“Believe me…” He dropped his head back on his shoulders and breathed out through his nose. “It wasn’t on purpose.”

“Oh? It was an accident, then? How does that work? Did you fall out of my bed and accidentally land in someone else’s vagina?”

“You think I wanted this?” He leveled his gaze on mine. “I never wanted to hurt you. Hell, I didn’t even know I was capable of falling in love. God knows I never meant for it to happen twice and certainly not at the same damn time.”

I gnashed my teeth. “A person can’t be in love with two people.”

“Wish that were true. It’s caused me nothing but misery and loneliness.”

“Give me her name.”

His eyes drifted shut, a deliberate gesture of reluctance.

“She rejected you.” My chest hurt. I didn’t deserve this. “Why are you protecting her?”

“I protect what I love.” His gaze returned to mine, unflinching in its cruel honesty. “Simple as that.”

“I see.” Everything inside me collapsed and burned as I moved toward the ladder. “Last chance to surrender the compass.”

“Can’t do that, Bennett.”

With a boot on the bottom rung, I stared up at the hatch, composing my thoughts.

“If I overlooked your philandering… If I could be the sort of woman who shared her husband with his paramours, all our disputes would go away. You would return my compass. I would welcome you back into my bed. You would have your lovers on the side. And I would have mine.”

I paused, letting him absorb that last part before glancing back at him.

Fists clenched at his sides, bare feet spread in a warrior stance, mouth a hard slash, complexion red with ire—he glared in shock.

Oh, yes. He’d heard every word.

“Don’t look at me like that, darling.” I cocked my head. “You set the guidelines for our marriage. I’m simply following your lead.”

“No. Hell no. By the Virgin Mother’s blood, I’m warning you.” His breathing accelerated, and his voice strained with barely controlled violence as a long menacing finger thrust in my direction. “I will not share you with another.”

“Know this, Priest Farrell. If you don’t return my compass, sharing is exactly what you’ll do.”

“Bennett!” His roar chased me up the ladder and through the hatchway.

As I strode along the dark passages, climbed up a level, and walked aft to the next scuttle, I could still hear him bellowing my name.

My threat had shaken him, just as I’d hoped. Whether I could follow through on it was another story. Right now I was determined enough to lead a crew member down to the bilge and fuck him in front of Priest. I fisted my hands, angry enough to do all manner of horrible things.

“Captain!” Reynolds stopped me on the lower deck. “How did it go?”