Free Traveler by Ashley Bourgeois Page A

woman who was supposed to be his, but whom he could not touch until their feet were on island soil.  He had seen the other sailors eyeing her too, their gazes aching and impure.  If he could have killed them all for looking at her, he would have.
    Silky raven-black curls swayed freely against her back as the petite girl slowly made her way from her cabin to the deck above, feeling too constrained by the four walls of her room.  Feeling the fresh air brush over her face made her smile softly as she wandered over to the side, peering down at the clear sea below.  As beautiful as the sight was, she inwardly was hoping that they would be delayed in reaching their destination.  The longer they were on this ship, the longer she would be free and safe, and the longer she would have to plan her escape.
    Cedric’s eyes, a blue similar to that of the sea, watched Brileia as she made her way across the deck, his gaze a predatory one, trying to figure out the best way to achieve his ultimate goal.  The girl was not an easy one to sway, or to woo.  Her parents had brought her up much too sheltered, shielding her from most of the intentions of men.  Still...he needed to try, while her parents were off on another part of the ship.  His lanky frame, with close-cut blonde hair and  his blue eyes, moved smoothly up after her, leaning on the bow of the ship with her, looking down at the water.  “A beautiful sight it is, no?  Its beauty, though, pales to the one that stands before me.”
    Cerulean eyes widened at the sound of her fiance’s voice at her side, his words creating a faint blush over her cheeks.  Oh Gods, when had he joined her on deck?  She lifted her wide eyes to his face, giving the taller man a faint smile.  “It is very pretty...I have never seen its like before.”
    Cedric looked down at her with an affectionate smile, though inwardly his desire for her ran unfettered. Gods be good, she was almost his... “The sea, my dear, is endless and full of mystery.  It vexes mankind with the secrets it keeps.  Just like women vex men with their feminine beauty,” he mock sighed.
    Small fingers idly tucked an errant curl behind her ear as she looked back at the sea below, her smile brightening for a moment at the sight of dolphins swimming by.  “I do not think the sea and women can be compared.  The sea is...a work of art by a higher power.  Women are simply human beings like any other.”
    Cedric looked at her in shock, then reached out and brushed her cheek with a finger.  “That, my dear, is where you are very wrong,” he murmured.  “Women...women are most certainly a work of art by a higher power, and men are only the vessels by which they can be cared for.”
    The petite girl shivered slightly at the touch, her eyes widening as she looked up at him again.  She bit her bottom lip shyly, her blush deepening.  “I do not know about that, Snake.  I suppose that I will just have to take your word for it.”
    He smiled again, his fingers still brushing the soft skin on her face.  “You are beautiful when you blush, you know that?” he whispered, his eyes smoldering a little with barely disguised lust.
    His words drew a soft gasp from Brileia as she found herself caught in his gaze.  “Oh...um...thank you...”
    He leaned down a little, then withdrew. “Not here,” he murmured.
    She tilted her head slightly, gazing up at him in innocent confusion.  “Not here what?”
    “To show you why you are so special,” he murmured.
    Brileia blinked in surprise before looking away shyly, not quite certain how to take his words.  How could the man think she was special when he barely knew her at all?
    He smiled and offered her his hand.  “Come with me.”
    She peered up at her fiance for a moment, curious as to what the man had in mind.  While she may not have wanted to get married to a man she had not chosen herself, Snake had never been anything but a perfect gentleman to her.  Giving him a shy