Jinx’s

Fantasy

Goddess Isles

Spin-off Novella

by

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New York Times Bestseller

Pepper Winters

Jinx’s Fantasy

Copyright © 2020 Pepper Winters

Published by Pepper Winters

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Libraries are exempt and permitted to share their in-house copies with their members and have full thanks for stocking this book. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

Published: Pepper Winters 2020: pepperwinters@gmail.com

Cover Design: Ari @ Cover it! Designs

Editing by: Editing 4 Indies (Jenny Sims)

OTHER WORK BY PEPPER WINTERS

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Pepper currently has thirty-two books released in nine languages. She’s hit best-seller lists (USA Today, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal) thirty-seven times. She dabbles in multiple genres, ranging from Dark Romance to Coming of Age.

For more information, please visit: www.pepperwinters.com

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DARK ROMANCE

Goddess Isles Series – Available Now

Once a Myth

Twice a Wish

Third a Kiss

Fourth a Lie

Fifth a Fury

Sully’s Fantasy (Novella)

Jinx’s Fantasy (Novella)

Monsters in the Dark Trilogy – Available Now

Tears of Tess

Quintessentially Q

Twisted Together

Je Suis a Toi

Indebted Series – Available Now

Debt Inheritance

First Debt

Second Debt

Third Debt

Fourth Debt

Final Debt

Indebted Epilogue

Dollar Series – Available Now

Pennies

Dollars

Hundreds

Thousands

Millions

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SEXY ROMANCE

The Master of Trickery Duet – Available Now

The Body Painter

The Living Canvas

Truth & Lies Duet – Available Now

Crown of Lies

Throne of Truth

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COMING OF AGE ROMANCE

The Ribbon Duet – Available Now

The Boy & His Ribbon

The Girl & Her Ren

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Standalone Spinoff

The Son & His Hope

STANDALONES

Destroyed – Grey Romance

Unseen Messages – Survival Romance

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MOTORCYCLE CLUB ROMANCE

Pure Corruption Duet – Available Now

Ruin & Rule

Sin & Suffer

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ROMANTIC COMEDY written as TESS HUNTER

Can’t Touch This

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UPCOMING RELEASES

For 2020-2021 titles please visit www.pepperwinters.com

1. Fable of Happiness

2. Dark Romance featuring Rayven and Bellamy

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RELEASE DAY ALERTS, SNEAK PEEKS, & NEWSLETTER

To be the first to know about upcoming releases, please join Pepper’s Newsletter (she promises never to spam or annoy you.)

Pepper’s Newsletter

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SOCIAL MEDIA & WEBSITE

Facebook: Peppers Books

Instagram: @Pepperwinters

Facebook Group: Peppers Playground

Website: www.pepperwinters.com

Jinx’s Fantasy Blurb

From New York Times Bestseller, Pepper Winters, comes a spin-off novella featuring Sully and Jinx from the USA Today Bestselling Series, Goddess Isles

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“A marriage born from slavery and secrets.

A happily ever after like no other.”

Sullivan Sinclair has a wife who shares his wildness and desires. To others, she is regal and perfect on his arm. To him, she is a goddess with dirty appetites that need to be fulfilled.

Eleanor Sinclair has a husband who allows her darkest fantasies to come true. Aboard their new luxury yacht, purchased for their cluster of islands called Rapture, he suggests a game of seduction. Another play in Euphoria.

Sea, sky, or sand—thanks to Sully’s unique playground, they can play anywhere. They can change their appearances, distort time, and indulge in romance with no rules.

Eleanor granted Sully’s ultimate fantasy.

Now, it’s Sully’s turn to grant hers.

Contents

OTHER WORK BY PEPPER WINTERS

Jinx’s Fantasy Blurb

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

OTHER BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM PEPPER WINTERS

Prologue

TO SAY ALL MY dreams had come true would be a lie.

It would be a lie because when I was twenty-two, stepping onto a flight with a boy I thought I wanted, ready to explore a world I didn’t understand, desperately trying to figure out who I was and where I fit in, my dreams were...unformed.

I knew I wanted to be happy, financially free, and content in my purpose and accomplishments, but I didn’t know what career or life choices would grant such lofty goals.

All I knew was I had to travel.

I had to find meaning to my life.

Had to find where I was supposed to belong.

The urge was undeniable.

An itch in my soul that demanded I keep searching, keep looking because I might not have specific dreams pulling me forward, but someone did, and their dreams were fully formed and all-powerful.

Sully.

He was what I was searching for when I didn’t even know it.

He was the itch I couldn’t ignore, forcing me to travel to exotic places to find him.

But I would never have found him unless he found me first.

He’d had a dream. He’d fallen in love with that dream. And he’d given my description to traffickers who kidnapped and sold young women.

My life became his.

And because of his dreams, all mine came true.

I supposed many would call that serendipitous. A perfect happily ever after.

I just called it fate.

What other name could you give the absolute joy, undying delight, and incredible life we now shared together?

His dreams were my dreams.

My dreams were his dreams.

We shared the same heart.

Destiny.

Chapter One

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HER FLAMING RED HAIR glittered like fire as she swung the sword, slicing through the air between us. “Back up. I won’t ask again.”

She’d run the wrong way.

Trapped inside a small ruin, she had nowhere to go.

A ruin with thick stone walls, no roof, and the natural décor of moss, lichen, and determined weeds growing through the cracks. A ruin far from the road and anyone who might hear her scream.

She was totally at my mercy.

I crossed my arms, dragging my eyes up and down the delectable gown she wore. A rich royal blue encased her, hinting she was high born and untouchable. The only thing was, I’d already touched her. Hurt her.

Her stiff petticoats and silky gown wouldn’t protect her. I’d proven that fact. Her dress showed evidence of my touching, thanks to the torn-apart stitching and fabric hanging in rags off her shoulder.

I wasn’t sorry I’d destroyed such a pretty dress.

She’d refused to step from her carriage.

So I’d helped her out.

Roughly.

“Put down my sword.”

“Come any closer and I’ll cut you,” she hissed.

I chuckled. “I’d like to see yer try.”

She bared her teeth. Such pretty white teeth. Perfect for smiling at tea parties and balls but not so much for scaring men like me.

I splayed my calloused hands that were used to pilfering, murder, and a life of crime as a Scottish highwayman. My kilt, that used to be shades of burgundy and taupe, was now mostly brown from sleeping in the dirt beneath trees while waiting for fat little paydays to come riding along.

“If you hadn’t chased away my carriage, you could’ve taken my dowry. It was substantial.”

“So yer were off to be married.” My brogue sounded so uncultured and wild compared to her haughty English tone. She should know that the Scots didn’t take kindly to the English running around their countryside, especially considering the year was closer to 1740 instead of 2020. “Who are yer marrying?”

“None of your business.”

“It’s become my business now that yer’ve become my property. I need to ken who I’ll be pissing off when yer don’t show up at the altar.”

Her nose tipped up, sending more fire through her hair. “I’m not your property. And if you truly want to know, his name is...eh, Alexander.”

“Alexander what?”

“Um...” She scrunched up her face, searching for Gaelic surnames. “Mackenzie.”

“Mackenzie.” I smiled at her lack of ingenuity. “That bastard? Nae. I have a much better plan than you marrying that old codfish.”

Her lips twitched, but she stayed in character, brandishing the sword as I stepped closer, pushing her against the weed-covered stone wall. “Stop, scoundrel.”

“Scoundrel?” I licked my lips. “What was the word yer used the other night? Cad? Rake?”

“It was cur. But you fit all of them.”

“If yer already think so lowly of me, allow me to fulfil yer expectations.” I stepped again, willingly allowing the blade tip to press against my muslin shirt. My cock grew thicker beneath my kilt, free to harden without underwear to make me ache.

“I’ll run you through if you touch me.”

“No, yer won’t.” I smirked, my thick black beard bristling. “I have another sword to give yer.” Lifting my kilt, I revealed just how much this fantasy affected me. “That’s going inside yer, princess.”

Her arm strength wobbled a little. Lust flushed her pretty porcelain cheeks.

The whinny of a horse trickled through the trees, hinting her carriage driver had gotten the bolting horses under control and had come back for her.

Pity.

I should’ve struck the beasts harder—spooked them so their mistress stayed mine for as long as I wanted to keep her. After all, this was just business. A tax to be paid for using my stretch of the highway.

Our eyes locked as the electricity that always infected us reached a fever pitch. As much as I enjoyed foreplay with words, I wanted to touch her. Feel how wet she was. Hear her moans as I fucked her.

With a swipe of my arm, I knocked the sword out of her hands and winced at the heavy clatter of metal on the moss-covered stone.

“Hey!” She went to parry and gallop off, but I was prepared for that. I knew her better than I knew myself these days.

“Gotcha.” Grabbing her by the nape, I pulled her into me, squeezing the feminine column of regal muscles and delicate bones.

She froze in my hold, breathing hard as I lowered my mouth to hers.

I didn’t kiss her.

Not straight away.

I stared into her gorgeous grey eyes that had once haunted my dreams, and I saw past the disguises we’d cyphered. I loved this woman more than anything else on this goddamn planet. No matter the year, the place, or the appearance.

I drowned in her stare.

And it was her who broke the moment.

Rising on her tiptoes, she smashed her lips to mine, kissing me hard and swift, making my hand uncurl around her neck in surprise.

The moment she was free, she took off.

Her royal blue dress fanned out behind her as she scrambled over fallen rocks and dashed beneath an archway that was pockmarked with cannon fire.

Watching her run activated primitive possession.

“Yer will regret that.” Power charged down my legs, and I gave chase.

The thud of my boots thundered over the ground while her dainty slippers didn’t make a sound. The swish of her petticoats was barely noticeable over the heaviness of my breathing.

She didn’t get far.

Through another archway, this one almost intact with hints of carvings from past stone masons, and into a room that I assumed was once a hall. A large fireplace waited at one end, its chimney broken in half and roof scattered by our feet.

I snagged her around the middle just as she went to leap over a large boulder, yanking her backward, crashing her against my chest.

“Running was a bad, bad idea,” I growled, loving that she’d run because I was desperate to punish her.

My hands groped her chest, fisting her breasts through the corset while cursing the fact that I couldn’t cup them through the restrictive boning.

“Let me go!”

“Never.” Grabbing both sides of the corset, I tore it down the middle. The fine ribbon holding it together snapped, freeing her breasts and leaving her gown gaping all the way to her belly button.

“Oh, my God.” She scrambled to get free, her willpower to run fading beneath her own lust. My teeth found her neck and clamped down hard while my fingers found her nipples and pinched with no mercy.

Her spine bowed, shoving her ass into my cock, giving me something to grind against.

We stood there, in a Scottish ruin set in some wooded battleground between Redcoats and Jacobites, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

Marching her forward, still squeezing her breasts and biting her throat, I found a rock large enough for her to lean on then spun her around.

She gasped, her eyes glowing with silver desire as I dropped to my knees and shoved her stupid petticoats and silk gown over my shoulders.

The world went dark as the fabric settled over me. The scent of her lust was heady and hot beneath the material, and I tore at the pantaloons, making a hole over her pussy.

Her hands landed on my head through the thick dress as my tongue lashed over her clit.

Her scream was muffled, but her full-body tremble made me groan with my own pent-up hunger.

I wasn’t gentle.

I’d gone past gentle the moment I’d dragged her from the carriage with full intentions to take her ruthlessly for using this stretch of road.

I devoured her with my tongue and punished her with two fingers as I speared them deep inside and found precisely how wet she was.

Drenched.

Her release fisted my two fingers as I bit her clit and thrust into her. Short and fierce, her orgasm was over as quickly as it’d struck.

I wanted what she’d just had.

I wanted to be inside her when I did.

Withdrawing my fingers, I fought my way out of the dense jungle of her dress, sucking in tree-green air instead of her heady musk.

Her hair stuck to her cheeks, and she blinked in a daze, unprepared for me to swipe at her legs and send her tumbling to the dirt beside me.

I caught her before she landed, then spread her gently on her back.

That was the only thing I’d do that was gentle.

The next moment, I shoved her skirts up to her waist, ensuring I didn’t cover her naked breasts or the red bite mark on her throat from my teeth.

She squirmed beneath me, her own greed splaying her legs wide. The urge to continue playing in character fought against our bond, giving her a flash of ferocity and fight.

“Get off me!” She shoved my shoulders, failing to push me off her.

“Not until I’ve fucked yer.”

“Don’t touch me.”

“Lies. Yer want me to touch yer. Yer’re begging for it.” My hips pinned her down, all while my right-hand pulled up my kilt and removed any obstruction between us.

“No!”

“I told yer, yer mine.” I surged up.

My cock pierced her.

She screamed as I mounted and sank deep.

Holy.

Fuck.

Tight and deep and hot.

The urge to let go and spill inside her cramped my balls, and I pressed my forehead to hers, grappling for control.

“Fuck, yer feel too good.”

Her fingers yanked at my long hair. “Deeper.”

I chuckled. “Told yer, yer wanted me.”

“Do it.” Her hips arched, forcing every inch of me inside her.

We both groaned and shuddered.

Electricity zapped from her skin to mine, turning sex into magic.

I thrust, sending another crackle of fireworks through my blood.

“Oh—” she moaned and rocked with me, crushing our bodies together so no space, no air, no clothing existed between us.

I would never get sick of being inside this woman.

Never get over how perfectly we fit, no matter who we pretended to be.

Her mouth opened wide as I thrust up, filling her as much as possible. Her legs spread wider, her ankles trying to lock around my ass but failing with the heaviness of her dress.

I rutted into her, sharp and quick, taking her as viciously as she would’ve been taken by a Scottish highwayman if this was real.

“Feel that?” I growled into her ear. “My cock is inside yer. That means you can’t marry that codfish because you’re sullied. No longer a virgin for marriage.”

Her lips twisted. “Sullied, huh?”

I grinned. “By the worst kind of cur.”

Her fingernails scraped my shoulder blades as I continued to drive into her. “Sullied by Sully. It seems you have a knack—” She gasped as I thrust harder.

“Seeing as I’ve taken yer virginity, I might as well take yer dowry too and make yer an honest woman.” I kissed her, nipping at her lower lip, plunging my tongue in time to my cock thrusting inside her pussy. “I suppose yer’ll do as a wife.”

“You suppose?” She bit my bottom lip in retaliation.

I fucked her harder, making both of us breathless. “I’m not the marrying type, but if you let me fuck yer like this every day, marriage won’t be too bad.”

Her back bowed as I quickened our maddening pace. Our hearts pounded to a chaotic beat, pushing us closer and closer to an orgasm. “You can have me any way you want.”

“That a promise?” I dug my elbows into the ground, driving up and hard.

“It’s a vow.” She kissed me.

Our tongues lashed and our bodies thrust, and we rode each other up the mountain, through the clenching waves of bliss, and clung to each other as those waves turned to jerks of oversensitivity and aftermath.

Our orgasms crested and ended at the same time, leaving us boneless in each other’s arms.

Breathing hard, I looked down at the redheaded beauty who had mud smeared on her cheek and leaves tangled in her hair. Her chest rose and fell with rapid breath as I cupped her jaw and ran my thumb over her well-kissed bottom lip.

I wanted to tell her I loved her.

My entire chest swelled with overwhelming affection, but I had no words to give depth to what she did to me or reveal just how much playing with her in this way meant.

She was everything.

And I would never stop being humbled and awed that she loved me back.

“You’re looking at me that way again.”

“What way?” I cocked my head.

“The way that makes me think you’re contemplating how to cut your heart from your chest to hand it to me.”

“My heart belongs to yer.”

“And mine to you.” She kissed me sweetly. “Always.”

I shivered and rocked into her, keeping us joined. “I’ll hold yer to that.”

“Good.” Wriggling a little under my weight, she sighed contentedly and looked down at her naked chest. “Good job I don’t have to return to my carriage in shame. My dress is in pieces.”

“Yer breasts are too pretty to hide.”

“Do you want other men to stare at me?”

“Computer coded men, I’m fine with. I thoroughly enjoyed our audience fantasy last week. However, anyone real? No fuckin’ way.”

She laughed softly. “That Scottish accent you have going on is making me want you again.”

“Oh, yeah?” I raised an eyebrow, withdrawing a little only to plunge back into her. “How much?”

“Enough to do this.” Bringing her knee up, she successfully dislodged me, unlinking us with a wince and a wet glide. Before I could compute that I was no longer inside her, she rolled to her hands and knees, shoved away her broken dress, and bolted from the ruin and into the woods wearing only sheer white stockings and a garter belt.

And wasn’t that the best view in the world? My wife’s perfect ass running away from me.

She wanted me to chase, to catch, to fuck.

It will be my fucking pleasure.

Pushing to my feet, I shoved off my kilt and ran after her.

Chapter Two

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“GOOD MORNING, YOU TWO.”

I looked up, peering through my sunglasses where Sully and I sat on the terrace at Divinity Dining. Now that no guests stayed on Goddess Isles, the restaurant hub of the island had become a central location for breakfast for me, Sully, Jess, and Cal.

I grinned as Jess ducked to kiss my cheek before slipping into the chair beside me.

“Good morning to you,” I said. “You look chirpy this morning.”

Cal rolled his eyes as he nodded at Sully. “She’s chirpy every morning. It’s like being married to a perky chipmunk.”

Jess threw a napkin at him. “It’s better than being married to a grumpy walrus.”

“Walrus?” Cal raised his eyebrows as he cupped his smooth-shaven jaw. “No whiskers.” He pinched his trim waist. “No blubber.” He scowled. “Use an analogy that works, little chipmunk.”

“He’s just a grumpy git.” Sully smirked. “He’s sulking because he knows we’re leaving tomorrow, and he’s waiting for an invitation.”

A squawk sounded, followed by the flurry of emerald feathers. Pika landed face first in the grape bowl, while Skittles descended elegantly, perching on the rim of a dish holding freshly cut dragon fruit.

I grinned, tickling Skittles under the chin while Sully grabbed a grape and bit it in half so Pika could nibble at it.

“Good morning, tiny parrot,” I cooed. “Did you sleep well?”

Skittles fluffed up, cocking her head so I could scratch her favourite spot under her left cheek. She looked drowsy in the morning sun, and Pika looked more chaotic than usual, wobbling a little as he attacked his breakfast.

“Pika’s drunk, which means they’ve been in the hibiscus blooms.” Sully smiled, his five o’clock shadow, handsome jaw, and gorgeous blue eyes making my heart skip a beat. “I’m guessing they didn’t sleep but have been gorging themselves all night.”

“And I don’t think they were the only ones who didn’t sleep much last night,” Jess piped up.

My eyes shot to hers as I dropped my hand from cuddling Skittles. “Okay, out with it. Cal’s right. You’re like an annoying chipmunk the way you’re smirking at me. I swear you have nuts stashed in your cheeks.” I grinned as Jess burst out laughing.

“Not nuts. Just...information.”

“What information?”

“About what you two dirty lovers got up to last night.”

I smirked, fluttering my eyelashes. “I have no idea what you mean. You live on the opposite side of the island. There’s no way you know what we got up to.”

“Oh, I have my ways.” She giggled. Leaning closer, loud enough so Cal and Sully heard on the other side of the table, she said, “Cal and I enjoyed a little Euphoria time of our own last night.”

Cal groaned as if he was used to our oversharing but still kinda shy.

“Oh, you did, did you?” I laughed. It wasn’t new to discuss what fantasies we all indulged in. Jess and I never shied of talking about what we found a turn-on and coming up with new and wonderful concepts for Sully to code.

We were lucky.

We had two amazing husbands who liked to play with us. And the fact that we all enjoyed a healthy night-life and didn’t share a prudish bone in our bodies meant that during some evening meals, if the cocktails had been flowing, our conversations turned downright explicit.

“Imagine my surprise when I logged into the Euphoria app, minding my own business, perusing the choices for a night of entertainment, when I came across a newly uploaded cypher.” Jess’s hazel gaze shot to Sully. “Was it your idea, Sullivan, or Jinx’s?”

Sully deliberately took a big mouthful of dragon fruit, shrugging. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I laughed as he winked at me. “But if you think you can mock me for the title, that was all Eleanor’s doing.”

“The Horney Highwayman.” Jess laughed again. “Catchy.”

“And rather fun.” I peeled a lychee, licking at the juice as a droplet ran down my palm. “And before you ask, the idea wasn’t mine.”

“You were the one reading some smutty book about Scottish scoundrels.” Sully ran a hand through his dark and sun-bleached bronze hair. “A particular chapter was well read by the looks of the pages...I just obliged and made you the heroine and gave you what she got.”

“Might have to try that one myself,” Cal muttered, a grin on his face as he typed something on his iPad. “Handsy Scots and unwilling damsels sound like a fun night.”

“Oh, the damsel wasn’t unwilling.” Sully smirked. “Not once I showed her a different kind of sword to the one she was threatening me with. If I remember correctly, her refusal quickly became a beg.”

I threw my lychee at him. “I distinctly remembering you begging when you chased me into the woods and I got on my knees and put my mouth on your—”

“Codfish.” Sully kept a straight face even though the table erupted into sniggers. “I do remember stuffing something down your throat so you couldn’t scream for help.”

“Oh, I wasn’t screaming for help.” I climbed out of my chair and crossed the short distance to Sully. “I was screaming because my husband is the best fantasy, highwayman, and monster combined.” I bent to kiss him, and he parted his lips to greet mine, his tongue entering my mouth a second later as if laying claim to me all over again.

