Chapter 25: Javan Sunset
Author's Note: There's some anal sex in this chapter. Please skip over if that's not your thing.
*****
Marmora was an interesting city to see in the middle of the night.
At least, that's what Will Calland thought as he stood on the deck of the
Treasure
and watched the reflection of lights and shadows that made up the ancient Apulian city. From just off in the distance, he could still hear the faint murmur of activity coming off the market nearest the docks. That market square was lined with taverns, and at this time of night, they were still in full operation.
Usually, he would be fully asleep right now but something was bothering him. It wasn't the snoring of Captain Axel, the leader of their company of soldiers, even though Axel had enough nose power to wake an army. Something about sleep that night refused to come to him, and he reluctantly slipped out of the bed he shared with Lindsay and made his way above deck.
He wasn't the only one awake at that hour, and Will could see a group of soldiers on one of the lower decks sitting by the edge and playing a game of dice. They weren't being loud but their subtle voices still carried up to his position where he stood leaning against the railing. For the most part, the soldiers had been well-disciplined during the first part of their voyage to Apulia, scarcely causing any incidents. Will had half-expected that with a woman on board, they might be a little more apt to let their personalities show but so far, no one had shown Lindsay a hint of disrespect or impropriety.
They really were some of the best Galician soldiers around, and his father did an excellent job in maintaining their training. Even with their protection on the ship, something still gnawed at him, making sleep impossible.
It could have been that they were due to leave tomorrow, setting sail from Marmora to make their way down the Slot between Apulia and Samara until it opened up into the wider sea avenue that led to Picardy. The act of sailing didn't bother him in the slightest but the fact that he had his first real news about what awaited him in Picardy did.
"War follows pestilence in Picardy!" yelled the street caller yesterday as Will made his way through the streets of the city. "King Aedan's capital is about to fall! Again!"
Will had promptly stopped what he was doing to find out just what was about to fall, finding a mix of hearsay and intentionally vague statements that led him no closer to finding out the real situation in Picardy. Even still, if the Swabian activity in Picardy now seemed centered around the capital city of Daban, it meant he would be sailing into a literal war zone when he arrived.
The only positive to that kind of realization was that it probably meant he wouldn't have to look hard to find Katherine Rosdahl, knowing she would likely be near the center of the action. That is, as long as she was still alive.
Will tapped his fingers against the railing of the yacht as his thoughts went rampant in his head. He wished he knew exactly what he would find when he landed, but it seemed that it would be a crapshoot from the moment the ship docked in the city.
"Will?"
He turned suddenly to see a very sleepy Lindsay opening the sliding door and making her way out to the balcony. She had a robe thrown on that covered most of her body (at least it would have if she had cinched it in the front). Without it, Will could see a flimsy white tank top and a small pair of shorts that hugged her lower half.
"Why are you up?" she asked, stifling a yawn as she wrapped her arms around his torso. He put his arm around her and looked back out to the city.
"Couldn't sleep," he replied.
"Why not?"
Will smiled. "You snore terribly."
If she was sleepy before, she wasn't now. Her eyes blazed instantly. "I do not!"
He imitated a loud snore and Lindsay jabbed a finger in his chest. "You know that I don't snore, Will!"
"I know, I'm teasing," he said. "I was just imitating Captain Axel."
"Now that's a man with a serious problem," she added, her temper deflating. "But you still really haven't answered my question."
"I wish I knew," he said honestly. "Perhaps it's the thought that we have to leave here tomorrow. Our next planned stop is Picardy. You know the news that's being told about the island right now. It doesn't exactly sound very promising."
"True," she replied before looking up at him. "But we knew that going into this, right? We knew Picardy would be no picnic. What does it matter what news that we hear anyway? As long as the country hasn't completely fallen, nothing changes."
He nodded. "You're right. Nothing changes."
"One way or another, we still have to locate Katherine Rosdahl, right?" she asked.
"That we do," he confirmed. Ever since he broke the news to her about the true objective of this operation, Lindsay had gotten over her initial apprehension relatively well. Sure, she was thrown off guard for the rest of the evening, but by the morning, she'd adjusted herself to the new reality with the resilience of someone much older.
