Page 77 of Viktor at Sea

The worst thing was that I couldn’t bring myself to take those words back.

I wanted to go on this mission. I liked the challenge. I wanted to prove my worth and see if the rumours were true about Treasure Island…but I also didn’t want to leave Astrid behind.

How did the rest of the crew do it? How did they leave their wives and families behind for months and months at a time while they were out at sea?

My breath hitched when Astrid shifted in her sleep, turning toward me. She threw an arm over me and rubbed my back.

“When did you get home?” My wife whispered into my chest, snuggling further into me. Instantly, the simple action warmed my heart, and I pulled the blankets higher over us to protect her from the cold.

“A little while ago,” I told her, bowing my head to press a soft kiss to her temple. Brushing the dark strands of hair away from her face, my lips travelled down, leaving a wet trail of kisses down the side of her face until I nibbled on the corner of her lips. When her lips parted in anticipation, her pink tongue poking out to lick along the seams of my lips, I couldn’t hold myself back any longer.

I needed a kiss goodnight.

The first kiss was soft and gentle, but one taste was all it took to turn me feral. I speared my tongue past her lips and moaned at the delectable taste of my wife.

Strawberries and a hint of something darker. Muskier.

Addictive as always.

One kiss from my wife was enough to tempt me to track down Barden in the morning and tell him I would go back on my word. I could give up my Captaincy and instead, bottle the sweet, addictive taste of Astrid’s lips. It would surely be a best seller and make us rich beyond our wildest dreams.

But then, I would have to track down every man who purchased a bottle and kill him for tasting my wife’s lips.

“I missed you today,” Astrid moaned, whispering the words against my mouth as she played with my hair, her fingers gentle as she pulled it out of the bun I had messily tied it in earlier.

“Not as much as I’ve missed you, my siren.” I pressed the promise against her lips before pulling away. When she pouted and turned to nuzzle her face into my chest once again, I felt like I was melting. Never before had I met such an adorable woman before, and marrying her was the best thing I would ever do.

“What are you thinking so hard about?” Astrid asked, a thoughtful look on her sleepy face.

“Nothing,” I was quick to deny.

“I can tell when you’re lying to me, pirate.” She playfully pinched my side.

“I’m just thinking about all that happened today,” I admitted, and my eyes widened in surprise at my unconscious words. When I felt her frown against my chest, I knew she picked up the change of mood, but I quickly corrected myself before she could ask about it. There was no way I could look Astrid in the eye and lie to her. “Some of the teenagers showed some real potential today.”

“Roscoe?”

I hummed, yes.

“Was Manny there?”

“No,” I released a long breath. “I’m a little disappointed that he wasn’t there. He showed some real promise when we sailed to Isle last time. With some honing and more time on the sea, he could become a valuable part of any crew.”

“You should ask him to join you on your next trip,” she suggested, and her words made me gulp painfully.

Little did Astrid know that my next trip would be much sooner than either of us expected.

We had talked about it before. Astrid made it clear that she wanted me for six months to herself before she was okay with missions for longer than a couple of weeks, and I didn’t have a single issue with that.

Not trusting myself not to spill the beans, I kissed her again and slipped my hand under the blanket.

“What are you doing, pirate?” Astrid gasped.

Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into my mouth, kissing me back with just as much ferocity, and the soft sound quickly turned into a wanton moan.

“Showing you just how much I missed you, my siren,” I grinned against her lips, pressing a wet kiss against them before I lowered myself down her body and disappeared under her nightdress, pressing a wet kiss to her other set of lips.

After I made my wife see stars–twice–she fell asleep in my arms. Sleep continued to evade me, so I held her all night, knowing that very soon, I would have to spend several months with her.

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