Jess laughed under her breath as I pulled away and sat back down, plucking another lychee from the bowl.

“I might have to borrow that book.”

I gave her a nod. “It’s good. I’ll leave it for you when we go tomorrow.”

Cal sniffed. “And we’re back to the fact that you’re leaving with no idea when you’ll be back.”

Sully rolled his eyes. “You know I can’t stay away from here for too long. It’ll be a week, two weeks tops.”

“And I have to stay and run the science stuff while you sail to another set of islands that makes you a fortune.”

“Exactly.” Sully slapped him on the shoulder. “Peter Beck and I have been working closely together lately. Our new research on Spetrex looks as if it has the ability to rejuvenate cells that lead to cognitive disabilities. We might finally have a cure for dementia. If there isn’t reception on the boat, then I need you to be online to approve any additional funding as we move to the next stage of testing.”

“It’s not a boat, Sinclair.” Cal reclined in his chair, placing the iPad by his coffee cup. “It’s a yacht. A big fucking yacht. And if it doesn’t have Wi-Fi, then I’ll literally eat your damn parrot.”

Pika threw him a scowl before resuming his under wing preening.

Cal stroked Pika’s head before adding, “I told you, Sullivan, you didn’t check the dimensions right when you agreed to let that Prest guy start manufacturing.”

“We ordered two in the end,” I said, sipping on freshly squeezed watermelon. “One small one for day trips and another large enough for weekend excursions for the married couples who need that extra step in their counselling.”

“Yes, well, your sexual therapy islands are about to get a yacht almost as big as they are.” Cal chuckled.

“Rapture is bigger than Serigala, so I’m sure you’re exaggerating.” I swallowed. “You are exaggerating, right?”

Grabbing his iPad, Cal tapped in a few places and brought up the email from Elder Prest from a year ago. Sully and I had gone through the link he’d sent us, looked at prior commissions he’d done, and discussed the advantages of having another form of accommodation for our guests on Rapture.

We’d agreed on a boat called Calypso—mainly because she was a goddess who’d trapped her husband on an island and made him immortal. Their twisted tale seemed a mirror image of Sully’s and mine. We hadn’t even really looked at the specifications after that. Sully had sent Elder Prest an email, requesting Calypso to be built along with a smaller vessel called Thimble, after a tiny jellyfish that had a nasty sting.

And to be honest, I’d completely forgotten about it. We’d made the order a week after returning from Hawksridge Hall in England, and apart from the invoices sent periodically as the build progressed, Mr. Prest didn’t bother sending other correspondence.

Cal passed me his iPad. “See for yourself. That behemoth is on its way here.”

Taking it, I squinted at the screen, angling it away from the sun’s glare. My mouth fell open at the sleek, sexy lines of a black and chrome super machine. It’d been given scale by placing a regular sized speedboat beside it.

The speedboat was the size of a grape next to a watermelon.

“Oh...shit.” I passed the iPad to Sully. “Did we seriously order a small floatable country?”

Sully chuckled as his intelligent eyes cast over the screen. “So that’s why it cost a shit ton more than I was expecting.” Zooming in on the specs that we really should have taken note of a year ago, he listed off, “Twelve state rooms, three formal lounges, movie theatre, swimming pool, fifteen bathrooms, onboard submarine, helipad.” He rolled his eyes. “Cal’s right. That isn’t a boat; it’s a fucking hotel.”

“Pity you don’t trade in skin anymore, Sinclair.” Cal smirked. “Aren’t the oceans free from international law? You could’ve had a new place for renting out goddesses to shady guests.”

Sully threw him a look. “You know, that might not be a bad idea.”

“Excuse me?” My eyebrows shot up as Jess stiffened in her chair. Unlike my journey from goddess to wife, she’d had to serve far too many clients. She knew first-hand what it was like to be forced to sleep with strangers, high on elixir or not. “How can you even suggest that, Cal, after you saw Jess’s entrapment?”

Cal shook his head. “You know I’m kidding.” Reaching across the table, he grabbed Jess’s hand. “There is no fucking way I’d ever enslave anyone.” Kissing her knuckles, he added, “Unless it’s in a fantasy, and then I’d enslave the hell out of you.”

Jess pulled her hand back, pretending to rub his kiss away. “I think you had a bit too much fun in Euphoria last night.”

“Which one did you play?” I asked, relaxing again as Sully returned Cal’s iPad.

“Threadbare Trader,” Jess answered.

I frowned, trying to remember which one that was. Before I could ask, Sully bent closer, whispering, “The slave market where the trader tries to buy the prettiest girl on offer but can’t afford her. There’s a computer coded audience while he—”

“Takes her anyway,” Cal said, grinning. “Thoroughly, I might add.”

“And you know I’m kidding too. Right, Eleanor?” Sully stroked my long hair. “About the illegal parts, of course. However, Cal is right that the boat could work as a sex club where both men and women would be free to indulge.”

“Yacht, not boat,” Cal cut in. “A floating city.”

“But isn’t that what Rapture is?” I asked. “The stats that Sophie Smith, our CEO, regularly sends us show that Euphoria is a hit, and they had to build two new playrooms. As word continues to travel that a week on Rapture saves marriages—no matter how broken—we get more and more requests.”

“Yes, but they’re husbands and wives trying to make shit work. I’m talking about younger, friskier people. Girls who want their darkest fantasies played out safely. Boys who want to be animals without running the risk of imprisonment.” Sully’s sea gaze sparked with yet another business venture.

It seemed pharmaceuticals, marriage counselling islands, and all the other side charities and enterprises we oversaw together wouldn’t stop what he truly was.

He was an entrepreneur with a never-ending thirst to birth businesses that fit niches that normalcy couldn’t deliver.

Jess scooted forward in her chair. “You’re right. That could be amazing. I know from personal experience that when Cal and I play, it increases our intimacy a thousand-fold. I know him so well just from sharing what we truly want. Imagine if men and women booked a weekend on Calypso, clicked from a menu of their wants and desires, and were matched with likeminded partners.” She gave me a dreamy smile. “It could be the new version of all those awful dating apps. Don’t swipe left, choose a fantasy that another has chosen, have a night of absolute abandonment, fall madly in love, and be as happy as the four of us.”

I eyed her. “Sounds like you’d enjoy running it.”

“I’d enjoy playing matchmaker.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to do a trial,” Sully murmured. “Create a simple website, let a few discreet booking agents know, host a few strangers onboard, and see where we go from there.”

“At this rate, we’ll need to buy a fleet.” I smiled. “You know anything to do with Euphoria is a massive success.”

“Yes, well. Who can say no to a virtual world where there’s no shame?” Sully gave me a doting smile.

“I think it’s a worthwhile venture,” Cal said. “And, in the interest of business, Jess and I will accompany you on your inaugural cruise so we can test out the yacht and see if it would be suitable for guests.”

Sully laughed. “Your lack of subtly is impressive.”

“I’ve given up waiting for an invite and just issued myself one instead.” Cal grinned. “And there’s no excuse about Wi-Fi. A yacht like that will have its own everything.”

“Fine. If that’s the case, then you’re more than welcome—”

“Eh, sir?” Radcliffe, our head of security, appeared as silently and as stealthy as he always did.

Sully instantly stood. “Everything okay?”

“There’s a vessel on the horizon. It just triggered the outer reef sensors.”

Sully narrowed his eyes. “Friend or foe?”

“Can’t tell. We’re trying to find what channel they’re on to radio. Thought I’d let you know sooner, rather than later.”

Pika fluttered to Sully’s shoulder, and Skittles flew to mine.

I stood too, moving to Sully’s side. “What does the ship look like?”

“Black and silver.” Radcliffe ran his hand over his gun strapped to his thigh. “Fucking ginormous.”

Cal and Jess stood, our breakfast forgotten. Cal rubbed his jaw. “He’s a day early.”

Sully nodded. “It seems Calypso has arrived.”

“Want me to take Singa Laut and check their credentials?” Radcliffe asked, mentioning Sully’s personal speedboat that we used to visit Lebah and his forty-four islands in our private archipelago.

Sully cast a glance at all of us. A family unit all bound in friendship, business, and love. “I have a better idea. Seeing as Calypso has suddenly become the potential hub of a new business, let’s all go and welcome her.”

Holding out his hand for mine, he waited until our fingers linked. “Ready?”

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him, smiling when Pika grumbled with possessiveness. “Ready.”

“In that case, let’s go.”

With Radcliffe leading the way, Pika and Skittles darting like dragonflies, and Jess and Cal behind us, we padded through soft sand, past tropical palm fronds, and across an island that was our perfect home.

We stepped onto the beach, ready to welcome our new toys.

Chapter Three

––––––––

CAL WAS RIGHT.

I really should have paid more attention to scale when I’d made the flippant order with Elder Prest.

Calypso had looked huge while standing on my shores, but now, as we pulled up beside the glossy black vessel and waited as a rear platform was lowered to welcome us, it was fucking monstrous.

I cut the engine to Singa Laut, well acquainted with the fast speedboat that I’d bought when I’d first built Goddess Isles, and eyed up the new addition to our asset sheet.

How did you even sail something this big? What sort of instruments and education were needed to embark on nautical navigation with such a giant?

Mirrored windows reflected the turquoise sea as polished chrome blinded us with sun flashes. An oiled wooden decking, expensive looking technology towers and radar, and a sweeping swimming pool and helipad hinted at the absolute luxury inside.

Radcliffe leaped onto the platform first, his bare feet splashing into a couple of inches of sea as the mechanically lowered deck hovered just underwater. His second in command, Rory, also climbed out, tethering the speedboat and scanning the yacht for any threats.

Looking up, I caught sight of movement as a man and woman appeared above.

The man wore calico shorts and a white polo while the woman wore a loose-fitting cream dress, similar to the one Eleanor had selected today. Unlike Eleanor, who wore a polka-dot silver bikini beneath, the woman watching us had a black one-piece, visible as the sun illuminated her svelte frame.

I recognised the man from Jethro’s masquerade—not that I’d seen his face—but his mouth and stance were familiar. I hadn’t met the woman next to him before, but judging by the way Prest inched closer to her and she placed her fingers next to his on the balustrade hinted they were together.

“Welcome aboard, Mr. Sinclair,” Prest said as I leaped from my speedboat and turned to lift Eleanor to my side. Pika and Skittles had flown part of the way with us but had turned back, preferring to wait instead of joining us.

Leaving Cal to be responsible for Jess’s safety, I held Jinx’s hand and climbed up the sweeping carved staircase, noting the garage that’d been revealed by lowering the platform. Two jet skis waited in matching grey and blue, a wall of wetsuits and oxygen tanks, and tucked in the back was a two-person submarine that’d been listed on the attributes that I’d failed to read.

Hidden past the submarine, two motorbikes waited to be used on land along with a small Audi coupe.

Shit, this thing literally had more transport in its belly than my whole atoll.

Eleanor’s eyes widened as I caught her stare, her impressed nod hinting that she approved of our new possession.

Reaching the top deck, I let Eleanor go and closed the small distance to Elder Prest. I bowed at the woman beside him and held out my hand for him to shake. “Impressive boat.”

His lips twitched. “Thank you. I hope you’re pleased with your purchase.”

“You’re a day early.”

“The currents were swifter than we thought.” He shook my hand, letting me go almost as quickly as he took it. His black stare matched his blue-black hair, and I’d been right about his authenticity when we’d first met at Hawksridge Hall.

He had exotic blood in his veins, judging by his almond eyes and flawless honey skin. “I assume our earlier arrival doesn’t cause too much inconvenience.”

I shook my head. “Not at all.”

Radcliffe, Rory, Jess, and Cal arrived behind me.

“Please, allow me to introduce you.” I pulled Eleanor forward. “This is my wife, Eleanor, and behind me is my security team, Radcliffe and Rory, my head of affairs, Cal Moor and his wife, Jessica.”

“Pleasure.” Prest bowed regally toward Eleanor and Jess and nodded politely at the men. “Allow me the same courtesy. This is Tasmin, my...fiancée.”

“Hello, Tasmin.” I nodded, narrowing my eyes as she flinched an infinitesimal amount. If I wasn’t used to dealing with girls I’d trapped and tortured, I would’ve missed the flair of guardedness about her.

Prest noticed that I’d noticed, his brow coming down and his shoes placing him slightly in front of his wife-to-be. “If you have a couple of hours free, I’ll escort you around and introduce you to the staff. Then we’ll be on our way.”

I scowled at the horizon. “How will you depart? I see no other yachts.”

“Phantom is behind us. They’ll be here soon.”

“Phantom?”

He cocked his head. “My own yacht. Tasmin and I have been sailing for some time—a vacation, if you will. We decided to personally deliver your purchase before we have other engagements to attend.”

I smiled. “Very kind of you to complete the hand over personally.”

“Yes, well, I don’t normally get involved with clients, but as I said, we’ve been sailing and going where the wind directs.”

“It’s been wonderful,” Tasmin said, her voice slightly husky with a thread of fierceness I wasn’t expecting. “You’ll be glad you purchased such a thing. Sailing truly is one of the best things you can do.”

“I prefer land beneath my feet,” I said.

“But you need the ocean close by, judging by how small your islands are and how private you are about your location,” Prest murmured.

I narrowed my eyes, not appreciating his astute understanding of me. “We guard our anonymity.”

“As do we.” He took Tasmin’s hand. Their height difference made it seem as if he sheltered her from everything. Her brown hair and green eyes crowned stubborn-set shoulders and a strength that didn’t come from everyday life but tragedy somewhere along the line.

What was her story?

How had they met and how fucked up had their romance been? As bad as mine with Eleanor? Was Elder responsible for the silver scars visible on her forearms as the sun caught her skin? Or had he saved her from the man who’d hurt her?

Eleanor stepped forward and touched Tasmin’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Tasmin. I’m very excited to see more.”

Tasmin jolted but swallowed and smiled politely. “Follow us. We’ll show you how to use your new floating home.” She smiled and stood taller. “There is much to go over. But rest assured, you won’t need to remember it. The staff come with the yacht and are fully trained. Elder sells a complete package so you can enjoy sailing straight away instead of interviewing for suitable crew.”

“And how much is that going to cost me?” I asked, throwing Cal a look over my shoulder as Elder Prest struck off and led us beneath the sail-shaded outdoor area complete with pizza oven, barbeque, spa, huge sitting area, and dining table big enough for a board meeting.

“Their salaries are included in the cost of running, along with fuel required for travel and onboard generators. You have your own internet network, banking system, and security programs. Every computer is encrypted with top-of-the-line software, so no one will be able to hijack your vessel remotely, and there are two bolt rooms that are bullet-proof with enough provisions for two weeks as well as access to motorised escape pods. Along with the obvious staff of chefs, cleaners, captains, and stewards, there are also five guards who are fully trained in the use of weaponry. Calypso is fitted with two cannons, three machine guns, and a few other pieces of armament that I will discuss when we arrive at that particular part of the yacht.”

My eyebrows flew up. “You make it seem like a warship.”

Prest shrugged, escorting us into a massive room with wraparound windows, sunken white lounge suites, retractable skylights showing a cloudless vista, and a blue lacquered piano next to a sparkling bar with untold number of bottles and goblets. “When you are out at sea with no law enforcement or backup, it’s better you are prepared than short-sighted.”

“Have you run into complications like that? Pirates and such?” I’d lived in Indonesia for a while now and heard a few rumours of piracy on trade boats and a few container ships that’d been ransacked. However, no one had dared come near my islands. If they tried to steal from me, they’d be fucking shark food.

Prest’s gaze darkened. He went to shake his head, but Tasmin answered on his behalf. “We have dealt with hostiles boarding our boat.” She threw Prest a shadowy look. “Elder is right. It’s best to be prepared.”

Eleanor frowned but stayed silent. Maybe renting out this yacht to sexual deviances might not be safe, after all.

“This way.” Prest stalked through the lounge and into a wide corridor where natural light streamed in, leading toward another lounge, billiard room, movie theatre, library, dining room, gym, spa room with sauna and steam, yet another impressively sized lounge with artwork and chandeliers, and finally out to the front of the boat where a sunken swimming pool glittered in the sunshine, rattan loungers waited with freshly rolled towels, and two staff members manned a cabana where snacks and drinks could be made.

“The helipad has a dance floor that slides automatically over the landing base. If you entertain, it’s handy to have a space for drunken antics.” Elder flipped a switch by the cabana, activating the silent takeover of the helipad to a perfect wooden stage.

“Parties aren’t really our style,” I muttered as he led us all through another thick waterproof door to a glass elevator that held ten people.

He waited until we all crammed in before pressing a button for the lower decks and descending us through the metal structure of the ship. Uplights and LED strips revealed the mechanical beauty of such a marvel as we sank into its belly.

“Twelve state rooms are all equipped with their own personal bathroom and call button for the butler. They have balconies and individual climate systems. The master is this way.” He waved his hand and bypassed countless doors, leading us toward the front of the vessel beneath the helipad and swimming pool.

Opening the door, he stood to the side and waited until we all trickled in. Cal nudged me on the way past, rolling his eyes at the decadence.

For all the zeros in my bank balance, I had simple tastes. I liked my lighting unobtrusive, my ceilings exposed rafters, and my aircon to be open windows while listening to Nirvana splashing outside.

This yacht screamed money. It dripped with it from every sconce, fluffed pillow, and opulent white rug.

“This is lovely,” Jess said, glancing around the huge master bedroom with its California king bed raised on a platform, the sitting area, private hot tub outside, and the huge windows revealing my islands just out of reach.

“You gave no direction on upholstery or decoration, so we just went with modern trends and unobtrusive palettes. I hope that’s all right.” Tasmin turned to face us. “If you want to change anything, we can provide a trusted decorator.”

“It’s fine.” I smiled. “It’s the epitome of luxury.”

“It’s also safe.” Prest headed to the couch and peeled back a few of the puffy cushions. Reaching down, he pulled out seatbelts. “If the seas are rough, it’s best to strap in. There are seatbelts in all the rooms, in all the beds, and on deck.”

“Looks as if we won’t have to install harnesses, Sinclair.” Cal laughed. “The restraints are already there to stop people from jumping overboard while in the middle of a VR session.”

I threw him a stern look. “Quiet.”

He nodded and shut up about our potential use for this craft.

Prest eyed me but wisely didn’t ask for elaboration. Clearing his throat as if his patience was running out, he said, “Follow me. We’ll go to the helm. I’ll introduce you to your captain, Grant, and he can show you the abundant technology available.”

“Lead the way.” I placed my hand on Eleanor’s lower back.

She shivered, and her eyes lingered on the huge bed.

We’d planned on setting sail in Calypso tomorrow for Rapture. To journey from Indonesia to Tahiti and sample the boat before handing it over to the business over there.

However, now that Prest had delivered early, perhaps we’d leave tonight.

After all, there were a lot of rooms to christen.

And a droplet or two of cinta would help with that.

Kissing Eleanor pointedly on her cheek, I waited until Cal and Jess had followed Elder and Tasmin, leaving us alone for a moment. Radcliffe and Rory had stayed up by the swimming pool, scanning the horizon as they always did for threats.

“I’m sure we could come up with a wicked fantasy to indulge in while we sail around the world.” I spun her into me and kissed her, quick and sharp.

She threw her arms around my neck. “I can think of one.”

“Oh, yeah?”

Standing on tiptoes, she bit my ear, her breath tickling my neck. “An underwater hallucination. Something where we can breathe beneath the waves and look up at a ship like this sailing over our heads all while we fuck on the seafloor.”

“I love your dirty mind.”

“Could you code something like that?”

“I can code anything.”

“In that case...” She pulled away and entwined our fingers, guiding me out the door. “Best get typing, husband.”

“Have you had that fantasy for a while?” I glanced at her ass as she stopped, then turned back to face me.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?” I raised an eyebrow. “Since when?”

“Since every time I watch you swim laps around Batari. You’re so sleek and powerful. You’re as comfortable in the water as living beside it. And...we have a lot of sex in the water, what with Nirvana and all our midnight beach strolls...I’ve become rather intrigued with the idea of being beneath the surface instead of floating.”

My mind raced to create. To formulate the best fucking fantasy of her life.

“Any other requests?”

She licked her lips. “I’d like to be powerful. Like the daughter of Triton or something. And you have to bow to me while I sit on my shell throne.” Placing her hand over my rapidly interested heart, she breathed, “You’ll beg me to fuck you all while we both know you could take me against my will. You’ll try to convince me that only you can grant me the best pleasure in all the oceans and...”

I growled as she grabbed my cock, fisting my hard length. “And?”

“And I deny you.”

“Deny me?” I squeezed her fingers around me, thrusting into her hold, grateful we were alone but cursing the fact that she’d made hiding my erection a painful problem.

“Deny you until you stop begging and fuck me anyway.”

Grabbing her hair, I tipped her head back. “I could fuck you now.”

She panted, her nipples pebbling beneath her bikini and dress. “You could.”

“Want me to?”

“I always want you to.”

Smashing my mouth on hers, I kissed her indecently, decadently, and as dark and dangerous as we always kissed. Ruthless and savage, complete with teeth and tongue and torment.

The temptation to shove up her dress and shove down my shorts almost made me kick the door closed.

But...

Something she’d said.

A part of her fantasy that made me play along with her kinky game.

