Beautiful Disaster (A Pirate Romance book, Historical Romance) (15 page)

Chapter 29

Once breakfast was over, Johnny attempted to persuade Izzy to go back upstairs into their room and get some rest.  Actually, persuade was probably an understatement; he insisted quite firmly, even to the point of threatening to pick the young woman up, toss her over his shoulder, and take her there himself.  However, Izzy managed to talk Johnny into allowing Marion to take her on a tour of the brothel.  When Johnny realized Izzy knew where she was, he winced internally, and begrudgingly agreed but only if he was allowed to go along.

“Of course,” Izzy had muttered under her breath so that only Johnny could hear.  “If anyone knows this place, I would imagine it would be you.”

The tour lasted a good hour or so, only because Marion happened to have plenty of stories featuring the notorious Johnny Clover, as Izzy had suspected.  However, they amused the young woman to no end, and though she had originally thought she wouldn’t want to hear them, per se, she was actually enjoying herself.  Johnny would add input as well, to clarify things and to straighten out rumors, always insisting that though he might have been known for being a magnificent lover, he had never actually been in love.

Marion watched the two with interested blue eyes, taking in what the two probably couldn’t (or wouldn’t) see.  She had realized when Izzy had first come to the dining table that morning that Johnny had not yet told her of his feelings for her.  But even to her, it was clearly written in those dark orbs of his.  When he looked at her, there seemed to be this unspoken glow about him, this unreadable expression that decorated his chiseled face.  In fact, for as long she had known him, Marion had never seen him look at anybody else that way.  And though she had yet to hear from this new young woman, it was obvious she felt the same for him. 

When they finally reached their room, Marion bid the couple goodbye and promised dinner would be ready by one o’clock that afternoon.  She turned, leaving the couple alone.

“So,” Izzy murmured as the two entered the room, Johnny shutting the door behind him, “this is
our
room…?”

“Uh, right,” Johnny said, nodding once, shoving his hands down his pockets and choosing to look out the window rather than at her.  Though he had admitted his feelings for Izzy with relative ease to Marion, the thought of confessing them to Izzy herself seemed to unnerve the pirate.  “I just… I didn’t feel it was right… I was preparing, if you must know…”  However, every time he tried to explain, elaborate, reply, he found he couldn’t find the correct words.  He turned from the window, and found his eyes already locked with Izzy’s brown ones.  He opened his mouth, trying a fourth time, before shutting it abruptly.  She was looking at him, without accusation, but rather curiosity, her lips curled up when she realized this might actually be difficult for him. 

“Johnny…?” she asked, but refused to say more, tilting her head to the side and arching a brow.

Without a word, Johnny marched over to her with plain determination.  When he reached her, he gently placed his hands over her shoulders and brought his head down so he could look at her closely, levelly.  “I was worried,” he told her, his tone serious, his voice low.  “I was afraid you wouldn’t wake up.  I was afraid you wouldn’t come back to me.”

Izzy looked up at him, and though she didn’t want to be charmed by a man who had told her he couldn’t love anybody, she felt the corners of her lips turn up.  “I’m here,” she murmured to him, unable to look away from the depths of his eyes.  “I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

“You came back to me,” Johnny said in the same low voice, happiness dripping from each word.  To him, saying it only made it that much truer, and he slipped his hands from Izzy’s shoulders so they rested on the curve of her back.

Izzy smiled in return, but before she said anything else, she tilted her head towards him and touched her lips to his.  Sure, he might not be able to fall in love with her, but she knew he must care about her in some way – why else would he kiss her back at the bar in Tortuga?  Closing her eyes, she kissed him tenderly, a content sigh slipping from her nose.  Johnny was taken by such surprise that when he did start to respond to Izzy’s gentle ministrations, she pulled away only to look back into those eyes of his.  They looked vulnerable, worried, and almost unsure, as though Johnny might push her away from him, or would now only petition her for acts in the physical.

Johnny looked down at her, reaching up with one hand and curling an errant strand of hair behind her ear.  She looked absolutely priceless in his arms at that moment, despite the bruises, cuts, and marks that littered her body.  Instead of removing his fingertip, he trailed it down the hallow of her cheek, down to her jaw line, and then up to her lips were he ran the pad of his thumb over the bottom one.  He wanted to kiss her again, but he refrained, if only to capture this moment in his memory and retain such beauty for the rest of his life.

