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“We don’t have to do this tonight,” he said, hovering over her, his gaze a mix of lust and hesitation.

“Yes, we really do. All I want is you.” She snaked her hands in his silver hair and pulled his lips to her. Her yearning was impossible to deny, as her hands dug into his muscles, not wanting her nails to trigger him again, but she didn’t know for how long she’d be able to hold back with the way he slipped his hand over her breasts, the silky fabric caressing her nipples, driving her wild.

“How can the woman who saved me turn out to be the one who’s going to be the death of me?”

A smug grin crossed his face as he pinned her wrists above her head, nipping her neck as she wrapped her legs around his waist. His weight pressed her further into the mattress. She whimpered as his fingers teased between her legs; she’d never made such a shameless noise, but she was completely at his mercy as he slipped his finger inside her. His kiss overwhelmed her senses as he palmed her breast. Her nipples hardened into sensitive peaks. She wanted him to speed up, to slow down; her mind was nothing but a whirlwind of desperation, but she knew one thing: what she wanted, needed most, was him.

“Is this what you wanted?” he breathed against her ear.

“Please, yes. Don’t stop.” Desperate for release, she groaned when he took his hand away. His chuckle as she glared at him made her stomach clench. Wanting to pay him back, Aerin sat up, keeping her eyes locked on his heavy gaze as she slowly gathered every inch of her nightgown, taking her time revealing that she had nothing on beneath before slipping it over her head and tossing it on the floor. Gideon sat back on his heels as she rested on her elbows, unshamed, her curves on display.

“Having you here with me was worth every day buried beneath the sand,” he said, staring down at her, not missing even an inch of her body laid out before him.

He said nothing as his fingertips grazed the scar on her ribs where she’d got caught in a fishing net; the tenderness in his touch made her breathless. He pressed his lips to the scar, and she thought she’d die if she didn’t have him. She licked her lips, sore and a little swollen from his relentless kisses, but she still yearned for more.

Aerin reached for his belt, helping Gideon strip off what remained of his soaking clothes. She tugged at his hair as he tasted every inch of her body until she couldn’t take anymore. Aerin tugged off his boxers until nothing separated them. Grinding her hips against him, desperate to relieve the pressure building between her legs, she took every inch of him greedily. A growl escaped him that nearly shattered her. He rolled his hips, getting her used to his size. She arched her back as he eased out of her agonizingly slowly, and she dragged her nails down his back, begging him to reclaim his place. She moaned as his hips drove into hers, claiming her. She splintered around him, her vision hazy as she lost herself to his caress.

His tongue against hers caused her to clutch his hair as he nipped and sucked on her lips. Another wave of pleasure coursed through her as he didn’t give her time a chance to recover before sliding back inside her. He thrust relentlessly until only he existed as he sent her over the edge. Her body quivering, her legs tightened around his hips as he groaned into her ear, his pleasure taking over him as he gripped her hips, taking everything she had left to give.

Her heartbeat thundered, and she thought it would stop entirely as she came back down to earth. Aerin touched her swollen lips, trying to gather her senses. Gideon stared at her, his breathing rough. Her body hummed, begging for more, but she didn’t want to press their luck. Lazily, Gideon kissed her lips and her cheeks until she pressed her palm to his lips.

“We might be immortal, but I need some sleep before round two,” she mumbled, even though her body already hummed for more. He chuckled softly, hooking an arm behind his head as he held her close. Rolling over to her side of the bed, Aerin climbed out.

“Where are you going?” Gideon asked, shamelessly admiring her curves as she walked to the balcony.

“I’m closing the curtains. I don’t think either of us wants to end this night with a bed full of ashes,” she said.

“How thoughtful of you.”

“I want to at least get a few more nights out of you before I kick you to the curb,” she teased, climbing back onto the bed. Gideon wrestled her under him, nudging his nose against her as she struggled.

“Just a few more nights will satisfy you?” he asked, pulling the soft sheets over them. “Seems I need to earn my keep.” He darted a kiss over her chest and shoulders, hesitating at her neck. She noticed his smile slip, and she remembered the bruises. She pressed her lips to his troubled brow, silently telling him she was okay.

His brow softened as he tucked her under his arm. They drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Eighteen

Gideon

Halloween weekend, Indigo Cove was alive with spooky, autumnal decorations and an influx of tourists partaking in everything from simple pleasures like bobbing for apples to on-the-water adventure tours, such as the Kraken Hunter Tours. If they fancied a fright, they could wander from town and follow the path of the jack-o’-lanterns through the faery trails up the cliffs to the Haunted House.

“Don’t worry, kids, there isn’t anything to be frightened of,” a mother said, holding the hands of two young boys as they walked past the moss-covered gargoyles by the door that opened on its own thanks to a simple spell by Miranda.

“Oh, there’s plenty to be frightened of in this house. How dare you enter my inner sanctum without permission?” Gideon chuckled, sitting on the pirate’s throne, baring his fangs at anyone who dared to get too close. The costume and hat made him look the part of a haunting pirate lord, guarding his treasure from the grave. “Now give me your gold as penance; if you don’t have gold, then give me your blood,” Gideon hissed, and the little boys screamed and ran out of the house.

He caught Aerin wincing at the sight of the terrified child; maybe the house was a little too spooky. Glancing out the candlelit window, he hoped the boys weren’t too upset, until he heard them giggle happily, begging their mum to do it again.

Aerin walked barefoot through the house in her grandmother’s vintage wedding dress, soaked in salt water; fake blood painted on the soles of her feet, so fresh bloody footprints decorated the floorboards as though she were some poor ghost wandering, trapped. Bioluminescent algae coated her hands, painting whatever she touched. Gold coins and seaweed littered the floor, making the ground floor look like a shipwreck.

Gideon had been sitting on the throne for so long that his arse was starting to go numb. He began to walk through the house, frightening visitors at every turn and corner. Aerin kept the lights flickering and the haunting music playing through the speakers.

“The boys want to dress up as you for Halloween. I’m not looking forward to making new pirate costumes for close to Halloween,” the boys’ mum said when he returned to the throne room, where her boys searched the treasure boxes with some of the other children. Gideon’s face fell when he recognized her dark curls and brown eyes.

“First Mate Marissa?” Gideon stammered, removing his hat to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. He wasn’t supposed to break character, but he needed to know if it was really her.

“Gideon? Your Highness? How can this be? I saw your coffin go into the water?” Marissa wrapped her arms around him, and he stood shell-shocked, then hugged her back.

“I went into the water, but I wasn’t killed. I didn’t think I’d ever see any of my crew again,” he said, as she drew back.