Betrothed Ch. 04

No, it couldn't be. Nick was dead, wasn't he? Allison stared at his face, though the face before her was rugged and very manly, she could see a hint of the boy she used to know, now that she was looking for it.

"Nicky?" she said hesitantly. Nick, who was now turning down the covers on the bed, his back to her, snapped to attention immediately. He spun around to face her, and in that moment she knew for sure. This was her Nick. She didn't know how it happened, but it was him.

"Oh Nicky," she said flying into his arms. Forgotten for the moment was the time she had recently spent with him, and she was just greeting her childhood love. She hugged him like she wanted melt her body into his, and he held her tightly in return. Nick was at first surprised by her greeting, but soon was immersed in the memories of when he had last seen her, and felt guilty for thinking she would greet him in any other way. This was his Ally. She would always be his.

After a long time of the two of them just holding each other, Allison pulled back and unceremoniously punched him in the arm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It seems stupid now," he said, not wanting to admit he didn't tell her who he was because he was scared she didn't love him anymore.

"Oh, Nick. Where have you been? I thought you were dead," she said, once again wrapping herself around him.

"Dead? Wherever did you get that idea?" Nick asked.

"You're brother told me. But it wasn't just me; everyone thought you were dead, even your family, your father. Oh Nick," she said her voice growing mournful for him, "Your father..."

"I know," he cut her off, sparing her from having to tell bad news, "He died last year. I heard. I also heard about your parents. I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

"It was hard, especially since you weren't there," she said burying her face in his neck. Nick felt regret that he wasn't there for her when she needed him, but also felt his heart do a little flop upon hearing her say she had needed him. "And then I found out that they left me with nothing, all the money was gone. Even our house no longer belonged to me, but had been sold to your brother. He was very kind though, letting me live there, and then offering to marry me when I had nowhere else to turn."

Nick had listened to her with growing pity and compassion, but had stiffened when he heard the last part. He pulled away from her, "You were going to marry my brother?" he asked, not really grasping what she was telling him.

"What else could I do?" she said, trying to make him understand that it was her only choice.

"So that's who was going to save you, who you were so desperate to get back to. Do you love him? Do you make love to him?" he said so cruelly, that Allison reeled back.

Nick was desperately hurt. Here he was, thinking that he had her love, but now it seemed to him that she was just greeting an old friend. In his jealousy, he could only see her hug as the hug for the brother of a fiancé; she had not kissed him.

"How can you say that? I only said those things to keep you from killing me. As you know I thought you were a ruthless murder. I suffered in terrible fear of you, while you laughed at your little trick." Now that Allison was over the shock of seeing him again after six years, she had time to be angry with him.

"Why didn't you tell me who you were?" she asked angrily.

Nick looked at her sheepishly, ashamed with himself. Of course she was scared of him, he had kidnapped her. "You didn't recognize me, and I waited until you did," was his reply.

Allison's anger raged to boiling point at his words. "I didn't recognize you?!" she screamed at him. "Is that really so unexpected? Do you have any idea what I went through when I thought you were dead? How I mourned you? I had to train myself not to think about you, not to look for your features in a crowd, not to expect to see your face. You were dead and I had to stop dreaming that you weren't, it was the only way I could get on with my life."

Nick felt overwhelming guilt at what she had said, not only that he hadn't told her who he was, but also that she had mourned him. "And just when you did get on with your life, and got engaged, I had to come along and ruin things for you. I'm sorry," he said, avoiding her eyes.

"Nick, once again you completely misunderstand me. Haven't you been listening to a word I've been saying?" She said in a much softer voice, "I tried to get on with my life, but I didn't really. I just pushed you to the back of my mind and forced myself not to think of you, because it was too painful. You were always there though; I never got over you. I love you Nicky, I always have and always will."

Nick instantly pulled her into his arms, feeling as though heaven had opened up to him. She loved him! Nick bent his head and kissed her: a sweet, sensual kiss. They had shared kisses as children, soft kisses of affection, but this was their first kiss shared as adults. They had adult hearts now, and adult bodies. And both could acutely feel the difference between this kiss and the kisses of their youth.

