by Josie Dennis
She let out a soft moan and Grayson looked down at her.
“Are you all right, Ivy?” he asked.
His gray eyes were intent and she resisted the urge to pull back. It was the first time in the length of the day that he’d looked at her, let alone addressed her.
“Quite all right,” she managed to say.
What could she say? Her silly infatuation with Grayson was one thing. To think that she was enamored of the newest Hawk as well? It was beyond consideration and there was no way she would let Grayson see a hint of such nonsense.
He studied her for a moment, his full lips parted as he apparently attempted to make some sort of comment. Before he could utter a word, she turned and hurried in behind Hugh the footman. Let Grayson stand in the cold. The environment certainly fit him.
As she put her coat with the others’ in the servants’ hall she couldn’t help but think about Lord Heatherton. He wasn’t cold like Grayson. No. He was warm and bright and made her want to bask in his presence.
She rubbed her chilled hands together and shrugged. There was no danger in imagining such things. She prayed that was true.
If it wasn’t, she was in for serious trouble.
Chapter 3
Trevor followed the butler down a long corridor to an opened door.
“The earl is expecting you,” Carstairs said.
Trevor nodded, tamping down a flicker of unease. He was an expected visitor, given the reception line of servants out on the cold drive. He’d been issued an invitation by the earl himself, and had come here despite his mother’s reservations. Yet he felt uncomfortable. It was a foreign sensation, to be sure.
“Lord Heatherton,” the earl said from within. “Do come in.”
Trevor stepped across the threshold into a sumptuous office. The imposing and elegant exterior of the manor should have prepared him for the furnishings and accents within, yet he couldn’t help but feel awed by this particular Hawk’s wealth. He was blessed with money as they all were, then.
The earl stood behind a massive desk, a smile on a face that looked like the one in Trevor’s mirror every morning. He felt a smile curve his own lips.
“Thank you for the invitation, Lord Hawksfell,” he said with a tilt of his head. “Your home is lovely.”
“Yes, my father much preferred the clear appearance of his Hawk fortunes. Please sit.” The earl sat and leaned back. “And call me Gabriel.”
Trevor sat across from him and nodded. “Gabriel. Call me Trevor.”
The earl stared for a moment. “Forgive me, but you look much like our cousin, Graham.”
“I’m afraid I’ve never met any other Hawks, so I’ll have to take your word on that.”
Gabriel nodded. “Yes, I see some of my brother in you as well. It seems we cannot escape our fathers, can we?”
“I never knew my father,” Trevor found himself admitting. “Although it seems he knew my mother and one of her sisters quite well.”
Gabriel winced. “Ah. The last generation of Hawks could never seem to resist a pretty face. Man or woman.”
“No.” Trevor winked. “The current generation does a fair job of upholding that tradition.”
Something flickered in Gabriel’s eyes, gone in an instant. “You are like Graham in more than looks.”
Trevor leaned forward. “You have me at a disadvantage, Gabriel.”
“Forgive me again. Graham has an air of playfulness about him most of we Hawks tend to bury beneath angst or anger.”
This surprised Trevor. “But you seem quite happy. In fact, I’d heard of your marriage last summer.” He smiled again. “Any angst or anger seems absent from your countenance.”
Gabriel laughed. “You are quite right. I’ve found love and my life is far different from what it had been.”
Love? That was something Trevor would never joke about, especially after his odd conversation with Aunt Penny. “Yes, well.”
Gabriel studied him for a long moment, his mouth set. “You’re not ready to hear about such matters, I take it.”
“Forgive me, but no,” Trevor said. “My mother loved my father, apparently. She and my aunts shower me with buckets of it. That is my only experience with such matters, as you say.”
Gabriel nodded. “That is of no consequence, I suppose. You’re here as my guest and I’m eager for you to meet my family.”
“Your wife?”
“Yes, and her cousin Michael. They’re both in residence. My brother Matthew will join us for dinner tomorrow. He and his wife tend to do so quite often.”
“To your delight, I’d wager?”
“Yes, indeed.” Gabriel leaned closer. “I hadn’t known of his existence until several months ago, yet we have grown very close. We have more in common than familial ties, it seems.”
Trevor puzzled over that. “How so?”
Gabriel shook his head. “That’s another of those cursed ‘such matters.’”
Trevor laughed. “Then perhaps we’ll discuss it another time?”
“Indeed,” Gabriel agreed. “I’ve instructed the staff to install you in the bachelor’s wing, Trevor. You’ll have privacy there.”
“I’m sure the room will be more than satisfactory.”
“And normally the first footman would step in as valet for you but we’ve recently lost yet another one.”
“Another one?”
Gabriel gave him a half-smile. “Never mind. But I believe I can spare my own valet for the length of your stay. You’re welcome to stay as long as you wish, of course.”
This generosity was surprising and made Trevor feel more than welcome. “Thank you, Gabriel.”
“Now, Grayson can be prickly and precise but I suppose that is what makes him an excellent valet.”
Trevor just nodded at that, still stunned by the earl’s warmth and welcome. He hadn’t known what to expect from the first male Hawk he’d ever met but he couldn’t deny the lure of family outside of his beloved mother and aunts.