Fisting her wrist, I yanked her tight fingers from my cock and held her at arm’s length. Her chest rose and fell; her grey eyes flashed.

“Come along, Jinx. We haven’t finished the tour yet.”

She scowled. “Not going to follow through on your threat?”

“Nope.”

“Tease.”

I chuckled and nipped at the tip of her nose. “Guess we’ll see who begs who, huh?”

Whirling away, she blew me a kiss over her shoulder while swaying her hips in ways that made me want to spank, worship, and mount. “Oh, you’ll be the one begging, Sullivan Sinclair. Not me.”

“We’ll see. I have all night to make you wet and miserable.”

“And I have the rest of our lives to punish you back.”

I chuckled as we caught up with the others. “Vicious creature.”

“Your creature.” She smiled a secret smile as we rounded a corner and found the others waiting for the elevator.

Cal rolled his eyes, sensing the obvious sexual tension between Eleanor and me. Jess winked at Jinx, and Tasmin and Prest stayed silent as we stepped into the elevator and headed to the helm.

Eleanor had effectively ruined the rest of the tour for me as we stepped into a treasure trove of technology.

The cockpit on this thing would normally capture my attention for hours. All the computer screens, navigational systems, and charts tugged at my analytical brain. However, thanks to Eleanor, all I could think about was fucking her beneath the sea.

I’d once cyphered a mermaid fantasy for a guest named Fisher.

At the time, I’d wondered how the hell mermaids even had sex with the inconvenience of tails. Now, I dabbled with myth and reality, designing a trip to Euphoria that would begin the moment we set course for Tahiti.

Eleanor had told me what her fantasy was.

It was time I repaid the favour.

And I would ensure it was the best fucking night of her life.

Chapter Four

––––––––

“SIGN HERE.” Elder Prest pointed at the leather-bound folder in front of Sully.

The final stage of our tour: signing the completed ownership papers now that Sully had approved the delivery of the most impressive vessel I’d ever seen.

No matter how many years passed, I doubted I’d ever get used to the obscene wealth Sully had...which was now my wealth, thanks to Sully’s generosity and insistence. We lived such simple lives that coming face-to-face with the final tally of the two yachts we’d purchased—witnessing the figure of almost two hundred million written bold and brash on the contract—threatened to make my knees wobble.

It didn’t matter that I’d signed invoices as high as that when we’d enlisted contractors to begin building the resort on Rapture. And it didn’t matter that the lease alone for the islands in Tahiti commanded such a price tag—and they were just a rental instead of an asset—I would never become accustomed to that sort of money. My hands shook as I looked around the elegant, opulent lounge, pausing to truly take stock of how incredible my life had become.

There was a blue piano glittering with sunshine, for heaven’s sake. A blue piano! And bottles of rare liquor and Faberge fabric were used willy-nilly as if they were cheap counterfeits.

When my father came to visit Goddess Isles six months or so after Sully and I were married, I’d been wary of his judgment. Even though I was his daughter and he loved me,  I worried he’d think, just for a second, that I’d married Sully for his money.

I’d been stupid to worry, of course. My father had already gotten to know Sully on our regular video calls, and we’d escorted him around the island on our cell phones, so by the time my dad arrived in person, he plopped his bag in his villa, shook Sully’s hand, which turned into a hug between father and son-in-law, then promptly barrelled into the warm sea.

His visits were always welcome and enjoyed.

My mother’s, on the other hand.... The first and only had been strained, and she’d lasted two days before using work as an excuse to leave. She’d forgotten how to just be. How to sit on the beach and have no files to log for work, no to-do list to conjure for next week, and no need to chase stress.

Perhaps, we could use Calypso and go visit her in London, where she was stationed with her firm. Maybe we could use this yacht to snap her back into awareness, seeing as it had done the same for me?

“I would like to test drive Thimble. Is that due to arrive soon?” Sully asked as he skimmed the contract and read the fine print.

“Thimble has been delivered to your other address in the South Pacific.” Elder Prest glanced at his fiancée before running a hand through glossy blue-black hair. “The craft is swift and one of the fastest we’ve designed, but she isn’t suitable for long journeys out to sea. If there were a storm between here and there, I fear she might not weather well.”

Sully narrowed his eyes. “And this boat will?”

“Calypso is fitted with automatic stabilisers, top-of-the-line ballasts, and onboard levellers to prevent seasickness. Her autopilots and numerous engines prevent capsizing better than any other vessel in high winds and waves.” Elder took Tasmin’s hand, subtly and smooth, keeping their linked hands hidden behind his back. The fact that he’d had to touch her, even while doing business, made me smile.

I hadn’t been able to decipher Elder all that well. His stern face and unreadable black eyes gave nothing away about who he was, but he couldn’t hide the protective possessiveness he felt toward the quiet, quick-to-jump-but-fast-to-smile woman who’d captured his heart.

“Pim and I endured a storm ourselves.” He cracked a rare smile. “A tropical typhoon caught us while we were out to sea. It was...an experience.”

“Pim?” I asked.

Elder’s jaw clenched. “Slip of the tongue. Tasmin.”

“Pim is...” Tasmin spoke up in her husky voice. “I guess it’s a nickname. Pimlico—like the train station in England.” She braced herself, standing taller as if shoving away past memories.

I narrowed my eyes at the history in her tone. Had something happened at that train station?

Tasmin caught my stare, and her guarded fierceness that I’d seen a few times on the tour blazed in her green eyes. “The storm was ferocious.” She laughed lightly, dispelling whatever had brewed inside her. “I didn’t have enough respect for the ocean back then. I was new to the sea and decided the best place to ride out a storm with waves bigger than us was on the balcony.”

“Oh, my God.” I gasped. “I’m surprised you didn’t fall overboard.”

“She would have if I hadn’t strapped both of us to the railing.” Elder’s black gaze smoked with other things that’d happened that night, not just wild weather.

I smiled and nodded politely. “I’m sure she was grateful you kept her safe.”

“I’m grateful every day,” Tasmin murmured, her body curling closer to Elder’s.

Elder cleared his throat and gave her a look before his face slipped back into indifference, and he resumed his attention on the contract Sully had just finished reading.

“Everything in order, Sinclair?”

Cal had been reading over Sully’s shoulder, and he answered on Sully’s behalf. “And the warranty is fifteen years?”

“If something breaks in twenty years, I’d be suspicious you weren’t the cause.” Elder scowled. “My builders are meticulous, and our products are high end. The warranty is merely a formality. I give you my word that this yacht is built to the highest of standards and will last long after you are dead.”

Cal pursed his lips as if to argue, but Sully nodded. Placing the contract back onto the bar, he said, “It all looks satisfactory. Apart from one minor detail.”

“What detail?” Elder frowned.

Sully looked up, catching my stare before his attention swept over the gorgeous sun-drenched lounge and out the windows to his islands beyond.

Large ones, small ones, all of them cradling us with their palm trees and reef breaks, housing so many rescues and rehabilitation centres.

He was ready to go home.

Me too.

Smiling gently in my direction, Sully muttered, “It’s not me who needs to sign.” Holding up the expensive-looking pen Elder had given him, he motioned me closer. “Eleanor.”

I padded to his side, hiding the flutter in my belly as my skin kissed his when he passed me the pen. Electricity sparked in our fingers as it always did when we touched. “You sign. Rapture is your baby, and this yacht officially belongs to that company.”

“But we’re both directors of that company.”

“But you’re the managing shareholder.” He smiled, wrapping my hand around the pen and pressing the nib to the contract. “Rapture’s success is all down to your innovation and ideas. Calypso is yours.”

I looked across the bar where Tasmin watched me carefully. Her eyes had widened at Sully’s abdication of authority to me, as if she wasn’t used to men being nice to women.

Our gazes caught.

They held.

Then she smiled and nodded, her shoulders relaxed and her head tipped to lean on Elder’s shoulder. I didn’t know what’d happened to her, but everything seemed like a shock to her system, followed by swift acceptance. Almost as though she’d been denied basic kindness and now found the very hint of it absolutely shocking, followed by a reminder that simple sweetness shouldn’t be a rarity but common.

Sully kissed my temple, whispering in my ear, “Sign, Jinx. I want to be back on our beach.”

With his breath tickling my nape, I did what he requested and scribed my signature. I took ownership of Calypso and Thimble, and Jess clapped her hands as a waiter brought around six glasses of champagne.

“A toast,” Jess said. “To new friends and new adventures.”

We all raised our glasses and clinked.

And my dirty mind went to what Sully had promised in the master bedroom of this floating palace.

He said he’d code me an underwater fantasy. A hallucination I’d been wanting to try for a while now. A fantasy that’d been born thanks to Sully’s affinity with the sea and my lust for his body dripping with water.

Soon, I wouldn’t just be a woman who bought yachts as if they were seashells.

I would be some water nymph with a dangerous man begging at her feet.

I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.

Chapter Five

––––––––

I HELD THE STEERING WHEEL of Singa Laut, ready to cast off from Calypso and return to my island. Cal and Jess already sat down the back, speaking between themselves, Radcliffe and Rory stood on either side of the hull, ready for war even in paradise, and my delicious wife stood beside me, grinning as two emerald flashes appeared just before Pika and Skittles fluttered from the sky and descended on us.

Pika on my head. Skittles on Eleanor’s shoulder.

“Decided you missed us, huh?” I shook my head, making Pika squeak.

Tasmin sucked in a breath from where she stood by the railing. “Are they tame or do wild birds have a habit of landing on you out here?”

I chuckled. “They’re tame. A part of our family, really.”

“Skittles adopted me,” Jinx said, shading her gaze from the sun as she looked up at Tasmin. “However, thousands of birds live on Goddess Isles. Some native, some imported from our rescue efforts. All beautiful and unique in their own way.” Giving me a quick look, Eleanor padded barefoot to the side of the speedboat and leaped back onto the watery platform of Calypso. Moving toward Tasmin, she encouraged Skittles to hop to her finger before presenting her to the brown-haired girl beside Prest.

“Here. She won’t bite.”

A few years ago, I would’ve disagreed with her.

Skittles’s trust issues had been numerous, and if she felt cornered, she had a wicked nip on her. But ever since Eleanor had come along, Skittles had been a doting, adorable companion who no longer vanished into the jungle for months on end but slept each night on Eleanor’s pillow while Pika slept on mine.

“She’s beautiful,” Tasmin murmured, reaching out to stroke Skittles’s bright green wings. Skittles puffed up in warning but then smoothed her feathers as Eleanor cooed at her.

I’d be jealous of the relationship between that caique and my wife if I didn’t love them both.

Pika, not one to tolerate being ignored, shot from my hair and flapped around Prest’s head, squeaking and cawing, making a fucking spectacle of himself.

I sighed. “Don’t mind him. He’s all bark.”

Prest ducked as Pika dive-bombed and snatched a clawful of his blue-black hair. “Feisty bugger, isn’t he?”

“Feisty. Opinionated. Asshole.” I shrugged. “He owns all the names for ‘nuisance’ that exist in a dictionary.”

Prest gave me a tight smile.

Pika decided to investigate the yacht, zipping into the lounge and leaving our ears ringing from his squawks.

Once again, I scanned the horizon, expecting to see Prest’s personal yacht, Phantom. It’d been a few hours since we’d begun the tour and still no other vessel had arrived.

For now, Prest and Tasmin were stuck here. On my newly purchased boat. Stranded in my seas with no way to leave.

I should probably be civil and invite them to my shores.

No.

I’d had my fill of socialising, but it seemed Eleanor and I were always linked, for better or for worse, and she took my idea of their stranded situation and offered an invitation I’d contemplated and dismissed because I was selfish and wanted my wife all to myself.

“Come.” She smiled at Tasmin as she continued to pet Skittles, then glanced at Prest who towered over them. “Your ride isn’t here yet. Let us return the hospitality and ply you with a cocktail as the sun goes down. The sunsets here are truly spectacular.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Prest said.

I’d met many men in my time. I’d used my knack at knowing who someone was beneath their lies and trickery. I’d dealt with bastards and billionaires, and I had a pretty good bullshit meter, but I couldn’t get a clear reading on Prest.

He held himself taut and poised as if he’d had martial art training. He moved like a lethal weapon, yet his hands moved elegantly, almost as if he was a musician in a past life. And when he looked at Tasmin, his face contradicted itself. Half furious as if pissed at the world and half besotted as if he worshipped the ground she walked upon.

“It would be our pleasure to have you on land for a little while,” Eleanor offered again. “How long has it been since you’ve stood on something that doesn’t move beneath your feet?”

Tasmin dropped her hand from Skittles’s feathers with a quick laugh. “We’ve been at sea so long that everything moves beneath my feet. My body believes everything is water, and I sway regardless of stability.”

“In that case, you have to join us. Just to remind your brain that sand is in fact sturdy.” Eleanor grinned.

I threw a look over my shoulder at Cal, who rolled his eyes. He didn’t want guests either, but decorum and niceties made me huff and be polite. “My wife is right, Prest. It would be a pleasure to share a drink. Come. We’ll drive you back to your yacht the moment it appears.”

Tasmin beamed as Skittles chirped. The girl’s eagerness glinted in her green eyes, wanting to explore a tropical island.

Not that I could blame her.

From here, Batari glittered with jewelled flowers, glossy forest, and the whitest, most dazzling beach in the world. If I didn’t own it, I’d be fucking jealous of the bastard who did.

Jealous enough to stage a coup and steal it—which is precisely what my brother, Drake, had tried to do and failed.

“You’ll be okay?” Prest asked Tasmin quietly. “We can just wait here for Phantom.”

Tasmin flicked a glance at Eleanor and Skittles then at Pika as he finished terrorising the yacht staff and returned to sit smugly on my shoulder. “Yes. It’ll be fun. One drink and then we’ll go.”

“Okay.” Prest smiled. “Anything you want.”

Tasmin popped onto her toes, kissing his cheek. “I can’t guarantee we won’t leave without a parrot or two, though.”

I bit my tongue that none of my creatures would be going anywhere, but Prest beat me to it.

“You have Spot.” He smiled. “That damn dog has taken over Phantom and our bed.”

“You can’t fool me, El.” Tasmin moved toward my speedboat. “You love that mutt, same as me.”

Prest grumbled something.

After starting the engine, I waited until Eleanor returned to my side and prepared to drive guests and family back to our beach.

Chapter Six

––––––––

“YOUR HOME IS INCREDIBLE,” TASMIN said, sighing in contentment as the sun slowly kissed the horizon in an indigo, tangerine, fire-glowing splash.

Jess, me, and Tasmin lay on loungers directed at the horizon, firmly planted into the sand, with tables between us holding three cocktails each instead of one. Empty glasses merged with fresh, delivered by kind staff who’d blended fruits from our gardens on Lebah with intoxicating liquors.

I didn’t know about the rest of the girls, but I felt a tingle in my blood, and would be heading toward tipsy if I kept drinking.

Tipsy meant loose-tongued. Tipsy meant being bolder than I probably should be about topics that should remain unspoken.

Cal, Sully, and Elder were off down the beach, standing in a cluster with beers in their hands and whatever topics men discussed keeping them occupied, leaving us to relax for the past couple of hours without their interference.

“It’s definitely special.” I smiled at Tasmin, removing my sunglasses to enjoy the final colours of a tropical sky. “It never gets old, either. I’m as much in awe today as I was the first day I arrived.”

Tasmin tucked her brown hair behind her ears, turning to face me on her lounger. “How long ago was that?”

I threw Jess a glance. We’d both enjoyed entertaining a woman who wasn’t a past goddess, but it also came with secrets that we had to hide. To Tasmin, this beach was just a beach and this island was just an island.

However...a part of me, during our polite conversations over the past two hours about climate, culture, and commerce, had picked up that Tasmin might not have been Sully’s captive like Jess and I had been but she’d been someone’s.

She’d been owned by a bastard who’d hurt her. A bastard who’d left silver scars on her body and self-protection like a physical aura around her. I didn’t know how I knew, but the knowledge was there, shimmering in the unspoken sentences between us.

She was too young to be as guarded as she was. Too jaded but also child-like in her appreciation of the outdoors, as if she’d been denied sun and air.

Jess cleared her throat, answering for me. “Jinx has been here for over six years now.” Swinging her feet to the sand, she buried her toes in silver sugar. “I’ve been here eight or so.”

“Wow, that’s a long time.” Tasmin smiled at each of us, her eyes warm but wary, picking up on the probing stare of Jess. “And Jinx is an interesting name.”

“A bit like yours, I suppose. Pimlico, was it?”

She nodded. “Pim, yes.”

“Jinx was given to me by my husband when we first met. Did yours call you Pim?”

Tasmin shook her head slowly. “No, I was given it by another master—I mean man.”

“Master?”

She pursed her lips. “Wrong word, that’s all.”

Jess once again threw me a look, making my skin prickle.

I didn’t know if the sixth sense between Jess and me came from being so close or from sharing experiences that not many had to endure. Either way, I knew she wanted to share a piece of our history with Tasmin in order to gain a bit of hers.

I nodded slightly, giving her permission.

“I had a master too, and my nickname was Jealousy,” Jess said quietly. “Given to me by Sullivan when I became his property.”

Tasmin froze, her fingers turning white around her strawberry melon cocktail. “What did you say?”

“She said that this island wasn’t always so perfect.” I ran my hands through my hair, looking down the beach toward our husbands and the stories that came with them.

“Sullivan purchased me and saved me from a bad situation,” Jess murmured. “He purchased Eleanor a few years later. He fell in love and she toppled his entire belief system and empire. She freed all of us. She’s the reason the man who bought me is now my family and why his second in command is my husband.” She inhaled and added even more quietly, “Ordinarily, we would not share that with anyone. It doesn’t define us, and it’s no one else’s business, but...I’m telling you because I think you’ll understand and find similarities between us. If I’m wrong, forgive me. But if I’m right...well, we know what it’s like.”

“Oh.” Tasmin swallowed and lifted her drink to her lips.

Skittles chirped and flitted from my shoulder to my bent knees, tilting her head as if waiting as eagerly as us to hear Tasmin’s tale.

Silence fell between us instead.

Tasmin looked away and focused on the sinking sunshine, her eyes locking on the horizon where a yacht even bigger than Calypso appeared.

It seemed Phantom had arrived, and they were free to go. Free to leave a conversation that had gotten dark quickly. A conversation she might not be ready to have.

Jess glanced at the men as they all turned to face the sea and the new addition to our small harbour. I sucked in a breath, ready to dispel the tension that’d sprung between us when Tasmin looked at me. “You freed everyone just by loving him?”

“I just reminded him that all living things deserved freedom.... He’d forgotten that along the way.”

“You sound like a woman I met recently. Tess. She loved a man who took her as a possession, but in the end...she possessed him.”

My heart skipped. “Tess?”

It couldn’t be...could it?

The blonde Australian girl who I’d met briefly in captivity in Mexico? The very same who married a man named Q, according to Sully.

A few weeks after our wedding, Sully had mentioned that some French vigilante had emailed him, threatening him with slaughter if he didn’t release me and the other goddesses immediately.

Sully had shown me the emails between them and the wedding video he’d sent as proof that I’d married him of my own free will. Q was too late to save the women on Goddess Isles—Cal and I had freed them while Sully had fought to stay alive—but it’d been a relief to know that Q had been the one to receive Tess and that fate had been kind to her too.

Fate had delivered her to her soul-mate as surely as fate delivered me to mine.

I wanted to ask for more details about Tess, to confirm if it was the very same girl, but I waved my curiosity away. Out of all the oceans and all the girls, the chances of Tasmin meeting the same one I had were ludicrous.

Don’t be silly.

Tasmin licked her bottom lip, before answering, “Tess helped us.” She looked at Elder in the distance, her stare tangled and full of love. “Her husband took me against my will, but it was merely a misunderstanding. Thanks to them, they helped in a war that Elder has been fighting for decades.”

“Wow.” I sipped my drink. “Sounds complicated.”

She shrugged. “I suppose.”

“Is that where you’ve come from?” I asked. “Why you’ve been at sea for a while?”

“After we were in France, we decided to go away for a bit. Just us.” Tasmin threw me a small smile. “Time to heal and space to be.”

“And you’ve travelled the world since?”

“Parts of it.” Her smile widened as willingness to share sparkled in her face. “This was our last stop. We hadn’t planned on personally delivering your yacht, but it worked out between our visits to Elder’s factory and now. However, we’re leaving tonight as we can’t be late.” She smiled into her cocktail. “We’re on our way to get married.”

“Oh. That’s wonderful.” I raised my drink. “Congratulations.”

“I never thought I’d ever say that or survive long enough to be a wife.” Tasmin continued to study her glass. “I’m ashamed to admit that somewhere along the line, I even thought of ending it so I wouldn’t have to endure anymore.” Her head snapped up, locking eyes with me. “I was someone’s toy for two years before Elder freed me. He treated me with patience and temper. He allowed me time to heal, all while pushing me past my comfort zones.” She shrugged again. “I owe him more than my life. I owe him my soul because if he hadn’t found me when he did, I wouldn’t be here today, and who knows where my soul would’ve gone.”

I didn’t know what to say. Two years? Two years belonging to someone who obviously tortured and used her. I wanted to touch her but settled for a soft, “I’m glad he found you.”

