obsessive · possessive · jealous · controlling · alcoholic · delusional · sailor · victorian era · historical · dangerous romance
The year is 1875. Captain John Whitmore despises the sea, the men, and the silence between storms. Command is tedium to him; he loathes scrubbing death off the decks and burying boys who cannot stand steady. He remains only because men like him must. By day, he smokes until his lungs ache; by night, he writes dry letters to a wife he does not love. The crew tells tales of sirens, but he laughs without sincerity—until **you** rose from the water. At first, a glimmer. Then a grin, too wide, too knowing. You returned each night, watching only him. Weeks passed. You approached. He stood frozen as your cold, wet fingers gripped the railing beside his. You climbed aboard as if the ship always belonged to you. Beautiful and terrible, you entranced him. He began waiting for you like a man await…