She furiously dashed away her tears as they fell in streams down her cheeks.

"I bloody despise you," she mumbled beneath her breath and each hiccup as she went for another pile of things of his to discard out the porthole.

Blindly she reached for whatever her fingers fell on and yanked it up and tossed it out. Satisfaction a full handful away.

She was enraged with his treatment.

The loud crash of the door stopped her midway as he stepped in and kicked it shut.

"You devious little wench!" he shouted.

She stood her ground and lifted her chin then tossed his belongings to the floor.

The echoing sound of his belongings followed by silence throbbed with maniacal tension in the cabin.

Danger. She could feel it in her body. She saw it in the dark crazed look in his eyes. It smoldered with an eerie murderous glint. And she drew in a shaky breath.

She felt the slow gaze of his eyes burn into her as he stepped forward daring her to move an inch.

Her heart gave a swift hard kick in her ribcage. And she slowly backed away.

Her stomach lifted and then dropped a thousand feet as he darted towards her with a curse. The faint movement sent every nerve ending within her into a frenzy for escape.

Hot on her feet, the limited space in the cabin gave her little advantage to turn anywhere else.

"I will teach you the consequence of your hellish ways," he yelled then lunged for her.

In two quick strides, he caught her up as she scrambled across the bed and jumped off in time for him to catch her.

He held her in an unforgiving tight grip around her waist and walked to the nearby chair.

"Put me down you sop!" she screamed.

Her chest tightened, lungs seizing with air as she fought his hold but he refused to let her go. In a swift motion, she was hauled up and flipped face down over his lap. She kicked and squirmed.

"No!" she struggled

He ruthlessly held her in place, lifted the hem of the shirt, and landed hard, swift, sound swats in succession on her bare rump. Her cry followed each one that echoed in the cabin. The stinging on her skin turned to burning, then to hurt. He paused for a brief moment and drew in a shaky breath as his eyes cleared from their rage-induced haze and saw red palm prints forming on her rare. His palm prints. She tried to pull away as he roughly sat her up. She fought viciously for the humiliation he caused her.

So many tears clouded her vision as she spewed hateful words toward him. Furiously he shook her and demanded that she behave.

Petite fists pummeled his chest. He grunted, holding her wrists in a vice grip.

She wept in anger as she struggled to free herself.

His chest rose and fell roughly and he moved a hand at her nape and grasped it suddenly. "Stop fighting me, " he hissed through clenched teeth, locking her heated gaze with his.

"Continue this behavior and I will not hesitate to punish you again," he warned her.

She paused.

She trembled in his hold as the silent glare of hurt and hate in her eyes held his gaze. But then suddenly a gentleness formed in his eyes. A sudden sign of remorse flickered in them. Then she collapsed, weeping, against his shoulder. He pulled her tight against him. She wept for what felt like an eternity in his hold. He clearly was not skilled for this, he had no words of comfort to offer her. He just held her until finally, she had quieted down. The nearness was brief as she stiffened and sat up straight.

It was there in the short expanse of seconds that she sat before him, their eyes met. Cerulean blue swirled and collided with Aquamarine, turbulent as the waters they sailed upon. He swallowed hard and his grip fell away.

She scrambled off of his legs and turned towards the bed, embarrassed and hesitant to shed any more tears but she could not hold it in. She crawled beneath the sheets and turned away from him to face the wall. It wasn't until the door slammed shut that she realized she was finally alone then she wept more.

Some time had passed and she quieted down to sniffles. The door opened again and she stiffened. She listened as he slid the chair in the distance. A brief time passed before he spoke.

"Tempest?" he called to her.

She tightened her jaw and shut her eyes. She refused to respond.

She heard him exhale.

Then suddenly she flinched as the door slammed shut once more. She lay there for some time emotionally draught lost in her thoughts still reeling from her punishment and dashing away the stubborn tears that kept falling until exhaustion and sleep won.

*******

He was really considering the big jump as he broodingly took another swig of rum. Merrily his men sat around a makeshift fire in a steel drum as they sang and drank.

