Page 11 of Wayward (Wrecked #4)

Old Salt

Sam

“ Y ou like it?” I ask.

“I love it.”

I take Haley’s hand. “Let me show you around. Calvin’s already inside.” I pull back the sheet of our cobbled-together tent. Green’s in the middle of the main bed in the cabin, with sheet “walls” all around the sides.

“Wow, you made this?" Haley gushes. "I would have loved it as a kid. Heck, I love it now.”

“Hey, Chiefie. I may hate my brother, but I’m fucking amazing at building forts for his kids.”

“It’s wonderful.” Haley crawls in toward Calvin.

“The thing felt a heck of a lot bigger before Green got in it.” I crawl in after her. I’ve already ditched my shirt and shorts on the floor next to the bed. “We can just sleep.”

Haley’s hand lands on the front of my chest, her back pressing into Calvin’s front. She leans in and whispers, “Need you.”

Fuck, I need her more than air. Watching her hair blow around on the back deck, thinking that was it ― that they were going to kill us. Kill her . I was a second away from running straight at the guard.

“I love you.” I don’t whisper it. I don’t give a shit what they know about us on the ship. She’s it for me. And the rest of the world can fucking explode for all I care. Her fingers trail over my chest, down past my stomach to my growing erection.

Our eyes lock. “I love you too, Sam.” Her fingers slip beneath the elastic in my underwear and down my groin. I grip my teeth at the anticipation of her touch. My cock jumps into her hand.

“Lift up, Chiefie.”

Haley lifts her shoulder, and Calvin pulls her towel away. Her breasts skim my side, but it’s only a second before Calvin has one in his hand.

She gasps, but it’s only for a moment before her breath hitches. Her eyes flutter shut as Calvin’s fingers dance around her nipple. Haley rocks with a shiver. Her hand slides all the way down my cock. She pulls up once, then twice. I wrestle my underwear off and seal my lips to hers.

With some squirming, she has her other hand free and around my neck. Our lips crash against each other. Her fingernails comb and scrape through my hair. Zips of electricity fly around my body.

She breaks the kiss, and her blue eyes flash at me in the low light. “Sam, I want you.”

Calvin’s hand lifts from her breast to her chin, moving her head until their lips meet. I’m a beat away from smacking him away when he breaks their kiss and lifts her and himself in one fell swoop. He’s twisted all of us. Haley ends up straddling me, with Calvin behind her.

The sheet walls shake and flare but settle around the sides of Calvin’s shoulders. There’s a soft light on in the cabin, and the white sheet behind Calvin glows.

“Sam.” Haley’s lips are on mine again, her fingers pulling at my hair, running through my beard. She’s grinding on me. Taking what she needs until she’s not.

“Just a second,” Calvin growls. He’s pulled her up onto all fours.

Haley bites her lip. Her eyes flick to the top of the tent and back to mine.

I’m mesmerized by her. Her lightly tanned skin hovering above me.

Calvin’s arm's around her waist, holding her up. My eyes trail down her body to her pussy. And I’m shaken awake by the importance of this moment.

It’s rash, doing this now. But it proves we’re alive.

Proves that they can’t take away what we made.

I push up onto my elbow and reach for her with my other hand. My thumb rounds her clit, while Calvin’s working her other side.

“You good, Chiefie?”

“Yes.” Her breath hitches. “All good. Sam.” She reaches for me, and in a quick motion she slides onto me. My hand is knocked out of the way. My eyes roll to the back of my head.

“Damn, Sugar.”

Haley grabs my neck again. The Rosewood’s shower gel can’t hide how much she smells like home. Our lips join, and she tastes like home too.

Calvin moves, setting a rhythm as he slowly penetrates her. Haley’s eyes close, and she lets out a soft, guttural groan. I can’t help but match her intensity with my own, kissing her deeply and passionately. The sheets tremble above us with each thrust from Calvin.

The three of us are lost in this moment, united in more ways than just our bodies. She lifts her head and twists back to Calvin. “So close.”

Calvin slows.

“No,” Haley protests. And I have to agree. I’m trying not to release. Not yet. “Calvin,” she moans, desperation and grit in her tone. Her eyes search mine.

“I’ve got you, Sugar.” I tighten up and thrust into her from below.

“Cheaters never win,” Calvin growls. He picks up the pace again, his rhythm syncing with the pounding of my heart. The Rosewood’s rocking doubles down on our rhythm. Being surrounded by Haley is the only thing that matters. The rest of my brain has melted into oblivion.

“That’s it,” Calvin growls, his voice low and intense. “You like that, don’t you? Both of us, fighting for control.”

Haley’s breath hitches. Her eyes are wide and glassy with desire. “Yes,” she says, as her fingernails grip my biceps. She’s holding on for dear life.

“You’re the boss, Sugar. We’d do anything for you.”

Tension wracks her beautiful face. “Now, please. Now, more.”

Calvin lets out a low growl, his movements becoming urgent and intense.

The sheet wall around us vibrates with energy, threatening to crash down.

But I’m focused just on Haley, her eyes, her lips, the tilt of her chin as she’s chasing her orgasm.

She’s mine. She’s all of ours. I never want this to end.

“Come on,” Calvin urges, his voice gravelly with arousal. “Give it to us.”

Haley’s body shudders, and she calls out our names. There’s nothing discreet about it. The intensity of the moment washes over me, and I can feel my own release coming closer. Calvin jerks erratically, pushing me deeper into Haley.

“That’s it, Haley,” I murmur, my voice hoarse with desire. “Give it to us.”

She tenses. Her body tightens around my cock. “I’m . . . I’m . . .” I surge up and kiss her, swallowing down her moans. Eating her words. I crash over the edge with her. Electrical shocks burst through my body. My vision goes black.

