Page 2 of Freed by the First Mate (Pursued by Pirates #1)
Hyuk had changed in more ways than just his appearance.
Kai remembered Hyuk as sweet and shy, always clinging tightly to Kai’s side and only daring to show his mischievous sense of humor behind closed doors.
This Hyuk, though, was strong and confident and sultry.
He teased his crew mates mercilessly between a flurry of sharp, meticulous orders, handling the departure from the tailor shop with ease.
Kai’s few personal items were packed within minutes in a small knapsack that Hyuk shouldered, but Omar and Hyuk decided to ransack the stores of the shop to stock up on their material for Kai to use on board the ship.
Kai stood in the middle of the resulting chaos with Hyuk still wrapped possessively around him, tentatively pointing out the best bolts of fabric and watching as Nico, Simon, and Thomas efficiently packed everything up while Omar tied Mr. Kim up in the back so he couldn’t raise an alarm until the pirates were far out to sea.
Hyuk’s gaze was focused on his crew, but his hands never stopped moving as he stroked and explored Kai’s body.
Not that Kai minded. He felt like his entire body was a live wire, sharply aware of Hyuk’s heated caresses as his newfound freedom slowly started to sink in.
He wasn’t trapped anymore, alone and forgotten in a tiny village.
He had his best friend back and an entire crew of pirates who were apparently ready to accept him as one of their own in every way.
He had a new home where he could sew what he wanted without constantly going into debt, and the opportunity to finally explore the distant horizons he had always wondered about.
But most of all, he had Hyuk.
Kai tipped his head back to look up at Hyuk’s handsome face, heart flip-flopping as he thought about how well Hyuk had grown up.
Kai was still too thin from malnourishment with the same big eyes and fluffy waves he had had as a child, but Hyuk had transformed dramatically.
He looked powerful and manly now, muscles rippling with strength and the ghost of stubble on his jaw.
His clothes were fine and expensive, with heavy gold embroidery on the black silk of his robes and boots of thick, quality leather.
He was dripping in jewelry from the rings on his fingers to the emerald earring dangling from one ear.
Kai would have felt out of place in his mended, worn-thin wraps, but Hyuk clearly didn’t seem to mind.
He kept Kai close, coaxing Kai to pick out more goods for them to pack and running one broad, firm palm down Kai’s flank in praise every time he obeyed.
Kai felt like he was flying, desire simmering beneath his skin.
One of Hyuk’s hands slid under his top, burning like a brand against Kai’s bare skin.
“Alright, let’s get out of here,” Omar said, exiting the backroom and sheathing his dagger.
Hyuk’s hand squeezed Kai’s hip and slipped from under Kai’s shirt, leaving Kai cold from Hyuk’s sudden absence.
The loss only lasted a moment, though, as Hyuk’s arm snaked around Kai’s waist to tuck him close against Hyuk’s side and guide him from the shop.
“Is there anything else you want to do before we leave?” Thomas asked.
Kai looked up at the sniper, warmth washing over him at the empathetic care in Thomas’s eyes.
Despite how much the crew had joked about being jealous over Hyuk’s favoritism for Kai, they included Kai in their smiles and talked to him gently.
He felt safe and cared for in their midst, like he was already one of them. And maybe he was.
“No, thank you,” he said shyly.
“Too cute!” Nico said with a dramatic gasp. He clutched his heart as if he was being wounded, playfully falling sideways against Simon and nearly sending them both tumbling to the ground.
Simon caught Nico with a roll of his eyes as if he was used to Nico’s antics and swiftly bent Nico over one arm to land five sharp swats to Nico’s behind. Nico yelped and tried to cover his ass with both hands, pouting at Simon as he gingerly straightened up.
“You know the rules,” Simon said. “You just like to break them too much.”
Kai watched the two of them bicker with wide eyes, glancing nervously at Omar and remembering how he had described the crew. Even if you don’t choose to partake, everyone has a place within the hierarchy of our ranking positions. And Simon had said he was in charge of ship discipline.
“Once you’re settled in we’ll negotiate the rules for you,” Hyuk said softly. “Everyone has slightly different needs, so Simon has different rules accordingly. I certainly look forward to seeing what kind of rules you end up with, darling.”
Kai blushed, his mouth dry as he imagined being bent over Simon’s arm in broad daylight and spanked, just like Nico had been. He wasn’t sure if he wanted that…but he wasn’t sure he didn’t, either.
