“All right, ginny. Easy there,” Levrith said, taking the bottle. He clapped Ceto on the back. “If you have any more, you might fall overboard. We don’t want that.”

  “Pfft. I’m a naiad. I can swim.” True, he’d never attempted a swim drunk, but how hard could it be? “I could swim to shore and back without needing to take a breath! I’m excellent at swimming!”

  “I’m aware.” Levrith took another gulp. His dark-brown eyes sparkled with amusement.

  “I could beat you in a race, a swimming race.” Ceto pushed a finger in the middle of Levrith’s broad chest. “I could beat anyone in a race.” He gesticulated around at the crew, who were too busy celebrating to pay any mind to his raised voice.

  Levrith chuckled. “I’m sure you could.”

  Ceto looked back towards Naiad Island. “I bet I could even beat Raiya.” He wondered what Silas and Raiya were doing. Perhaps they were making love right now. Lying on the sand, their bodies entwined. He dropped his head onto the rail. The familiar stab of pain twisted like a dagger in his chest. “Why doesn’t he want me?” he whispered against the wood.

  Levrith placed his hand on Ceto’s shoulder and squeezed. Warmth spread from his fingers onto Ceto’s bare skin.

  “Maybe it’s time for bed?” Levrith’s voice was gentle.

  Ceto shook his head and stood. “I’m all right.”

  “You’re swaying,” he said, his voice filled with mirth.

  “The ship’s swaying!”

  Levrith laughed. “Not as much as you.” He put a beefy arm around Ceto’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

  Ceto frowned but let himself be led by Levrith, enjoying the feel of the sturdy arm guiding him.

  They made their way below deck. He stumbled, but Levrith’s arm around his shoulder kept him on his feet, pulling him against Levrith’s chest, his face pressed hard against Levrith’s shoulder.

  “Whoops,” Ceto giggled.

  He inhaled deeply and was struck by Levrith’s scent. He smelled of sun, sand, and ocean spray. “You smell nice.” He nuzzled against Levrith, trying to get closer to the smell. He inhaled again. “Why do you smell so nice?” He wanted to roll around in that smell.

  Levrith cleared his throat, pulling away. “Come on,” Levrith said. His voice sounded odd. Strained. “Let’s get you to bed.”

  Still stumbling, Levrith managed to get Ceto to his quarters.

  “What happened in here?” Levrith asked, surveying the contents of his trunk strewn across the floor.

  Ceto shrugged, leaning against the door frame. Levrith dropped to his knees, pushing Ceto’s belongings towards the wall in a heap. The fabric of Levrith’s breeches stretched across his arse and thick thighs, drawing Ceto’s gaze. His throat felt suddenly very dry. It had definitely been too long since he had sex if he was ogling Levrith’s arse.

  Levrith stood and pulled the sheets down. “Come on, into bed with you.”

  “What happened to my rum?” Ceto asked as he stepped into the small room. It felt so much tighter than usual. Levrith’s tall frame seemed to fill it entirely.

  “It was gin. What sort of pirate can’t tell the difference between rum and gin?” He placed his calloused hand on Ceto’s shoulder, trying to guide him to bed. “And I think it’s still up on deck.”

  Ceto pursed his lips, stepping back and drawing himself up. “I’m a great pirate. Don’t need to drink like you to be a good pirate.”

  “Fair enough. Now come on, great pirate.” Levrith's voice was gentle and cajoling. “Into bed with you.”

  Ceto stepped forward, and somehow, he managed to trip. Once again, Levrith caught him. Ceto laughed. Levrith was always there for him. He leaned his head against Levrith’s chest.

  “I’m glad I have you,” Ceto murmured, patting his hand against Levrith’s chest. Even through the shirt, he could feel the man’s chest hair.

  Pulling back, he gazed up into Levrith’s face.

  Levrith’s dark eyes twinkled with amusement. “I’ve never seen you drunk before. Maybe I should get you some water?”

  “Not more gin?”

  Levrith chuckled and shook his head. “Not more gin. Now come on.” He guided Ceto by his shoulders to his bed. His hands were large and firm. Calloused. Ceto wondered what they would feel like caressing his body. Stroking his cock. Holding his hips firmly as he shoved his cock inside him.

