Chapter 13
The next morning Jo was awoken by something tickling her face. After trying to waft it away without any success, she knew something was amiss.
Without opening her eyes, she thought back to last night. “Luke, piss off or I’ll cut your hands off whilst you’re sleeping.”
She heard Mike burst out laughing.
“How did you know it was me?” Luke asked. “Easy. It’s always you. Now go away.” She snuggled back into Junior’s arms.
He had been awake for a while speaking to her brothers and watching her sleep.
When his father had called to tell them breakfast was ready, Luke told them he would wake her up. Junior agreed as long as he didn’t hurt her. The twins just rolled their eyes. They had told him something similar last night and this morning. But agreed to give him a chance. They could see in the short time they spent together he cared for her and her for him.
“Wake up, princess,” He said stroking her face, “It’s time to get up. Breakfast is ready.” He hated waking her up but knew it had to be done.
“Will you get me some water later, so I can wash?” She mumbled, her voice barely audible.
He smiled, “Whatever you want, princess.” He continued to stroke her cheek and kissed the corner of her mouth. It twitched up into a grin. He kissed it again, only this time she turned her head and captured his lips with her own. The kiss only lasted several seconds before she pulled away remembering her brothers were there.
“Too much sweetness,” Luke said pretending to fall over. “You can definitely tell he’s not from our time. If he were he wouldn’t have stopped kissing her and his hand would be at least down her top,” Mike thought out loud.
“Is it really that bad?” Junior asked them.
“Not everyone, but a lot. Yes,” Jo answered. “But I have you, so that doesn’t matter.”
Junior’s fingers gently brush her cheek.
“We’ll go in the other cabin, princess. You get dressed and join us.” He and her brothers were already dressed.
“I’ll have Maalik bring some warm water up for you to wash after breakfast,” He told her, before kissing her cheek once more and exiting the room with her brothers leaving her alone.
**
An hour later and Maalik had not only brought one bucket of water, but several and filled up the tin bath for her.
“Do you want the water when I am finished?” Jo asked Junior as she prepared her clothing, soap and things for washing.
A moment of silence and she looked to him. He was stood silent and looking unsure.
“It’s only water, Andy.”
“When you are married to her, you will be sharing a lot more than water,” Luke told him suggestively.
“Luke!” Jo scolded her older brother, whilst Mike sat on the edge of the bed smirking and Junior blushing.
“What? If you’re going to have any baby…” Jo punched his arm.
“Shut up, idiot. You are embarrassing Junior,” She scolded him again.
“I’ll leave you the water, Andy,” She gave him a kiss and left the room.
The three men left the bedroom cabin too and sat at the table in the captain’s quarters to make sure no one walked in on Joanne.
“I have finished, Andy,” Jo stepped out of the washroom cabin and into the Captain’s quarters.
“Jo,” Mike scolded her, “Do you want to get sick?” She gave him an innocent smile.
“Come over here,” He patted the seat beside him, “I’ll dry your hair properly.”
She walked over with a towel and brush in her hand and her hair still dripping wet.
“If you plan on marrying her for real…”
“I do,” Junior said quickly.
“Then you will have to get used to doing this,” Mike said as he took the towel from her hands and began drying her hair properly.
“Sometimes I think if it weren’t for us she would leave the house like a scarecrow,” He half joked.
Junior chuckled and smiled at his fiancée as he stood up.
“If you need anything whilst I am gone..”
“I’ll be fine, Andy,” She reassured him as he leaned down and pecked her lips.
“I love you, Princess,” He whispered before disappearing into the washroom with his fresh clothing and other things he needed.
“He really loves you,” Luke said, sounding more serious than he normally did.
“I know. He is perfect.”
“You really want to stay here?”
“Yes. But I don’t want to lose you both, Adam and Dad,” She answered in a sad tone.
“Annie,” Luke called her by a nickname only her family were allowed to call her by. “We both know Dad would love to be back here and Adam is pretty much the same as dad.”
“But what about you both? What do you want?”
“We have nothing except family to go back to. If our family is staying here, then so will we,” Mike looks to Luke, who nods in agreement.
“What about your friends?”
“We can make new friends,” Luke answered quickly.
“You know you have to get a job and calm down your behaviour a bit?” She told them as Mike now brushed her slightly damp hair.
“There are still ladies, we can be good.” Jo stares at her Luke unsure.
“As for work, if we do a good job your new father-in-law or husband might give us a permanent one,” Luke said grinning.
“Do you like Junior?”
“From the little time we’ve known him, he seems nice,” Mike said honestly. “He doesn’t seem the type to lie.”
“Not to mention the fact that he is is built like a brick shithouse and could easily beat anyone who he liked,” Luke said smirking.
“I know how he acts with me, but with other women and people in general his father told me he is brutally honest. He has no time for women other than his mother,” She explained with a small smile.
“Remember dad’s sister Ettie?” Both boys nodded their heads.
She went on to tell them about their Aunt trying to set Junior up with her daughter Millie.
“But Junior hates her. Apparently she is spoiled rotten and a bitch, but her parents doesn’t seem to notice.”
“Is she hot?” Jo sent Luke a pointed look.
“What?” He said innocently.
“He is a whore. You should know by now that her being his cousin won’t stop him,” Mike said, not interested himself.
“What? It’s not illegal,” Luke defended.