The sun had barely set before they had finished one barrel of rum, only to find another. By the wee hours of the morning, they were rowdy with laughter as they gambled and he was past soberness but nowhere nearly as drunk as his men.

He was upset more than anything for what he did. The throbbing in his palm was a bitter reminder that broke through the haze of his semi-drunken stupor. He tried in earnest to chase away and drown the guilt with another swig but then those gorgeous eyes filled with pain would swim to the surface and make him feel much worse.

He frowned then. Shaking his head to clear it. His jaw clenched. He was considered a ruthless man of the sea. How could he, Justin O'Shea...The Black Scourge, allow a wisp of a girl to jostle and jolt his world? Wreak havoc with his senses?

He could have easily and ruthlessly handled her like any other heartless pirate would have and had her trembling with fear for him.

He cursed and tossed back another swig wincing at the burn.

Just the simple idea of subduing her beneath him, made his groin ache.

Those pert breasts brushing his chest, soft curves rubbing and touching him and those soft legs wrapped around his waist ingrained in his soddened mind was not doing him any bit of good.

Like an enraged bull, he stood abruptly. Swaying slightly he stumbled over to the railing grasping it and inhaling deeply. He groaned lowering his head baring down on the dizziness. He needed his bed. But the little hellion in it would put up a fight.

He hissed another groan followed by a curse as the ship dipped violently and his head spun.

He desperately needed his bed. And so he trudged towards the steps. Swayed towards his room, opened his door then slammed it shut. His haziness barely brushed the surrounding cabin just narrowed for the bed. Stumbling forward, The Black Scorge landed pitched face-first on the bed taking little heed to the squeal of the wood sprite that felt heavenly in his arms as he wrapped her up in his embrace like a bear. Her struggles did nothing as he let darkness drag him to a deep abyss.

******

She bolted upright as the door slammed shut. Rubbing the sleep from her tired eyes, she saw him stumble toward the bed. Her gasp was followed by her squeal as he plopped down beside her. Her heart clamored in her chest as his arms engulfed her and he pulled her close.

Her breath hitched in her throat as he tightened his embrace and nuzzled his lips to her neck. She fought to free herself but it was no use. He mumbled incoherent words and pulled her even closer.

Now she lay awake in rumpled sheets and tangled limbs in his arms as he slept. The familiar scent of him and rum filled her senses. She ever so often tried to budge him from her side but his embrace tightened more. She gave up and settled there awkwardly feeling his heat on her skin.

It would be in the wee hours of the morning when she too finally dozed off tangled with him. The calming dips and lulling of the ship made it that easy.

By the time she stirred awake, it would be to the suffocating heat of his body and limbs tossed above her. Squinting with the bright light she shifted slightly, relieved to pull away she sat up slowly beside him.

Her eyes slowly roamed over him stretched out on his stomach on the bed. Shyly she looked away as her cheeks warmed with the sight of him.

She could not deny that he was gorgeous. She frowned at the way her body felt in his arms. She shifted nervously in the bed, confused by the strange thoughts running through her head.

She lowered her gaze then and looked at him once more. Then she remembered when their gazes collided, a tiny frisson of sensation danced along her spine. Those eyes of his were so beautiful. She nibbled her lips as she slowly shut her eyes and reimaged that chiseled jaw and the contours of his....

She abruptly opened her eyes and shook her head. She was completely insane for thinking such things. But in his gaze there was something there also, easily seen in the way he held her, the feel of his fingers against her nape, the care he showed her when she was sick ...

She shook her head once more and took a deep breath then bounded softly from the bed. He was a pirate. She was his captive.

She slowly hugged herself then rubbed her stomach. She was famished. She looked around until she found what she was looking for. Slowly she dawned the pants on the floor and tightened the synch until it was snug on her waist. She wiggled her toes hesitant to go above barefoot then she looked speculatively at his boots.

She slowly walked towards him and fought to pry one-off. A breathless squeak escaped her as it finally gave way and she fell on her rump. Brushing her hair back she pulled on the boot and went to tackle the other.

Finally, she stood satisfied in his boots before warily looking up to his sleeping form on the bed. Her stomach grumbled once more. Then she turned and left...

*******