He tucked himself into his breeches, groaning as if the action pelted him with agony.

The pirates fell quiet.

“You dinna finish.” Madwulf’s skeptical voice broke from the crowd. “What’s wrong with you, lad?”

“Nothing,” Priest snapped, fumbling with the laces at his groin.

I realized that the grinding friction against my backside hadn’t made his body respond at all. Hard to orgasm without an erection. I didn’t believe for a minute that he couldn’t perform in front of an audience. Something else was going on. Was it related to the burn scars that covered one side of his body?

“Captain…” The ogre stepped forward, staring at Priest’s lower regions. “It’s his pisser.”

The rope around my wrists frayed and fell away. Hallelujah. Now that I was free, it would only take a second to go for Priest’s blades on the floor.

“Show us.” Madwulf stood and prowled toward Priest. “Let’s see your cock.”

“I’m not showing you a tarnal thing.” Turning away, Priest continued to clumsily lace his breeches, deliberately drawing out his efforts.

Madwulf motioned to the ogre, who trained the flintlock at Priest’s head. Priest’s flintlock, which wasn’t loaded.

Priest had planned for this.

“Open your breeches.” Madwulf glared, his face turning crimson.

Beneath me, Ashley’s empty hand moved between our hips. He inched it out and to the side near the wall. Wait, no, it wasn’t empty. His fingers opened, and the smashed wedge of an orange rolled off the mattress and into the shadowed corner behind the bed.

The plate of oranges on the table, Ashley’s hands between my legs… My senses heightened with comprehension. Priest had given Ashley the fruit while opening his breeches behind me, and somehow Ashley had known what to do with it.

Priest grinned, an impish curve of sensual lips. “I didn’t realize you fancied me that way, Madwulf.”

“If I dinna see your cock in the next two seconds, there won’t be any of it left to hold onto.”

I held my breath as Priest dropped the smile and exposed himself beneath the barrel of an unloaded gun.

“Syphilis.” The ogre made the sign of the cross with three fingers and backed away.

Not Syphilis. The same red blisters that I’d inflicted on Priest’s hands a month ago now covered his groin. Christ, it looked excruciating. No wonder he hadn’t gotten an erection. He must have been in horrible agony, burning and inconsolably itchy.

Ashley’s features gave no reaction. Except for the glint in his eyes. He definitely knew about Priest’s affliction from oranges.

“What have you done?” Madwulf gripped his brow and retreated, too. “You’re infected. You… You contaminated her!”