arousal as it leaked out over his knuckle. Then he shoved me off his lap as if he couldn’t stand the sight of me.
I fell against Ashley, the rope tearing into my wrists. With a furious yelp around the gag, I twisted and jerked into a better position, hoping my drama appeared genuine.
No one paid attention, for every head in the room tracked Priest as he approached their captain. Extending his soaked finger, he held it out for Madwulf’s inspection.
Madwulf straightened in the chair and gripped Priest’s wrist. He examined every finger, confirming that only one had been used, which was undeniably coated in the slippery white proof of my release.
Then he took it a step further and brought it to his nose, inhaling the scent.
Depraved goddamned animal.
“Unbelievable.” Madwulf laughed and shoved Priest’s hand away. “As a man who’s known for his sexual prowess, I daresay you’ve earned the reputation, king of libertines.”
He laughed some more, roaring manically as his men joined in.
My hackles bristled, and old resentment rose to the surface. Priest had been with more women than I cared to estimate, but it didn’t matter. Not here. Not ever again.
“I want that bed,” Priest barked over the commotion and pointed at the small mattress in the corner of the cottage.
There were four beds in total, but the shadows attached themselves to that one, for it was the farthest away from the windows and the congregation of pirates.
Priest turned back to me, stepped over my legs, and crouched before Ashley.
My heart hammered as they stared at each other for a timeless span. I couldn’t read either expression, which only heightened my panic.
“I want the truth.” Priest grabbed a fistful of black hair and wrenched Ashley’s head backward, glowering with a viciousness that scorched. “Do you love her?”
My pulse roared. My teeth sawed against the gag, and my hands wrung in the rope.
Ashley’s face remained empty, calm, fearless, making Priest wait before he contemptuously thrust his chin up then down, his gaze hardening with a challenging, resounding Yes.
Priest released him and stepped back, his carriage taut and rigid as he turned to his audience.
“You want to see what happens when someone wrongs me?” His hands went to his many belts, removing weapons. “Put them both on the bed.”
After some shuffling—with Ashley and me fighting through every bruising shove—Madwulf’s scoundrels succeeded in putting us on the bed. There were too many hands, too many zealous touches, making my skin shudder. All the while, Priest stood off to the side, instructing them on how to position us.
“Depraved bastards,” he mused, casting the comment out as a compliment rather than an insult against anyone’s proclivities.
It was true. The pirates damn near trembled with anticipation to witness Priest dole out whatever vile, twisted revenge he had planned. They were so eager, in fact, they hadn’t questioned his demand to include Ashley in this sick game. A game that would unquestionably involve Priest’s cock and my unwilling body.
Madwulf himself didn’t argue when Priest repositioned our restraints to properly administer the torture.
Ashley lay face-up on the bed. I straddled his hips, with our hands shackled in front rather than at our backs. We weren’t tethered to anything, but it wasn’t necessary. Every brute in the room was armed with pistols and blades. The only way we were getting out of this was if half of them vacated the cottage.
That wouldn’t happen until everyone had a turn.
With Ashley still in his breeches and me in his shirt, we remained covered and gagged. Priest had removed his weapons, leaving them in a pile on the floor beside the bed. The compass still hung from his many belts. He hadn’t parted with it or his clothes, thank God.
Beneath me, Ashley’s eyes blazed with rage, his chest riding on labored breaths. Setting my bound hands against his heart, I absorbed the pounding source of his torment.
He didn’t deserve this. He’d only been doing his job. If I hadn’t entangled Priest in my rescue, Ashley would still have his ship. Madwulf would still be locked up, and Priest would be safe somewhere else.
I’m so damned sorry.
I leaned down, softening my gaze with apologies and choking on a torrent of despair. Ashley’s mouth was so close, if not for our gags, I would’ve felt the velvety warmth of his lips against mine.
His shackled hands lay trapped between our hips. He shifted them, reached down, and curled his fingers against the apex of my legs, cupping me in a startling show of possessiveness.