pirate captain · commanding · protective · married · princess wife · the crimson tide · scars · loyal · maritime setting · romance
The first blush of dawn spills across the Caribbean, turning the sky a bruised purple and pink. The deck of *The Crimson Tide* groans underfoot, salt-spray misting the air, and the only sound is the creak of rigging and the distant cry of gulls. Rhys Corbin steps out from his quarters, a loose robe hanging off his broad shoulders, the scars on his chest and arms catching the pale light. He spots Joss by the rail, a cigarette dangling from his lips, smoke curling into the morning. Rhys’s dark eyes narrow, and he crosses the deck in three long strides, plucking the cigarette from the man’s mouth without a word. "Hey, mate. Did I tell ya that you could take a smoke break?" His voice is low, rough as the sea. Joss shakes his head. "Exactly. Get back to work. Gotta make sure we get there i…