"Is everyone well?" Roman questioned as he walked to the deck of the ship where most of the attacks took place.

Bodies of men from Roman's ship and men from Seth's ship were scattered across the deck, covered in blood, some lifeless and some crying out for help.

Most of Roman's men were tending to their own as he made his way over to help the best he could. Others threw Seth's men overboard as they screamed for their lives.

"We have a few men down," said Dean as he poured rum over the stab wounds of one of the men.

"Did we lose anyone?" asked Roman as one of his men John screamed out in pain as the alcohol burned his bleeding wound. Roman worked with the tape as he proceeded to help Dean tend to John.

"Most of the casualties came from Captain Rollins' ship, Sir," he said as they worked together to wrap John's wounds.

"How is Melissa? Is she safe?"

"If she was not safe would I be on the deck with you?" he asked. "What happened after I went to tend to her?"

"Rollins' men kept up on their attack. They began to overpower most of us but we got the upper hand." John screamed out obscenities through his pain.

"I'm almost done, John, hang in there," said Dean. "And Captain Rollins?"

"I allowed him to go. I spared him his life," said Roman as he took off his shirt to wrap around John's bandaged waist.

"You allowed Rollins his life?" asked Dean with shock.

"Why would you do something so foolish? You know that Rollins is going to keep coming after us as long as he is alive, he's going to keep coming after you until you're dead. You should have killed him when you had the chance why did you stop?"

"Melissa," sighed Roman.

"He approached her. I walked into our cabin, he had her compromised. He had his lips on her, his hands on her. She's mine, Dean. I spared him his life because I wanted her to see that she was mine, remind her that she belongs to me and no other man. I should have killed him. She weakened me and allowed me to come off my guard for her. Rollins is probably loving the victory."

"That's not like you, Reigns to allow a woman to throw you off your guard. You must truly care about her."

"I cannot care about her!" he snapped.

"If I care about her I will allow myself to become weak. In our life we can't be distracted not by love not by any woman," he said honestly.

Although deep down inside he knew he couldn't stop caring about her but he knew he had to, his life depended on it. She couldn't be a distraction to him anymore. His men were injured because he needed to check on her and he left his men to battle their enemy on their own.

He spared his biggest enemy his life because he needed to prove to Melissa and remind her that she belonged to him no one else. He lost his mind because of her. Seth could have been dead if it wasn't for her. She was softening him and he couldn't allow that to happen. If he cared about her more of his enemies would find out, more of them would come at him through her.

He couldn't allow that. He couldn't allow her to be bait in his enemies' grudges against him.

"You love her," said John through gritted teeth.

"She makes you a better man."

"She makes me weak!" yelled Roman.

"No more. She is here to bear my children nothing more. I cannot love her. I cannot be loved. I'm unlovable, I'm not capable of loving others. Stop talking nonsense," he demanded.

"It was just a suggestion," said John.

"We have all seen the way you look at her and the way she looks at you. If there is no love there I don't know what to call it."

"Enough," he snapped.

"We will be making landfall in Jamaica in the next few hours," Dean said changing the subject.

"How long will we be taking up residence there?"

"A month or so," he answered. "I have some work to do at my residence. I have some things to tie up."

"May I suggest that we devise a plan of retaliation against Rollins? He will be back."

"Of course," Roman said with a smile. "Rollins will pay. I will make sure of it!" Roman vowed with coldness in his voice that only Rollins was capable of bringing out in him.

Roman made the foolish mistake to allow his brother his life; it would not happen again. He would never allow it to happen again. Roman took a swig of the Rum used to clean John's wound.

"How many of his men did we kill?"

"A dozen," answered Dean as Roman took another swig of Rum. "And injured another half dozen," he said. "About a dozen got away when Rollins did."

"Next time they won't be so lucky," said Roman. "Rollins' life was spared for my need to mark my wife. He had his lips on her and his hands on her. I lost my mind seeing another man touching my wife."

"Makes you sorry for taking Rollins' wife to bed?" asked Dean.

"His wife came to me. I took her to bed at her request. I do not deny any woman the pleasure of being in my bed. His wife came to me and destroyed herself. Rollins is trying to take it out on Melissa and me because his wife killed herself. Melissa will never be safe because of me and I can't always protect her. I need to protect my men and my ship."

"Melissa should be your number one concern," said John. "She will be the mother of your children."

