The Rogue Pirate (standard:romance, 1674 words)
Author: Sare	Added: Sep 30 2001	Views/Reads: 5188/3297	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A pirate love story, based on Cyrano's story entitled "Yo, Ho, Ho"...

Gathering her black cloak tightly about her shoulders, Lady Sarah
Bellington stepped lightly onto the flagstones at the bottom of the 
terrace steps.  Her boots made a confident “tap-click, tap-click” sound 
as she crossed the terrace, hurrying along the path that veered off to 
the right. 

Her father had been furious.  “How many dozens of men, Sarah, pass
through these gates to seek you out?  Young, respectable men, so 
suitable for you?  And yet left alone for a few minutes, and you’re 
dallying with worthless pirates?  Are you trying to shame me, Sarah?” 

She’d wanted to protest.  To cry, to pout, to stamp her feet in
frustration.  But she hadn’t.  She’d held her head high, turned, and 
walked from his study without looking back, though she heard him 
calling her name.  When she’d reached the heavy oak doors she’d pulled 
her cloak from the coat-closet and headed off into the night. 

As she came upon the orchard, she was beginning to regret her stubborn
impetuousness.  The air was heavy with frost, and her breath hung, 
visible, in the gloom. 

The orchard was deserted, of course.  Row after row of naked trees, so
different from the leafy, apple-filled branches from which she’d swung, 
not so long ago.  To distract herself from the cold and her fear, she 
left herself get lost in a memory...  Of dangling from the branches of 
her favourite apple tree, her left hand holding fast to the branch, 
swinging her body from side to side trying to gather momentum for the 
leap to the next branch.  She’d fallen, dropping out of the tree to 
land unceremoniously on the grassy ground.  She’d heard laughter and 
looked up to see a young man with long blond hair watching her.  Her 
blush lasted until long after she’d run into the house and hidden. 

Lady Sarah was ripped from her reverie when she heard a noise.  She
turned her head sharply, and her heart began to thud madly in her 
breasts, her breathing nearly stopped, as she caught sight of the 
pirate standing not ten feet away. 

“You’re out walking very late, milady,” he called to her. 

“What are you doing here!”  She wanted to run, but her mind and body
could not agree.  Her mind wanted to turn and run away.  Her body 
wanted to run to him. 

He smiled lazily as he came still closer, seemingly aware of the
struggle that raged within her.  He looked her up and down, eyes 
catching on the small area of chest just below her neck, above the 
slope of her bodice, where her cloak wasn’t covering her. 

“I see you’ve had time to change your clothes, Lady Sarah,” he drawled. 

“What do you want!”  She despised the quiver in her voice. 

“I only got to collect half of my reward,” he said.  “I’ve come for the
rest of it.” 

She gasped.  Her hands automatically pulled the cloak tighter about her
shoulders as she felt her body responding to both his words and his 
tone.  “How did you find me?” 

“I asked around.” 

“What do you want from me!” she asked again, hoping for a different
answer, hoping on the one hand that he would go away and leave her 
alone.  Hoping on the other that he had come to take her away, take her 
off with him... 

He came close, then closer still.  He took her by the arms, forcing her
to raise her head and look at him.  “I’ve already told you, milady.” 

“Who are you,” she asked desperately, hoping to distract him, make him
move away. 

But this pirate was not going anywhere.  “You ask too many questions.” 
And with that he pulled her tight against him and kissed her, filling 
her chilled body with his fiery warmth. 


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