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.
Ace spread herself open for him, and he dropped to his knees.
“Come here, scoundrel,” she said, and he obeyed.
Zander had intended to take his time, to kiss every inch of her miraculous body, to make her cry out in pleasure as many times as he could before he sated himself. But as soon as their lips met, Ace made a desperate sound and arched her hips toward his, and he buried himself inside her so quickly he wasn’t entirely sure how they both ended up on the bed, her nails on his back, his hand braced on the headboard, moaning into her mouth as he took her bottom lip between his teeth and bit down gently. His other hand went to the pearl between her legs, and time lost all meaning as they rode a wave of ecstasy together.
Afterward, Zander rolled onto his side and pulled Ace against him, and they were both asleep within minutes.
***
They woke when the afternoon sun peered through the curtains, casting the room in an orange glow. Ace was still wrapped in his arms when Zander opened his eyes, her breasts pushed against his chest and her legs entwined with his. Zander kissed her face until she woke, giggling, and climbed on top of him, pinning his hands above his head and taking him once more.
When they finally left the bed, they found a note pushed under the door in Theo’s distinct hand that simply said, Here.
“They’ll be in their room,” Ace said, sauntering toward the plate of untouched food on the table. “Likely beat as well. No rush.”
She popped a small piece of cheese into her mouth. Chewing, she took the plate and the knife lying beside it and returned to the bed.
The two of them sat there, languidly eating, for a long while. Zander traced shapes on Ace’s thighs absentmindedly as he ate, listening to the sounds of people and animals outside, the roar of the ocean a distant noise in the background.
“Can I ask you something?” Zander asked after a while.
“Mm,” Ace said through a mouth full of bread, which Zander took as a yes.
“Why did you name your parents’ sloop The Valerian?”
Ace smiled widely, and Zander chuckled at the way her cheeks turned up when they were filled with bread and cheese, like a chipmunk’s.
“That’s right,” she said, “I can tell you now!” She sat up straighter, wiping her face and swallowing before she continued. “The day before my… well, my wedding”—she punctuated the word with a disgusted look—“I took a walk in the gardens by myself. I dug up one of the valerian plants and stuffed it under my skirt so I could take it back to my room. I screamed at everyone to leave me alone, that I needed a day of solitude before I became a Viscountess.”
Ace chuckled at her past self’s sense of humor.
“I broke a vase and used the sharper pieces to cut up the root, then I used the bowl of the vase and the toe of my boot to mash it, releasing what liquid was inside. I let the roots soak overnight in a glass of undrunk wine a servant brought to my room before bed, then I strained the mixture through a bedsheet the following afternoon. I kept it in a glass bottle that once held perfume—smelly, awful stuff Ignacio tried to get me to wear.”
She shuddered at the thought, and Zander leaned in to smell her natural musk appreciatively, making her smile.
“Anyway, the night of the wedding, I put it in Ignacio’s wine. I dosed him bit by bit at first, but once he was drunk enough that everything tasted the same, I dumped the latter half of the bottle in his cup, and he didn’t notice the difference. That night he brought me to the bridal chamber, closed the door behind us, and fell asleep while removing his pants.” Ace laughed suddenly, as if she were seeing the image all over again. “And I was gone within the hour. So, I named the sloop The Valerian as a reminder of my incredible fortitude—and because she puts my enemies to sleep.” Ace winked dramatically, and Zander chuckled at her theatrics.
“You are clever as you are brave, my love,” Zander said, pulling her closer.
Ace giggled wickedly and wiggled so she was flush against Zander, their noses touching.
“Who are your enemies, Zander?” she whispered. “I will ensure you see them with their pants down before the end.”
Zander laughed and kissed his fierce pirate’s nose. “No need, my love. Any enemies I’ve ever had I made this week, and I've already killed most of them.”
***
That evening, they met Theo and Yarrow downstairs for dinner. When Theo saw Ace, he jumped from his chair and ran to her. He hugged her silently for a moment, his eyes squeezed tightly closed. Then he drew back and examined her, his eyes lingering at her hair, likely looking for any more of those tiny needles.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’m okay,” Ace said, nodding. “Thank you, my family.” She looked from Theo to Yarrow as she spoke, addressing both of them.
Yarrow put their hand over their heart in response, and Theo clapped Ace’s shoulder affectionately.
“No need to thank us,” Theo said. “You’d do the same.”
“Aye,” Ace agreed as she sank into a chair across from Yarrow. Zander sat next to her, and the man who’d received them earlier approached with two more drinks.