"Yes," said Roman,

"She will be but I have 2 dozen men working with me that I need to tend to and a ship to protect or someone like Rollins will capture my ship in battle because I'm too worried about Melissa and making sure she's not in harm's way. I never knew that having a wife would be so much work."

"Or that loving a woman would make you see your priorities," said John.

"I do not love her," Roman stated again. "She's here for my pleasure and my need to plant my seed inside of her womb. I did not marry her to love her. I married her to fill her womb with my offspring."

"You can't deny what is meant to be forever," said John. "You'll see. The day will come and you will see her as more than the woman to bear your children."

"Nonsense," said Roman.

"That will never happen, never," he said assuring his friends that he would never fall in love or allow anyone to fall in love with him. He was a monster, no one would ever be able to love him.

Roman made his way back to his cabin after he helped take care of his men and dispose of the rest of Seth's injured men by throwing them overboard. He had wished that his brother had been one of the men he tossed over into the ocean. His brother had always hated him.

He treated him poorly and allowed him to take the blame for his wrongdoings causing Roman to get the brunt of their father's anger. Seth was always in competition with Roman. Seth reveled in the misfortunes he brought upon Roman. Just the way Roman reveled in the misfortune of Seth when his late wife; Michelle came to him. Roman would not deny her his bed when she asked him to bed her. He reveled in the joy he got from his brother's wife begging him to take her to bed. Roman knew it was wrong but after the hell his brother and his father put him through he engaged in sexual congress with his wife. Roman began to feel for Michelle. He started to love her but knew he could not have her. Seth would never let her go without a fight and Roman wasn't going to take her. He just planned to destroy her, damage her for her husband and use her to get back at Seth. He never planned to fall in love with her. She was a beautiful creature. He had never seen anyone as beautiful as she until he saw Melissa.

Michelle was a rare beauty too. Melissa reminded him so much of Michelle. They looked similar; long blonde hair, olive skin, full pink lips the only difference was Melissa's blue eyes and Michelle had dark brown eyes that melted Roman's insides. They were the most beautiful eyes he had seen, Michelle was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and he had seen his fair share of women but none of them ever came close to Melissa.

Michelle was kind-hearted, sweet but feisty when she needed to be. She was unhappy with Seth and came to Roman for satisfaction and came to Roman to find some type of happiness. He knew he would never be able to provide her the happiness she desired so he let her go. He sent her back to Seth and shortly after he got word that she was increasing. There was never a doubt that the child she was increasing with was his. The nights between them had been passionate and satisfying.

Michelle came to him once more before her entire destruction ripped his heart out of his chest. She came to him to tell him the news of her being with child, wanted to start a life with him and leave Seth.

Roman denied her, turned her away and that night she ended her life. He would never forgive himself for turning her away, denying her what she wanted. He would never forgive himself for her taking her own life and their child's life. He wasn't ready for that life. Seth vowed revenge on Roman and vowed to destroy his life the way he had destroyed his.

Since then the hatred between the two escalated, made them enemies for the rest of their lives.

"Roman," said Melissa hoarsely. "Please free me, untie me."

"I enjoy seeing you tied and helpless," he said softly as he eyed her naked body on their bed tied down and helpless.

"You have no idea what the sight of you helpless does to me," he said as he felt his cock twitching in his breeches.

"Roman," she begged, "Please."

"I cannot," he said making his way over to the bed.

He crawled onto the bed and spread her legs.

"To see you covered in my cum, to have my scent on you makes me want to take you again, prove to you again how much you belong to me."

"Please no," she said as her voice cracked.

"I cannot take more, you punished me. Why? I did no wrong? I followed your rules. Why did you punish me?" she asked as she let out a weak moan as she felt his finger slide into her swollen sex.

He knew she was sore but he moved his finger inside of her lightly making her moan through her soft cries.

"It's this simple, he had his hands on you, his lips on you, Melissa. I needed you to know that you're mine and you belong to no other man. I needed to make sure you only crave me, crave my cock inside of you. That you only cum for me, that only I can give you pleasure to make you weak, I want to be the only one you allow to have his lips on your body and your hands on your body. He affected you, Melissa."

"He didn't," she moaned as he slid another finger inside of her.

"You were drenched, you were soaked and ready for me because he had his lips and his hands on you. You belong to me. You're mine, Melissa you will never belong to another man are we clear?"

"Yes," she said biting her lower lip as his finger hit every soft sensitive spot of her sex.