  In a daze, he lay down, and Levrith pulled the sheet over his body, completely unaware of the sudden arousal coursing through Ceto’s own. “Do you need anything?” Levrith asked, still leaning over him.

  You. The word lodged in Ceto's throat. He felt light-headed and dizzy. He stared at Levrith’s lips. They were wide and full. They looked soft. He reached out a hand and touched them.

  “Soft,” he whispered.

  Levrith froze. The amusement disappeared from his eyes as he studied Ceto’s face.

  What would it feel like to have the weight of this man pushing him into the bed, kissing him with his soft, full lips? It had been so long since he had felt another body against his. So long since he had lost himself in someone else.

  Without giving it another thought, he surged forward, pressing their lips together.

  So soft.

  For a split second, Levrith’s mouth moved against his, his hands clutching at Ceto’s shoulders. But then he froze and stood. Levrith’s brown eyes widened.

  Ceto’s stomach twisted. Rejected. Again. “Levrith…”

  Levrith swallowed. “Sleep, Ceto.” Levrith’s voice was unsteady as he stepped backwards. Ceto tried to interpret the expression on his face. Shock? Panic? Disgust?

  Levrith shook his head and left the room. The door closed firmly behind him.

  Ceto dropped his head back onto the pillow. “What did I just do?” He hadn’t planned to make a move on Levrith, but he’d smelled so good, and his hands had felt so warm on his skin.

  He felt queasy like he was about to vomit. But maybe that was the gin.

  Would Levrith be mad? He couldn’t bear to lose Levrith’s friendship. Not now. Maybe he could blame the kiss on the gin. Go to him tomorrow and apologise. He squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could undo the last few minutes.

  He suddenly didn’t feel tired or drunk at all. But he couldn’t go back up on deck. How could he face Levrith? Suddenly, he remembered the second bottle he’d left in the room. He rolled clumsily from the bed onto the floor.

  “There you are,” he said, pulling the bottle out from under the bed. He pulled out the stopper and took a deep gulp, welcoming the burn. He had something new to try to forget.

  Chapter

  Three

  Ceto kissed me.

  Hand still on the door handle to Ceto’s room, Levrith stood staring at the dark grain of the door, unable to leave, as if paralysed in place. Ceto could be heard shuffling around on the other side of the door. Ceto should probably be in bed, but Levrith didn’t dare go back in.

  Ceto kissed me.

  And I pushed him away.

  But of course he’d pushed him away. Ceto had barely been able to stand. Still, Levrith had wanted it for so long. He shook his head. But not with Ceto drunk and not when Ceto was clearly mourning the captain.

  He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. Unbidden images flooded his head. Ceto reaching for him, pulling Levrith towards him, kissing him, but this time, it wasn’t because he was drunk but because he wanted Levrith. Wanted only Levrith.

  He could almost hear the soft moan on Ceto’s lips, feel hungry hands pushing the clothes from his body as he crawled on top of Ceto. Ceto would moan his name as Levrith tasted his skin. His cock hardened in his breeches.

  Levrith released the door handle. His footsteps echoed as he made his way back onto the deck, where the revelry continued.

  He bumped into two of his female naiad crewmates, Ismey and Maia, dancing.

  “Sorry,” he said.

  The two had their arms around each other, more into the kissing than dancing. They didn’t even acknowledge him as he moved around them.

  He spotted the partially drunk bottle of gin, still standing where he and Ceto had been. No one had taken it. He walked over, picked up the bottle, and took a drink. Rowena, the ship’s navigator, and one of the few human females on board, still sat near the helm, legs hanging through the railing, overlooking the rest of the ship. She swayed back and forth to the music. He approached her, holding up the bottle.

  She clapped, grinning at him, gold tooth catching the lamplight. She reached out a hand, and he gave her the bottle. “You get Ceto to bed safely, then?” She took a deep gulp.

  “Aye.” He sat beside her.

  “That’s good stuff! Where have you been hiding it?”

  “Don’t ask me. It belongs to Ceto.”

  “Here’s to Ceto.” She lifted the bottle in the air before taking another deep slug. She chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ceto drink so much. Even when we go into a town, he’ll usually nurse an ale through the night. He all right?”