“You kissed me,” he stated, surprised but not unpleased.  His fingertips on her face was causing fear and pleasure to entwine and overtake her sense at present, but again, she couldn’t force her eyes took look away from him.

“I will always come back to you,” she replied in a soft voice, her lips curling up once again to indicate the sincerity in her words.  “You’re all I have.”

“And you, love, are all I want,” Johnny murmured, before placing the pads of his fingers on her jaw line once again, only this time, he did it so he could cock her head to the side in a way where it would be easier for him to kiss her.

The pirate dropped his head down, and pressed his lips against hers as his hand crept up from her jaw to cup the side of Izzy’s face in his palm.  As she reached up to encircle Johnny’s neck in her arms, Johnny’s grip on the small of her back tightened, and he ran his tongue along her bottom lip, asking her to allow him entrance to her mouth without using unnecessary words.  Izzy gladly accepted his request, opening her mouth to him, and granting him full access to her mouth.  Johnny didn’t hesitate; his tongue explored everything Izzy had to offer, tasting her, memorizing everything about her.  He had never felt anything behind a kiss besides the obvious pleasure before, and at first, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to proceed, but Izzy was too tempting, and his words had been true – he loved her more than he initially realized.

When they had to break apart due to the fact that both had to breathe, Izzy looked up at him.  “It is our room, then,” she murmured, before placing her head on Johnny’s chest.

Johnny chuckled, the vibrations against Izzy making her smile, and he pulled her tighter against him.  As of now, at that moment, nothing in the world could deter him from such happiness.

--

Two weeks later, Izzy was feeling better.  The bruises and cuts had all but faded, and her energy was back up.  She was smiling, joking even with the occupants of the house.  Some still didn’t like her.  They weren’t stupid.  They could see the way Johnny looked at her.  And when news broke that Johnny was getting ready to leave, they all but cheered.

“I don’t want you to come,” Johnny told Izzy that night in their room, his voice firm and serious.  Ixzzy opened her mouth, ready to object, when Johnny cut her off.  “Don’t argue with me, darling.  What I’m to do is dangerous, and if anything happened to you while you were under my care, I could never forgive myself.”

Izzy thought about this long and hard.  “So,” she began, knowing what she was going to say but wanted to be careful with how it would come out.  “If you left me, I would stay here.”

“Correct,” Johnny said, nodding a couple of times.  A very tiny part of him warned him that Izzy wasn’t usually this agreeable when she disagreed with something, but he decided to ignore it.

“In a brothel,” she continued, glancing around her room.

“Um.  Yes,” Johnny said, this time a bit more wary.

“You listen to me, Johnny Clover,” Izzy said, narrowing her eyes in his direction.  “If you promptly decide to ditch me at a whorehouse, I will have no other choice to become a working woman myself.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Johnny said through gritted teeth.

“Wouldn’t I?” Izzy asked, arching a brow.  “You told me yourself you couldn’t possibly fall in love, so this shouldn’t bother you in the slightest.  So we kissed a few times.  I’m sure you’ve kissed plenty of girls before.  And anyways, I’m slightly experienced when it comes to sex, but” -

“You’re not becoming a whore,” Johnny growled, his eyes nearly black.  “Fine, you can come with me, but I’m teaching you how to handle a blade.  And you’ll listen to me.  And you’ll” -

Izzy interrupted him, by grabbing his face and kissing him fully on the mouth, temporarily causing Johnny to forget what he was going to say.  When they pulled apart, he looked down at her skeptically.

“You were never going to become a whore, were you?” he asked her, keeping his hands on her hips.

“Nope,” she said, a tiny smile on her lips.

“I really do like kissing you,” Johnny said, feeling slightly bothered that Izzy thought he believed it to be just another kiss.  “You’re the only one I want to kiss, you know.”

