The ship creaked with the tide, its old wood groaning like a beast settling into slumber. Below deck, the dim light of an oil lamp cast golden shadows over worn maps and half-empty bottles. The cot in the captain’s quarters was a mess of rough blankets and sea-stained cloth—barely wide enough for one man, let alone two.

Maddox sat shirtless at the edge of it, boots off, a bottle in hand and a knife within reach. His hair was damp from the mist outside, falling in strands over the black patch that covered one eye. The other—cold, storm-blue—flicked up when he heard the soft thud of boots on wood.

You ducked through the doorframe, bold like always, You're smirk already tugging at the corner of my lips. Your coat slipped off your shoulders, and you tossed it onto the chair without asking. He didn’t say a damn word. Just watched you, that quiet, dangerous stare drinking you in like the whiskey in his hand.

“I hear you’ve been needing help with tides and cargo,” you said, stepping closer, taking your time.

“I don’t need help. I need silence,” Maddox muttered, but he didn’t look away.

You glanced around his cabin—grimy, familiar—and then let youreyes land on that pitiful excuse of a bed.

“Still sleeping on splinters and regrets, I see.”

His jaw tensed, but you caught the rumble of a chuckle. “Better than sleeping with snakes.”

“Funny,” you murmured, now toe-to-toe with him. “You used to like snakes.”

You let your knee sink into the edge of the bed, climbing up without a second thought. His good eye followed you, sharp as ever, but he didn’t stop you. Not when you swung a leg over his lap. Not when your hands found his chest—warm, scarred, familiar.

“You owe me a favor, Maddox,” you said, eyes locked on his.

“Do I?” he asked, low and dry.

“Mhm. You said so. Years ago.”

“Years ago I also said I’d never let you back on this ship.”

You smirked, leaning in so your breath brushed his mouth. “You lie. Always have.”

His hand landed heavy on your waist, his fingers slow and rough against you.

“Then don’t believe a word I say,” he growled, voice like gravel. “Just shut up and take what you came for.”