His thoughts were interrupted as they arrived at the harbor and he caught sight of the sleek new ship at the dock.
It was bigger than he had expected for a crew of sixteen and gleaming in the morning sunlight, well-fitted and luxurious with twenty guns.
It was made of a reddish wood Kai had never seen before.
“It’s cedar,” Hyuk explained proudly. “You can’t get it around these parts, but it holds up better than anything else. C’mon, let’s get you onboard.”
Nico, San, Omar and Simon went up first, with Simon reaching back to give Kai a hand.
“I’m right behind you,” Hyuk promised. His hands settled on Kai’s waist and he half-lifted him up so that Simon could haul him aboard.
“You’re very light,” Simon said with a frown. He squeezed Kai’s hands, studying his body critically. “I’ll make sure Ian knows to feed you up a bit extra.”
“Oh, it’s okay,” Kai said, embarrassed and self-conscious. He knew he was too scrawny. “I don’t want anyone to go to any extra trouble…”
“You’re one of us now,” Omar reminded him sternly. “It’s no trouble at all. We take care of our own. And, believe me, we can more than afford it.”
Kai looked around, easily able to believe him.
He didn’t know much about ships but he could tell that this one was luxurious, and the pirates were all dressed just as finely as Hyuk with plentiful jewels and the finest fabrics.
Everything was neat and meticulously cleaned, too, practically sparkling.
Compared to where Kai had lived before, it was a palace.
Hyuk pointed out a few places on the main deck, like the crow’s nest and helm, before guiding him into the large cabin in the center of the deck
“The Captain’s quarters are on the other side,” Hyuk explained.
“But Omar will show you those when he decides to invite you in. Probably not for a while. He always waits to observe how a newcomer mingles with the crew and settles into their role before inviting them into his bed. The Captain is a privilege to be earned, not to be taken for granted.”
“What about you?” Kai dared to ask. Hyuk paused, giving Kai a crooked smile and a wink.
“I’m a privilege, too,” he drawled. “But you’ve already earned your place in my bed, sweets.”
Kai’s cheeks flamed and his stomach flipped as Hyuk reached out for him again, drawing him close and wrapping around him possessively.
The feeling of having Hyuk’s larger body draped over him and surrounding him on all sides was already starting to grow familiar, and Kai melted into it.
He was so used to always being on tenterhooks, frightened and frantically working to keep up with Mr. Kim’s impossible demands, that it was hard to relax even now that he was so far away from the shop.
Hyuk’s warmth helped his tense muscles loosen, and his reassuring, deep voice kept reminding Kai that he was safe.
“This is the lounge room,” Hyuk explained.
“There’s no real purpose to it, it’s just a space to hang out above deck when we’re off duty or taking a break.
If the weather is chilly or rainy we often hang out here so we can get a bit of sunlight and stay out of the elements, but if the weather is truly bad we head below deck. ”
He let Kai look around a bit, taking in the lockers labeled with each of the crews’ names and the small library of books next to the surprisingly-comfortable looking couches firmly nailed to the floor. Then Hyuk guided him down below deck, to a narrow hallway with four doors on each side.
“This is the main section of the ship,” Hyuk explained.
“On the right we have the mess room, the kitchen, the big pantry, and the infirmary. The mess room is the biggest space on that side, with an interior door leading into the kitchen which in turn also connects to the pantry. The pantry is mostly for cooking, but it also has many of the herbs that our doctor, Gabe, uses.”
He let Kai poke his head into the deserted rooms, each of them surprisingly well lit with windows along the far side.
“Where is everyone?” Kai wondered. “There’s fifteen members, right?”
“They’re mostly restocking,” Hyuk explained. “Our boatswain Antonio is down in the hold with our master-at-arms Kabir and a few of the gunners to do inventory and repair a few of our weapons. The rest are out in the markets stocking up and enjoying the day off before we head out this evening.”
“Where are we going?”
Hyuk shrugged.
“Up north to one of the bigger cities, for now,” he said. “We usually roam around wherever we want until we hear of a good job. Our stocks are in a good place right now, and we can afford to be picky about the raids we choose. Quality over quantity and all that.”
Kai was relieved to hear that there wasn’t anything extreme on the horizon. He had never wielded anything bigger than a needle, and he wasn’t sure he was prepared to start using the dagger still hanging awkwardly at his waist just yet.