"So we just go about our task the way we need to," she said with a simple shrug, like there was no other obvious answer.
"It just bugs me a little not knowing what we're going to see when we get there," he said finally.
"I know," she admitted. "It does for me too. And I know Axel feels the same way even if he would never admit it."
Will took a few more deep breaths as he looked out to the night. In the distance, he could hear some rowdy yelling further ashore, the result of someone's falling out near the taverns, no doubt.
Lindsay tugged at his shoulder. "Come on back to bed please? I can't sleep in that tiny bed alone."
He started to laugh. "I thought it would make it easier for you to sleep if I wasn't there. At least then you'd have space to stretch out."
She pouted her lips and shook her head. "Not even close. I need you pressed against me to sleep anymore. Without your warmth behind me, there's no way I'll make it through the night." She began tugging his arm again.
Will chuckled as he allowed himself to be dragged back inside. Along the way, they had to be careful not to bump into any of the already sleeping soldiers while they made it back to their bed. There just wasn't enough room for one hundred people to sleep comfortably on the yacht, even with its size, and so sleeping arrangements were always tight.
That was no more apparent than when they reached their room. It was shared by three other officers in addition to Axel, all of them dozing soundly when they arrived (except for Axel, snoring loudly as usual). Lindsay shrugged off her robe and quickly climbed under the covers, holding her arms out for him. He didn't keep her waiting and slipped back into their small but warm bed a moment later.
"Much better," she said with approval as her eyes locked on him. She kissed him several times before Will closed his eyes, trying to get back to that elusive sleep he'd been missing.
Of course, without his problem being solved, sleep still seemed to be hard to come by. The next time he opened his eyes minutes later, he was surprised to see that Lindsay was still looking at him in the darkness.
"What's wrong?" he asked with a soft whisper.
Lindsay bit her lip. "I'm horny. Do you think we could . . ."
"Again?" he asked with another chuckle. She was one of the most insatiable women he ever met. Despite having sex nearly every single day, she wouldn't be satisfied unless they did it every morning, afternoon, and evening. Not that he minded, of course. Lindsay's body was spectacular and sex with her was always a welcome invitation. He just remained surprised that she was willing to do it when surrounded by others in these tight quarters.
She nodded and turned around, pressing her backside against his chest and her butt firmly against his crotch. She reached down and hurriedly kicked off those skin tight shorts, and Will's hand grasped her bare ass. "Hurry please, Will. I need you inside me, baby."
It took him no time at all to get hard—it never did with Lindsay—and he yanked down his own sleeping shorts and felt his manhood slip into the space between her thighs. He knew she was ready for him by the feeling of wetness that coated the tip once he was close enough. As he grabbed the shaft and lined up the opening, both of them let out a small groan once he'd fully penetrated her.
That groan was silenced immediately by the sound of one of the officers coughing. Both of them froze in their spot, not even bothering to thrust. Lindsay looked behind them, focusing in on one of the lieutenants who made the noise. They waited for about a minute, daring the lieutenant to make another sound while remaining joined at the hips.
"He's sleeping," whispered Lindsay as she began to push her crotch back to him.
It was all the signal he needed. Will started to thrust his hips to meet her response, carefully driving his cock deep into her body. He quickly forgot about his worries from up on the balcony and instead concentrated on enjoying the feeling of intimacy with the woman he loved.
Their small bed started to creak noticeably as the tempo increased but by this point, neither of them cared. Lindsay's hands were firmly planted against his ass, wanting him to move even faster as they both approached the edge. Will knew he wouldn't last long, but he was thankful that as quick as he was to the trigger, she was always faster.
Lindsay pushed her face in the pillow to stifle the moan as her body stiffened, and Will could already feel the way her pussy was clamping down on his cock. The pressure of that feeling, combined with the fear of being caught and the nerves of their entire mission meant he buried himself a moment later, spurting off several heavy ropes of cum inside her body. He latched his mouth against her bare shoulder to keep from making any noises while she breathed heavily right beside him.
All too soon, it was over. Lindsay purred in a content manner while grabbing his arm to wrap possessively around her waist, using his hand to cup her breast. Even though they never pulled apart, his softening member soon exited her body, leaving a trail of spent juices along her thigh.