Gabriel stood and so did Trevor. “I’ll have one of the staff show you to your room. Will you need the valet for dinner?”
“No, thank you. I’ll just see my things settled. I admit I’m eager to meet your family.”
“They are yours, too, don’t forget.”
Trevor blinked. For so long the whole of his family circle included his mother and aunts. Gabriel and these other Hawks would take some getting used to. That was certain.
A footman led him to what was to be his room, apparently for as long as he wished, and left him alone. It was a masculine room done in shades of blue, yet he didn’t really care about his surroundings. It seemed he couldn’t help but think about what Gabriel had said. And what he hadn’t said.
Something about ties to his brother and things in common. Something about Trevor reminding him a lot of another Hawk, one by the name of Graham. It was strange to think of all these male Hawks flitting about Yorkshire and yet he had never encountered one of them. It was also strange to think that a few of them were settled enough to have wives and family connections. He much preferred to continue on as he was.
“Better to fuck and forget,” he murmured as he checked his appearance in the glass. “No expectations and no entanglements.”
Whistling, he left his guest room and went down to join Gabriel’s family—he couldn’t think of them as his own just yet—for dinner.
The first person he met was a golden beauty. Her blue eyes sparkled as she gazed at Gabriel and Trevor knew she had to be his countess.
“Ah, Trevor,” Gabriel said with a sweep of his arm. “Come meet my wife.”
Trevor bowed at the woman. “Lady Hawksfell, a pleasure.”
To his astonishment she stared at him for a long moment, then laughed softly. “Oh, we have another charming Hawk in our nest, Gabriel. It seems we’ll be looking for more staff directly.”
“Millicent,” the earl gently admonished. “Do give Trevor a day to adjust to life at the manor before you make any such
dire predictions.”
“Staff?” Trevor puzzled aloud. “I don’t understand.”
“Yes, Trevor. I’m afraid the earl’s staff very often seems to find better arrangements after Hawks arrive,” a blond man said. He held out his hand. “Michael Crowley.”
“You must be the lady’s cousin,” Trevor said. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“Third cousin,” Michael said with a wink. “That bears mentioning, I wager.”
“Michael,” Gabriel’s wife said with a laugh. “Behave.”
Trevor blinked. This was passing strange. The countess seemed to almost be flirting with her cousin and yet she was clearly devoted to the earl. Perhaps the woman was just a flirt despite her married status, although he sensed no such overtures in his direction.
“How long will you be with us, Trevor?” the countess asked.
He turned back to her. “I haven’t decided. The manor is quite beautiful and the estate lovely.”
“You’ll have to come shooting with us on the morrow,” Michael Crowley said. “With Matthew and I, that is. I can never seem to get Gabriel to leave his office.”
Gabriel gave a soft snort and shook his head. “One of us has to work, Michael.”
Michael laughed at what was apparently a common discourse.
Trevor smiled at the countess’s cousin. “I’d love to shoot tomorrow morning.”
“Do you keep country hours then, Trevor?” Lady Hawksfell asked.
“Not usually, no.”
When the three of them gazed knowingly amongst themselves, Trevor felt his cheeks heat. Did they know what kept him up in the wee hours nearly every night? Did they know he fucked until he was finally tired enough to sleep half the day away?
“Nevertheless, you’ll join us for breakfast and we’ll see if we can scare up some game,” Michael said.
“I look forward to it,” Trevor said.
Later that night, after a truly remarkable meal served by attentive staff, Trevor was bone tired. He hadn’t done a bloody thing yet he wanted nothing more but to try out the big soft bed awaiting him in his guest room. For a moment he missed the attics at Heatherton, and the tryst he knew he could count on should the beast rise.
Here at Hawksfell he felt stifled. Subdued. It was as foreign a sensation as the unease he’d felt with Gabriel’s family. It was like a low buzzing in his head and he knew a hard ride with an eager partner would clear matters. But where to find a fuck here at the manor?
He prowled the hallway outside his room and turned down a corridor to what must be the family wing. As he swiveled to return to his room, he caught a glimpse of black and white. He stood and watched as a shapely little maid stepped out of what must be the earl and countess’s rooms.
“Very well, my lady,” the girl said. “Good night.”
Trevor felt her voice slide over his body like a caress. Her voice had a husky quality, yet a gentle lilt as well. With her head down she turned toward the staircase leading up to the servants’ quarters. He smiled. Her path would take her right toward him.
“Good evening, miss,” he said.
She stilled and looked up at him sharply. Her full lips parted. “Oh!”
Trevor’s breath caught. She was easily as pretty as the countess, though with very different coloring. Her shining auburn hair was neat and tidy beneath her white lace cap and her face was a fetching oval. She had the deepest brown eyes he’d ever seen. They were nearly as dark as his own Hawk eyes.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said with a wink. “I was lonely, is all.”
She tilted her chin in what he guessed was an attempt at dismissal. He saw her tremble, however. Watched as her cheeks turned nearly as pink as her lips.
“Excuse me, my lord.”
