The bridge was quiet at 2 a.m., the night watch thinned out to a skeleton crew elsewhere. Kai had texted me a single order: Bridge. Wear the black sundress. Nothing else. My legs shook the whole climb up. When the heavy door clicked shut behind me, he was already waiting in his crisp white uniform, sleeves rolled up, tattoos dark under the soft glow of radar screens and navigation lights.

“Lock it,” he commanded.

I turned the deadbolt, heart pounding. “Another ‘safety drill,’ Captain? That’s what you’re calling it when you drag me up here in the middle of the night?”

Kai stepped close, backing me against the wide navigation...