  Levrith ran a hand over his beard. “Not sure.”

  She scratched at her ear, pierced with five gold earrings. “Strange. Normally, he’s so in control. He’ll probably be a little worse for wear tomorrow.” She paused. “Suppose it has something to do with the captain and Raiya?”

  “Think so.”

  Why doesn’t he want me? Ceto’s whispered words rang in Levrith’s ears, the misery in his voice so clear.

  “Poor Ceto. Pining after the captain for so long.” She gave him a side look. “Almost as long as you’ve been pining after Ceto.”

  “Not quite as long,” he murmured. Rowena was the only one on deck who knew about his feelings. Or he hoped she was the only one who knew. “Ceto was already very much in love with the captain when I came along.”

  The first time he’d seen Ceto, he’d been so taken aback by his appearance. His striking pale, icy-blue skin, hair, and eyes. He’d seen naiads before but never a river naiad from the mainland in the far north.

  He’d liked Ceto immediately. Admired his dedication and loyalty to the crew. Small but fierce. But even then, it had been obvious that Ceto only had eyes for his captain.

  They’d become friends, and as time had passed and Levrith had gotten to know him, he’d started to feel something more for him. Something unnerving and confusing. Before Ceto, he’d never felt attraction, desire, or the deep yearning inside his gut. He’d never understood what the fuss was regarding sex and relationships. Now he did.

  He had tried to fight the growing attraction. Ignore the flutter in his stomach when Ceto smiled and the dimple appeared in his left cheek. It had been foolish to fall in love with someone who was already pining for someone else.

  “The heart wants what it wants,” Rowena said, handing him the bottle. “But maybe now he’ll give up on the captain and open his eyes to someone else? Perhaps a good friend?”

  His stomach turned at the idea, even as he fought against the rising hope. “We’ve been sailing together for years now. I think if he was going to notice me, he’d have done so by now.” Still, the taste of Ceto’s kiss lingered on his lips.

  “You’re a good man, Levrith. Anyone would be lucky to have you.”

  Levrith huffed out a laugh. He was no catch, and he knew it. Big and oafish. A bit too soft and round in the middle. Not smart. Nothing like the captain. “Aye, I’m a real catch.”

  “I’m serious,” she insisted. She leaned towards him, pointing a finger in his face. “You’re kind and caring. Loyal. And I know for a fact that several in the crew would be more than happy to snuggle up with you in a hammock on a cold night.” She waggled her eyebrows at him. “If I were interested in men, you might find me keen to climb in with you.”

  The back of his neck burned, and Rowena laughed. She grabbed the bottle from his hand and took another drink. “But seriously, Ceto’s great. I think you two could be great together.”

  “But?”

  “But if he doesn’t see you, maybe it’s time to move on. Look elsewhere. Plenty of naiads in the sea.” She barked a laugh at her own joke.

  He smiled half-heartedly. True, there were others out there. But he only wanted Ceto.

  A loud moan came from behind some barrels and piles of rope, causing them to look in the direction. It wasn’t unusual on the Naiad’s Revenge, especially at night. Either on deck or in the hull, where the crew all slept together in hammocks.

  “That! You should do that!” She pointed in the direction from which the moan had come.

  “What? I’m not going to go over and ask to join!”

  She laughed. “It couldn’t hurt, but I meant we’ll stay here at Naiad Island for a couple more days. Surely you could find someone here to tickle your fancy. Best way to get over someone is to get under someone!” She laughed again. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask, you just like males or females as well? I’ve never seen you with anyone.”

  He shrugged. He’d admired people in the past and knew when someone was attractive. “To be honest…” He hesitated. “I’ve never really been attracted to anyone. Not like how I feel with Ceto.” He didn’t mention that he’d never even had sex with anyone. He was a virgin pirate. Not really something he wanted to share, even with Rowena.

  “Really?”

  “Well… There was a woman in my village. We were sort of courting. Kind of engaged, actually. But that just happened.” At her puzzled look, he continued, “Both our families wanted us to be together. She was nice. We got along…well enough.”

  “Sounds like a real passionate love affair. So what happened?”

  “She told me she was in love with a fisherman in the town, a widower. Twice her age. Her parents weren’t too pleased.”

