Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 163328 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 817(@200wpm)___ 653(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163328 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 817(@200wpm)___ 653(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
“They were so absorbed in what I was losing that they never asked what I was getting in exchange. They believe I’ve gone mad.”
“Perhaps, in time, they’ll miss you enough to ask,” I said.
“Maybe. Maybe not.” His expression showed neither sadness nor relief. This wasn’t a mask. He was genuinely indifferent about it. “Given the company I now keep, my answers would be lies anyway.” He set a hand on my thigh, his thumb absently stroking. “I ended the betrothal in person, and I daresay the young girl looked relieved. The Royal Navy, however, is a different matter. My superiors won’t know I deserted until they realized I’ve stopped reporting in.”
My pulse quickened at his somber tone. “Are you going to regret this?”
“What I’ve given up is a lot.” He gripped my waist with both hands and placed a kiss between my breasts. “What I’ve gained is precious. Inestimable. A value too great to measure.” He exchanged a fond look with Priest and returned to me. “Thank you for helping me understand that.”
My heart soared, and my mouth trembled. We stared at each other, and dear lord, there was so much love in that look. I felt full and warm with it, bursting at the seams.
“Oh, Ashley, I do love when you’re sentimental.” I straightened out my smile. “Now tell me what you were doing on my ship for the last two hours.”
A blanket of stillness settled over him as his mien took on the severity of man in command of a room.
“This is your ship.” He set a loosely curled hand against my cheek, using the backs of his fingers to gently push my hair away. “Topside, you’re the captain. I will never undermine you in front of your men.” His hand went rigid in my hair, capturing a fist full of locks. “In the privacy of our quarters, I am your commodore and captor.”
My chest lifted on a thrill of pleasure. I commanded the ship. Ashley commanded the bedchamber. Priest, on the other hand, was a man of many talents. Skills that had been earned through his roles as a footman, gunner, pirate captain, husband, and libertine. But the one he favored was his position as Groom of the Chamber. He’d taken care of Ashley for years and was blatantly clear about his intentions in doing the same for me. He was the backbone of our three-part relationship.
“She’ll go along with that,” he drawled from the bed, watching my reaction, “until you try to dress her in ribbons, lace, and other frilly nonsense.”
Truth. I bit back a smile.
“I prefer her without clothes.” Releasing my hair, Ashley gripped my thighs and spread me wider. “Jesus, you make me hard.” His jaw tensed as he stared at my cunt. “I can see his seed dripping out of you. You’re a damned sinful sight, one that would make the devil weep.”
I waited for him to touch me there, but his expression turned thoughtful. Watchful. He wasn’t finished listing his demands.
“I want marriage.” His incisive gaze flicked to mine, to Priest, and back to me. “I don’t care about formalities or ceremony. I want a marriage that’s recognized by both of you.” He clasped a possessive hand between my legs. “You will be my wife, bound to me in the same way that you’re bound to Priest.”
Currents of joy rocked beneath the keel of my heart.
Priest folded his hands over his abdomen, his silver eyes on Ashley. “After everything we’ve been through, I already consider our triad a binding union. She’s our wife. Yours and mine. If you need a formal declaration, I’ll give it.” The corner of his mouth crooked as he looked at me. “She’s Mrs. Cutler, Mrs. Farrell, Captain Sharp, Benedicta Leighton…”
“Goldilocks.” Ashley studied my face. “I love you. Be my wife.”
“Already yours. Your wife, your lover, your captive, a pirate who loves both you and your best friend above all else. And we shall be blinded by our love for life and beyond the ends of the sea.”
“By God and the devil, you’re such a deliciously beautiful woman I can’t think past my need to be deeply entrenched between your thighs.” He drew in a breath and rubbed his eyes. “Just a few more matters to discuss, such as what I’ve been doing for the past two hours.” His lips twitched. “I visited Jobah in his cabin.”
My head jerked back. “Why?”
“I wish to propose the end to your crew’s raiding and plundering of His Majesty’s Ships. I may be a Royal Navy deserter, but I’m still an Englishman who loves his country. I understand that all major decisions are made by popular vote and thereby written into the Articles. But that’s not why I sought out Jobah. I have another proposal for your men and ran it by him first.”