Tasmin nodded, her green eyes dropping to her drink again. “Where did Sullivan purchase you from?” Her forehead furrowed. “Not from Quarterly Market of Beauties, was it? Were you there with me? In that seedy hotel waiting for the auction?”

Goosebumps covered my arms. What the hell had this woman endured? “No.” I swallowed and added, “I was stolen from a backpackers where I was staying with my boyfriend at the time.”

“And I was snatched on shore leave when I worked on a cruise ship,” Jess said. “We were both held in Mexico but at different times. And it wasn’t a hotel.”

“QMB—where Alrik bought me from—exists no more. Q ensured of that.”

“Q?” My eyebrows popped up. “So it is Tess.”

“Excuse me?” Tasmin cocked her head.

“Tess. The woman you met. I met her too. She was in the same place as me. Q emailed Sully a few weeks before our wedding, ordering him to cease and desist or...well, he’d kill him.” I leaned forward. “Sully managed to convince him he was a changed man. A married man. In return, Q told him he was marrying a woman he’d received too. I was so relieved to know Tess was safe. And if she’s happy with him, who am I to judge? But it does sound as if Q sticks his nose in a lot of people’s business. How the hell did he steal you from Elder by mistake?”

“He thought Elder was the one to buy me from QMB.” Tasmin huffed. “He should probably do a bit more research before hunting men down. He almost killed him.”

“Thank goodness he didn’t.”

“It was hard to convince him that Elder was the one who saved me, not captured me.”

“Sounds pig-headed too.” I scowled. “He should definitely do more digging before he threatens someone’s life.”

“Or he just sees the worst in men and knows what they’re capable of,” Jess murmured. “He sounds a bit like Sullivan, really. Opinionated and egotistical but his heart is in the right place.”

I laughed, dispelling some of the seriousness of our chat. “Did you just call my husband egotistical and opinionated?”

“I did.” Jess threw a piece of pineapple at me. “And you can’t deny it. Just like I can’t deny that Cal is surly and sometimes cold, but beneath those shields, he’s a puppy dog.”

“A puppy with fangs.”

“Exactly.” Jess beamed then turned to Tasmin. “By the way, I overheard you have a dog. Spot?”

“Yes.” Tasmin sighed in total love. “We rescued him.”

“We rescue a lot too.” I pointed at Skittles preening her wing on my knee. “We’re surrounded by animals. It’s heaven.”

“I’d like to be surrounded too.” Tasmin’s face grew wistful. “I’d like to be surrounded by children but...” She pressed her lips together before shaking her head. “After everything I’ve shared, I don’t see why I can’t share this too.” Bracing herself, she said matter-of-factly, “I can’t have kids from what Alrik did to me.”

“Me either,” Jess murmured. “I had to have a hysterectomy to save my life.”

“I’m sorry.” Tasmin reached to touch Jess’s arm. “That sucks.”

Jess shrugged. “I’ve come to terms that I won’t be a mother, and that’s fine because I have the best people around me and a life I adore.”

Tasmin bit her lip, looking again at Elder in the distance as if seeking approval before blurting. “We’re getting married, and...we’re also adopting.”

“Wow.” I sat up, dislodging Skittles. “That’s two big life choices in one.”

“The men Q dispatches...who deal in trafficking and slavery...they often have women who have either had children in captivity or are currently pregnant. Some die, leaving orphans. Most children are traumatised and aren’t able to go to ‘normal’ homes or to people who haven’t endured similar situations.” Tasmin narrowed her eyes at Jess. “He’s arranging us to meet a little girl who’s mute. She’s...like me. I know what it’s like to be silent. To use quietness as a weapon. I suppose you could say I’m uniquely qualified to help her.”

Jess went eerily still. “And there are others? Other children who need homes and help?”

Tasmin nodded. “I can ask Elder to email Q and get in touch with your husband...if you want.”

My heart lurched as something fierce and forever sprung between the two women. I’d always known that Jess had a piece of her ripped away and murdered the day Drake shot her in the womb and almost killed her.

Unlike Sully and me, who thrived on being parents to animals and had no intention of ever bearing our own offspring, Jess and Cal were different.

They couldn’t create their own tiny human, but perhaps they could rescue one who deeply needed their care and comfort? They could rescue children while Sully and I rescued animals.

They’ll need their own island.

Good job Sully had so many vacant ones in his empire because the look in Jess’s hazel gaze hinted just how much she wanted a family and just how much she’d tried to bury such a calling.

She’ll end up with as many kids as Sully and I have creatures.

“That would be...nice.” Jess cleared her throat. “I’d appreciate that.”

“Appreciate what?” Cal asked, appearing sneakily through the sand.

Tasmin and Jess broke apart, their cheeks matching pink. Jess leaped up to press a kiss to Cal’s rough cheek, her eyes glowing. “Nothing. None of your business. Not yet, anyway.”

“Humph.” Cal huffed and swatted at Pika as Skittles’s boisterous brother hurtled himself to me and plopped into my hair. He wouldn’t have come to me if he still had Sully to annoy.

Instantly, I stood and looked at where the men had been by the shore.

Nothing.

My heart pounded with worry. “Cal...where’s Sully?”

Cal rolled his eyes. “That’s why I’m here. Time to go. I’m driving you guys out on the speedboat.”

“But where are Elder and Sullivan?” Tasmin stood too, peering into the dusky twilight that’d abandoned colours and chose heavy greys instead.

“There.” Cal pointed at the quick splashes in the ocean, fading from view. “They decided to swim.”

“Swim?” My eyebrows rose. “All the way to the yacht?”

“Yep.” Cal snapped his fingers, moving toward the pier. “That’s why we’ve got to go now. I want to beat the bastards.”

Chapter Seven

––––––––

THE OCEAN HAD ALWAYS been a place that washed my mind clean, eradicated the shit I did, and baptised me into the sin I’d chosen.

It was also my personal gym—a nightly ritual to swim in the moonlight as often as I climbed the slippery rocks by Nirvana before leaping off the top and plummeting with the falls into the pool.

I liked to think I was fit and strong. I knew how to propel myself through waves and salt. I had an affinity with the finned creatures beneath me and wasn’t afraid that something could bite me for invading their domain.

I belonged in the sea.

And that was why it gave me cocky belief that I would win over the man who’d become more and more distracted from our conversation about yacht building and business dealings the moment his Phantom had appeared.

He’d practically walked into the ocean fully dressed, signalling an end to our discussions and his undeniable need to trade shore for sea.

Cal had been the one to challenge us to a competition. Jokingly, perhaps, but he was still the instigator and the reason Elder had stripped his shirt, pulled off his trousers to reveal tight black swimming shorts and passed his belongings to Cal. “First to Phantom wins.”

“Wins what?” I crossed my arms. “Another yacht?”

“Respect?” Prest’s lips twitched. “An IOU, perhaps? A favour for the future.”

I didn’t like the thought of owing anyone—even someone I’d grudgingly started to like while sharing a few beers and talking nonsense. He was standoffish and guarded but also quick with sarcasm, which I found mimicked my own love of duelling with conversation.

Cal and I had made it a game.

Elder made it a challenge.

So, of course, I wasn’t going to let him wade into the ocean without accepting his current dare. Stripping off my t-shirt, I kept my shorts on and dumped my cell phone and keys to Singa Laut into Cal’s hold. “See you there, Cal. Bring my wife.”

Cal rolled his eyes. “It’s dusk.”

“So?”

“Feeding time for sharks.”

“Only if they catch us.” I smirked.

“Only if they catch you, you mean.” Elder sniffed. “I’ll be too far ahead for them to bother.”

“Pride goeth before the fall, Prest.”

“We’ll see.” Elder traded dry sand for lapping waves, rolling out his shoulders in preparation.

I followed, sighing in pleasure as the sea welcomed me back, licking at my ankles. “See you soon, Cal.”

Standing beside the man who had admitted he was well trained in martial arts and even that he played the cello—two things that I’d guessed about him back on Calypso—Prest cocked his chin arrogantly. “I’ll warn you, Sinclair. I swim every night around Phantom.”

“I swim every night around Batari.”

His hand came up. “In that case, let the best man win.”

“You’ll be eating my bubbles, Prest.” I shook his hand before tossing our grip away and striding into the water.

He followed, our speed increasing the more competitive we became.

We dived at the same time, swallowed by the sea we both loved, and the rest was a blur as we cut through the warm salt and struck off toward the towering floating city about a kilometre away.

The thoughts in my head vanished.

My body became master over my mind, falling into a meditation of stroke, stroke, breathe. Kick, kick, push.

I didn’t bother looking at where Elder was. I didn’t waste time or energy worrying if he would win. I set myself to the task of pulling ahead and propelled myself as quickly as I could.

At some point, the growl of a boat shot past us, leaving a spray of wake and the rock of displaced waves.

That was most likely Cal, driving Eleanor, Jess, and Tasmin.

I didn’t stop.

That bastard had beaten me thanks to a motor and machine, but I’d win against the other bastard swimming beside me.

The farther we swam from shore, the darker it became. Black reef beneath us and blackening skies above.

No sound apart from the systematic splashes and the rasp of my lungs as I exhaled and inhaled on alternating strokes.

I was used to swimming long distances around my island. I enjoyed the lactic burn and the challenge of pushing myself past my abilities, improving on my endurance with each round, so when the pain in my legs began—still weak in places from harpoon scars and broken bones—I ignored my body’s urge to slow down and added more power.

Lights flickered ahead, pooling on the ocean from the mega yacht.

The final stretch was both the easiest and hardest—easiest because I reached a state where the burn became inconsequential, and hardest because that same burn made my legs heavy and my lungs beg for a better breath.

Spying the platform that’d been lowered at the rear for our arrival and the moored speedboat that Cal had commanded, I changed my direction a little and ploughed the rest of the way to the finish line.

A round of applause and whoops sounded as my hand slapped onto the platform, hauling myself from the depths onto Prest’s expensive yacht.

Beside me, Elder launched from the sea at the same time, leaping to his feet within microseconds of my own standing.

We eyed each other. Dripping wet, chests heaving.

We scowled.

Who the fuck won?

“It’s a draw,” Cal muttered. “Photo finish. We’d need a video-tape and replay to know who arrived first.”

“Shit.” I swiped a hand through my soaking hair. “That’s just aggravating.”

“I wasn’t expecting to have to work so hard.” Prest wiped his face. “You weren’t lying that you swim a lot.”

“Pity you didn’t get nibbled by a shark, seeing as you were behind.” I smirked.

“If anyone was gonna get eaten, it was you.” Prest panted, accepting a towel that one of his crew passed him. “You were the one splashing around like a dying seal.”

“Sore loser, huh?”

A girl in a trim uniform passed a towel to me. I accepted it with a nod and ran it over my chest and arms. “Regardless of my technique, I still kicked your ass.”

“Maybe I let you win.”

“Maybe I felt sorry for you and slowed down.”

He laughed. “Rematch?”

I narrowed my eyes, judging the length of his yacht. A couple of laps around the hull would ensure we were both fucking exhausted.

“Maybe another time.” Eleanor came to join me, kissing my cheek with a smile. “If it was up to me, you won.”

Tasmin went to Prest. “But if it was up to me, you won.”

Typical women, working on our pride to distract us from another challenge.

Prest eyed me with the same suspicion I did. It was just some friendly competition, but who did win?

Cal stepped between us, waving a white towel like a flag of surrender. “Shake and accept the draw, gentlemen.”

I gritted my teeth.

Prest paused.

The idea of a rematch still hovered between us.

“Sully...” Eleanor squeezed my waist.

“El.” Tasmin did the same to Prest, revealing who was in charge even when we pretended it was different.

“Fine.” I sighed and held out my hand.

Prest moved at the same time. We shook once before letting go. “Good race.” He nodded, rubbing his wet hair with his towel.

“Evenly matched.” I nodded back.

“Least no one got eaten.” Jess chuckled. “No limbs lost.”

“Eh, sir?”

A captain appeared on the above deck, the brass buttons of his uniform glinting off the lanterns hanging from the back railings. “If you wish to make your appointments on time, we have to go.”

“Okay, Jolfer. Thanks.” Elder passed his towel back to a staff member before guiding Tasmin to the bottom of the stairs. Taking her hand, he turned to face us. “I hope you enjoy your new purchases, Mr and Mrs Sinclair.” He smiled at Eleanor before looking at me. “If you have any issues with Thimble, which has already docked in Rapture according to my crew, just email.”

Eleanor smiled and went to Tasmin, giving her a gentle hug. “Goodbye and congratulations in advance for your wedding.”

Prest stiffened, his face clouded as if that piece of news was private.

Tasmin remained frozen in Eleanor’s embrace, her shock hinting again at her past. “Thanks for the drink.”

“You’re welcome.” Eleanor pulled away. “Anytime.”

Clearing my throat, I waited for her to return to my side.

Jess strode forward and also hugged Tasmin, the two women whispering something that made Cal’s forehead furrow with curiosity.

What the hell had they all talked about on the beach to have this level of friendship already? Obviously deeper subjects than what Cal and I discussed with Prest while sharing a beer or two.

“Stay in touch.” Jess pulled away, going to Cal’s side. “And all the very best, with everything.”

“Thanks.” Tasmin nodded, her brown hair dancing a little in a sudden ocean breeze.

Elder’s captain waited as my family and I hopped into Singa Laut and cast off. Once we were no longer tethered to the Phantom, he waved goodbye and vanished into the helm. The soft purr of expensive engines sounded as he prepared to disembark.

Prest raised his arm as I started my own engine. “Nice meeting you, Sinclair. Appreciate your business.”

“Appreciate your craftsmanship.” I added power to the throttle. “I’ll be in touch after our maiden voyage to Tahiti. I’ll let you know how we find travelling on Calypso.”

“You do that.” He smirked. “You might trade land for the sea because you enjoy it so much.”

“Doubt it.” I pointed at the flickering lanterns and starlight illuminating Goddess Isles. “I like palm trees and waterfalls too much.”

“Could install those onboard.” Prest shrugged. “Anything is possible.”

I chuckled. “Imitations.”

“Improvements.” He slung his arm around Tasmin’s shoulder. “Goodbye, Sinclair.”

“Bye!” Eleanor and Jess waved as I turned the rudder and left a nautical home for our island one.

* * * * *

That night, with Eleanor fast asleep beside me, Pika snoozing on the sheet between my legs, Skittles nestled in Eleanor’s gorgeous hair, a Komodo dragon sleeping by the open doors to the deck, and the resident sugar glider blinking with nocturnal happiness, I cyphered a fantasy.

I used the code I’d designed to script common animals beneath the sea, along with a few mythical ones. I conjured magic for my wife and seasoned it with debauchery.

Tomorrow night, as we sailed on Calypso and travelled on the open seas, I would load us into an illusion that would guarantee a visit to Euphoria we would never forget.

Chapter Eight

––––––––

“OKAY, I HAVE TO admit...this is a pretty fabulous way to travel.” I spun on the deck where Sully, Cal, and Jess sat in the sunken lounge next to the pizza oven that was currently smoking with handmade vegetarian pizzas. “No people. No airports. No germs or crowds or problems. Heaven.”

Pika and Skittles sat on the towel rack beside the mosaic glittery pool, preening each other and looking perfectly at home even though we’d left Goddess Isles six hours ago and now had no land around us.

We’d made the choice to bring them with us. The rescues on Serigala were cared for by trusted staff and numerous vets on call. Specific animal lovers had been hired just to provide cuddles and companionship to those creatures who needed it.

But Pika and Skittles were family.

Without them, we always felt a piece of ourselves missing when we travelled and rushed back as quickly as we could. This way...we could take our time. We didn’t need to worry because we had everyone we loved onboard and could truly relax and enjoy the adventure.

“Yeah, it’s not bad.” Sully held up his beer bottle, the setting sun catching the glass.

“Not bad?” Jess threw an olive at him from the snacks that we’d been served by the inconspicuous and ever attentive crew that Elder Prest had provided along with his perfectly crafted yacht. “It’s insane. I’ve worked on cruise ships, Sullivan. I’ve seen giant vessels and cleaned the most expensive suites to rent. Believe me, nothing compares to this. It’s in a league of its own.”

Cal sipped his beer, his eyes covered with aviators. “I don’t even feel seasick, and normally, I’d be green as fuck by now.”

“He did say it had stabilisers for stopping sickness.” Sully glanced at Cal. His black board shorts and shirtless chest still twinkled with droplets from the dip he’d taken in the swimming pool. Pika had joined him, sitting on Sully’s finger and splashing his feathers, taking a bird bath while squawking in joy.

Padding toward the pizza oven in my sarong and dusky pink bikini, I pulled the board holding four pizzas from the charcoal to check nothing was burning.

“That smells so good,” Jess moaned. “I’m hungry.”

“How can you be hungry?” Cal chuckled. “You’ve been eating all day.”

Jess sighed and stretched, showing off her toned body in her teal bikini, no longer self-conscious about the wicked-looking scar across her lower belly courtesy of Drake’s bullet. Dr Campbell had worked miracles keeping both her and Cal alive, and I was glad that Sully and Jim had been able to bury the past. Dr Campbell was still our resident physician, and his family regularly visited, now that Goddess Isles wasn’t an illegal sex trade but just a tropical home for humans and rescues.

“I’m on vacation and plan on eating my way to Tahiti.”

“We live on a tropical island.” Cal rolled his eyes. “Every damn day is a vacation.”

Jess shrugged. “Won’t stop me from eating far more than normal while on this ship.” She blew him a kiss. “You’ll just have to provide me with extra exercise so I don’t get fat.”

“I’m sure I can come up with something to work off those calories.” Cal smirked, leaning toward her and kissing her hard on the mouth. “By the way, what were you and that Tasmin girl talking about when we said goodbye? I heard Q’s name. It’s not the same bastard who threatened Sinclair, is it?”

Sully sat bolt upright. “What the fuck? Why were you talking about that French prick?”

Jess waved her hand impatiently. “It’s not what you think. Q is helping Elder and Tasmin with something.”

“Helping with what exactly?” Cal asked.

Jess looked away, her face flitting with nervousness.

I helped her out by blurting, “With adopting children.”

Sully barked a feral laugh. “Q? The same vigilante who likes to email strangers and discuss their upcoming murder? What does he have to do with children?”

“He saves women who’ve been trafficked. Some are pregnant. Some die and leave orphans. Some aren’t capable of looking after the products of a forced relationship.” Jess rubbed her arms. “Elder and Tasmin are adopting a little girl through him. A mute. She mentioned that there might be more...umm...children who need supporting, loving homes.” She swallowed hard. “She might’ve mentioned she could potentially suggest us as one of those homes...”

“Wow.” Sully leaned back, his intelligent gaze racing and already latching onto the same conclusion I had. Cal and Jess might get their dream of a family after all.

Cal froze and watched Jess with the intensity of a man who didn’t trust what he’d just heard but wanted to with every fibre of his being.

Judging by his reaction, that family might arrive sooner rather than later.

Cal suddenly stood and grabbed Jess’s hand. Yanking her from the couch, he guided her away from us, their heads tilted together as their voices travelled back over the sound of purring engines.

“Guess we better get building another villa on a different island.” Sully put his beer down, coming to help me remove the pizzas and plate up. “Tikus is free and a decent size with a good beach and fresh water source. It’s not too far but not too close either.”

“Tikus?” I rolled the cutting blade over a decadent pizza, creating slices.

“Mouse in Indo.” He pressed a kiss to my cheek. “As much as I love Cal and Jess, I have no intention of sharing our island with screaming kids.”

“I’m sure they only scream occasionally.”

His eyebrow cocked. “You saying you want ten of the damn things running around wild on Batari?”

“No.” I laughed. “But I doubt they’ll get ten. That’s like an entire football team.”

“I have no idea how many it takes to make a team. I just know that they won’t stop at one, and one is too many for me.”

I looked over to the railing where Jess and Cal remained deep in conversation. “They do look pretty committed already, seeing as they haven’t even emailed Q yet to see if they’d be ideal candidates.”

“Of course they’d be ideal. Whatever kid they adopt will want for nothing.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist and looked up into his incredibly handsome face. “And they’ll have the best uncle around.”

“And the sexiest aunt.” His head came down and his lips pressed to mine. “I’ll call the building firm I used to design my previous villas. I’ll get them to begin work immediately.”

I didn’t bother telling him that our thoughts had aligned once again. I’d had the same opinion about them needing their own island the moment Tasmin had mentioned Q’s help.

“Think they’ll mind being kicked off Batari?”

“Don’t really care.” Sully kissed me again. “You made me a better man in many ways, Jinx. But when it comes to humans—regardless of age—I can only live with so many before I lose my mind.”

I kissed him back, whispering, “I agree. Give me a thousand animals and I will share every inch of our island, but put a few children on there and I think we’d both be moving.”

He hugged me close, the pizzas forgotten. “I knew I married you for a reason.”

“More than one, I hope.”

“I can think of a few.” Kissing the tip of my nose, he glanced at Cal and Jess who were still oblivious to everything else but their discussion of a parental future. “I’m suddenly not hungry. Fancy going to bed?”

“Seeing as the sun is still shining, I’m guessing it’s not to sleep.”

“No.” He shook his head and nuzzled into my neck. “It’s definitely not to sleep.”

“What do you have in mind?” I shivered in his arms as he cupped my breast and pinched my nipple.

“I have an urge to swim.”

“Swim?” I tried to pull back. “Well, you might need to stay on deck then and enjoy the swimming pool.”

