name like a litany, fingers flexing and tightening on the shadowy spill of her hair.

THIS was what he’d longed for; what he’d missed so much. To feel Lizzie - HIS Lizzie – caress him just so; each touch designed to enhance his pleasure. No release gained by his own hand could ever be this sweet. He’d love, he thought dreamily, to spend the rest of his days drifting here in this sleepy, erotic limbo. Stay here forever, savouring each delicious sensation until the Dutchman came to claim them both.

When those quick, pretty fingers voyaged further he arched up instinctively to ease her way; shivering in anticipation as she sought the place inside which made him feel so hot and tight, so desperate, so ready to –

“No-no-stop-not-yet!”

Squirming free, he grunted in urgent denial and groped frantically between his thighs.

Elizabeth waited patiently until the stream of tight-lipped prayers and curses had subsided, then made a polite, enquiring noise in the back of her throat.

A relieved grin answered her unspoken question, and he moved his hand away with a triumphant flourish.

“S’alright, still primed and loaded, as it were.”

“So I see!”

She giggled, reaching down, but Jack batted her fingers away.

“Best not just yet, luv. M’still in danger of a misfire, if ye get me drift – an’ I’ve a need t’make this last – t’prolong the pleasure, as it were. Trouble is, all that bloody abstinence played havoc wiv me self-control.”

“Abstinence was it?” Shooting him a cheeky grin, she settled herself more comfortably against his side. “So that’s what you left all over my clean shirt!”

“No, darlin’. That were called frustration.”

“Oh really?”

“Aye, really. A serious an’ terrible affliction; bought about by th’lamentable lack of what I need most in this world.”

Her eyes flashed with warmth - and mischief.

“I’d no idea the loss of your beloved rum would be so devastating.”

“Bein’ deprived of life’s sweetest nectar is the cruelest, most unnatural punishment known to man, Lizzie – ye should know that by now.”

He assumed a tragically wounded expression, and she wriggled up beside him to trace the jutting curve of his lower lip with the tip of one finger.

“Wretch! I missed you too.”

Jack abandoned his teasing pout for a rather guarded smile.

“Don’t recall goin’ anywhere, darlin’.”

“No? It seems to me that you’ve been trying very hard to be wherever I‘m not.”

“Ah, well, ye see that would be on account of the fact m’no great lover of pain. An' ye have been disturbin’ly eager to inflict said pain on me person of late. Seemed best fer all concerned t’keep me distance.”

“You pushed me away.”

“No. Never! Just tried t’abide by yer wishes, luv. Thought ye wanted me t’leave ye be.”

“But that wasn’t what I wanted at all! I needed you.”

“Got the distinct impression all ye needed were t’hit me a lot.”

“Oh Jack! Hasn’t fear ever made you lash out at the ones you love most? I was frightened - I’ve never done this before!”

“An’ yer think I have? M’bloody scared meself, as it happens. Watchin’ ye suffer cos of me and not bein’ allowed to offer comfort ain’t easy, ye know. How was I meant t’know that ‘bugger off’ an’ a slap meant ye wanted me company?”

Elizabeth had the grace to look a little sheepish.

“Alright. I suppose I have been a little impatient, of late-”

“Impatient? IMPATIENT? Try violent an’ highly dangerous! I tell ye luv, I’ve figured out a fair few conundrums in me time but none’s left me as baffled an' wary as the workin’s of a woman’s mind.”

“Hah! Pirates are a great deal more vexing, I assure you. Particularly pirate captains.”

“Care to put that theory to the test, me girl? Though seein’ yer both female AND a pirate, ye do, in fact, have an unfair advantage.”

“Quite true. And in the interests of avoiding your sulks when you inevitably lose, I’ll be generous and call a truce. We’ll settle on us being an equal – and perfect - match.”

