Page 87 of Pirate Witch

The dog eventually does as he’s told, giving Val’s chin one final lick before reclaiming his spot. An awkward silence fills the space between us. I go to pull away, to try to regain some distance, but he doesn’t let me go. His arm keeps me close, pressed against him with only the quilt separating us.

“Were you awake the whole time?”

He chuckles. “Yup.”

Goddess, my cheeks are burning as badly as my eyes.

“So, you’re going to yell at me?”

“Yup, Fitz said you took on a bigger ship by yourself rather than—”

“I was an arrogant ass,” he admits, cutting me off. “I think I’ve paid for that already, don’t you?”

“How much do you remember?”

“Not much,” he hedges. “Everett fucking boarded me just to gloat, then I think I passed out.”

“Cooper defended you,” I whisper. “He died protecting you. Everett killed him, and Cas’s leviathan ate Everett for it.”

Val’s whole body stiffens. “Stupid fucking kid,” he mutters.

I don’t make the mistake of thinking he doesn’t care. His words are too broken to carry any real heat.

He ruffles his hair and sighs. “Is Elsie okay?”

“No. No, she’s not.”

He grunts like he didn’t expect her to be. “Yeah. I suppose that makes sense.”

“She’s young,” I whisper. “Hopefully, in time…”

“That’s bullshit. Time doesn’t make that shit go away, and youth doesn’t make it any easier. Those are just lies we tell ourselves because we don’t like the reality that children feel loss, and adults can’t do anything about it.”

I let out a long sigh. “It’s destroyed her.”

Something presses against the top of my head, jostling the hair there. If this was any of my other men, I’d have said it was a kiss, but this isVal. It’s probably his chin or something.

“Get some rest, witch. You can worry about everyone else’s problems in a few hours.”

Bossy asshole.

VALOREAN

She’s asleep in my arms and it’s quite literally torture. The scent of her, tart and floral, wraps around me, teasing me. Keeping me acutely aware of who is pressing their breasts against my chest with every inhale. This is hands down the worst, and best, experience of my life. My cock is in purgatory, trapped between me and the soft body of the woman it’s been hard for since the winter solstice.

Only my dog’s judgemental gaze keeps me from looking down into the valley of Nilsa’s chest and admiring the curve of her hip where she’s thrown her leg over mine. I love Titan, I really do, but he has the worst timing.

Something at the back of my mind flickers, alerting me to something… no, someone, walking around on theDeadwood. Someone who isn’t part of my crew.

“Who the fuck is on my ship?!” I roar, erection forgotten, as I stomp towards the door.

Only to stop and glance back at the disgruntled, half asleep witch I’ve left in my wake.Fuck. Should’ve done that more gently.

Nilsa shoots me a grumpy look, and I shrug. “Someone’s on my ship?” It comes out as a question.Why did I say it like a question?

She rolls over, tugging Titan into a hug. “Yeah, I told Danika about that stone tablet I brought back from Marianne’s. I think she wanted to check it out.”

I grind my teeth together and suck in a deep breath through my nose.