But I didn’t.

Because I couldn’t get past the guilt of what that would make me and the knowledge she’d let me in just a little.

I could be patient until she let me in a lot.

Forcing myself to focus on why we were doing this and not how hard I was, I stopped breathing and let her finish.

The moment the weight of the wallet left my shorts, I grabbed her wrist without turning around. “Gotcha.”

She wriggled as I dragged her forward, plucking the leather from her hand with my free one. “Far too noticeable.”

Her chin cocked, dark hair dappling with pinpricks of sunlight from the shade-sail above. I fucking loved the argument on her face, the tenacity and willingness to show what she’d hid along—that she fought for everything and no longer had to pretend to submit to survive.

Clearing my throat from the sudden rush of pride, I said, “You’ll learn though. I’ll teach you.” Letting her go, I replaced the wallet into my pocket and strolled away to lean against the railing. Blue skies glowed sedately, but ominous black clouds lurked on the horizon. I made a note to talk to Jolfer about sailing around if a storm brewed. I didn’t mind rough seas, but Pimlico couldn’t become afraid of the Phantom. This was her home for the foreseeable future. She had to love it as much as I did.

While I lost myself in the sky, Pim snuck up behind me.

I hid my smile at her attempt to be stealthy.

My ears twitched with her little breaths. My body flinched knowing she came close on her own accord. She moved faster this time; the shadow of her arm snaked over the deck as she reached for the money.

I bit my lip as her fingers crept into my shorts again, sending haywire misfires of what was decent and what was not.

Fighting my shudder, I waited until her touch wedged against the wallet and my ass. Slamming my palm over hers, I kept her hand firm against my flesh and spun around. I corkscrewed into a tangle of bodies—her arm tight and looped over my hip as if she’d half embraced me and summoned me to kiss her.

Everything fell away as our eyes locked.

Fuck, really bad idea.

Her mouth thinned as she tried to snatch her hand back.

I didn’t let her go. My gaze danced over her face, committing every freckle and scar to memory. “I felt you coming.”

The sentence had a double meaning. Would I ever feel her come? Could she come? Could I somehow train a girl who’d traded virginity for slavery and sweep away her horror all in the name of creating pleasure rather than pain when I touched her?

Because it was no longer a matter of if I would touch her—my sake and hers be damned.

It’s a matter of when.

And when it happened, we were both fucked.

Her forehead furrowed, her lips sucking in a hungry breath.

I chuckled, dragging her forward until her chest slammed against mine. With a possessive grip, I shoved her hand further into my back pocket, forcing her to grope me.

She shuddered as I lost control a little and locked my gaze on her lips.

Having her so close, feeling her heat, feeling her fingers twitch against my ass, hell it was enough to drive anyone insane, let alone a man who’d made an oath not to touch this woman until she wanted to be touched—despite the memories of her mouth on his cock and her tongue on his lips.

We both struggled to breathe, almost as if the world had suddenly dried up of oxygen and we could only survive breathing each other.

“You’re right if you think a stranger wouldn’t be attuned to your presence like I’ve become,” I murmured, forcing myself to teach rather than imagine her naked and in my bed. “But your shadow gave you away. It’s not just a matter of quietness and light of touch—it’s about using your surroundings to keep you invisible rather than revealing your crime.”

I bowed my head, and hers tipped up as if the same conductor choreographed us.

Sea air wrapped around us, bringing us closer without noticing. My gut clenched as her body swayed into mine, pushing me into the railing.

The irony that I’d just fantasied about pinning her against the same thing wasn’t lost on me.

I wanted so fucking much to kiss her.

My fingers unlocked around her wrist, allowing her to pull her hand from my shorts, yet she didn’t. She stood exactly where she was, staring at my eyes, my mouth, trapped in the same indecision I was.

My head lowered.

If she wanted me to kiss her, that was entirely different to me wanting to kiss her. It meant she invited it not just accepted it. I’d do whatever the hell she wanted.

Her eyes fluttered as our mouths inched closer. My skin heated and prickled while hers broke out in goosebumps. I gritted my teeth in preparation, knowing the moment we kissed I’d struggle to stop at just a gentle caress.

My mind flashed black with images of dragging her downstairs, stripping off that grey dress, and taking her.

She’d let me. But only because she was trained to. She wouldn’t fight me. But only because she’d been beaten enough that fighting was no longer an option.

Her breath skated over my lips, sweet with strawberries and mango from breakfast.

I groaned at the barest feather of her mouth on mine.

My mind almost snapped.

And then…she was gone.

The wallet ripped from my pocket and flew with her as she parried backward, a sly grin on her face.

For a heavy heartbeat, I couldn’t figure out what the hell happened.

Then she waggled the money holder, taunting me.

Blood rushed from my cock back to my brain.