Izzy smiled, saying nothing in order to allow herself to be wrapped up in his words.  It was nice to hear him say that, but she wasn’t quite sure if what he was saying was true.  He probably believed it, of course, but who knows if he’d still feel the same way in the future.  Love was a scary emotion, but she had a feeling she was already too swept up in Johnny to pick herself up and pretend she felt absolutely nothing for him.

“And you know where kissing leads, hmm?” he asked with a wolfish grin, his dark eyes sparkling.

Izzy rolled her eyes and playfully smacked him on the shoulder.  Though, he wasn’t exactly helping himself with those kinds of comments. 

Chapter 30

“You do know that if you had chosen to dabble in the arts of seduction as a lady of the night, I would have to murder every single one of your customers,” Johnny said the next morning over breakfast, looking at Izzy over a bowl of arguably the best porridge of the Caribbean.  The two were quite comfortable with each other, and they managed to share a room – a bed – without any incident as of yet.  Neither had confessed any sort of emotional ties concerning their feelings for each other, though both expressed desire in kissing and some chaste caressing when it came to their opposite.  It was obvious to anyone and everyone who encountered them, even for a mere moment, how they truly felt, but said nothing regarding such thoughts, deciding to leave it to the two involved.

“Murder?” Izzy asked arching a brow after swallowing a raisin-filled bite of the hot meal.  She pushed her lips into a frown as she regarded Johnny pointedly.  “Is it so easy for you to kill somebody?”  Her tone was not judgmental, but rather inquisitive, and Johnny could clearly read the curiosity in her eyes.

“It depends,” Johnny said, taking a moment to take in his surroundings.  It was just the two of them currently in the dining room.  That morning, both of them had risen into the early afternoon after a night of deep slumber.  Marion apparently expected this because she had two bowls of porridge saved for the company.  “If I am defending myself and feel threatened in a fatal way, then I could kill.  If I was defending somebody I truly care about, my intentions might be persuaded much easier only because I find that I am protective over what and whom I treasure.”

“I thought you don’t really have people you care about,” she stated.  Again, she was merely stating a fact, with no intention of coming off as closed-minded concerning his own personal belief system.

“I have a very select few,” Johnny told her, throwing a disarming smile in Izzy’s direction.  “And you, my love, are at the very top of the list.”

Izzy couldn’t keep the tender smile off of her face if she had tried, but she averted her eyes so they looked down at the porridge in the bowl.  Johnny seemed to know how he affected her, for he smiled at her reaction – at the smile itself, and the pink blush currently littering her cheeks.  He absolutely adored making her blush; Izzy was quite becoming when she was embarrassed about something.

“You would only murder them because you think I’m yours,” Izzy said, refraining from rolling her eyes, but forcing them to lock with Johnny’s dark ones.  “You’re like a dog, you know.  I’m actually surprised you haven’t peed on me yet.”

Johnny frowned at such a notion, and he reached over to cup Izzy’s hand, the rough tip of his thumb already caressing mindless patterns on the surface of her skin.  As usual, goose bumps sprang to attention all over Izzy’s body, and she couldn’t continue to ignore the way her heart skipped every time he did something so simple and out of character.  Her mere infatuation for him was blossoming into something more; she couldn’t deny it anymore.

“You are mine.”  The words that trailed out of Johnny’s mouth and laced in his usual low tone were spoken as though it was the most obvious thing in the entire world.  However, he said no more on the matter, and refused to do so only because he wanted to avoid having a discussion with the subject of labeling what they had when it concerned their relationship.  He didn’t want to commit to anything as of yet, afraid that something may happen to her, especially since she all but forced herself to accompany him on what everyone called his destiny.  Upon hearing his words, Izzy opened her mouth as though to argue, maybe even question his statement, and Johnny recognized the look, clearing his throat and starting a new subject.  “So, do you think you’ll miss it?”

Izzy paused, deciding that she was finished with breakfast and glanced over at her partner.  The question did its job; it threw her off, at least for now.  “Miss what?” she asked him, quirking a brow.

“Your home,” he elaborated, his sharp eyes taking in every inflection Izzy’s face had to offer in hopes to decipher any hidden meanings that might or might not reside there.  “I mean, darling, when I was in your world, I really didn’t miss mine, only because there was nothing here to miss.  But I know that you may be more inclined to miss your home because you had your family, you had Bex, you had Brian, your job.”

