LOGINDAMIAN’S POV
“Daddy, stop!” Cindy screamed, her voice cracking as panic tore through her.“He’s injured. Dad, please, what are you doing?”Leonardo didn’t even look at her.His grip tightened instead.The pressure on my throat increased just enough to make my vision blur at the edges, stars bursting behind my eyes.My ribs screamed in protest, sharp agony lancing through my side where they were already barely holding together.Leonardo didn’t look at her.He flicked his eyes once, a sharp, silent command, and two guards stepped forward immediately, taking her arms in firm but respectful grips.“Dad!” she cried, thrashing against them as they restrained her.“Are you gonna get him killed?!”That finally got his attention.Leonardo turned his head just enough to glance at her over his shoulder, his eyes unreadable.“Don’t… you trust me?” he asked calmly.“I do,VICKY’S POVHis eyes flashed wild and dangerous, like I’d just flipped a switch inside him.Before I could blink, his hand was on my throat.He lifted me clean off the floor, pinnin’ me at his eye level, those gray eyes sparklin’ red like a demon in the emergency light.I gasped, my hands grippin’ his wrist, strugglin’ for air. I could barely breathe, but I wasn’t scared.If anything, I was thrilled, every nerve in my body screamin’ alive, every sexual switch I’d kept locked for a year of celibacy flippin’ on at once.My juices slipped past my thong, rollin’ hot down my inner thigh.“You… filthy… maid,” he growled.Maid? He thought I was one of the crew?“How dare you… try to take advantage of—”I didn’t let him finish.I crashed my mouth into his, kissin’ him hard.“Mhmm,” he groaned into my mouth, the sound low and guttural, vibratin’ through me straight to my core.I gasped into his mouth, kissin’ him deeper, my hands slidin’ from his wrist to his arms, then his chest.I slipped th
VICKY’S POVShock, mortification, and sheer disbelief slammed into me like a tidal wave, leavin’ me dazed and breathless for a heartbeat too long.My knee froze mid-strike, and my hands curled tight into his shirt, nails diggin’ in like they were the only thing keepin’ me anchored to the earth.Why him? Of all the wicked luck on this floatin’ palace, why the hell did it have to be Leonardo Verilli?The man never struck me as someone who’d let his dick do the thinkin’. He was all ice-cold control, the kind of dangerous that made grown men piss themselves.So what the fuck was this? This raw, feral hunger pourin’ outta him like he’d been starvin’ for years?His low growl filled the dark cabin as he devoured my mouth again, his tongue tanglin’ with mine in a way that made my head spin.He didn’t even pause to see who he’d grabbed. He just kept kissin’ me like I was his last supper, one big hand roamin’ down my back and grippin’ my ass hard enough to make me gasp into him.I stopped fight
꧁꧂PROLOGUE꧁꧂Flashback: First Night on the CruiseVICKY’S POVI’ve never been the type to sit around moonin’ over some guy.Hell, after I finally booted my ex-husband outta my life two years ago, I swore off the whole damn species.Marriage? Kids? No thanks.I was wicked happy runnin’ that cozy little bookstore, drownin’ myself in coffee all day, and havin’ Cindy as my ride-or-die bestie.Life was good.Then Damian Thorne came crashin’ into Cindy’s world like a goddamn hurricane, and everything flipped upside down.Suddenly, we weren’t just two broken chicks nursin’ old wounds from deadbeat losers anymore.Color flooded back into our lives, and all because of what? A man.I hate admittin’ it. Hate it with every stubborn fiber of my wicked soul.But yeah, a man changed everything.Don’t get it twisted, I ain’t crushin’ on my best friend’s fiancé. That’s a hard line I’d never cross.I just want my own version of Damian Thorne. A cute-as-hell, protective beast of a guy who looks at me li
CINDY’S POVThe cruise was all fun and games until it had to end two days early because of me.The seasickness came on suddenly, waves of nausea that left me pale and trembling, clinging to the railing while the Mediterranean sparkled mockingly below.Damian was getting better.He barely needed bandages now, the bruises fading to yellow, his ribs healing enough that he could laugh without wincing too much, but he still tired easily.Vicky had been an angel the whole time, bringing ginger tea, cold compresses, distracting me with stories and silly games when the nausea hit hardest.She hovered like a protective sister, always checking if I needed anything, but lately she’d been… different.Quieter, and a little distant.Or maybe I’m just overthinking.And me? I slept ten, twelve hours a day, my body demanding rest for the tiny life growing inside.I tried to hide it at first, not wanting to ruin everyone’s time, but Dad noticed immediately.“Rosie,” he said quietly last night, finding
CINDY’S POVWhen consciousness returned, it came slowly, like surfacing from deep water. My head throbbed with a dull, insistent ache that pulsed in time with my heartbeat.The air was cool and quiet, carrying the faint, familiar scent of antiseptic mixed with the distant salt of the sea.Soft light filtered through my closed eyelids, and the gentle, rhythmic rock of the ship reminded me where I was.I opened my eyes gradually, blinking against the dim glow.Monitors beeped softly beside me, steady and reassuring. An IV line tugged lightly at my arm, cool fluid dripping in.“Baby,” Damian’s voice, rough with exhaustion and relief, came from right beside me. “You’re awake.”I turned my head slowly and saw him in the bed pulled close to mine, freshly bandaged, looking worn but so beautifully alive.His hand reached for mine immediately, fingers intertwining with a grip that felt like an anchor.“You scared the shit outta us,” he murmured, his eyes shining as he brought my hand to his l
CINDY’S POVI paced the elegant lounge just inside the ship, my heels sinking into the plush carpet with every anxious step.My mind was out on that deck with Damian and my father, imagining every possible outcome.What if he decided Damian wasn’t worthy? What if he’d hurt him worse?The thought made my stomach twist.Alaric, who had been silent beside me with Vicky by his side, tried to reach out to me.I jerked my hand away.“Leave me alone!” I barked.Vicky signaled to him to leave me be, and he did.I pressed my palms together, whispering a silent prayer to whatever God cared to listen.Please, God. Just let him be okay.Then, as if on cue, the deck door suddenly opened.I spun around so fast I nearly lost my balance.Dad stepped inside, composed as always, his expression unreadable. Not a single hint of what he had done or what he had decided showed on his face.“Dad,” I rushed toward him, panic flooding my voice.“How is Damian? What did you do to him? What have you done to him?