“Not that kind of swimming, Jinx.” His blue eyes flashed. “The kind that comes with bendable rules and mythical realms.” Dropping his fingers from my breast, he took my hand and tugged me toward the door that led to the elevator and the bedrooms below. “Come along my kinky wife, it’s time I delivered your fantasy.”

Chapter Nine

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“FUCK, YOU LOOK GOOD.”

Eleanor shivered, her skin reacting to the dark lust in my tone. “Are you going to touch me or just stare at me?”

“Depends how much you like me staring.” I looked between her legs. “You’re wet, so you can’t deny that you enjoy being on display.”

“I’d enjoy it more if you touched me.”

“Patience, dear Jinx.” I strolled around the bed for the second time, standing on the mattress to check the harness was well and truly secured to the ceiling. I’d had one of the engineering crew who looked after the technical stuff on Calypso to install two heavy duty anchor points above the bed.

He hadn’t asked questions. He knew better.

“How do you feel?” I asked, glancing down at a trapped and gorgeous Eleanor. Her ankles, calves, thighs, waist, chest, wrists, forearms, and biceps were cuffed with spider webs of a harness designed to hold her weight, allow her to move in any direction she wished, and give the illusion of absolute weightlessness.

Her face twisted with concentration as she waved her arms and legs, pretending to swim in the air. Hovering a few inches off the bed, she could touch the mattress if she bent her legs or continue lying on nothingness if she wanted.

“Strange but free.” She laughed under her breath as I fisted my cock while standing over her. Her grey eyes flashed with need. “I particularly like the view from down here.”

“Like me naked, Jinx?”

“Always.” She licked her lips. “And I’m guessing you like me naked and bound, judging by how hard you are.”

“Very fucking much.” I stroked myself, giving her a show. “I like having you at my mercy.”

She licked her lips. “Reminds me of the sex swing you made out of those vines in your fantasy back at Hawksridge Hall.”

I smiled, squeezing the tip of my cock, doing my best to control my lust. “You’re right. I do love an excuse to tie you up.”

She glanced at the second harness hanging behind me. “Going to join me then?”

“Yep.”

“Need help?”

“I can manage.” Backing up a step, I let my cock go and bent to begin the process of wrapping the cuffs around the areas needed.

“The harnesses back at Euphoria—when you had guests who stayed....” Eleanor waited until I looked at her. “Is that why they were suspended? For these types of fantasies?”

I nodded. “Fantasises with anti-gravity persuasions work best when your body feels the freedom and not just the mind.”

“What kind of fantasises did you code?”

With my legs strapped in, I wrapped the harness around my waist, my cock bobbing with each imprisonment. “Space was one. A guy who won the lottery had a fetish about women on Venus. He didn’t win enough to buy a spaceship, so I coded an illusion that he was an astronaut and got to fuck a goddess from another planet.”

“Wow.”

“Angels were another. It’s surprising how many men have a hard-on for women with wings. Almost as if they know their souls are doomed and try to find salvation where they can.”

“I might have to try that one. I like the thought of being otherworldly. The fantasy you made with the castle in the clouds after our wedding was particularly enjoyable.”

“I agree.” I dropped to my knees between her open legs. The tethers of my harness stopped me from fully connecting with the mattress, keeping me suspended and hovering as if I truly had the power of flight.

Stroking her inner thigh, I teased my way, higher and higher. “I love any fantasy where I get to fuck you.”

“Oh, God. Me too.” Her head tipped back, spilling gorgeous fucking hair all over the bed beneath her.

My cock jerked. A droplet of precum oozed.

Instincts to mount and plunder filled me.

I needed her.

I needed her on my cock.

Now.

But...I’d planned on touching and tormenting her all night. I wanted this fantasy to wring her dry and make her utterly drunk on sex. I wanted the foreplay to be off the fucking charts. If I touched her now, I wouldn’t be able to control myself.

Gritting my teeth, I reached for the bottle of cinta. We’d already inserted the eye lenses and earbuds. My phone and the app were all ready to go. I could have her...soon.

“Open.” I unscrewed the bottle and squeezed the rubber stopper, sucking up a few droplets of the orchid-extracted aphrodisiac.

She obeyed, her tongue peeking out just enough to make me growl. “Teasing will only get you in trouble.”

“And what delicious trouble it will be.” She smiled, opening again, her eyes never leaving mine while I placed a droplet onto her tongue before doing the same to myself.

Swallowing, I secured the bottle and tossed it to the side. My hands shook slightly with anticipation as I grabbed my phone.

“Ready?”

She stretched in her binds, revealing her beauty, her strength, her sex appeal. “Hell yes, I’m ready.”

“Fuck, I’m going to make you scream tonight, Jinx.”

“Promises.” She winked. “Press the damn button, Sully.”

My thumb came down.

The fantasy deleted reality.

We left a yacht floating on water and sank to the bottom of shameless sea where every dirty depravity existed.

Chapter Ten

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BUBBLES OBSCURED MY VISION while colour splashed and a new existence loaded. My lips automatically parted in panic as I blinked in crystal clear water. Instinct said I couldn’t breathe here, but the virtual reality said I could.

I inhaled substance thicker than air, feeling the tickle of sea in my lungs before dispelling a gentle current through my lips.

I was more than human here.

I was amphibious. A sylph. A naiad.

Water surrounded my limbs, my hair danced in the gentle eddies, and the crushing perception of a million tonnes of ocean above me provided a roof even though no beams or thatch existed.

As my mind settled deeper into the illusion, everything exploded around me.

The colours.

The detail.

The depth of perfection that Sully had gone to in his cypher.

I sat in a crevice as big as a cathedral. An amphitheatre that looked born from molten lava that’d dried into cracks and pillars. Within the shadowy spaces of stone and sand rippled sea grass, anemones, and rainbow coral. Fish darted with sapphire, ruby, and amethyst fins. Dolphins zipped above, followed by the slow sailing of lazy turtles.

Nothing was ordinary or dull. No whites or greys of dying reefs in today’s polluted seas but vibrant neon splashes of sea flora and fauna. Every way I looked, the flashes of life glittered and mirrored.

Lionfish and banded snakes, red crabs and waddling lobsters, puffer fish and graceful seahorses.

I never want to leave.

Sully had outdone himself.

Just when I thought this fantasy couldn’t be improved upon, a creature that only existed in storybooks swam into the cathedral crevice where I sat upon a shell and fishbone throne.

A hippocampus.

With the head and front legs of a horse and the serpentine tail of a fish, the hippocampus had been one of my favourite childhood myths. Said to pull Poseidon’s chariot into storms, be able to control tidal waves and tsunamis, and breathe firewater like dragons, it was a beast of burden and an unrivalled aquatic monster.

I held out my right hand as the beast swam closer, his muzzle snuffling my hand, blowing a string of bubbles up my arm. Its scales shone with opalescent beauty, its finned mane floating around inquisitive ears, and his gemstone eyes begged me to settle upon his back and go galloping through seafoam and crashing waves.

A noise sounded behind the hippocampus, stealing my attention as I looked up. The motion was quick and my marine body—that’d been designed for water life and all the perils that came with it—reacted with poise and power, shooting me from my throne into a graceful hover.

I felt the sway of sea eddies. Kicking my legs, I found no obstruction. I flew in the sea with just a thought.

“Sully...” I murmured as my gaze fell on the man behind the hippocampus. A man who dropped to his knees the moment our eyes locked.

“He’s a gift.” Sully motioned at the half-horse, half-fish beside me. “A gift for a sinful favour.”

I sank back down to my throne, never taking my eyes off him. Whatever internet site or book Sully had garnered his inspiration from was exquisite.

He was exquisite.

Naked, he swam slowly toward me before kneeling at my feet again. His skin glittered with iridescent scales over the sides of his waist, down his thighs, and over his toes. Scales also crowned his forehead and down his neck, continuing over his shoulders to a few glistening prisms on his fingers.

His dark hair swayed in the water. His blue eyes looked like sapphire pearls ripped straight from giant oysters, and his voice rippled through the water like sonar. The perfect pitch to make my nipples harden and belly quiver.

“What favour do you seek?” I asked, my hands curling as lust poured through me. My left hand tightened around a trident I hadn’t noticed, its magic humming against my palm.

I looked down at my body.

What avatar had he given me?

What powers did he bestow?

He himself was a man dressed in scales. His legs were that of a land creature. His bare cock just as perfect as it was on shore.

But me?

He’d given me fins along my thighs and calves. My scales flickered with silvers, pinks, and golds. My toes were longer and webbed, providing effortless power in my new domain while my bare body was gowned in a dress made entirely of bubbles, foam, and the sparkles of effervescence, all distorting water until it cloaked around me in blues, greens, and light.

Sully’s throat worked as he swallowed hard, drinking me in while he waited by my feet. “You surpass her in every way.”

“Who? Who do I surpass?”

“The goddess I based you off.”

“Which goddess?”

“Amphitrite, the goddess of the sea. Immortal, conjurer of creatures, wife of Poseidon, and mother to seals and dolphins.”

I brought my hand to my hair, touching the crown of coral, shells, and starfish. I wanted to ask Sully so many questions. I wanted him to teach me how to use imagination to sketch a fantasy that exceeded any reality I could picture, but I also couldn’t deny the power ebbing in my veins. A supernatural gift, given to a goddess of the sea, that swept me from who I’d been as Eleanor and ensured I became whoever Sully said I was.

I was Amphitrite. I was better and worse and neither.

I was his version of a mermaid, and pure desire coursed through me.

I wanted him to touch me.

I wanted to make him beg.

I wanted this to be real. To truly have the ability to breathe salt and command mythical monsters like the hippocampus.

Dropping my trident to the seafloor, I swiped my hand through the water. “Stand. You don’t have to bow to me.”

“But I do.” Sully’s head fell even lower, his torso bending over his scaled leg where he kneeled. “I bow because if I don’t, I’ll beg.”

“Beg for what?”

“For your attention.”

“But you have my attention. You have all of it. I’m mesmerized by what you’ve created here.”

“And I’m mesmerized by you.” He lifted his head, his gaze flashing with shadows from the deep. “I’m mesmerized enough to take what I so desperately want. I’m drunk on your beauty, and I’m running out of control.” His hand drifted to his bare cock, fisting himself. “I bow at your feet because I’m desperate to fuck you. I’m achingly hard to have you. I’m going fucking insane with the need to call you mine.”

“I am yours.”

“Not yet, you’re not. Not until my cock is deep inside you. Only then will you be mine in all realms. Shore and sea.”

I shivered, bubbles popping on my effervescent dress.

His voice had sound waves that stroked me. His honesty and hunger made me wet and throbbing.

The role-play he’d promised—the merman he’d conjured who would beg at an empress’s feet—made me slip into my own charade. Cocking my head, sending my hair floating around my head in kelp strands, I floated down the sandy stairs to the ocean floor where he kneeled. “And you think you’re worthy of fucking me?”

“No.” He shook his head. “But it doesn’t stop me from asking.”

“You can ask, but you won’t receive.”

“Deny me and I’ll stop asking. I’ll just take.” He gritted his teeth, the flash of iridescent scales on his cheeks and neck gleaming in the sea. “I asked politely. I gave you a gift.” He waved at the opal-shimmering hippocampus. “I know I’m not royal blood, but I do know what you need. Let me fuck you, and I’ll give you the best fucking release of your life.”

Snapping my fingers, I summoned my trident through the water. The golden magical fork skimmed toward me, settling into my palm with just a thought. “You don’t know what I need.”

“I do.” His nostrils flared as his hand worked his cock. Splices of reality invaded with myth. He might play a man pleading for mercy from a goddess he desired, but he was also my husband who knew exactly how to make me shatter. A husband who didn’t take no for an answer because he knew no was a lie. “Give in and let me pleasure you, Jinx. Keep denying me, and I’ll just straight up fuck you for my benefit.”

“You’d use me?”

“All goddamn night.”

“How? Tell me how you’d take me.”

His face contorted as he squeezed the tip of his cock. “You want graphic? I’ll give you graphic.” He shuddered, his voice turning into gravel. “Say no again and I’ll bend you over that throne and shove my cock inside you from behind. I’ll gag you so you can’t say no. I’ll ride you until you break and beg for more.”

His eyes flashed black. “And when you beg, I’ll give you everything. I’ll give you tears and bruises and the best fucking orgasm you’ve ever had. After you’ve come, I’ll force you to your knees and make you lick me clean. I’ll fuck your mouth all while you cry for more. I’ll tie you up in seaweed so you can’t get away and take my time torturing you.”

I ran a hand over my achy breast, making him stiffen. “And if I won’t let you have me?”

“Then I’ll die. I need to come. Now.”

“Then come.”

“Not until I’m balls deep inside you.”

“Pleasure yourself in front of me,” I commanded. “Let me see you come, and I might consider letting you fuck me.”

He growled under his breath. “That’s how you want to play this?”

“I want to watch.” I licked my lips. “I want to see you punish yourself, so you’re worthy of touching me. I want to watch you come undone, all while you wish you were inside me and not on your knees.”

He snarled, his chest rising and falling with aggression. “You have a sadistic side, my filthy wife.”

“I have a curiosity.” I ran my fingers through his sea-waving hair. “You admitted to masturbating when I’m not there to please you. I want to see what you look like when you come by your own hand.”

“You want to see me come, Jinx? Fine.” His fingers tightened around his cock, his pace quickening as he masturbated. “I’ll come for you. I’ll show you how insane you make me. But the next time I blow, I’m going to be so far inside you, you’ll taste me as I spurt and coat you.”

“We’ll see.” I crossed my arms, the trident forming a protective shield between me and the sexual thirst rapidly infecting me.

My body ached and breasts throbbed.

My entire form trembled for the dirty things he’d promised.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the way he punished his body. How his fingers turned white as he thrust into his fist. How his balls drew up tight and hard against his body. How his scaled belly clenched with muscle that made my teeth ache to bite.

“Fuck, you turn me on,” he growled, his hand moving faster.

“Watching you is making me wet.”

“Show me,” he snarled.

We were caught in a vortex of need, a water funnel where lust swirled and drowned us. Stepping toward him, I boldly raised my leg and placed my foot on his scaled shoulder.

His eyes locked between my legs, drinking in my bareness, my sexuality, my desire.

“Christ.” His head fell back as he worked himself harder. “You’re killing me.”

“Touch me. See for yourself how wet I am.”

His free hand swooped up. He didn’t prepare me for touch. He didn’t skim up my thigh or caress my knee in request. He cupped me hard. His thumb pressed against my clit, and his fingers pushed against my drenched entrance.

“Motherfucking God—” He came with a tattered groan.

He jerked on his knees as pearls of white shot from the top of his cock and hovered in the ocean. A string of cum jettisoned into the sea as his body purged and spiralled with bliss.

My entire body hummed. My skin became hypersensitive. My clit pulsed for a similar release.

Sully tore his eyes open, his mouth parted as he breathed hard. Never looking away from me, he inserted two fingers deep within me, spearing fast and ruthless. “Jealous, Jinx?”

“Insanely.” I clenched around his touch, wobbling on one leg, holding my trident for balance. “Desperately.”

“Want my cock?”

I bit my lip, moaning thanks to his seducing claim. “Yes.”

He smiled savagely. “Told you, you’d be begging for it.”

Most of me wanted to fall into his spell and give myself to him. But the part still wanting to play, rebelled against his cocky assurance that I was his to take.

Not yet.

I’m having too much fun.

With tattered self-control, staying in the game for just a little longer, I grabbed his wrist, and stilled his fingers inside me. Looking down my nose at him, I breathed, “You’re the one begging. Look at you. On your knees, starving to be inside me. You’re hungry and only I can feed you...if I feel like you’ve pleaded enough.”

“You’re on dangerous ground, Jinx.” He growled, his fingers driving into me, despite my restriction. “And you’re right. I am starving. I’m so fucking hungry for you. And the longer you deny me, the thinner my self-control becomes.”

“Let me go.”

“Not gonna happen.” he snapped. “Not until you’re boneless on my cock.”

“And I won’t be on your cock unless I permit it.” I tried to swim away but he trapped my raised leg, keeping me locked. He knocked my trident away; it sank to the sand beside him.

“One last time, Jinx. I will beg on my goddamn knees one last time.” He slid his fingers out of me, spreading my wetness over my clit, mingling with seawater and sending sparks through my bloodstream. “My cock is hard. I’m not sated. I won’t be satisfied until I’m balls deep inside you and you shatter as I fuck you.” His eyes flashed and the scales on his jaw glittered with darkness. “Give me permission. Say I’m allowed to fuck you.”

I shivered.

I loved the power he gave me, all while adoring the knowledge he would take me, regardless of my consent. He would consume me, corrupt me, and make me cry in so many delicious ways.

Running my fingers through his waterlogged hair, I smiled a stiff royal smile. “You don’t deserve to fuck me yet, husband.”

His lips pulled back in a full snarl. “Christ, you’re going to pay for that.” Ripping his fingers from clit, he wrapped his arm around my waist, snatched me off my feet, and shoved me onto the seafloor. “I’m done begging, wife. I warned you what would happen if you denied me.”

His hands roamed my body.

His mouth slammed onto mine.

An inquisitive plankton flittered over to investigate just as Sully kicked to press his body on top of mine and mounted with sudden ferocity.

He took me.

Swift, savage, sudden.

“Oh, shit!” I moaned.

His cock stretched and impaled me.

I cried out as my back bowed and every cell inside me locked onto where we were joined.

“Feel that, Jinx?” He rode me with no finesse or rhythm. “I’m that fucking hard because of you. Because of you refusing me. Making me get on my knees as if I don’t deserve you.” He rutted single-mindedly into me as if he’d taken elixir by accident and now his heart was failing unless he came again and again. “Say it, Eleanor. Say I fucking deserve you.”

Words were as useless as flotsam while I was being so thoroughly ridden by my soul-mate.

“Eleanor.” His teeth latched onto my ear, his breath hot and heavy. “Say what I want to hear.”

“You do deserve me.”

He thrust harder. “How much?”

“So much.”

“And you accept your punishment? You finally give me permission to fuck you?” He plunged quick and sharp, a heady groan rumbling in his throat.

That was a noise of ecstasy.

I echoed it. “You have permission. God, Sully, you have permission every day of our lives.”

He drove up, striking the barrier of me. “Feel that?”

“Yes. Hell, yes.”

“That’s me claiming you all over again. You. Belong. To. Me.”

“I do.”

“I will beg, lie, cheat, and steal if you request it of me but deny me again and I will fuck you until you remember who you married.”

I scratched his back, my mind liquid with lust. “And who did I marry?”

He grinned with pure depravity. “A monster who will do anything to be inside you.”

“A monster who will even beg.” I moaned.

He half-chuckled, half-groaned. “Well played.” He added pressure and pain. “And now, it’s your turn.” His pace turned downright animalistic and I went with him. “Beg me, Eleanor.”

We clawed and fought.

We rolled and kicked up sand as we battled to get closer.

We turned off the human parts of our souls and embraced the beasts within.

“I need you to make me come,” I cried out as he teased and tormented.

“Beg again and I’ll see if I’m in the giving mood.” His hips drove into mine.

“Sully.” I slashed at his ass, yanking him deeper into me. “I need you. I need your cock, your heart, your desire. I need you to fuck me. I’m begging.”

“Shit, you drive me insane.” He kissed me. Teeth clacking against teeth and hands mauling at skin.

The sea kept us buoyant even as we waged war against each other; our bodies bouncing off the sand before spiralling into bubbles the longer we thrust and mated.

The bubbles of my dress popped, one by one, disintegrating under his possession until I was as naked as him. Our kiss was full of salt as we tasted ocean and each other. Our tongues duelled as our bodies continued their feral assault. The hippocampus swam above us, the powerful swishes of his tail buffeting us as we lost ourselves to sex.

Thanks to Sully’s masturbation show and the words he’d chained around me with lusty fire, I lasted mere seconds until his promises of breaking me happened.

The pressure in my womb spiralled and churned, building and building, cresting with each of his savage thrusts. His pelvis hit my clit, again and again, shoving me off the mountain and ensuring I fell headfirst into euphoria.

I came in long milking waves full of stars and salt, clutching his cock inside me. I bound both of us together with inner muscles and the knowledge that we belonged to each other forever and always.

And when I finally opened my eyes and returned to a reality that was distorted by sensors and fables, I blinked into the eyes of a merman who’d well and truly proven that begging wasn’t his strong suit.

He’d taken me with rawness and violence.

He kissed me with worship and reverence.

Rolling his hips, he ensured I was very aware he still possessed me, body and soul. “This is what happens when you say no to me.”

I smiled and stretched beneath him. “In that case, I’ll have to say no more often.”

He smirked. “You’ll be black and blue. People will talk.”

“Let them.” I reached up and pulled his head back down to mine.

My lips captured his and the familiar conduction of power and chemistry shot from his mouth to mine. No matter how many years passed or how many times we fell into bed together, that electricity never faded.

It burned hot enough to heat entire cities. It crackled strong enough to power a thousand yachts.

It would keep us linked for eternity.

Chapter Eleven

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TEARING MY MOUTH FROM Eleanor’s, I pushed off from the sand and swooped to my feet in an effortless, weightless glide. We might have had sex, and I might have come twice in as many moments, but cinta wasn’t done with me yet. And judging by the way Eleanor kept her legs indecently spread, her silver eyes sparkling with temptation, and her scaled skin flushing with need, she wasn’t done either.

