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And he’s staring down at me with such rapt focus, watching my face for each gasp I make, each time my eyes roll back, each time I arch my neck, that I’ve never felt so idolized and studied before. It’s like he’s committing me to memory with every hard shove of his hips.

Perhaps he is. Perhaps he knows that this is all we have left. That there can’t be anything more for us. Two monsters who belong to two different worlds being put back in their proper places. He the king of the high seas, me the queen of the world below.

Except now I’m a queen without a kingdom.

And I’ll soon be a queen without her king.

“Stay with me,” he whispers, nostrils flaring as he tries to rein himself in. “Be with me here and now, luv.”

I nod and let out a low moan as his hips circle in just the right way, bringing my thoughts back to him, back to this moment, where he’s so deep inside that it’s hard to imagine ever being without him.

It’s not long before that focus in him starts to waver, the look in his eyes being replaced by the equally intense look of wild abandon. He looks like a feral man, moves like a savage creature, fucks me like an absolute monster.

“Ramsay!” I cry out, my orgasm coming for me like the tides, getting closer and closer.

“Come for me, my beautiful creature,” he grunts, thrusting his impossibly hard cock in quick shallow movements before driving in deep enough to make me scream.

“Oh gods. Oh my gods.” My chest is tight and hot and I feel like if I let go, I’ll let go of him forever, and I’m trying to hold on harder and harder.

But he just feels too good and he’s too good at uncovering my feelings, like shells revealed beneath the sand.

I cry out, my hips bucking up to meet him and I’m spiraling out of control, my body convulsing as the climax rocks through me, shaking me to my core. I feel this howling creature inside of me, one that wants to claim him in every way possible, wants to keep him inside her forever.

He succumbs soon after. The determination in his brow cracks and I watch as his orgasm rips through him, rendering my strong man into something soft and free. A heavy gasp escapes his open mouth, his neck taut with the final push of his hips, his muscles shaking from the strain of thoroughly bedding me under water, and then he stills. He falls against me, just for a moment before the buoyancy of the water lifts him off me so that we’re barely touching.

“Maren,” he says softly, reaching down to touch my cheek. “That was—”

“Incredible?” I fill in but as I do so a wave of emotions comes crashing over me, wanting to drown me in the deep fear of what’s next for us. I press my lips together, willing myself not to cry and I look past him to the surface, unable to look at the adoring expression on Ramsay’s face.

But as I look I notice something.

High on the surface a ship plows through the water.

Then there’s another one to the left of it, and another one to the right, and then behind, and they’re all heading in the direction of theNightwind.

“Ramsay,” I whisper, and it takes him a moment to raise his head and look up.

“Oh, bloody hell,” he says. “It’s the Royal Navy.”

CHAPTER41

Maren

“The Royal Navy?”I repeat as he pulls himself out of me. “Are you certain? How can you tell from down here?”

“Well I ain’t certain,” he says, giving me a furtive look as he tucks his cock back in his breeches. “But when you see ships of the line like that and moving at that speed, I’d wager that’s what they are. At any rate, I have to return to theNightwind.”

“I’ll take you,” I tell him, “You won’t be able to swim as fast as those ships, but I can.”

He gives me a wry smile. “Are you sure you don’t have dolphins we can ride?”

I manage to laugh at that. He doesn’t know what bastards dolphins actually are. “I’m faster than a dolphin.” I hold out my hand for him. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

“You’ve already shown me a great deal, luv,” he says. “I’m not sure how much more I can take.”

“Really? Here I was thinking you were able to handle me.”

“Oh, I can handle you,” he says gruffly, his brows coming together.