Jack was still pondering whether to be insulted or touched when one slim-fingered, elegant hand – previously curled in quiet innocence against his chest - made a swift and very gratifying journey south. And when she tightened her grip, he found himself suddenly - and most delightfully - lost for words.

He pulled her towards him with a hungry groan; laid claim to her mouth with eager enthusiasm. Determination to savour this reunion held his passion in check – at first. It was not long, however, before desire overwhelmed slow tenderness, and his caresses grew increasingly urgent.

But, when he rolled her eagerly beneath him, she arched and stiffened in his tight embrace, her face contorting with sudden pain.

His weight left her in an instant; his gaze raking her body for signs of damage. Finding none, he peered at her face in the dim light, his dark eyes wide and wary.

“What? What is it? What’d I do?”

“Nothing!” She smiled at him then; warm and reassuring, and her hand drifted up to touch the swollen curve of one breast. “I’m still a little sore here, that’s all.”

“I hurt you.”

“Only a little. I’m alright, I swear – please don’t stop!”

But he shook his head, groaning, then hefted himself into a sitting position, his head bowed so that the thick weight of his hair fell forward to hide his face from her view.

“Jack! I said I’m alri–”

“No. No yer not. Ye’re carryin’ me child.”

“A fact you’ve been aware of for some time! Why should that make any differ-”

“Cos it does, Lizzie! There’s three of us now, an’ I should’ve been more careful. M’so sorry, luv.”

Elizabeth sighed, then scrambled up beside him and reached for his hand.

“You’ve nothing to be sorry for. You took me by surprise, that’s all; it really didn’t hurt that much. There’s absolutely no need for you to stop.”

“There’s every need, darlin’. If we don’t – if I don’t – or, in fact, do, as the case may be – then the inevitable end result of such an undeniably delightful dalliance could well prove disastrous.”

“Jack, my dearest, darling love?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you PLEASE tell me what on earth you are talking about?”

The exasperation in her voice made him groan again.

“Tis simple enough, darlin’,” he murmured sadly, “given what we’d be doin’ right now if th’natural order of events’d not bein’ prophetically diverted. Where would I be, Lizzie? Where EXACTLY would I be?”

Realisation dawned, and her fingers tightened on his as she glanced instinctively towards his groin.

“Can’t imagine such close proximity atween father an’ unborn son would do the latter much good.”

“You mean – when you -”

“Stands t’reason, darlin’, if ye think about it. Poor little lad – he’d be bumped about somethin’ wicked! At best he’d get a terrible headache – at worst I could do the poor little bugger permanent an’ lastin’ damage!”

“But surely that’s not possi-”

“I’d be right next t’him, luv,” he went on gloomily. “Jigglin’ an’ jostlin’ him about. What if I were to – well, knock him loose, as it were? Ye’d never forgive me! I’d never forgive meself.”

Elizabeth frowned. The fingers not entwined with Jack’s slid down to touch that small, firm place low in her belly, and she closed her eyes for a long moment, envisioning the tiny scrap of life concealed within. Could indulging in the very act which had created that life really cause it harm?

Finally she shook her head, an instinct she’d not known she possessed filling her with certainty.

“No; it’s alright. You won’t hurt her. I‘m sure of it.”

“How can ye be sure, Lizzie? Ye can’t be!”

“Yes I can. I don’t know why I’m sure, just that I am. I promise you, she’ll not come to any harm.”

Jack gave her a beseeching look, torn between caution and the desperate desire to believe. He wanted – needed – craved, in fact, the feel of her body around him. Every part of him ached for her – some parts, he thought, with a rueful, downward glance, considerably more than others. The temptation to take her at her word and throw her beneath him; to possess her body with his own and drive them both into hot, drenching oblivion, was almost irresistible.

Almost.

“Can’t risk it, Elizabeth. Dare not. Can’t ye see? If somethin’ bad were t’happen – I couldn’t live wiv meself. M’sorry.”

“But -”

“Lizzie don’t!”