I’d taken most of the night to design this falsity. I had plenty more areas in which to fuck her. And besides, I wasn’t kidding that I found her a total turn-on. The scales on her gorgeous legs, the elegance of her long toes that’d formed into transparent fins, and the way her hair hovered around her just begging for my fist made me hard as a fucking rock.

I didn’t need cinta.

I needed her.

“Come.” Bending down, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet. Not that we stood on solid ground but merely hovered in the water’s embrace.

Our bodies, back on the yacht in their matching harnesses, would most likely be tangled in cuffs and buckles by now, but the sensation of being weightless in reality as well as in fabrication meant this particular illusion was entirely too believable.

Eleanor suited the sea in ways that hinted she might have been a water creature in a past life. She moved as if one with the ocean. Her hair had its own entity, coiling and curling as different currents passed us by.

I would find her stunning no matter what form she took, but there was something more about her. Something that made my heart pound with gratefulness that she was mine and my guts churn in fear of ever losing someone so precious.

For once, she wore an actual crown. Not invisible this time but full of shells and flotsam that put her on a pedestal far above me. Her finned legs and iridescent scales only made her more beautiful. All the more untouchable and dream-like.

I needed to touch her to remind myself that she was real. That we had the best of both worlds where we could dabble in legend but also go home to reality.

She wasn’t a myth.

She’s mine.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked as I kicked off and dragged her through the warm sea, out of the lava-pillar crevice and into the rich indigo of open waters.

“You’ll see.”

The hippocampus stayed behind, leaving us to swim above teeming coral reefs, take in the beauty of jellyfish as they pulsed in a undulating cloud in the distance, and sank deeper where shadows were more common than sunlight and the fish glowed luminescent in the dark.

We stayed silent as a hulking shape appeared below. A shipwreck based on a galleon trader, complete with cannons, treasure chests, and manacles.

Eleanor gasped as we descended and landed on the rotten deck. A flurry of silver fish darted from our arrival, and a sleek shark looped its way around the broken mast, getting tangled for a second in the shredded, barnacle-covered sail.

“You have a rich imagination, Sully.” She glanced around at the faded yellow and red paint that was barely noticeable after decades until the sea and trailed her fingers along the chipped and crumpling balustrade.

Moving toward her, I captured her against the wooden railing, pressing her stomach into the damaged ship and rubbing my cock against the crack of her ass.

“Oh, God.” Her head fell back, landing heavily on my shoulder while her hair exploded in a cloud of chocolate. Nuzzling away the water-licking strands, I found her neck and sucked.

Her hips shot back, grinding herself against my hard-on. “You are everything to me, Sully.”

“And you are everything to me.” I cupped her throat, pressing my thumb against her pulse while my fingers wrapped around her jaw. “I love you even while I enjoy debasing you.” My foot kicked her ankle, splaying her legs. “I adore you even while I prepare to fuck you like my enemy.”

She moaned as I sank my teeth into her neck.

At the same time, I drove my cock deep inside her.

She buckled over the broken railing, held prisoner by my hand on her throat, my teeth in her neck, and my cock piercing her delectable body. “Fuck.”

I took my time.

I took a second to just be. To feel her heat around me. To recognise her silky wetness and not the salty liquid of the sea. To feel the ever-weakening spasms of her prior release.

And then, I moved.

I rocked into her slowly, deeply. This sort of speed was novel for us. Normally, we couldn’t control ourselves the moment we connected. We lost all concept of prolonged pleasure and turned violent.

Right here, right now, I wanted her to feel me.

All of me.

I drove upward, shoving her onto her tiptoes with my depth. “Where do you feel that?”

She gasped as I rolled my hips, deleting all space between us. “In my belly, my heart, my mind.”

“And what does your heart tell you?”

“That I love you with all that I am.”

“And your mind?”

“That I want you to let go,” she breathed. “To use me without apology.”

“Why?”

“Because when you lose yourself, I know just how deeply I affect you.”

I fucked her again, withdrawing and thrusting, slow and merciless. “I lost myself to you years ago.”

“And I found myself when you stole me.”

I kissed my way down her neck, nipping at her shoulder as I withdrew, then plunged inside her. “I wish I’d stolen you the moment you were born.”

“So you could torture me this way for longer?”

“So I wouldn’t have been so alone.”

“Sully.” Her arm came back, looping around my head while her other hand reached for my hip, pulling me forward and into her. “We’re together now.”

I squeezed my eyes closed, allowing the greed in my blood to build. “I’m never letting you go.”

“Never,” she vowed.

Shedding slow for quick, I rutted into her with short, savage strokes. “You’re the only one who sees me at my weakest and thinks I’m strong.”

“And you’re the only one who can make me strong by showing me how weak I am next to you.”

She moaned as I thrust particularly hard.

“I’ll always protect you.” I dug my fingers into her hipbones, keeping her still while I used her. “Always use you like you crave.”

“Yes.” Her breath caught as I hit high, bruising both of us with the natural barrier of her body. “God, yes.”

We lost talent for talking as we once again slipped into sex and let cinta amplify our need. We grunted and groaned as the ship creaked with every thrust. The rotten floorboards beneath my feet splintered, revealing glinting gold bullion and priceless medallions in shattered chests, sprung open from the wreck.

I ignored the rapidly disintegrating flooring and kept fucking my wife. Closing my eyes, I fed her my cock, over and over again.

She writhed against me, begging silently, moaning loudly, encouraging me to take and take and take.

And when the shards of pleasure shot up my legs and into my balls, and her pussy clenched around my cock in preparation to explode, the fucking floor gave way, plummeting us into the belly of the ship.

I clutched her hard as we sank, protecting her from the splinters and rusty nails.

We came to a stop against cool coins and glittering gold, my spine to the forgotten wealth and her back on my chest.

She paused.

She made to swim off me.

Wrapping my arms around her, I kept her plastered against me. With her splayed over my body, I had complete freedom to capture her breasts with both hands and pinch her nipples before dropping one hand to her clit and the slipperiness of both of us as I continued to thrust hard and quick into her wet pussy.

“You can’t get away that easily,” I grunted into her ear as I drove up while pushing her belly down with my palm. The pressure of my cock thrusting into her nudged my hand, and she squirmed in bliss on top of me.

“Let me straddle you,” she murmured, her hair once again a cloud of weightless chocolate.

“Come like this. Come all over my cock.” I grabbed her hips and changed my speed again. Short and savage, deep and dangerous.

Her orgasm found her a few heartbeats before mine.

Her entire body stiffened and bowed in my arms. I rubbed her clit as she detonated outward, adding pleasure to her release and making her scream.

Bubbles popped out of her mouth as she rode through the waves of release, her hips rocking into my hand and my cock throbbing to come.

The moment she reached her pinnacle, I let go.

My jaw locked as intense passion and devotion split my balls apart and spurted everything I was into her.

Electricity and connection intensified our release until we both jerked with overwhelming clenches.

As our bodies calmed and our hearts thundered, we didn’t move. We merely existed in the blanketing endorphins of love.

We lay like two naked starfish upon a pile of pirated gold.

The shadow of a shark swam above us, searching for a meal while cruising the depths of his domain.

Placing my palm over her heart, I sighed in contentment as her pulse slowly steadied. Feeling the thing that kept Eleanor alive, beating for me and loving me, drowned me with gratefulness that she was mine.

We lay in silence for a while, just enjoying our closeness.

I grew drowsy.

It would be so easy to fall asleep with her in my arms.

But if we fell asleep, we’d wake back on Calypso, and this fantasy would be over.

I had one last place I wanted to show her.

Another wonderland to fuck in before this night was done.

Chapter Twelve

––––––––

I SWAM AFTER SULLY, leaving the shipwreck behind with its mountains of tarnished gold and the broken planks of its hull. He hadn’t said where he was taking me, and I hadn’t asked.

I was too enthralled with every element of this fantasy. Just like his—in the forest with jaguars and tree houses—this was more than just sex. This was a fantasy that was bone deep. A fantasy where you were able to exist—just for a moment—as more than just a boring human with stifling limitations and become a mythical entity with endless possibilities.

He’d once again achieved something magical.

From the realism of breathing water to the swift tickles of currents as hot water mixed with cool—it was all so believable. Every kick of my finned and scaled legs propelled me far faster than any swim I’d attempted before. A quick twist of my hips and my direction changed with a snap. A mere thought of somersaulting through the sea and my aquatic body granted my wish with a simple flick of power.

The hippocampus found us again, its front legs galloping while its fishtail swished side to side with strength. It caught up fast, leaping over us, spraying us with bubbles, adding yet another unforgettable moment in an ocean of them.

The best thing about Euphoria and Sully’s magic at creating VR worlds was they were tangible and enjoyable while awake. There was no fuzziness as sleep slowly left. No disappointment as the dream popped.

This new dimension could be visited again and again. We could return just to swim and play. We could picnic in an abandoned ship wreck and explore the caves to our left where luminescent eels swayed in their burrows and glow-in-the-dark coral beckoned us to see what other treasures existed within.

This place was an aphrodisiac for the mind. It triggered my brain to accept more beauty in the world. It chased away any cynicism for life. It made me appreciate every element of creation. It made me grateful because this might not be our natural habitat but it didn’t mean a place like this didn’t truly exist. And how wonderful was that? How awe-inspiring to know we lived on a planet that had coral reefs in all rainbow colours, armoured crustaceans, and all the other underwater residents of fish, prawn, and octopus.

I understood now why his programs that he’d written and sold to charities who educated about animal abuse had the power to make people catatonic after they removed their goggles and headsets after being inside a slaughterhouse. Why the Army now enlisted his coding to teach soldiers about warfare and the potential life and death screw-ups of battle before they were ever enlisted. Why, on a daily basis, he had requests for another creation, another tool, another education to help narrow-minded people see a world outside the ones they believed were paramount.

Sully’s VR allowed people to go where they weren’t welcome, and stay for far longer than other methods of technological advances could provide.

I shivered in awe as I swam behind him. I gawked at his male beauty and absolute strength as he cut through the heavy blue ocean. I wanted his body thanks to cinta in my blood, but beneath that hunger existed a far more potent drug.

I was spellbound by how one man could do so much for animal welfare and had the ability to shatter the boxes that humans had put themselves into. He saw a rule and broke it. He heard a law and found a way to show that things could be different.

He had both dark and light inside him, but most of all...he had magic.

I was sure of that.

He was magic.

And he’s mine.

With a kick of my finned legs, I shot ahead of him, spiralled around him, and stole his hand. With another kick, I darted toward the seafloor, yanking him with me.

A forest of seaweed surrounded us as we traded the surface for shadows. Kelp trees with waxy, wavy fronds stood as tall as three-story buildings.

Seals darted amongst the leaves, spinning and spiralling with a lace of bubbles trailing their quick tails.

Sully didn’t speak as I tumbled us against a kelp stem, and it was my turn to push him against the stalk. To press my body to his and cup his roughened cheeks.

“I love you.” I kissed him hard.

His eyes flared as I kissed him, again and again.

His lips opened wide, accepting my besotted kisses before turning it into a greedy one. Our mouths locked, our tongues tangled, and I kissed him with all the awe, amazement, and absolute love I had for this incredible man.

I lusted for him.

I’d poured fire on my need by seeing just how damn lucky I was.

He deepened the kiss as his hands came up and locked in my unruly hair. His head tilted to kiss me harder, his nose brushing mine as his tongue danced deep into my mouth.

I clawed at his shoulders. Wherever he was taking me and whatever else he’d planned, I was going to ruin it. Here and now.

The kelp leaf we stood on tolerated our buoyant intrusion as I wrapped my legs around Sully’s hips and dropped my hand to his cock.

He groaned as I fisted him.

I felt the slipperiness of my need on his skin from our previous encounter. Knowing that my body had branded his made me even more needy, more desperate.

His eyes shot wide as I angled him up and sank down on his entire length.

Inch by inch, I claimed him.

I fed his body into mine, and my forehead slammed against his as I impaled and rocked.

“Jinx...” He grabbed my chin and kissed me hard. “Christ, I love you.”

I kissed him back, throwing my arms around his shoulders and holding on while my hips drove against his.

I’d taken him before. I’d instigated sex, pinned him on his back, and made love to him almost as much as he made love to me.

But this was different.

This was more than just sex.

It was a thank you.

Thank you for being so special. So incredible. Thank you for giving me a world within a world within an entire galaxy where he was the god, creator, and architect.

Thank you for stealing me.

He grunted as my rhythm turned vicious, and I looked down our scale-flickering bodies at where we were joined. His velvet-covered steel plunging into my feminine folds. We both lost ourselves to the sight. Gasping and grunting as he grabbed my hips and increased my speed and pressure until I shuddered with yet another rapidly spindling orgasm.

“Take me,” he snarled. “You own me.”

I locked my ankles behind his back and thrust against him, our rhythm in sync, our desperation raw and violent.

The kelp leaf gave way, sliding us down its high stalk as we sank deeper into the forest of green.

We didn’t stop fucking.

Didn’t stop kissing or moving or worshipping.

As his finned feet met the sandy bottom, he spun me around and shoved me against the base of the kelp. With a barrier keeping me steady, he thrust into me fiercely, hotly.

Seals came to investigate, their whiskers tickling as Sully swatted them away and kept rutting into me.

His hand fell between us, finding my clit and rubbing me in exactly the right way. “Scream for me, Jinx.”

My eyes were hazy, my brain total mush.

I was governed by my body and the overwhelming need to come.

His fingers pinched me, sending me higher into the clutches of a climax.

I tipped my head back, staring up at the thousands of green leaves above, feeling him pound into me, inhaling water I shouldn’t be able to breathe, and it was all the perfect catalyst.

I screamed as my release ripped me apart.

He snarled as his own orgasm hollowed him out and spurted deep within me.

We thrust and clawed, desperate to be closer even as our bodies were joined with bruises and pain.

We kept fucking as we rode the waves of pleasure. He sank to his knees as he shuddered and spurted inside me. And I sat on his lap as the intensity of the moment switched to incredible bliss at having this man inside me.

I moaned and nuzzled into him. I rubbed against him like a cat marking her territory. I wanted to brand him, tattoo him, bind him to me forever.

“You okay, Eleanor?” he murmured into my ear, his voice raspy and deliciously dark.

“Uh-huh.” I kissed along his neck, inhaling his rich, heady scent even underwater.

“You just attacked me because...?”

“I couldn’t help it.”

He chuckled. “Was it the scales?”

“Definitely the scales.” I raked my hands through his hair, making him shiver and his cock throb inside me. “It’s everything, Sully. You, this, our life together. I’m so, so lucky. And I needed you. Needed to know this is real even while we swim in myth.”

“You’ll always have me.” His smile fell as seriousness lashed around us. “No matter if we’re in Euphoria, our islands, a damn yacht, or even death. You have me.”

I rocked my hips. “You’re making me need you again.”

He smirked. “You’re insatiable.”

“I’m married to you, what did you expect? I live with the sexiest, smartest, most wonderful scientist in the world.”

Kissing the tip of my nose, he murmured, “And I live with a beautiful, bold, brilliantly horny wife who likes to play with me.”

“Take me again.” I licked his bottom lip, sucking it into my mouth and biting teasingly. “Show me how much you love me.”

“Fuck, you’re perfect.” He pushed up from the bottom and let the water cradle both of us as he lay on his back. My knees hit the sand as I straddled him.

His eyes turned into heart-breaking blue as he ran his hands over my breasts, up my scaled throat, and dove into my cloud of water-logged hair. “Having you on me, being inside you—that’s my ultimate fantasy, Jinx. You make all my dreams come true.”

Pressing my fingernails into his sculpted chest, I rocked over him. “Let’s never leave.”

He pulled me down, bending me in half until our mouths connected as deeply as our bodies. His tongue entered my mouth as he thrust up, fucking me even while I fucked him. “I think this hallucination will become a favourite of ours.” Letting me go, he pushed me until I sat on top of him again.

His face etched with lust and his eyes blazed with possession as his hands trailed over every inch of my shimmering skin. “Seeing you like this? Wild and free, scaled and sexy...I could live at the bottom of the sea with you forever.”

It was my turn to fold forward and kiss him.

I kissed him as he rolled me onto my back and pinned me to the sand.

He kissed me as he took me.

And the whole ocean heard me scream as he made me his.

Chapter Thirteen

––––––––

I STOOD NURSING MY coffee, arms on the polished railing, and eyes locked on the dawn spreading pinks and mandarins across the horizon.

Sipping the caffeine, I froze as the first sighting of Tahiti appeared. The unmistakable haze of land, followed by the shimmer of tropical wilderness. Unlike my untouched islands where only those I chose and employed lived within the sanctuary of fronds and beaches, French Polynesia was heavily populated.

The main island of Pape’ete housed over twenty-five thousand people, while the other islands for wealthy tourists on Mo’orea and Bora Bora were so commercial that all their natural beauty was gone.

Sure, they still had waterfalls and manta rays and stunning over-water bungalows, but the wildness had gone. The beauty of no interference from humans had long since faded beneath their commercialism.

Eleanor appeared beside me just as a pod of dolphins splashed from the deep and frolicked in our wake. She smiled, tucking her hair behind her ears and looking highly fuckable in her black mini skirt and peach shirt. She wore more clothes than she had in days, ready to be professional as the owner and CEO of Rapture.

I’d also attempted to be somewhat presentable, trading my board shorts for jeans and a grey polo.

Looking down and watching the silver sleek mammals, she murmured, “They’re dancing.”

“Or lazy.”

“Lazy?” She took my coffee cup and helped herself to a sip.

“They’re using the boat’s inertia to swim.”

“I call that ingenious, not lazy.” She passed my cup back. “And if Cal hears you call Calypso a boat again, he’ll throw you overboard.”

I chuckled. “He and Jess have definitely taken to life on the high seas.”

“They have.” She put her elbows on the railing, staring at the ever-lightening sky. “Perhaps instead of building them an island villa, we’ll just buy them a yacht for their zoo of children. It could end up like Noah’s ark, but instead of animals, it’s just kids.”

“Ha, ha.” I placed the empty coffee cup onto the passing tray of one of the discreet staff. “Kids need earth. They need to run on a beach and climb a tree. Jump off a waterfall every now and again.”

“City kids don’t even get that.”

“Yeah, and look how they turn out.” I shuddered. “Humans who don’t have access to nature are the entire reason they’re all a bunch of fuckwits.”

Eleanor snickered. “Still don’t censor your true thoughts, I see.”

“Not when it comes to mankind, I don’t.” I pinched her ass. “I’m getting tetchy just knowing we’re about to dock and be surrounded by them. And angry divorcees, no less.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m glad we’re saving their marriages, but it doesn’t mean I want to come face-to-face with their problems.”

“You won’t. Sophie has emailed and said she’ll meet us at the pier. She’s already inspected Thimble and said it’s outstanding, so that’s one task we don’t need to complete. Then all we need to do is go over a few of her proposed ideas, inspect the two new Euphoria playrooms, and then we can leave.”

“Fine.” I huffed, grabbing a lock of her hair as strands of chocolate fire caught the rising sun. “But you owe me.”

“I owe you what precisely?” Her smile slipped into sensual. Ever since our time beneath the sea in her fantasy almost two weeks ago, we’d been insatiable. Something deeper had sprung between us. Something that I couldn’t explain but brought us evermore closer.

The past two weeks—working in the mornings thanks to the impressive internet connection and commerce facilities, having lunch with Eleanor, Cal, Jess, Pika, and Skittles on the deck before taking a swim in the pool, and then retiring to a comfy cabin where we could be as loud and as frisky as we liked—had been an experience I wouldn’t forget.

Elder Prest was right.

I could easily be converted to nautical life...if I didn’t love my islands so much. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t homesick to rush back. I had my two parrots, two friends, and wonderful wife. And even when the weather turned grey and rain pummelled the ship, we enjoyed a movie night in the fully equipped theatre, played drinking card games in the library, and even learned how to play the piano thanks to YouTube and a few tipsy video lessons.

We hadn’t needed to pull into a harbour to restock for fuel or food. We hadn’t seen another living soul apart from the odd albatross, whale, and yacht staff. It was exactly the way I liked it, and Jinx was right.

It was the only way to travel from here on out.

No fucking way would I get on a plane again. I didn’t care if it took me a month to get to a board meeting in the USA. By sailing there, I could take everything that was important to me and keep everyone safe at the same time.

“I think you’ve enjoyed this sailing lark too, Sully.” Eleanor strolled toward the loungers, sitting elegantly on the end. Her short skirt rose up her toned thighs, making me hard. “It’s been great fun.”

Last night, we entered her fantasy again. We’d shed human boringness and became scaled and finned. I’d finally shown her the other cave I’d designed, the one full of caverns and anemones along with trinkets and treasures, inspired from the Disney rendition of The Little Mermaid. Unlike that mermaid’s innocent collection of forks and candlesticks, this collection housed phallic items that I’d happily used on Eleanor until she’d screamed and shattered as I filled her in every hole she had.

Shit.

My desire for her sprang hot, and my hardening cock thickened into concrete.

If I was expected to be polite and talk to people—shudder—I needed a little stress relief first.

As I moved toward her, Pika and Skittles chose that annoying moment to appear from the interior. They fluttered and chirped with morning glee, spreading their wings and welcoming the new sun to glitter on emerald, white, and apricot feathers.