“Oh,” Izzy murmured, suddenly feeling guilty at the notion.  She hadn’t really thought about it, but then again, she really didn’t have the time to do so.  It was in Tortuga when she had been badly damaged, and she was in and out of consciousness for the next few days before realizing what had happened.  Then the next two weeks flew by only because Marion, Gabriella, and Sarah all amused her with stories featuring Johnny in some way.  And Johnny himself was as much of a distraction as anyone.  “I’m not sure,” she finally said, running her fingers through her hair.  “Of course I’ll miss Bex, and even my family from time to time, but I graduated college, and that was one of my goals.”

Johnny’s your home now
, a silky, almost romantic voice teased, causing Izzy to clear her throat a couple of times.

“I guess I’m just not used to being here,” she finished, looking into her bowl of porridge in hopes to avoid Johnny’s scrutinizing gaze.  “Maybe I will.  I” - She paused, blushing, before forcing her eyes to meet his.  “I probably would miss everything more if you weren’t with me.”

This statement seemed to genuinely please Johnny, and he smiled quite brilliantly, so much so that Izzy felt a substantial portion of her breath disappear on its own accord.

“Well, darling,” he began, standing up with his bowl in his hand.  He reached over and grabbed Izzy’s before placing them on the sink counter next to the other bowls that were waiting to be cleaned.  “We have to leave soon.  The crew should be at the ship in mere hours.  Have you gotten everything you need?”

Izzy shook her head, following Johnny’s suit, and standing.  “No,” she murmured, placing her fingertip on the point of her chin.  “I should probably start packing.”

--

Izzy was nearly finished with the task at hand an hour later when a knock at the door caused any thoughts she may have been dwelling on to disappear.  Believing it to be Johnny, she called for the knocker to come in, keeping her focus on finishing what she had set out to do.  Surprisingly, however, it was not Johnny who was at the door, but Marion.

“Oh, Marion,” Izzy said when she realized who her guest was.  She pushed up to a standing position, feeling the burn of her muscles due to the length of time she had been kneeling.  “Are you all right?  How can I help you?”

Marion smiled the usual beguiling smile, and for the umpteenth time, Izzy wondered why Johnny wasn’t in some sort of relationship with the Madame.  She was stunning and sweet, and had quite a profit to her name.  Though the jealousy in Izzy wanted to hate her, the feat was impossible because of the natural warmth Marion had.

“I am fine, Izzy,” she said, the name still sounding slightly funny when it touched her French accent.  “Actually, I wanted to give something to you.”  When she raised her arms, Izzy noticed that something was in them.  “It is a dress.  It is one of my favorites.  I hope that by taking this, you will remember me.”

“I don’t need anything to remember you by, really,” Izzy said sincerely, her eyes pooling into Marion’s.  “You don’t have to do this.”

“Please, allow me to do so,” Marion insisted, so Izzy reached out and took the material into her arms.  “I think that Johnny will like it on you; the dress will bring out your eyes.”  Izzy glanced down upon hearing Johnny’s name and looked at the sea-green material, wondering when she was going to ever wear it, but promising herself she would – sooner or later.

“Thank you,” Izzy murmured, placing it gently on the surface of her bed.  Her eyes looked up and locked into the older woman’s.  “For everything, I mean.  I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

“Johnny and I are friends,” Marion told the young woman.  “At least, I consider him to be so.  There are people, both pirate and navy, that dislike him because of what he is supposed to do.  I believe that with you accompanying him, he will stay grounded, more so than normal.  I know you care for him, Isabelle.  I can see it so clearly in your eyes.  And I know that you will look out for him to the best of your abilities.  It worries me, this whole prophecy, this impending war.  Nobody is sure if Johnny will survive it.  But with you, his chances are surely better.”

“I would do anything for him,” Izzy said, speaking before her mind could catch up.  Though when she finished her sentence, she knew her words were true.

Marion seemed to know it too, for she nodded and said, “I know.”  She smiled as she looked into Izzy’s eyes, nodding once.  “And that is payment enough.”