Page 70 of Of the Stars and Sea

“Careful with that bite, Little Pearl,” he growls. “My self-control withers when you are near and the dirty floor of a cave is not the place I wish to take you for the first time.”

My voice is breathless as I respond. “I don’t care about the damn cave, Grayson. I want you.Now.”

He pulls back, placing both his hands on the sides of my face. His smile is bright as he leaves a whisper of a kiss against my lips. “Youalreadyhave me.”

Some ancient part of my soul weeps at his revelation.

He moves a stray strand of hair out of my face and the sheer tenderness of his touch springs tears to the backs of my eyes.

Grayson Tyde. For all the masks he wears and the secrets he hides from the light, he has always shown me exactly who he is.

Dangerous.

Relentless.

Unforgiving.

Kind.

Generous.

Loving.

And somehow . . . he has seen me for exactly whoI am.

Wrapping my arms around the back of his neck, I pull him to me in a tight embrace. His body is hard against mine for a breath.

Two.

Then I feel him let go and he melds himself against me, his arms moving to wrap around my waist so there is no part of me that isn’t touching him.

Burying my face into his neck, I breathe him in again. Salt and cedar. The scent of the sea and a strong ship that chases the horizons. He smells of home and all the things I cherish.

He is mine.

He is mine.

He is mine.

Somehow, I have never wanted something more.

Chapter 18

Iwake to the echoing clap of thunder and heavy rainfall.

Peeling my eyes open, I blink until they finally adjust. The cavern is darker than it was when I fell asleep in Grayson’s arms. Wetter too. A light mist hangs in the air and when I look up, I realize it’s coming from a gentle rainfall sprinkling through the small holes peppering the cavern’s ceiling.

“It’s almost time for us to leave for the coastline.” Grayson’s voice is raspy. He must have woken up not long before me.

His chest rises and falls with even breaths at my back and I don’t want to move from this place. Not when his arms are wrapped around me and the warmth of his embrace will be traded for danger that threatens to take what is ours.

Ours.

What a strange thing to think about Thaeto’s treasure as belonging to the both of us. How much has changed in these few weeks.

Then again, is this not what I had hoped for—in some sense, at least?

So many years of my life have looked the same. Every day I did Red Beard’s bidding, even as it cost me and my crew our dignity and reputation. Despite the entrapment, we alwayschased after our freedom. After a life we desired. But as I lay in Grayson’s embrace, I begin to wonder if there is more to this life than simply releasing myself from the shackles of my father’s mistakes. If there might be some chance of . . . happiness.

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