“Don’t move,” I commanded, pointing a finger at Eleanor. Whistling, I barked, “Pika, Skittles, follow me.”

The two darting caiques obeyed, squabbling mid-air, performing aerial stunts as I reached the cabana where bar snacks and cocktails were made and opened the industrial-sized fridge.

Wrenching out a platter of fresh fruit, I grabbed a covered bowl from the cupboard that held seeds and nuts especially designed for parrots who travelled at sea and didn’t have access to usual facets of their diets.

Skittles landed gently on my shoulder, hopping down my arm as I placed their breakfast on the bar. Pika dive-bombed the nuts, scattering a handful and throwing a sunflower seed in my direction with a toss of his beak. “You’re a pest.” I bent and kissed his fluffy head before stalking back to my wife, parrot free.

Lucky for her, she’d obeyed and hadn’t moved.

Unlucky for her, her prim little outfit was about to get mauled.

I couldn’t take her exactly as I wanted—entirely naked with her bent over the railing as we sailed into Tahiti—thanks to the prying eyes of staff, but I could thrust secretly inside as the rest of the dawn turned into a new day.

Grabbing a huge teal and white pool towel, I sat on the lounger, scooted to the back, undid my belt, button, and fly, and crooked my finger at Eleanor. “Come here.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What for?”

I pulled my jeans and underwear down, revealing how fucking hard I was. “Sit on this.”

Her eyes gleamed with sudden lust. “You know...that’s just shot me back to the first day I met you.”

“How so?”

Gracefully, she stood and kicked off her strappy heels. Hooking her fingers into her underwear beneath her skirt, she performed a strip-tease as she removed any obstruction and threw them in my direction. “You fed me elixir.”

“I did.” I grabbed my cock, pulling the towel over me so staff couldn’t see. “Your point?”

“You got me so hot and wet.” She strolled toward me, raising her leg and flashing me her pussy before straddling me over the lounger. She rubbed herself against my length, making both of us convulse. Bending over me, she nipped my ear, whispering, “You commanded I sit on your two fingers. I didn’t know you. I hated you. Yet seeing two of your fingers spear up and ready for me to use...damn.” She stood on her knees as I angled up my erection and draped the towel around her, hiding both of us.

“That first touch of being inside you almost broke my mind.” I grunted as the wet heat of her pussy encased the top of my throbbing cock.

“I would’ve given anything for you to fuck me that day,” she moaned.

I thrust up, shoving my hardness into her softness.

She bit her lip, her eyes snapping closed and hands latching onto my shoulders.

“I knew if I did, I’d be screwed for the rest of my life.” I rocked up, ensuring every inch of me possessed her. “You broke me, even then.”

“I’ll happily break you for the rest of your life, Sully Sinclair.” Her eyes flared wide as I cupped her hips beneath the towel and made her ride me.

“And I’ll happily fuck you every time you ask, Eleanor Jinx Sinclair.”

With another moan, she dropped her head and kissed me.

We forgot where we were as our bodies moved and pleasure built like a volcano.

We went quick. Fast and fierce before the rest of the ship woke up.

A flash appeared in my peripheral.

Cal.

He stopped short as he left the yacht’s interior.

His eyes locked onto Eleanor in my lap and the highly obvious action that we indulged in. Rolling his eyes, he gave me a sarcastic salute before vanishing back inside. He grabbed Jess as she went to bypass him, laughing something into her ear.

I didn’t care.

I didn’t care that we’d been caught because all that mattered was chasing that high with my wonderful wife.

“Sully. Oh, God.” Eleanor stiffened in my arms as I shoved up and triggered her release.

The pulses of her orgasm set me off, and I quaked beneath her, giving her my soul and sanity all in one climax.

Breathing hard, eyes glazed with satisfaction, Eleanor kissed me sweetly as we returned to earth. “Was that a distraction from socialising or preparation?”

“Both.” I grinned, wincing as she disengaged and climbed off me. “It’s also a promise that the sooner we get this meeting over and done with, the sooner we can come back here and do that all over again.”

She chuckled as she scooped her underwear from the lounger and swung the lace around her finger. “In that case, let’s hurry. I want you naked before lunch.”

And wasn’t I just the luckiest son of a bitch alive?

I had a wife who was talented, tricky, and downright temptress.

The yacht’s horn sounded, announcing we’d reached our destination.

For now, I would have to share her with others.

But after, she would be all mine again.

I can’t fucking wait.

Chapter Fourteen

––––––––

RAPTURE.

Named for the emotion of intense pleasure or joy, the leased Tahitian island had proven a marvellous success. Almost as pretty as Goddess Isles, the bamboo pier, groomed beach, and coconut palms welcomed us as a staff member from Calypso ferried us to shore, thanks to the onboard speedboat that lived in Calypso’s belly.

Cal and Jess had decided to take the jet ski and head to Pape’ete a few kilometres away. To go shopping in local markets and have an afternoon just the two of them. Jess had spoken to Tasmin last night via Skype for over an hour, so I guessed their choice to be alone had something to do with Q, adoption, and if their futures were about to change.

“They haven’t cut down the ripe coconuts,” Sully muttered as the sleek boat slowed its engines, ready to moor along the pier. “If one of them falls on a guest’s head, they’ll sue.”

Pulling out my notepad—that I’d brought for this very purpose of suggestions to pass onto Sophie—I jotted it down. “Prune coconuts. Got it.” I tapped his shoulder with my pen. “Anything else?”

“Yes, jot down a very important task.” His face became deadly serious.

I poised my pen over paper, a little worried that I’d forgotten something paramount. “What is it?”

A roguish glint appeared in his stare as he whispered, “Give your husband a blowjob as thanks for socialising with people.”

I laughed as the staff member lassoed us to the bamboo platform and gave me his hand so I could climb out safely. “I’ll put it at the top of the list.”

“You do that.”

I let the crew’s member’s hand go. “Thanks for your help.”

“No problem, Mrs Sinclair.” He nodded at Sully as my husband leapt up behind me. “I’ll wait here for you, sir.”

“Thanks.” Sully pushed his sunglasses higher up his nose. “We won’t be long. An hour, tops.”

“Sure.”

Taking my hand, Sully guided me toward land, swallowing his groan as our chirpy, gung-ho manager for Rapture arrived. She jogged down the beach with sand flying from her sandals, red hair tied in a neat bun, and a cream suit far too stifling for this sort of humidity but professional all the same.

“You’re here!” She waved, jumping onto the pier and closing the distance between us. “How was your trip? Good? That boat you had delivered is outstanding. Had its inaugural cruise this morning with a couple who needed some space to scream it out. It drove like a dream, according to the skipper, and the couple who rented it seemed to like it enough. They’re currently in Euphoria, which is an improvement as they’ve been here three days and were adamant they wouldn’t dabble in VR no matter what therapy they had to endure.” She looked down at her phone, bringing up her own list of things to go over. “Villa Halcyon had minor plumbing issues, but it’s fixed now. Villa Paradise had to be fumigated because of an ant problem, and Villa Frangipani has been extended to include an in-house Euphoria playroom for those couples who want that extra bit of luxury and freedom.” She sucked in a breath, ready to go again.

I held up my hand. “Sounds like you have everything under control.” I smiled kindly. “Thank you for all your hard work. The spread-sheets and customer reviews you’ve provided are wonderful.”

She beamed, her red hair and freckled skin making her a perfect candidate for sunburn and pleased blushes. “Thanks. I’m honoured you hired me, seeing as I know I’m not the typical middle-aged man who’s normally the stereotype for manager.”

“It’s because you weren’t a middle-aged man that Eleanor hired you,” Sully muttered. He covered up his ire at being in public places again with a quick smile. “You’re doing a great job. We appreciate it.”

Sophie nodded and blushed again. “You’re welcome.” Putting her phone into her blazer pocket, she clapped her hands. “Sorry, here I am rabbiting on when we’re still on the pier. Come. Please.” She headed back toward the beach. “What would you like to inspect first? We currently have eighty percent occupancy, so the main areas like the swimming pool, restaurant, waterfall therapy rooms, and spa are most likely in use, but we can always wait.”

We followed behind.

Sully dug his hands into his pockets and cocked his head for me to catch up and walk beside Sophie. It always surprised me how a man like Sully, who was used to being the boss’s boss’s boss, could give me the reins to this place.

He never interrupted when Sophie reeled off figures on the phone. Never contradicted me in our online conferences. Never argued his opinion when interviewing marriage counsellors or approving the shortlist of new chefs and cleaners that Sophie had found locally.

He wanted me to be in charge—almost as if it turned him on to see I was just as capable as him in running a multi-million-dollar company.

Blowing him a quick kiss, I joined Sophie and prepared to listen to her stream of facts, updates, and suggestions.

* * * * *

“So, as you can see, we followed your previous schematics and ensured the two extra Euphoria rooms all follow safety and hygiene requirements.” My heels clacked beside Sophie’s as she led me around the room, opening cupboards with fake furs, textiles, and other props designed to ensure the virtual reality that people dabbled in was as real as we could make it.

The harness that Sully had once strapped me into unwillingly on Goddess Isles had been cloned and hung here, and the trolley that held all the sensors that Sully had copyrighted in their black boxes with their purple orchid stencil waited to be used on guests fighting to save their marriages.

They had the option of all sensors or just the basic eyes and ears. If they wanted to fuck someone who wasn’t their spouse, to see if guilt made them fight for what they’d lost, then the skin oil, taste masker, scent scrambler, and finger print sensors were recommended.

According to our head psychiatrist and counsellor, Dr Jane Milnor, the couples who arrived with divorce papers already signed always opted for all sensors. However, out of the two thousand or so couples who’d been treated on Rapture, only a fraction had continued with a divorce. The rest faded out the sensors until a play in Euphoria was exactly like what Sully and I enjoyed. An adventure for both in a totally different setting but not with different people.

“And everything is working okay?” I asked. “The new codes that we send through aren’t glitchy? Is the new computer programmer able to add enough depth and detail to fantasies that guests request?”

“Yes.” Sophie nodded eagerly. “We’ve had nothing but good reviews. The technology works seamlessly.”

“And the therapy sessions? Are people opting for those, or do they prefer to let their bodies fix their issues?”

“Oh, no, you’d be surprised.” Sophie tapped her phone, pulling up data and figures. “When we first opened, only sixty-eight percent of people used the complimentary therapy sessions. A lot of them just came for the virtual reality. However, according to figures last month, we are getting more and more people who want to make their relationships work and are prepared to do the mental, emotional, and physical requirements. Eighty-nine percent last month participated in sessions we provided, and this month we currently have over ninety.”

“Wow, that’s fabulous.” I turned to Sully who stood leaning against the tiled wall, his blue gaze locked on me with a smug smile on his face. “What? What is it?”

“Nothing.” He pushed off from the wall, his gaze turning darker, hungrier. “Just watching my wife at work.”

Goosebumps ran over my arms. His voice turned me on, and his stare made me wet. I scowled and flicked my hair. “Don’t distract me.”

He chuckled. “Can’t promise anything.” Moving closer, he murmured so Sophie wouldn’t hear, “Seeing you so corporate is turning me the fuck on.”

I shivered as he stroked the back of my hand. “And there you go, distracting me.”

“I’ll ask Sophie to leave.” His gaze dropped to my chest, making my nipples pebble. “We can test-drive Euphoria, Tahiti style.”

“Our marriage doesn’t need any help in that regard.”

“No, but you’re yet to complete that highly important task I told you to write down.”

I lowered my eyes, sweeping my stare down his biteable body. “Behave and I promise my lips will be around your—”

A noise sounded behind me and a door swung open. I spun around, staring at an older man and woman as they tumbled out of another Euphoria playroom that’d been in session when we first arrived.

Oh, my God!

“Hello, Mr and Mrs Grace. Everything went well, I presume?” Sophie clasped her hands in front of her, smiling at the couple who looked rumpled and well-satisfied.

The couple who didn’t belong together.

The couple who I would never look at the same way again.

“Mum?” My eyes flashed between them. “Dad?”

“Ross?” Sully barked. “Deborah? What the—”

My father turned bright red, slamming to a stop and dropping my mother’s hand. Running his fingers through his hair, he struggled to hold eye contact. “Ellie! What a coincidence!”

I shook my head, struggling for words. “A coincidence? You know we own this place. I told you the last time you stayed with us. You even offered a few suggestions on the guest villas.” I sucked in air. “What the hell are you doing here?” I blinked at my mother who gritted her teeth and kept her head high and mighty, her brown hair interspersed with streaks of silver. “And together, no less. You guys divorced ages ago. Mum, you married whatever his name was in England.”

“Trevor and I broke up four years ago.” She sniffed. “I buried myself in work, and I’ve steadily been burning myself out ever since. I...I called your father a year ago for moral support. And well...”

“We became friends again,” my dad mumbled. “She needed a friend.”

“But she cheated on you.” I moved toward them, hating that we aired family laundry in front of my manager but unable to stop myself. “You were heartbroken, Dad.”

“I made a mistake, Eleanor.” My mother wrung her hands. “I’ve regretted it every day of my life. I apologised to Ross, and I was content with just being friends. I didn’t want to hurt him again, but...I need him, Ellie. He keeps me calm and doesn’t let me use work to bury my problems. I love him.”

I crossed my arms as Sully stayed silent and supportive beside me. “So you guys are getting back together? Or are you using this place as...what? A lusty vacation?”

My dad blushed bright red again, making me wonder what fantasy they’d played in. What fetishes had they shared?

God, don’t think about it!

I shuddered, blocking my mind from the inhibitions that Euphoria brought out in people and the fact that my parents had dabbled in Sully’s creation.

Did they take cinta?

Gah, stop it!

I groaned and forced myself to be an adult. “Look, it’s none of my business. It’s—”

“We’re here because, as much as I still love Deborah and she loves me, I have trust issues. I was fine being her friend, but things...happened between us.” My dad swallowed before taking my mother’s hand. “I mentioned this place to her and all the good work you’ve done helping others reconcile. I told her that if we stood a chance at being together again, then we had to put in the work and see if we could salvage our past.”

“And how’s it working for you?” Sully asked, his eyebrow cocked in interest. “Is our concept working for someone who’s tried it first-hand?”

My mother was the one to soften and answer, “We arrived a week ago. The first therapy session was hard. Being honest with one another was definitely abrasive and opened old wounds for both of us. But...”

“But by the fourth session, the counsellor helped us come to terms with how simple marriage is,” my father said. “If you can forgive and forget; if you’re strong enough to trust again, then the rest is just noise. And when we tried Euphoria for the first time yesterday, well—”

“Ross.” My mother sniffed. “They don’t need to know what we think of Euphoria.”

“No, it’s fairly obvious.” Sully chuckled, glancing at his phone as it buzzed with a new message.

“I think I might leave you guys to catch up,” Sophie said very brightly. “I’ll be in my office, Mr and Mrs Sinclair. Please let me know when you’d like to resume.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Sully cleared his throat. “I’ve seen enough.”

I narrowed my eyes in his direction. “But we haven’t seen the updated villas.”

“Radcliffe just sent me a text. He wants to go over the security. He’s asked if I’ll join him.” He gave me a quick kiss on my cheek. “I’ll leave you guys to have a family reunion. I’ll see you soon.” Striding forward, he kissed my mum politely on her cheek before shaking my dad’s hand. “Pleasure to see you both. I hope this island gives you back your happiness.”

“Thanks, Sully.” My father patted my husband’s arm. “I can say it absolutely has.”

“I’m glad.” Bowing his head, Sully strode from the building, followed by Sophie, leaving me alone with my blushing parents. Seemed his excuse about security with Radcliffe was a highly convenient excuse to run from this uncomfortable situation.

“So...” I shrugged.

“So...” My dad swallowed.

I cracked a smile, rolling my eyes at the absurdity.

My parents.

Getting it on thanks to a VR sex tool that Sully once rented to nasty men and unwilling goddesses.

If only they knew.

“Come.” I held out my arm toward the sunshine spilling inside. “I think we need a drink, don’t you?”

My mother let out a nervous laugh, and my dad strode forward to gather me in a hug. “I missed you, Ellie Pie.”

“Missed you too.”

Slowly, my mother joined in, hugging me and Dad softly, healing our family that’d been broken for so long.

Turned out, Rapture not only had the power to fix marriages but also relationships between children and their parents.

Chapter Fifteen

––––––––

“SEE THERE?” RADCLIFFE TAPPED at the security monitor, following the shadowy outline of a ship that looked like a container tanker and a mid-century warship had a love child. “That isn’t authorised to sail around these islands.”

“Authorised?” I scowled. “I don’t think the French Polynesian government has embargos on boats, Radcliffe.”

“They do on this one.” He strode to the printer in the corner, wiping away sweat on his brow from sitting for hours in a tiny security office where the air-con struggled to keep cool in the height of the day. Pulling a sheet of paper from the tray, he handed it to me. “See for yourself.”

A text heavy decree with an official government seal stated that the Paradigm Purge, captained by a man only known as Rayvn was hereby banished from entering the Pacific Ocean around Tahiti and its neighbouring islands.

“Is he a trader?” I passed the document back to Radcliffe, waiting for the trusted mercenary to fill me in on why he’d called me down to discuss an imminent security issue.

“No. He’s a pirate.”

I rolled my eyes. “If he’s a thief, then he’s of no concern to us. All our bookings are done online, we don’t keep large sums of cash on Rapture, and being all-inclusive means guests don’t have to bring big holiday funds. There’s nothing to steal, apart from a few pieces of jewellery and unwanted wedding rings, I suppose.”

“He doesn’t just steal cash, sir.” Radcliffe brought up another webpage, this one full of sightings and warnings of Paradigm Purge.

I skimmed some of the headlines.

Two women missing from Koh Samui after black ship spotted off shore. As yet unfound.

One woman missing on her honeymoon, snatched from a beach in Penang by pirates.

One teenage girl taken under her father’s nose while family stayed in Phuket, Thailand. Authorities are seeking information on unpermitted vessel in harbour.

I scowled. “Unfortunate but not uncommon. Women go missing all the time.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I’m the cause of some of those disappearances.”

“I know, but women went missing each time Paradigm Purge was found in their bays. It’s not just a coincidence, Sinclair. And the fact that the boat has been seen sniffing off our coast means I highly suggest you double the security guards on shore.”

“You think this Rayvn bastard would steal a wife while she’s working on her marriage?”

He shrugged. “Who knows? But if we make it easy for them, then the temptation might be too hard to ignore. If we make it hard, we keep our guests safe.”

“Fine.” I nodded. “Double it. And have someone install the reef tripwires that we have around Goddess Isles, so they know if a boat arrives unwelcome, regardless of night or day.”

“Consider it done.”

I glanced again at the hulking monster of a ship. Black and sinister with rust on some areas and the tell-tale sign of machine guns hidden beneath coverings, a chill ran down my spine. If that bastard ever appeared in my Java Sea, he’d be picking up shrapnel and body parts for months after I blew his Paradigm Purge to fucking pieces.

I’d learned that viciousness was needed to protect those I loved. Drake had tried to teach me that lesson all my life, but I’d been slow to learn it. Now, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill and then ask questions later. Especially if Eleanor’s safety was on the line.

Speaking of Jinx.

I suddenly had an undeniable urge to see her.

We’d been on this island long enough. Things were working well, and in my experience, if you had a trustworthy team who did their jobs, it was best if you stayed out of it.

“You got this covered?” I asked. “I better go find my wife.”

Radcliffe nodded, sitting down at the monitor to organise emails and recruitment for more security. “No problem. I’ll meet you back on Calypso.”

“Great.” Opening the door to island air instead of recycled air-con, I placed my sunglasses over my eyes to shield them from the bright glare and strode through the open-island lobby of Rapture.

I’d never built a lobby on Batari, but here, Eleanor suggested having a central hub for check-in, welcome drinks, and somewhere where couples could book diving, day tours, and massages.

Carved sculptures of manta rays covered one wall so it seemed as if they floated toward the ceiling, a check-in desk sat with top-of-the-line technology just waiting to welcome, and a few sitting areas with comfy tangerine seats held a couple who’d obviously just arrived.

The girl with copper wavy hair, green eyes, and in her mid-twenties sat tense with her arms and legs crossed, her body language screeching at the man to leave her the fuck alone. The man in question looked as if he’d been driven over by a monster truck a few times. His dark blond hair needed a cut, his brown eyes were shadowed, and he watched his wife with a mixture of hate and hurt.

What the fuck were a couple that young doing here? How did something fail that bad to need our help so soon?

“Bellamy and Lawrence Whittaker?” A Rapture staff member smiled and approached the pissed-off couple, brandishing her tray of welcome cocktails as if it could shield her from their tempers. “I’ve taken the liberty of checking you in. We’ve assigned you Villa Camellia. We have you down for a ten-day stay, and if you change your mind on the marriage counselling sessions, I would be happy to—”

“Don’t bother,” the man barked, swiping a drink off the tray. “We’re just here for that Euphoria thing that everyone’s talking about.”

His wife curled up into a tighter, angrier ball.

Stupid bastard.

No wife wanted to fuck her husband if she wanted him to die a fiery death.

Rolling my eyes at the doomed couple, I forgot all about them as I strode down a manicured sandy path and went to find the love of my life.

It was time to go.