“Fine!” Losing patience, she yanked her fingers free of his grasp. “Your loss.”

“Don’t be like that, luv! Just cos we can’t – I can’t – don’t mean I plan t’leave either of us wantin’. Ye know well enough, there’s plenty of other ways to-”

“No. I don’t want to anymore.”

There was a muffled thump as her head hit the pillow, and Jack twisted round to give her an imploring look.

“Now Lizzie-”

“I mean it. I’m actually rather tired.”

She gave an elaborate yawn to emphasise the point – then peered up at him through half-closed eyes.

“Really, Jack, it’s fine. We’ve waited this long; I’m sure a few more months won’t harm us.”

“But-”

“Shhh, it’s alright. I don’t mind, honestly. It’s probably for the best.”

He made a soft, pained sound in the back of his throat, and she bit back a smile.

“Come and lie down with me; you must be tired too.”

“Can’t,” he whimpered, looking down. “It bloody won’t, not now.”

“Just until I fall asleep? Please? I’ve missed you so much…”

He cast a bitter glance towards his desk, convinced for a moment that the jar of oil it held was sniggering at him.

“Ye’d best make it bloody quick then,” he growled, and wriggled down beside her.

But Elizabeth was, it seemed, set on torturing him for his self-inflicted asceticism.

She curled into him like a kitten; showing little compassion for that achingly hard part of him which throbbed impatiently against her belly. He gritted his teeth, willing her to show him mercy; to slip into dreams with considerate haste – but as the minutes passed she remained frustratingly alert. And WRIGGLY; each slow, subtle shift making him throb and ache a little more.
.
“Buggerin’ hell Elizabeth!” he hissed finally, “Can ye not take pity on a man?”

She drew back just far enough to give him a reproachful glance.

“I’m just trying to get comfortable! Besides, it’s not easy to fall asleep when someone is GLARING at you.”

“I was not!”

“Oh yes you were. Glaring and sulking.”

Jack made a concerted and not terribly successful attempt to turn his pained expression into a grin.

“Better?”

“Not noticeably.” She sighed, then tilted her chin towards him. “In fact not at all. I think you’d best give up and kiss me instead.”

“THEN will ye lie still?”

“I might. IF you make a decent job of it.”

He took up the challenge with alacrity, despite the warning voice that told him such an endeavour would do nothing to improve matters. And her fingers on the tender skin of his nape as she drew him closer, coupled with the soft, contented noises she made, soon proved that warning voice frustratingly correct.

In fact, he mused, her response was surprisingly enthusiastic, considering she’d recently professed herself far too tired to partake of such delights…

When one long, slender leg wrapped itself oh-so-casually over his hip, he drew back and gave her a knowing look.

“Just how bloody daft d’you think I am, darlin’?”

She fluttered her lashes at him, lips curved into a coy grin.

“I must say your timing for such a question is rather odd, but if you really want to know -”

“No need – I’ll answer it meself. Not THAT daft. S’not goin’ t’work!”

“It won’t?” She shrugged, her grin widening. “Well you can’t blame me for trying.” One hand slid up to his shoulder, gripping tight as she levered herself upwards. “I’d best give up and go to sleep, then.”

Jack caught his breath as she shifted down again, and the slick, swollen tip of him pressed against her folds. An instant later his hips moved of their own violation; finishing what she’d begun with one swift, joyful thrust.

“Alright,” he panted, when the sheer, unadulterated bliss of being inside her again had subsided enough for him to speak. “You win. But –” he paused, arching back until they were barely joined, “- we do this my way, ye stubborn –” Another pause, as he surged forward again to bury himself to the hilt – ““Contumacious, temerarious…wilful…pervicacious…”

She silenced him with another kiss, taking up his languid, sensual dance. But the restraint of his movements was hard-fought; every instinct telling him to flip her beneath him and end this exquisite agony with the hard, frantic friction his body craved.