Her head lands on my chest. Fuck, I love her. But I also love breathing. Something that’s really hard to do right now. “Move, Green.”

He slides off, pulling Haley between us. There’s a ripping noise, and the top of the tent flutters down over our heads.

Haley laughs.

“You okay?” Easton says.

I’m fighting with the sheet to pull it off our heads, but it’s the roof and the sides and goes on as long as a rope of scarves pulled out of a clown’s pocket.

“I’m good. Good.” She giggles.

And it has my cock starting to harden again.

“Here we are.” She’s the one who pulls it the rest of the way off our heads.

“Peek-a-boo, Sassy.” Dante’s dressed and looming over the side of the bed.

“Hey.” Haley tucks the sheet under her chin.

“I’ve got first watch.” Dante nods at Calvin and me.

Easton and Zane are lying on the cots on the other side of the room. Easton’s blue eyes catch the soft light from the closet, but Zane’s asleep.

Calvin grabs Haley’s towel from the floor and heads into the bathroom. I hold Haley to my chest, watching her slowly spiral into sleep while I wait for Calvin to finish.

When I’m done with the shower, Penny’s staring at me. She chuffs and scratches at the cabin door.

“Sorry, girl,” I whisper. I take her into the bathroom and convince her to do her business on a dirty towel. If you’ve never been judged by a dog, you just haven’t lived.

Back in the room, she jumps up on the bed and manages to wedge herself between Haley and Calvin.

Dante cocks his head at me. He’s sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall next to the door, Pepper curled in his lap. I smile.

“Want me to take over?”

“I’ve got it,” he says.

The ship shakes, changing course. Not a lot, but it's definitely a shift in direction. And then the engines kick it up.

“Whoa,” Dante whispers.

“Yeah.”

“You think we should wake them up?” He lifts his chin to me, then shakes his head, answering his own question.

“No point,” I whisper and pull on my pants.

I hang the towel up and head to the porthole.

There’s nothing out there but the moon on the water.

Fuck, I used to love watching the waves from the bridge.

The quiet of the night. I’m staring out at the waves, but there’s nothing now but dread.

The dread of being under Z’s control. Having him pull us out to threaten us. There’s a click behind me.

I turn to hear Penny growling, the light from the corridor shining across the foot of the bed. Calvin bounds to his feet, but the others don’t move.

“Come with me,” Holloway says, pointing at me.

Calvin takes a step toward the door.

“Just your captain.”

I follow Holloway out the door, and Penny leaps to come with me. “No, you stay.”

“Come on, Penny.” Dante pulls her back in.

Holloway closes the door with a click. One of the nameless guards stands on the other side of the hall. He looks away, his face blank. But if he’s been standing there for the last few hours, he’s heard some things.

“She’s a good dog,” Holloway says to the closed door. He takes long steps to the stairs at the end of the hall.

“Thanks, she is.” I leave off all the things I used to say, like “when she wants to be” or “she’s stubborn.

” Because no, she listened to Calvin when he told her to go home.

“She’s the best dog there is.” There’s no point denying it.

They have enough things over my head to keep me motivated. “Where are we going?”

“Wheelhouse.” He doesn’t slow.

“Okay. Any reason why?”

“I didn’t ask.”

“Probably for the best.”

“It’s always for the best.” We step up the last step.

He points me to the wheelhouse. “Don’t do anything dumb.

Captain carries.” Holloway angles his head to the wheelhouse’s side doors on the port and starboard.

Large backs fill the window in each door.

Holloway pulls the interior door shut behind him.

And I’m left staring at the back of the uniformed captain.

He’s tall with square shoulders, his elbows sticking out from his sides, a bulge of the weapon he carries on his right.

“Hello,” he says with a strong Scandinavian accent.

He turns, dropping a pair of night vision binoculars on a stack of charts at the back of the wheelhouse.

“Thank you for coming.” The crewman next to him, holding the helm, doesn’t turn.

I swallow down my smirk. Like I had a choice.

“Right, so Mr. Z has cleared me to talk to you about the drifting of the Rock Candy. I’d like to know more about the current that brought you to your island.

I like my charts to be complete,” he says in the gruff sing-song voice that so many older Nordic sailors have.

He doesn’t say his name. But there’s something familiar about him.

“Well, I don’t have my charts. They’re still with the Rock Candy. Wherever she is. And Z has my logbook.”

The captain pulls it out from under a chart. “ Dis, ja ?”

“Yes.” I hold my hand out and take it. “Thank you. May I sit?” I motion to the bench next to the table the charts are on.

“Please.” He clicks on a map light. “Humph, it would be better to have more light.” He yanks open the door back to the corridor. “We are moving to my office.” He snags the charts from the table. “ Nei, I need that one.” He points to the stack next to me. “Take those.”

I take the stack and follow him out.

Holloway has an eyebrow arched.

“If I’m going to understand the charts and his logbook, ve need more light.”

“Fine,” Holloway says.

The Rosewood’s captain opens the door next to the wheelhouse. It’s a large office with a closed interior door toward the aft of the boat, and his cabin. He moves a few things from his desk and puts the ones he brought in down. I place the ones on my stack down on top.

He flips through the charts until he finds the right one, where the Rock Candy lost power.

“Here?” The Rock Candy is marked on the map.

His hand slides down from where he pointed, down the side of the chart to the edge where it’s stamped with a rose.

He holds his finger next to the rose, where a name is printed.

Captain Haakon Lindholm. He glares up at me. And it takes a minute.

Fuck, yes!

I give a single nod. And do my best not to jump up and down.