"I love you," he said pulling his lips away from her, "I love you so much, oh Ally, the only reason I didn't tell you who I was, was because I thought you loved your new fiancé, and I was scared that you would find out my love for you, and it wouldn't be returned," he confessed, glowing in the passion of her love, and wanting to share his secrets.

"Don't worry, I could never stop loving you, nor could I love anyone else. Only you. Only you." And they kissed again, deepening it even further. They touched each other, each rediscovering the other's body. Feeling the changes in the curves and the valleys, exploring what areas were fuller or harder or leaner.

They clumsily disrobed each other, both eager to be naked in the other's arms, and when they were, Nick reached his head down and kissed her breasts. He lavished kisses over every inch of them then gently sucked a hardened nipple. Allison gasped when she felt his teeth close lightly, gently biting her nipple, and she would have fallen if not for his strong arms holding her up.

"Oh Nick," she moaned, "I feel so funny," she said innocently, not really understanding the feeling between her legs. Nick touched her there, and felt her wetness. He couldn't wait any longer to take her; he had been waiting practically his whole life. He took a few steps over to the bed, pushing her back onto it. Allison looked up at him with such trust in her eyes; he climbed on top of her and gently probed her tender folds with his manhood.

Allison spread her legs further, wanting him to take her. Nick slowly pushed into her, and suddenly she cried out in pain, but just as soon as it had come, it was gone, and Allison felt nothing but the building pleasure. "Please," she begged, wanting more. His thrusts quickened, and they found a rhythm together. They rose and rose, until they finally reached an explosion of pleasure, a pleasure like neither of them had ever felt before. Finally, both collapsed onto the bed, and they just held each other, completely at peace.

Afterwards, Allison snuggled up to his side and rested her head on his arm. "Nicky?" she asked lightly stroking her fingers up and down his chest, "What happened those six years ago? Why did everyone think you had drowned? Why did you leave?"

"Mmmm," Nick let out a groan from deep in his throat, pulling Allison even closer to him with the arm that was wrapped around her, "I was out on the boat with my brother, we were just fooling around, but the weather started to get pretty bad. I was making sail for home, and the next thing I know I'm in the water.

It was pretty bad and I don't really remember the details. All I can remember is swimming as hard as I could for the surface, with wave after wave pounding me. I just had to swim long enough for my brother to rescue me, and I was almost out of energy when I felt a rope that was tossed to me. I could barley hang on, but I was pulled up to a ship before I passed out.

I was surprised to find out that I wasn't on my brother's ship upon awakening, but rather a pirate's ship. They had pulled my out of the water. I tried to tell them I was a duke's son, tried to get them to take me back, but of course they didn't believe me. They made me their new cabin boy, and I learned to sail and sword fight. As I got older, I rose the ranks, and eventually became captain. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't want to come back. I liked my new life too much, without all the pomp and responsibilities of being a duke's son. But I always intended to come back for you, Ally, and I would have come sooner if I had known you needed me."

"So you're never going back?" she asked, "You're not going to claim your title and your money?"

"Well I hadn't planned on it," he said.

"But what about me? Don't you realize that I can't live on a pirate's ship the rest of my life? What about when we have..." and she stopped abruptly.

"What about when we have what?" Nick asked.

"Never mind," she said shaking her head, "I got ahead of myself."

"What? What is it?"

"Never mind," she said and Nick didn't think she would continue, but then she abruptly said, "I was speaking under the impression that we were going to get married, but now I've realized that you haven't even asked me. Of course a wife would get in the way of your pirating," she said and turned her back to him.

Nick snaked his arm out and turned her back to face him, "I didn't think I had to ask you, you asked me. Or had you forgotten that we are already engaged?" he said with a hint of teasing in his voice.

"Oh Nick, then you have to go back. Don't you see that a ship is no place for a baby?" she asked.

"Yes, yes," he said wrapping both his arms around her and resting his chin on her head, "Anything you want sweetheart, we'll go back...but first, I believe you mentioned a baby? I think we should get started on making that happen right away, you know how I aim to please," he said as he bent down and kissed her.