  “Well, you seem really heartbroken.” She smiled wryly.

  He shrugged. “They were better suited.”

  Not that the rejection hadn’t stung.

  He still could remember his older brother, Villerin, amusement dancing in his eyes. “I can’t believe you lost her to an old man!”

  It had been a joke; Vil was always joking. Always teasing. Levrith had smiled tightly. Forced a laugh, not wanting to show how much the words stung.

  He hadn’t loved her. Hadn’t been attracted to her. But still, the public humiliation had been difficult. The knowledge that everyone knew he was unwanted. Unloved. Afterwards, he’d had to endure the pitying looks as he walked through the village. The sympathetic pats on his arm. His brother’s jokes.

  Then the Naiad’s Revenge, one of the ships that regularly came to their island to trade, had pulled into their bay. At the sight of the ship, he’d seen a chance to get away from the sympathy in people’s eyes.

  And aside from that, it had been a chance for adventure. A chance to see what was beyond the small island of Lilliana. He’d be a man who’d travelled the world. A pirate. And when he returned, no one would remember that he had been cast aside.

  And from the moment he’d joined, he’d loved it. The camaraderie, discovering new and exciting places, and even the hard labour. It gave him a sense of purpose. Of regularity. And of course, there was Ceto.

  “So you’ve really never been attracted to anyone else?”

  He shrugged again. He knew it wasn’t typical. But what could he say? It was true.

  “You don’t make it easy, do you.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Well, you’ll always have me, and I’m always happy to drink with you.” She handed him the almost empty bottle. “Unlike some, I can hold my grog!”

  The following day, the crew were slow to rise. Which was fine, considering they did not plan to hoist the anchor and leave Naiad Island that day. Tomorrow, no doubt, they’d need to thoroughly check the ship, but today there was time to rest and recover.

  The sun was already high in the sky when Ceto emerged from his cabin. He squinted, turning his gaze away from the sun as if the bright light hurt his eyes. He shoved his black tricorn hat on his poorly plaited hair, pulling the brim down. His white linen shirt was askew and rumpled.

  Levrith took off towards the kitchen. Easton, the cook, stood chopping seaweed. Beside him, Nyma sat cross-legged and shirtless on one of the kitchen benches, chewing on cooked fish. Levrith picked up a metal cup from the shelf.

  “Morning, Nyma. Easton, what’s on the menu today?”

  Easton looked up and gave him an apologetic look. “Fish and seaweed soup.”

  Levrith held in a sigh. It’d been the same for days. That and sea biscuits. Made from flour and water, sea biscuits lasted a long time but were hardly something to look forward to.

  “Hopefully now that the battle is over, we’ll have time to forage properly and hopefully find some fruit and vegetables from the island before we leave,” Easton said.

  “It’d be nice to have some variety for a change.” Levrith dunked the cup into a barrel of fresh water that stood in the corner. If they were out at sea, they’d have to ration the water. But they could restock their supply before leaving.

  “Mmmm. Fish and seaweed soup. My favourite.” Nyma took a bite of the fish he was eating.

  Easton gave him an affectionate look. “Everything with fish in it is your favourite, nymph.”

  Nyma gave a wide grin, bits of brown-and-white fish flesh in his teeth. It wouldn’t bother a naiad if they only ate fish every single day for every single meal for the rest of their life. The fact that Easton cooked it in various ways was considered extravagant to the naiads on board.

  Fish was always in abundance on the ship. Fishernaiads, like Nyma, dived into the ocean and brought up nets filled with it. As a result, there were usually no rations on fish, which suited the naiads. But Levrith was bored of it.

  Nyma turned mischievous eyes on Levrith. “What did you get up to last night? I saw you and Ceto heading towards his quarters.” His green eyes sparkled. “You looked very…close.”

  “Ceto had too much to drink.” Levrith kept his voice steady. “I helped him to his quarters and put him to bed.”

  “Alone?”

  “Alone.”

  “Shame. We had an excellent night.” He winked at Easton. Easton’s cheeks flushed, but his lips turned up into a smile. Nyma gazed back at Levrith, eyes sliding up and down his body. Despite being fully clothed, Levrith felt the sudden urge to cover himself. “If you ever feel lonely, you’re more than welcome to join us for a night.”