Mike shook his head and laughed at his twin, “Does that mean if it was legal you would Jo too?”
Both Jo and Luke cringed at the same time.
“No way. She is my baby sister. I don’t want anyone touching her. I don’t even want Junior touching her. But I know she will do ‘it’ eventually and I would rather it be with someone who will spend the rest of his life with her and not treat her like crap.”
“Aww, you are a sweetheart really, aren’t you?” She teased.
“Think of us as your chastity protector,” Luke said and Mike agreed.
“We have already decided to wait until we are married. So you have no worries on that front.”
**
When Junior returned to the quarters, Jo was sat joking with her brothers.
“Hello Princess,” He smiled loving her laugh.
“Your hair looks pretty,” He said noticing the long braid.
“Thank you. Mike did it.”
“Aunt Lottie showed me how to do it, because she wasn’t always around, but Annie liked her hair done like that,” Mike explained. He knew it wasn’t normal for men in this time to do girl’s hair.
“Annie?”
“Only my family call me that, everyone else calls me Jo. But you can call me Annie if you want?”
“I like that Princess Annie,” He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“Didn’t you say your brothers were promiscuous and treat women poorly?” He asked not caring too much if her brothers heard.
“We are. But that doesn’t mean we treat our sister badly,” Mike defended.
“Sorry, I did not mean to offend you. I was merely surprised. Most men such as I have heard you are, are mean, arrogant men.”
“It’s alright. We understand what you’re talking about,” Luke spoke before his hot-headed brother.
“What are we doing today, boss?” Luke asked in a happy tone.
“I want to be near Annie to make sure no one tries anything,” Mike tells Junior.
“I have no intention of leaving her alone, let alone letting anyone touch her. You have no worries of that, but I understand that you wish to stay with your sister as her chaperone.”
Luke looked unsure. “You are such a div,” Mike shook his head embarrassed by his twin. “He means like as her protector.”
“Oh,” Luke nodded in understanding.
“Luke is not only the cheeky one, but also the slow one,” Jo said, then Luke lunged at her, catching her and tickling her side.
“No,” She exclaimed laughing. “I’m sorry, Lukey. Stop it,” She said breathlessly.
But he continued to tickle her as Junior and Mike watched amused.
“Andy, save me,” She pleaded still laughing.
Without hesitation, his stood up and literally picked Jo out of her brother’s grasp as though a doll.
“You are no fun,” Luke joked looking at the huge man holding his sister.
“You can put me down now, Andy,” She said amused and he kept hold of her, hugging her against him.
“No, I like holding you.”
“Haven’t we had a conversation about inappropriate acts in front of the crew?”
“Yes,” He grinned and kissed the side of her head, “And as I remember I told you I am their boss if they say anything they will be thrown overboard with the harlot.”
“Don’t like the woman down below much then?” Mike actually smiled slightly.
“No. If it wasn’t for all the men being crazy without female company then I wouldn’t have a harlot on board. Let alone the woman down below,” Junior spat the word woman.
“She is a sick pedo,” Jo told her brothers. “She thought I was only a young boy, yet she still wanted to do me.”
“That is gross,” Mike curled up his lips, but then smirked. “Sounds like the perfect woman for Luke, don’t you think?”
“Hey!” Luke punched his twin’s arm, “I’m not that bad.”
“Come on you lazy sods. Less talking we have to go to work.”
Junior chuckled at his fiancée.
“Fine. So where are we working, Mrs Bossy pants?”
“I think we should send down below in the pit of fish guts.”
The boys playfully glared at her, “OK, maybe just Luke.”
“No, I promised I would let them chaperone you. You’ll be at the wheel again and they can either help up on the deck with the nets, they would be able to see you from there. Or they can learn other jobs on the stern?” Junior suggested.
“How about we take it in turns,” Mike suggested, “One of us on the desk, the other on the stern and then we can swap after a few hours. That way we get to rest and get used to the hard work properly.”
**
“Junior, go!” The captain told his son chuckling.
The crew were surprised to meet the twins, but asked no questions presuming they came on-board in Poland.
“But…” Junior who was again stood next to Jo working frowned.
“You are meant to be working, not staring at Jo. I know she is beautiful, but still…” The captain teased his son.
“Go check if Luke is alright and the other men on deck.”
Junior sighed, “Be right back,” He kissed Jo’s cheek, not caring if anyone out the window see them.
He disappeared out the door, “ARE YOU ALL ALRIGHT?”
The captain palmed his face, “That boy…” He said shaking his head.
“Not normally like this then?” Mike asked slightly amused.
“No. Normally have he walks around like a soldier or something. I don’t know where he gets it from.”
A moment later Junior reappeared, “They are fine,” He walked over to Jo and hugged her waist. “I’m back.”
“You have turned into a right soppy git.”
“You love it really, Mr Captain,” Jo teased her future in-law.
“As long as doesn’t get us lost.”
Jo turned back to Junior and grabbed his chin, squeezing his lips into a pout.
“You are going to work properly and not get us lost.” He nods his head slightly.
His father laughed.
“Don’t just nod your head,” She scolded him, “If you get us lost we’ll never be able to marry.”
Junior hooked his bottom lip over the top.
“Will you be a good boy?” She didn’t miss his father or her brother stifling chuckles.
“I’ll be good.” His voice muffled by Jo’s hand.
“Good,” She released his face and kissed his lips. “Now go to work.”
