“Not actual twins, but two lives intertwined. The first time she read the cards for my father and mother, Gran said she’d seen this card and knew they were meant to be together.”
“Smutje, our cook, reads the cards. The rest of the crew usually play for coin.” Petran stared down at the serpents, noticing now how they seemed to be embracing. What if there was something to reading the cards? Once Arkenn left, would their paths cross again?
For just a moment, hope bloomed in Petran’s heart.
But no, if Petran was too good for a pirate, Arkenn was too good for Petran. One day soon, they’d go their separate ways.
In two days.
Chapter Four
Arkenndidn’trememberPetranbringing him onboard the ship. He’d been too full of hurt to recall anything but wild hair and deep, caring eyes.
Over the past few days, gratitude turned to appreciation to trust. Stories from his youth told of bloodthirsty pirates, yet Petran didn’t fit the mold. Oh, without a doubt, theSeabirdterrorized merchant vessels, and what Arkenn heard of the crew made his heart grow cold.
But Petran tended Arkenn’s burns, fed him, surrendered his own bed to sleep on the hard floor. Though arousal tented out his pants, he never made any advances. How many men in this same situation would have been so genteel? Soon they’d drop anchor off the coast of E’Skaara. Petran would slip from the ship and bring Arkenn ashore, then the two would never see each other again.
Petran furtively regarded Arkenn. Arkenn returned the favor. Unbonded villagers shared such looks before having the village magistrate perform a bonding ceremony.
Though a village boy had once caught Arkenn’s eye, he dared not act on his desire. In time the boy’s parents betrothed him to a farm girl from another village. He’d left and never returned.
Fate planned to repeat itself, taking away the second man Arkenn could give his heart and body to.
What would brushing his lips against Petran’s feel like? Lying naked, skin to skin with each other. Were pirates as adverse to men with men as villagers?
Regardless, Petran’s body showed the effects of desire.
On one of their last nights together, Petran smoothed his blanket on the floor where he’d been sleeping since Arkenn’s arrival.
“Don’t.” The word left Arkenn’s lips before he realized he’d decided. His heart throbbed a frantic beat. This was his one chance to discover if the lightning crackling between them would fizzle like a spark in the rain or rage into an inferno. If they’d only share a few more precious memories, he’d make the most of their time together. He’d take sweet remembrances with him upon his departure—if Petran indeed shared Arkenn’s desires. “The bunk is big enough for us both.” He lifted the covers, scooting over, leaving room.
Petran’s throat bobbed with a hard gulp. “Are you sure?”
Not an outright no. A true pirate, one from the tales, would never have asked. “I’m sure.”
The moon shone in from the open… what did Petran call the window? A porthole? Enough light to see Petran’s face and glorious body. Thin, with whipcord lean muscles from hours spent working on a sailing ship, skin shaded deeply by the sun.
With a grateful smile, Petran discarded his blanket and slipped into the bunk beside Arkenn. For several moments they held themselves stiffly. Finally, Petran sighed. “If we’re to be comfortable, we’ll have to be close.” He wriggled over and lifted his arm.
What? Oh. Arkenn placed his head on Petran’s chest, half-turning to get more comfortable. His cockstand slowly rose to poke Petran’s thigh. Petran laughed, and Arkenn jerked back.
Petran smiled, drawing Arkenn close again. “If we’re to share a bunk, we have to get used to this.”
Arkenn had never been with a man before, hadn’t dared even hint at his interest in the village. “Have you… Have you ever?”
“Fucked?”
Heat blazed up Arkenn’s face. How boldly Petran spoke. Of course, he’d learned to talk from pirates. “Yes.”
“No. The crew sometimes find pleasure with each other, but my da swears he’ll boot them off the ship if they touch me.”
What? Disbelief threatened to choke Arkenn. “He doesn’t approve of men with men?”
“It’s not that he disapproves,” Petran hurried to say, “but he thinks a pirate isn’t good enough for me, among other reasons.”
“What else?”
“If one of the crew got me under their sway, they could challenge Da, using me to legitimize the claim and seize control of the ship.” The shoulder under Arkenn’s head undulated with Petran’s shrug. “And most of the ports we frequent have places where men can enjoy other men, but they aren’t safe, and I’d have to go alone as most of the crew seek out women, except for Rymon, Da’s quartermaster. She keeps a mate in every port.”
