down, my chest aching and heart raw. That seemed to be a habit of Ashley’s. The first time he’d fucked me, he’d left. Though he hadn’t made it past the door of his cabin.
“You must have kept in touch over the years,” I said.
“We wrote to each other.” Exhaling, Priest rolled onto his back. “Without Ashley, I had no job here. Over the following year, I hopped from ship to ship, doing various work, making my way to the West Indies, and looking for my father. That’s how I found a brother I didn’t know I had.”
“Reynolds.” I smiled.
“Aye. We joined a pirate crew. Ashley called upon me between wars. Sometimes we met here. Other times, we reconnected in ports along the Western Ocean. Those infrequent visits were all he offered me.”
Until Nassau, when Ashley wrote Priest out of his life completely.
“During those times,” Ashley said, “it was more important than ever that we kept our distance. You were making a notorious name for yourself, Priest. And I was an officer in the navy and—”
“You were my best friend.”
Priest had every right to be furious. He’d been rejected by both Ashley and me. Yet, as he lay beside me, his fingers absently twisting through my hair, he seemed content. Peaceful.
It became suddenly apparent why he had a sheer lack of interest in hoarding spoils and ships from his plundering at sea. He had all the wealth he could ever need right here.
All he truly wanted, what he needed, was someone he could take care of. And perhaps someone to do the same for him.
“You told me on your ship,” I said to Ashley. “that it had been two years since you bedded anyone. It was Priest, wasn’t it? In Nassau? He was the last person you were with?”
“Yes.”
“And before that?”
“I don’t recall. Commanding His Majesty’s Ship and fighting in wars didn’t allow time for such affairs. Meanwhile, Priest spent the past fourteen years fucking every skirt that crossed his path.”
“Until I met Bennett.” Priest cocked a brow, its sharp downward tilt highlighting the languid dip of his eyes. “There will never be another woman for me.”
My heart squeezed and expanded. “When you told me you loved two people, I didn’t understand it. I didn’t think it was possible. But I was wrong. Clearly.” I picked at the ticking on the bed and lifted my eyes to Ashley. “I should ask you about your visit in London, but the only thing I want to know is if you saw your betrothed.”
“Yes. I called on her. That is what’s expected. Had I not, I would’ve been interrogated and harassed by every meddling lady in society.”
Anger and jealousy coiled up my spine as I rose to a sitting position. “What’s her name?”
“You intend to kill the lovely girl?”
I struggled in my rioting emotions when it came to these two men, but I did not struggle in this.
“Yes.” I met him stare for stare. “If you marry her, I will gut her. A knife in the belly. Thrust. And twist. No hesitation. So I should hope that while you were in London for three damned weeks, you had the wherewithal to break off the betrothal.”
“I did no such thing.” He grabbed my throat and in the next breath, had me on my back with his weight atop of me. “I was in London to explain why I didn’t arrest the despicable pirates Bennett Sharp and Priest Farrell whilst they were in my grasp. With a ship full of witnesses, I had to spin lies and exaggerate truths to avoid a court-martial and demotion. I was not in London to deal with personal matters.”
“Break off the engagement.” I pushed against his chest, a useless effort. “Tell him, Priest.”
“I’ve been telling him for years.” Frustration simmered beneath Priest’s voice as he stood from the bed. “Let it go, Bennett.”
“I will not—”
“For now.” He tipped his chin at Ashley, his eyes fixed on me. “We have a gift for you.”
Ashley grabbed my hand and drew me up. All at once, the mood shifted. The men exchanged a look, and something akin to excitement passed between them.
“What?” I asked, impatient. “What is it?”
“A surprise. We need you dressed for it.” Ashley ushered me toward the bathing chamber as he said to Priest, “It was important to me to be here for this. Thank you for waiting for me.”
“I told you I would.”
Their cryptic conversation prompted a fleet of questions from my mouth, of which they ignored. We bathed,