“May the ocean take her soul and keep her safe for eternity,” Drake says.

We watch with blank expressions as they slide Senny’s body over the edge of the ship and into the water. Jess is still beside me, her breathing heavy and deep. I know that her and Senny weren’t close, but I think for a long time they were all each other had on this ship. I reach out and take her hand, and she squeezes it tight while we all lower our heads for a minute, giving Senny the respect she needs right now.

I am trying to ignore the scrubbing sounds behind me, and the smell of bleach that burns my nose as a few of the younger pirates scrub the blood off the deck. I am trying not to focus on it, trying not to think about the reality of the situation that is surrounding me. It’s not the fantasy world that people assume it is; it’s real, and it’s scary. There are things that happen out here that most people wouldn’t experience in their lives, and yet these men live it on a daily basis.

This is their world, and now…now it’s mine.

I’m not sure if this frightens me, or gives me a chance to really discover who I am with a man I adore. He’s not what I would have picked for myself but he has changed everything I ever believed I needed. This world is scary, but more than that, it’s real. These men believe in everything they are, and they work hard for the things they want. They’re criminals, without a doubt, but the passion they hold for each other beats that in some of the families I’ve seen.

“You okay?”

Hendrix comes up behind me, and wraps his arms around my waist.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“It’s hard I know, but I promise you I’ll fight every day of my life to make sure nothing happens to you, inocencia,” he whispers into my ear.

“I know you will.”

“Come on, let’s get inside, there’s some raining coming in.”

“Do they…” I point to the guys scrubbing the floors. “…need help?”

“No, they’ve got it.”

I nod as he turns to Jess. He narrows his eyes and watches as she stares beyond the side of the ship, sobbing, her tiny frame shaking. Letting me go, he walks over and wraps his arms around her, pulling her into him. In that moment I love him that much more. I feel my eyes burn as I watch Jess crumble into him.

“It’s going to be okay, Jess, you’ve got us. We’re always going to protect you.”

My heart aches for her, it aches so bad. Hendrix lets her go and nods to Drake, who walks over, wrapping an arm around her. I watch him lead her away, and I realize these guys are so much more than pirates. They’re brothers. They’re family. They believe in each other. Pride swells in my chest as I walk over, tucking myself into Hendrix.

“Let’s go below deck. I need you…”

He wraps his fingers around my arms and leans down, sliding his lips across mine.

“You’ve got me, always.”

That sounds just fine to me.

Fire in the hole!

“Oh, fuck, harder baby,” Hendrix rasps, tangling his hands into my hair.

I slide my mouth up and down his cock, licking, teasing, tormenting him until he’s panting and begging me for more. I like hearing him beg. It makes my pussy clench with need. I wrap my hand around the base of his cock and begin gently squeezing. He hisses and jerks his hips, thrusting his cock up into my mouth further until it’s hitting the back of my throat. His feral hiss fills the room, and I find my hand sliding down to cup his balls. My mind goes back to moments when I heard stories about men enjoying having their ass played with. Would a man like Hendrix like something like that?

I test the waters by sliding my finger lower. He tenses for a minute, and his breathing becomes ragged. I run my finger up and down, while sucking, and using my other hand to stroke his cock. I feel him swelling, getting harder and harder in my mouth, and I know he’s close. I slip my finger down, gently sliding it in. He growls loudly, and grips my hair. “Fuck, Indi, what are you…”

I press into the hard little lump my finger grazes and he’s cut off mid-sentence. His words turn into growls and his cock explodes, spurting hard into my mouth. His growling is primal and damned sexy. His hips jerk, and his fingers tighten in my hair as he continues to come, spurting into my throat. My entire body tingles with want as he slowly comes down from his release. He slumps back into the sofa and I gently remove my finger and mouth before sliding up his body and pressing little kisses to his abdomen.

“What the hell was that?” he rasps.

“Just a little trick. Did it work?”

“Are you kidding baby? Of course it worked.”

I giggle, and slide my tongue out and over the hard muscle on his belly.

“Quit doin’ that sweetheart, or I’ll have to fuck you.”

“You can’t,” I murmur.

“Why not?”

“It’s shark week.”

“What?” he says, confused.

I roll my eyes. “It means that if you drop me in the ocean right now, you’re going to find the sharks having a feast because Aunt Flo is in town.”

“Who the fuck is Aunt Flo?”

“My period!” I say, exasperated.

He is quiet for a moment, and then he bursts out laughing, his entire body shaking.

“I’ve heard a lot of things in my time, but fuck, that was gold.”

I smile against his belly and look up at him. “You know me, queen of the one-liners.”