“Oh, you have no idea,” Zander said. “Not only did I steal those coins”—he removed his twin daggers from his boots and placed them on the table—“I commandeered an entire pirate ship, killed a quarter of the men on board, and ran it aground.”

A mixture of emotions flitted across Ace’s face. At first, humor, when she thought he was joking. Then, shock, tenderness, and admiration.

“Scoundrel,” she said, her voice filled with lust and pride as she closed the distance between them.

“Aye,” he agreed, his voice rough with emotion as Ace gripped the front of his shirt and pulled him toward her.

They kissed desperately, each of them starved for the other. Ace buried her hands in Zander’s long, tangled hair, her nails pressing into his scalp as she kissed him. She lifted her leg, wrapping it around Zander’s thigh and pressing her body against his. He responded by shifting his tight grip from her back to her thighs, lifting her up and walking forward so she was pressed against the wall.

“Ace,” he managed to mutter between their kisses. He had her pinned against the wall with his hips, and his hands roamed freely, one cupping her breast while the other gently pressed against her neck.

Ace made a soft sound against his lips, and he nearly came undone. Instead, he stopped, pressing his forehead against hers so he could catch his breath.

“Ace,” he said again.

“Zander,” Ace said, her hand moving to his face as she tilted her chin forward, trying again to capture his lips.

“Wait,” he said. He cupped his hands around her thighs again as he moved his body away, lowering her back to the ground. “Just wait a moment.”

Zander took several steps back, running his hands roughly through his hair as he tried to focus on what he needed to say. Ace stood there, her expression one of wary concern.

“Zander? Are you okay?”

“Yes, I… well, no… I just…” Zander sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. “I love you, Ace. Do you know that?”

Ace nodded, a tentative smile forming on her face.

“I mean, I really love you,” Zander clarified. “Run away and become a pirate kind of love. Lay down my life kind of love.”

Zander’s voice broke, and he took a moment to breathe deeply before continuing.

“Before you knocked me unconscious with the handle of that cutlass”—he pointed accusingly at the cutlass in question, still hanging from her hip, and she grimaced—“you said you loved me, too. And before you say anything, hear me out. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were the only one for me. Something deep inside my soul reached through bone, muscle, and sinew, pushing through every layer of who I thought I was and bursting from my body just for a chance to touch you. That feeling hasn’t gone away.

“The air I breathe feels stale when you’re not sharing it. The last few days have been torture, knowing you’re in trouble, knowing you could be hurt, or dead. Ace, I want to spend every moment with you for the rest of my life. I want to fall asleep with you each night and wake up with you each morning. I want to know everything, all of it, even the deep, shameful parts of you. Little by little or all at once like a flood, I’ll take whatever you can give me, and I’ll give you whatever you want in return.”

Zander steeled himself for the next part, trying not to let the tears running down Ace’s pretty face discourage him.

“But I would rather die than be another man who keeps you when you don’t want to be kept. I want to know—I need to know. I need to know if you feel the same about me. I need to know if you see us as something that could last forever, or if I’ve just been convenient to have around.”

Ace gasped softly, her face taking on a pained expression.

“Convenient?” she whispered, taking a step toward him. “Zander. You have been anything but convenient.”

Zander’s brows shot up, but Ace raised her hands in a silent plea for patience before she continued.

“Before I docked in Barbados the day I met you, I had committed myself to never, ever falling in love. It was a way to keep myself safe. I had Theo and Yarrow—my family—and the crew, and that was enough for me. But then you showed up, and god damnit if you didn’t mess everything all up by chasing me down when I ran away.” She laughed, a sputtering sound through her tears. “And you know, if you hadn’t chased me, it would have only been a matter of time before I came back and found you again. You were stuck in my mind like a splinter.”

Ace took another step toward him, so they were nearly touching. She took his hand and intertwined their fingers, holding their hands between them near their hearts, and looked boldly into his eyes.

“I bless the fated tides that brought me to your shore. If I could, I would kiss the very stars for guiding me to you, my love, my Zander. I’m sorry I haven’t said it before. In every life I will find you. No matter how far I may travel, no matter the winds that push me this way or that, know this: I have always been on my way to you. And now that I’ve found you… and you’ve found me”—she smiled amusedly—“I am never letting you go again.”

Ace kissed him tenderly. When she pulled away, she put her hand gently on his cheek.

“I do love you, Zander. And I’m so sorry for all the secrets that have lain between us. I’d kept them for so long… I didn’t know how to let go.”

Zander let out a long breath. With every word Ace said, he felt a heaviness leave his body, until all that was left was relief—relief that he’d found her, relief she was whole, relief they could begin their lives together anew even after all the heartache of the past week. He knew the pain of the last few days would follow them from this room. But they would heal, together.

Tears filled his eyes, and he wrapped his arms around Ace in a vice grip, holding her against him and finally letting himself feel the moment fully. He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply, his tears running into her hair.

With every breath, he felt more whole.

Finally, he pulled back and smiled.

“Now, with that out of the way,” he said, narrowing his eyes, “where were we?”

“Right here,” Ace said, gripping his erection over his pants and gently squeezing.

A sound escaped Zander’s mouth that was something between a moan and a surprised squeal not befitting a pirate of his caliber. As he leaned forward to capture her mouth with his, Ace leaned back teasingly so that all he could do was groan into her mouth as she continued to caress him. He tilted his head down to nip at her neck, then trailed kisses down her sternum and onto the top of her breasts as he undid the clasps on her vest.

Reaching the final clasp, Zander pulled her vest off and began working on her shirt, his mouth following his fingers downward until she was topless, and he gently kissed a bruise on her ribs.

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he stopped.

“Wait.”

“God, not again,” Ace said. “What?”

“You’re alright to do this, aren’t you? I mean, you’ve been thoroughly traumatized these past few days. You were kidnapped, beaten. I don’t want to rush you.”

Ace’s eyes softened, and she smiled down at him.

“I’m okay,” she said. “I promise. Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

Ace’s hands tightened their grip in his hair. “Then undo the clasp on that belt, sailor.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Zander removed Ace’s belt without taking his eyes from hers, standing as he tugged it away and tossed it to the floor, her ivory blade falling with a loud thud. She returned the favor, pulling off his belt so he could pull his shirt over his head. Ace’s hands went to his chest, roaming downward toward his stomach, and the feeling was so achingly familiar Zander nearly lost himself in it.

He wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her bare torso against his. His other hand cupped her face so he could kiss her, smiling against her mouth as he tried to shimmy out of his trousers without breaking contact. She laughed, pushing against him playfully so she could pull them down for him.

“You’re so thoroughly covered in dirt and sweat, these never would have come down without a good tug, Zander,” Ace said, laughing.

Zander tugged on Ace’s pants, pushing her gently down to sit on the edge of the bed. He nipped at her ankle as he freed one of her legs.

“You’re rather dirty yourself, Captain.” He tossed the trousers aside.