“No! Can’t – won’t - dare not,” he mumbled, hardly aware he was speaking aloud. “Be soft – be slow – Ohhhh! .ahhhh…Bugger-bugger-bugger-bugger –”

Abruptly his frantic monologue was interrupted by her low, shuddering cry. Taken by surprise, his fingers bit deep into her waist as she convulsed around him, gripping and releasing, intensifying the fire that raged through him by unbearable degrees.

By the time her battle was fought and won, his own raged twice as fiercely. He knew it would not take much - a short, sharp, frenzied burst– but it was a relief he could not and would not take.

“Lizzie let me free, NOW! Can’t do it like this; need yer mouth, yer hand-”

“No! Stay in me, I want to feel it when you -”

“But I can’t this way! Please, Lizzie; I’ll use me own hand if I must - m’hurtin’, luv, an’ I need t’finish it-”

“And you will,” she soothed, and he felt her hand at the base of his spine.

Jack barely had time to marvel that he’d not thought of such a thing himself when her fingers slipped inside him; and when they found their target, there was nothing left but burning, bone-melting sensation.

Feverish heat and impossible tension soared beyond endurance; held him, rigid and breathless in its embrace. It raced through every part of him; rushed back to its point of origin - then erupted in powerful bursts of throbbing heat. Each forceful contraction seemed to reverberate through his entire body; shaking him apart and wrenching a deep, guttural cry from his throat as blessed relief and exquisite pleasure cast him adrift.

Elizabeth gasped in sympathy as she cradled his quivering body close; the flood of scalding, drenching heat within filling her with a fierce and primal joy. For those brief moments he was helpless and achingly vulnerable, and his savage, untempered beauty seemed almost too exquisite to bear.

Then it was over; impassioned agony draining away to leave him in a sated, blissful stupor. She watched him tenderly, reaching out to brush back the tendrils of hair that clung to his cheek; tracing the lean curve of his jaw.

“Oh, Jack,” she murmured, after a while. “Have you any idea how much I love you?”

One kohl-smeared eyelid slid open, just a little.

“A great deal right now, I should think, since ye’ve managed to get yer own wicked an’ ill-advised way. Again.”

“Well you’re can’t pretend to be sorry I persuaded you.”

“Can’t I?”

“All evidence to the contrary,” she grinned, reaching down between them. Her fingers slid across softening, stickily wet flesh, prompting him to open the other eye and give her a blearily reproachful glare.

“Careful, luv. M’feelin’ a bit SORE there, still. Ye know how it is.”

“Indeed I do. But is it a lasting discomfort, do you think? One that will prevent you from succumbing when I feel the urge to…persuade you again?”

“Seein’ as m’weak-willed an’ easily led - a fact ye know all too well, me sneaky young seductress – I doubt that very much.”

“Oh good.” She pressed a quick kiss against his lips then drew back to smile at him again. “I love that you want to protect me, Jack – me, and our little one. But I meant what I said. If there had been even the slightest doubt in my mind I would never have-”

“I know, luv. Can’t blame me fer worryin’, though. Me experience of swivin’ expectant mothers is limited – you’re me first, in point of fact – an’ I’d never’ve forgiven meself if a few minutes pleasure lost ye the thing ye’d wanted so long.”

“There’d be few children born if what you feared was true. We’d certainly never have another!”

“Too bloody right,” he snorted, then pulled her towards him for a slow and lingering kiss.

“Time we was sleepin’ luv,” he murmured, when they eventually broke apart. “One of us has a busy day o’plunderin’ an’ pillagin’ ahead.”

“I suppose you’re right.” She gave him a quizzical glance. “But where will you be, whilst I’m busy with all that?”

Jack yawned and stretched like a cat, then snuggled contentedly back into her arms.

“I’ll be lyin’ right here, conservin’ me strength.”

“Oh? And why would you need to do that?”

“Fer further bouts of persuasion, of course,” he grinned, and settled happily to sleep.