"When you're not with me I want you to think of me. I want you to long for me, need me. I want you to want me, crave me when I'm not with you."

"You're a crude man," she said as she arched her back up allowing his fingers to slide deeper.

"And you're greedy, Vixen," he said with lust in his voice.

"Shall I give you more?"

"No, no more," she answered as the rhythm of his fingers picked up making her moan out in pleasure as she felt them hit the sensitive spots of her swollen sex.

She moved with him, taking more of his fingers inside of her. She cried out in pleasure as it ripped through her like a tidal wave. Her legs began to quiver, and a cry of pleasure escaped her lips as she came.

"It's so easy to pleasure you," he said with a smile.

"I look forward to pleasuring you the rest of our lives, making you cum just like this, fucking you rough and taking it slow. To fill your womb with my seed hoping my semen takes root in your womb. Have you increase with my children," he said with a smile as he removed his fingers from inside of her.

He stuck his fingers into his mouth, licking off her hot juices.

"You're so sweet, Melissa," he said his voice raspy, his cock painfully hard in his breeches.

"Is that all I am to you? The woman to bear your children?" she asked wanting and needing more of him.

"I did not marry you for love, Melissa. I married you to have you bear my children," he said.

"And if I am barren?" she asked wanting to cross her arms so that he could stop taking his eyes over her body.

"What purpose does our marriage have?"

"If you're barren," he said never thinking of the possibility of her not being able to bear him children.

"The marriage will cease and I will send you back to Spain with your father."

"What if I don't want to go back to Spain with my father?" she challenged.

"I don't know where you would go, Melissa. This marriage is not based on love and it never will be. You're here for one purpose if you're unable to fulfill that purpose we have no reason to be married and I will let you go, let you be free. I don't think you're barren."

"Truly," she said, "I must be barren. I have shared a bed with many men," she said honestly,

"Not one turned into a pregnancy. I'm 10 and 8," she said, "I should have been increasing by now."

"I do not want to hear of my wife's sexual congress with other men," he said.

"The only sexual congress that matters to me is what is between you and I. The men never used French Letters or withdrew before spilling their semen?" he questioned.

"Not once," she said, "can you please untie me?"

"Interesting," he said softly.

"You and I have certainly put in a lot of effort they did not I'm sure."

"Yet they spilled their seed inside of me, nothing ever took root in my womb. My courses continue to come like clockwork."

"I'm sure with our efforts we will conceive a child. I have no doubt," he said brushing a piece of hair out of her face.

"We will be making landfall by nightfall," he said changing the subject.

"Where are we landing?"

"In Jamaica, we have a residence there. We'll stay for some time and adjust to the married life there before we head back out onto the seas."

"I've never been to Jamaica before."

"I'm sure you'll love it," he said with a smile. "It's beautiful."

"I'm sure," she said with a smile.

"How can you go from being so cruel to being so sweet in a matter of minutes?"

"I don't want you to fear me," he said softly and honestly. Scaring her was not what he wanted to do, making her want him when he wasn't around and making her know that she was his was his intent not to fill her with fear.

He wanted her to trust him and if she was scared of him she would never trust him. He reached up and untied her wrists.

He grabbed her hands and examined her bruised wrists. He kissed each one of them.

"I'll be right back," he said softly before he got out of the bed and walked into his washroom.

He came back shortly with a warm washcloth to clean her up and a dry wash cloth and some cream to take care of her wrists. Roman took the warm wash cloth over Melissa's soft naked body. He wanted to take her again but knowing she was sore and tired he chose not to so he cleaned her up gently and softly running the wash cloth over her swollen sex wiping away his semen.

He took a bottle of rum and poured it onto the dry wash cloth and wrapped it around each of her wrists. She cried out in pain before he dabbed them dry before putting cream on them and wrapped a couple bandages around them.

He helped her dress into her dressing gown and brushed her hair pulling it up into a low bun.

"You should get some rest before we reach Jamaica."

"Thank-you," she said, "I'm exhausted. Will you join me?"

Roman thought about it for a moment and said, "Yes."

He pulled the counterpane back from the bed allowing her to crawl into bed first. He crawled in next to her and pulled the counterpane over both of them.

He took her in his arms and held her as they drifted off to sleep forgetting the attack and forgetting Roman's claiming over her but Roman hadn't forgotten his past as he drifted into the darkness of his unforgettable past.....