Chapter Sixteen

––––––––

SKIMMING OVER THE SEA as the sun set with spectacular fire, I snuggled closer to Sully. “Sorry we were on Rapture so long.”

“Yeah, I hadn’t planned on staying all day. Pika and Skittles will be pissed we didn’t bring them.”

“True, we could’ve brought them after all. They could’ve explored a new island and made new friends.”

Sully kissed the top of my head, capturing my flying hair in his fist to stop the strands catching on my eyelashes. “Ah well, we didn’t exactly foresee your damn parents being there.”

I laughed softly. “Nope, that was a huge surprise.” Kissing his throat, I added, “Thank you for agreeing to have dinner with them. I know they appreciated it.”

“I didn’t know if it was the right thing to do. After all, we’re intruding on their sex-a-thon.”

“Eww.” I shuddered. “I’ve struggled to get those images out of my head all day. I don’t need you putting them there, thank you very much.”

Sully chuckled. “I never want to know what Euphoria codes they’ve dabbled in.”

“Never.”

We stayed quiet for a moment before I asked, “Do you think they’ll get married again?”

“Judging by how they acted at dinner? I’d say they might even make use of the wedding package you recently included for those couples who already signed the divorce papers and regretted it.”

“You think?”

Sully kissed my hair again. “I think next time we have a call for a visit, it won’t just be one of them visiting. They’ll be together.”

I skipped into the future, imagining the novelty of both my parents staying with Sully and me, sharing another dinner like the one we had tonight, talking about silly things, and growing comfortable together as two couples instead of estranged families.

If my father could move on and forgive my mother for cheating on him, then I wanted them both to be happy. He’d never found anyone else, and I’d noticed that my mother wasn’t coping in her overly busy world.

“Maybe they could write a review.” I snickered. “Husband and wife reconciled by having sex in a virtual reality world created by their son-in-law and commercialised by their daughter.”

Sully groan-laughed. “I think the less the world knows about that twisted connection, the better.”

“Agreed.”

We fell silent as we drew closer to Calypso.

My eyes drank in the dazzling sunset, dancing over fishing trawlers as they sailed home with poor fish suffocating in their holds. I had a good mind to go and release them all. To buy every fishing trawler and burn them, so the seas could finally replenish from years of overfishing and greed.

Looking past them to the darkening edge of where the world dropped away, I frowned. A hulking shape ruined the landscape. It didn’t look nearly as nautically sleek as Calypso, but it was twice as big. “Is that a tanker?”

Sully looked at where I pointed, his body stiffening next to me. “It’s Paradigm Purge.”

I looked up, tugging some of my hair from his fist. “You know it?”

“Radcliffe informed me of it this afternoon. He believes they’re traffickers.”

“Shit, really?” I looked again in that direction, then back to the blinking lights of Rapture. They looked so vulnerable compared to the black stain squatting in the sea. “Are our guests safe?”

“We’re doubling security and adding underwater sensors. They should be.”

Our speedboat slowed as we reached Calypso, and we focused on trading one vessel for another. Climbing the stairs and higher into the sky, I looked again at the ship called Paradigm Purge. “How do you know they’re traffickers?”

Sully pinched his nose as if shaking away the long day of business, family, and now a threat on our guests. “Women go missing whenever he shows up. It’s captained by a man named Rayvn.”

“Should we do something?”

“We are doing something.” Sully cricked his neck. “We’re doubling security.”

“No, I mean...go out there and—”

“Ask him politely to stop?” Sully chuckled under his breath. “I like you alive, Jinx. Not skewered on some trafficker’s knife.”

“But if he’s hurting women—”

“I hurt women.”

I scowled. “Yes, but you stopped and redeemed yourself.”

Sully shrugged. “Took me a long time to get to the point where I was ready to be redeemed.” He narrowed his eyes at the horizon. “You approach a monster who isn’t ready to change, and you die. Pure and simple. As long as he doesn’t trespass on our shores, I won’t trespass on his.”

“But—”

“Oh, finally. You’re back!” Jess bolted from the lounge, skidding to a halt with a drunk look on her pretty face. Pika and Skittles appeared just as chaotically, squeaking and flapping around us in welcome.

“Whoa, someone started on the cocktails early.” I grinned as Jess practically leaped into my arms and kissed my cheek. Her hazel eyes gleamed with a joy I hadn’t seen in her before.

“Not drunk on liquor. Drunk on life.” She grabbed my hands and spun in a circle with me.

Sully rolled his eyes. “What the fuck’s gotten into you, Jess? Find something that’s made you high in Pape’ete?”

Cal laughed, coming toward us with two beer bottles. Passing one to Sully, he toasted him, his own face stretched into a manic looking smile. “Q’s gotten into her. That’s what.”

Sully turned stony. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means...he wants to meet us. That Prest guy and his wife put in a good word for us. He said if we pass his assessment, he’ll begin the process of helping us adopt one of the kids he’s saved from his vigilante habits.”

“Oh, wow.” I slammed to a stop, accepting another giddy hug from Jess. “That’s amazing, guys. Congratulations.”

Sully clinked his beer to Cal’s again with a grin. “I’m happy for you.”

“Have to impress the bastard first, but a meeting is a good start.” Cal took a swig of his celebratory drink.

Sully raked a hand through his hair. “When do you leave?”

“Well...I have a question about that.” Cal straightened his shoulders.

“Uh-oh.” Sully cocked his head. “That can’t be good when you say it so seriously.”

“What are your plans for the next couple of months, Sinclair?” Cal stiffened.

Sully frowned. “Ah Christ, I see where this is going.”

Cal winced. “And...?”

I butted in. “You want us to sail to where Q is so he can meet you guys?”

“Yes!” Jess said, unable to speak at normal volume with her joy. “He’s returning to France after being in Monte Carlo and overseeing the initial introduction between Elder and Tasmin. Tasmin said it went well. The little girl is shell-shocked, shy, and not speaking but they’ve committed to one another and...” Tears came to her eyes and she swiped at them. “I just...I’m so happy for them. And for little Aria.”

“Aria?” I asked.

“Their new daughter,” Cal muttered, longing flashing in his eyes for the same thing.

Sully stayed quiet while he watched our two friends. Pika landed on his hair, tugging at the strands, demanding attention while Skittles plopped onto my shoulder and gave me beak kisses with gentle squeaks.

I loved Cal’s and Jess’s infectious joy. It was blatantly obvious how happy this potential adoption had made them, and it made me all the more grateful that my heart was full thanks to a tiny parrot on my shoulder and the hundreds of rescues back at home.

I wasn’t missing a piece of myself and neither was Sully, so perhaps we’d been selfish in thinking Jess and Cal were as happy as us.

I never understood the drive for kids until that moment, living it through their eyes and feeling my heart tug with their wanting.

Moving toward Sully, I linked my fingers with his.

His gorgeous blue eyes locked with mine, swimming with the same realisations I’d had. We were so lucky. We had everything we could ever want. Goddess Isles was safe and run by Dr Campbell and capable vets. Rapture was being fortified and managed by trustworthy staff. Sully’s pharmaceutical empire was guided by Peter Beck and could be handled remotely via online contact.

We didn’t need to rush home.

We had everything we needed right here, on this boat.

Skittles head-butted my ear as Pika flipped upside down and peered into Sully’s eyes while holding onto his hair. My heart swelled with affection. My eyes filled with tears of gratefulness. “You took me to England a year ago, Sully. Don’t you think it’s time we visit France?” I whispered.

Cal and Jess froze, their attention flying back and forth between Sully and me.

Ever so slowly, Sully reached up and plucked Pika from his hair. Holding the adorable caique in his hand, he studied the parrot, then looked at Skittles before bending to kiss me. He was gentle and adoring, trembling a little beneath the same crush of emotion I’d felt for our life, for us, for our feathered family. “I think I could cope exploring Paris while those two go baby shopping.”

“Really?” Jess screamed. “Oh, Sullivan. You have no idea what this means to us!” Launching herself at us, she joined in our embrace, drenching our faces with kisses. She smacked me right on the lips as tears cascaded down her cheeks. “Jinx...I can’t believe this.”

I kissed her right back. “Believe it. We’re going to France!”

Sully untangled himself and chuckled, drinking his beer as if the mayhem around him wasn’t building his own excitement at a longer cruise, more relaxing days at sea, and more sexy nights in Euphoria.

But he couldn’t fool me.

I’d been married to him for enough years to see the nuances of his happiness.

And he was happy.

I was happy.

And when Q liked Jess and Cal...they’d be happy too.

Chapter Seventeen

––––––––

SAILING INTO FRENCH WATERS filled me with the usual hatred toward mankind. The plumes of population hazing the air, the electric buzz that was tangible from so many bodies in one place. The entrapment of animals, and the carnage of carcasses that ended up wrapped in plastic ready for a plate.

I wasn’t a fan of cities, and I doubted that would ever change, but I was here because my family had asked me. I would stifle my complaints and do whatever was needed to ensure Jess and Cal were as happy as Jinx and I.

I’d also agreed to take Eleanor sightseeing. I would ignore my dislike of people and do the touristy thing until we both snapped and needed space. At least we wouldn’t be staying the night. We’d return to Calypso and be able to breathe away from society.

As for the business idea of handing Calypso over to Rapture to use for marriage counselling, that was now discarded. All of us had enjoyed our voyage too much to give it up.

Calypso was ours.

Therefore, Elder Prest had received two additional commissions last week. One, another yacht—smaller than Calypso but just as luxurious for the booming business on Rapture, and two, a more modern, sexy vessel for the offshoot of our virtual reality business that Cal had joked about.

I’d once catered to rich bastards who’d gotten their kink by paying for goddesses high on elixir. My wife had dismantled that illegal enterprise and conjured a highly successful business that helped broken couples find their way back to each other.

Now, it was time to siphon some coin from the younger generation. The frisky, flirty, and downright filthy twenty-something’s who wanted to play before conforming to society’s rules.

Euphoria would give them more than just a sexual fantasy; it would open their eyes to a life that didn’t need to be mundane and moronic. They could fuck and fondle complete strangers, indulge in every wicked and wet desire they’d ever had, and not fear for their privacy or judgment.

Eleanor had already begun designing the suites and bar areas that our guests would mingle in, and we’d spent a highly enjoyable night last week coding a few erotic fantasies that made even my kinky wife blush.

Last night, Prest had sent through the schematics based on our requests, suggesting a ship called Idyllic. Along with a few amendments for sex harness anchor points, Euphoria playrooms, and spaces large enough for all manner of indulgences, we’d placed the order.

In one year, we’d have yet another offshoot to our VR empire, and Jinx and I would happily test drive the fantasies we’d have on offer.

Leaning on the balustrade, I let my mind switch from future businesses to what today entailed.

Jess and Cal had arranged a meeting with Q and his wife, Tess. We were to meet them at Moineau Holdings this morning. I’d wanted to bring Radcliffe and a team of security, but Cal had forbidden that idea, not wanting to scare Q off when that was precisely my intention.

I owed him for the shitty email he’d sent, threatening to kill me.

My hands curled.

Today will be...interesting.

I knew more about the French meddler thanks to Cal finding out Q’s company name. While Jinx slept beside me, I’d thoroughly researched the bastard.

I’d learned he dabbled with property, and, on paper, he had every police and politician fawning over him thanks to his philanthropy and wholesome deeds in the community.

He had them completely hoodwinked.

If I hadn’t had the pleasure of receiving his threats, I’d be suckered in too. However, I knew the type of man he was beneath the specially cultivated persona. I knew him better than I probably should because, unfortunately, we seemed to be fairly similar.

I couldn’t lie and say I was looking forward to the meeting. In fact, I’d asked Cal and Jess if they’d rather go alone. To have a private meeting about their adoption potential without us there to ruin their chances.

However, Cal had pulled me aside and asked if I’d be there. Not just for safety—because even though he’d banned me from bringing Radcliffe, he was just as untrusting as me and had no intention of meeting Q on his own turf without some security measures in place—but also as his friend.

He didn’t come out and say it, but he needed me and Eleanor, just in case the meeting didn’t go well. Just in case Q decided, for whatever fucking reason, that he didn’t like them and left them with shattered dreams to patch up.

Of course, I wouldn’t let Q fucking say no to them.

What my friends wanted, they would have. They were the best people I knew. And no goddamn way would I let a French bastard stand in their way.

Despite my reservations of the meeting, Eleanor was full of anticipation. After all, she had her own ulterior motives. She’d once met Q’s wife while sitting in a cell, waiting for traffickers to wash, tattoo, and sell them.

Their meeting had only been brief but they’d made an impression on each other, and her eyes lit up at the thought of seeing her again. Of seeing her happiness being married to a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Of showing off her own happiness being married to a monster in scientist camouflage.

I could already tell it would be a long day amongst dreaded humans.

But if it went well, there would be another person sailing home with us.

Someone tiny and unsure.

Someone who would become a part of our family on Goddess Isles.

Pika fluttered to my shoulder, chirping at the busy port.

I smiled, shedding my temper. “Can’t take you with us, Pika. Immigration’s stupid rules.”

He squawked.

“I know. Sucks. I’m sure you would’ve enjoyed a croissant from some cholesterol-saturated French bakery.”

“I know someone else who would enjoy that,” Eleanor said softly, coming to my side wearing a crimson dress that set off her chocolate hair and gorgeous smoky eyes. Skittles sat on her shoulder, a shot of bright green.

I froze.

Fuck, she’s stunning.

I drank in the moment.

I reached out and held the hand of the woman who’d toppled my dynasty, came to rescue me on death’s door, and made my every waking moment sublime.

Without her, I was nothing.

With her, all my dreams had come true. Including the dark ones, the sinful ones, and the ones we’d yet to code in Euphoria.

Pulling her into a kiss, I tasted melon on her tongue and smelled sunshine in her hair. “Have I told you I love you today?”

“Nope.” She kissed me back, her tongue slow and sensual. “But if you do, I’ll let you ravish me later.”

I grinned against her mouth. “Ravish, huh? That sounds like a word a Scottish Highwayman might use.” I nipped my way along her jaw, licking her ear. “I could be persuaded to enjoy another Jacobite-era fantasy.”

“Will you sully me for marriage to a highland lord?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

She laughed, her hand drifting down the front of my charcoal suit. I’d traded the casual seafaring outfits for one of my old business apparels. Suits were armour, and I was going into battle with Q fully armed.

“In that case, I will gladly let you ravish me, you dirty lusty cur.”

“Rake, if you don’t mind.”

She laughed again as we kissed, dislodging Pika and Skittles until they flew around our heads.

Her face fell for a second as she narrowed her eyes at another ship as it floated toward port.

I knew that look.

She’s worried about something.

“What is it?” I cupped her cheek, bringing her attention back to me.

She huffed. “You’re going to think I’m stupid.”

“Never.” I kissed her. “Annoying, demanding, salacious, and entirely fucking amazing, but never stupid.”

She rolled her eyes. “Such a romantic.”

“Going to tell me why you’re glowering at that other boat?”

“I’m worried about Rapture and that pirate asshole on Paradigm Purge.”

“I told you.” I scowled. “We’ve added security measures. He won’t get near Rapture without being taken out.”

“Yeah, but what if he steals someone?”

“He won’t.”

“But what if he does.”

I sighed. “Then we’ll hunt the bastard and free her.”

Eleanor slouched. “I just have a feeling he’s going to cause problems.”

Running my hands through her gorgeous hair, I murmured, “Or he could just sail away and vanish.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. He’ll vanish with a woman snatched from Rapture.”

“If he somehow got past our security and miraculously stole a troubled wife working on her marriage, then...” I shrugged. “Maybe, it’s meant to be. Maybe, she’ll be the one to change him...just like you were the one to change me. Maybe, it’s fate working in its convoluted way, just like it worked with us.” I bowed my head, capturing her mouth. “You’re forgetting how we met, Jinx. If someone had stopped me from stealing you...I don’t know how I would’ve survived. You’re the reason I’m happy. The only fucking reason.”

She swayed into me, parting her lips and returning my kiss. “I stand by what I said a few years ago...after I gave you elixir and you finally allowed me to wriggle into your heart.”

“Oh? What did you say?” I tried to recall but all I could remember was falling head over fucking heels, being shit terrified, and coming face-to-face with the knowledge that my entire existence had just changed, all because of her.

She smiled and nipped my bottom lip. “I said I’d broken you. I wasn’t used to seeing you smile after your scowls. To hear you caring for me was...magical. Your change of heart was a clear indication that I’d broken you.” She laughed.

My heart skipped. “Ah, yes. And I believe I said, I was glad you broke me.” I kissed her again. “Because I was a cunt and you’d improved me.”

She laughed softly as my tongue traced her lips. “I love you, Sully.”

“I know.” Our kiss turned deep and dirty. I swung her against the balustrade, grinding my hips into hers, showing her I’d grown hard, rapidly doing the math to see if we had time to fuck before this god-awful excursion into the city.

“If you two stop pawing each other for five fucking minutes, it’s time,” Cal muttered, coming toward us from the lounge, his lips twisting into a smile as I stopped kissing my wife and blinked back the sexual trance she’d put me in.

He looked stressed with stiff posture and painful hope in his green eyes.

Jess chuckled beside him, matching his strain of their upcoming meeting, eyeing up Eleanor’s finger-pawed hair and the obvious heat in her grey stare. “I was going to ask if you’re ready to go meet Q and Tess.” She smoothed her navy dress and nervously clutched the small purse in her hands. “But I think your thoughts are more on a bedroom rather than a boardroom.”

Eleanor smirked. “Delayed gratification only increases the pleasure.”

Jess nodded. “No truer thing has been spoken.”

“You know...” I looked at Cal. “You impress that French bastard today and walk away with a baby in your arms, there goes your sex life.”

Cal punched me in the arm, doing his best to shed his stress. “That’s what’s so good about your VR, Sinclair. We can be parents in the real world but in the fantasy realm...” He shrugged with a smirk. “I can still seduce my wife.”

“We’ll have to code you something as a ‘welcome to parenthood gift’”, Eleanor said, her eyes lighting up. “What’s your utmost fantasy, Cal?” Her attention swung to Jess. “Jess? Deepest desire? Care to share? Sully will cypher it.”

“I haven’t had nearly enough alcohol to answer that question,” Cal muttered.

I coughed. “And I definitely don’t need to hear it. Cal knows how to code. He wants to indulge? It’s on him to program it.”

“Yeah, and knowing my luck, you’ll load it one night and steal all my ideas.” Cal rolled his eyes.

“If you load it on the shared app, fair’s fair.” I chuckled.

Jess checked the time on her phone. “Eh...we better go. I would die if we’re late.”

“Fine.” I rolled my eyes, nodding at the staff member ready to take us to shore. “The sooner we meet the bastard, the sooner we’re back here.”

“And the sooner we might have a son or daughter,” Jess whispered breathlessly.

Eleanor went to her. “I’m so excited for you.”

Cal hugged both of them.

Two caiques fluttered around them.

And I imprinted the perfection that my life had become, knowing that no matter how many days I spent on this planet, I would never take a single one of them for granted.

This was my family.

I trusted them. Loved them. Was unbelievably happy because of them.

I waited until Cal took Jess’s hand and walked her toward the small speedboat that would ferry us to France. Grabbing Eleanor’s wrist, I captured her, keeping her with me, just for another moment.

Basking in the Parisian morning sunlight, drinking in her beauty, I dropped my mouth to hers. “I love you, Jinx.”

She smiled beneath my lips. “I know.”

Our kiss once again evolved to something far from innocent. I wanted her. I didn’t want to share her in a large city.

“You coming or what?” Cal yelled.

Eleanor chuckled.

I sighed. “Suppose we better go.”

“We go together. We come home together. And then...we’ll enter Euphoria together and play.”

“And somehow, I just fell in love with you even more.”

“It’s a curse.” Eleanor kissed me again.

“A lifelong condition.” I squeezed her fingers.

“Forever.” She kissed my knuckles before tugging me toward the boat that would take us to Q, Tess, and yet another adventure.

An adventure set in the real world, embellished by our fantasies, and enjoyed with every heartbeat.

* * * *

Thank you so much for reading Jinx’s Fantasy.

I truly hope you enjoyed the little snippets into their lives after Goddess Isles.

If you’re looking for something next to read, I have a few suggestions...

If you haven’t met Tasmin (Pim) and Elder, their romance is complete and ready to read in the Multiple USA Today Bestselling Series, Dollar Series.

Pennies, the first book, is FREE

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If you haven’t met Q and Tess (Monsters in the Dark Trilogy) their romance is complete and ready to be read. Tears of Tess is FREE

CLICK HERE TO READ

My upcoming release is called Fable of Happiness.

More information is coming and can be found on my website and newsletter.

For now...here is the blurb:

FABLE OF HAPPINESS

Release date to be confirmed

Three things you should know about me:

- I’m married

- I have two step sons

- They are both seven years older than me

Three things I should probably clarify:

- I am my husband’s third wife

- He married me out of pity

- I married him because I had nowhere else to go

Three things that I have to keep secret:

- My husband is dying

- One step son has become my abuser

- And the other? I’ve fallen in love with

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Also!

If you liked the sound of Rayvn and his ship called Paradigm Purge, I have news! There’s no release date yet, but his dark romance with Bellamy will be sexy, dangerous, and full of delicious darkness. No title as yet but all information will be released on my website closer to release.

Thanks again and have a wonderful week.

Pepper.

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