He nearly laughed at the affected chill in her voice. His beast stirred and he wondered what would be needed to entice this beauty into his bed. He could admit to himself that he welcomed a challenge never before issued, provided the spoils came swiftly.
“Now, now.” He stepped closer. “There’s no need to fret, love.”
“Love?” She blinked up at him. “My lord, it is not appropriate for you to address the staff in such a manner.”
He shrugged and leaned against the wall to his left. “I suppose I forgot myself. Not a difficult thing to understand, given the beauty before me.”
Her pupils dilated and she swallowed audibly. “Please, my lord…”
He reached out, it was as if he couldn’t stop himself, and grasped her slender wrist. “What’s your name, miss?”
“Ivy,” she whispered.
It suited her, the name. It was as fresh as she was, and he certainly wouldn’t mind getting tangled up in her for a while.
“Ivy,” he repeated.
Her eyes rounded and she tugged her hand out of his loosened grasp. “I must go.”
“To bed, Ivy?” he asked. “Alone?”
Her mouth dropped open and he assumed that had he not been a noble she would have slapped him senseless. That realization made him withdraw a bit. She was a maid but that never stopped him from finding his pleasure before. Tonight it seemed like he was imposing on her, and he never did such a thing in or out of bed.
“Forgive me, Ivy.” He straightened and smiled. “I overstepped.”
“Overstepped?” She gave a tiny shake of her head. “Never say that, my lord. You are a guest of the earl’s.”
What did that mean? Did she dally with the other Hawks who had come here? The mere thought of such a thing shouldn’t matter to him, so he shoved it aside.
“And as such, I shall keep to my guest quarters,” he said. “No doubt the earl’s man is waiting on me.”
She started. “The earl’s man?”
“His valet will attend me during my stay.”
Her cheeks turned pink again and she ducked her head. “Then good night, my lord.”
He let her hurry past him toward the back stairs but he caught a whiff of her sweet scent as she passed. Something like vanilla that made him crave a lick of icing. His cock stirred again and he glared down at his groin. “Not tonight, beast.”
He stared in the direction the girl had fled, knowing now that the way to the attics was just down his very own corridor. A few steps would take him up to the lovely Ivy’s bed. She was the countess’s maid. She wouldn’t share her quarters with another servant. He smiled to himself.
“Maybe not tonight but soon,” he said to himself.
She was too tasty a treat to ignore. And when had he ever denied himself anything? He sure as hell wouldn’t start now.
* * * *
Grayson saw to the viscount’s things on the dressing table. When the earl had asked him to see to the manor’s most recent visitor, he couldn’t be put out. It was true that Hugh was too recently promoted to first footman after Cabot’s departure. Hawks were too important to trust their care to someone unused to such duties. In fact, Grayson was pleased the earl considered him up to the task of caring for this newest Hawk.
“Ah, you must be the earl’s man.”
Grayson turned to find the viscount strolling toward him. His stomach clenched. He’d thought the man as handsome as all of the Hawks had ever been down on the drive earlier this evening. But in the confines of the blue room he could feel his magnetism.
“Good evening, my lord. I am Grayson.”
“Pleased to meet you, Grayson. And thank you for taking on my care and keeping.”
Grayson blinked. If he didn’t know better he’d think the viscount was flirting. As it was, he knew it was the way of Hawks, however. They were innately sensual.
“It is my pleasure, to be sure,” Grayson said. “I’ve seen to your things in the closet and set out whatever you might need here. Do you need my assistance to undress?”
“Hardly.” The viscount laughed as he began to disrobe. “I’ve been doing that for some time.”
Grayson hid his own smile. This particular Hawk was a charmer. “V
ery well, my lord.”
“I had thought to have someone else undress me tonight, though,” the viscount said. “A pretty little maid I saw just now.”
Grayson stilled. And so it began, and with little preamble.
“A maid, my lord?”
The viscount shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to Grayson. He leaned one narrow hip against the dressing table, crossing his long legs at the ankles. “Let us not dissemble, Grayson. You’ve been in the earl’s employ for some time, I take it?”
Grayson set his jacket aside and faced him. “Yes, my lord. Going on two years.”
“And one would assume you know the way of things?”
Grayson swallowed. “I never speak of Hawk business, my lord.”
“That is commendable,” Lord Heatherton said. “I was merely wondering if the pretty confection I glimpsed this evening has been, um, tasted by any other Hawks.”
Grayson blinked. “Whom do you mean?”
The viscount smiled, a sensual slant of his lips that made Grayson’s stomach clench. “Ivy.”
His mouth fell open. “Ivy, my lord?”
“Yes, Grayson. I saw her in the corridor and I couldn’t help but feel her pull.”
Grayson knew what the man meant. Ivy was everything he desired and everything he avoided. Inexplicably, he didn’t want another to have her. Not even a Hawk.
“Well?” Lord Heatherton asked. “Has she been with other Hawks?”
“Not to my knowledge, no.”
The viscount blew out a breath. “That is a good thing. I’ve of no mind to have a pussy another Hawk has taken.”
Grayson could only nod. He’d envisioned Ivy in various stages of undress but never naked enough to imagine her pussy. No doubt it would be plump and pink like her lips.
“And do you think the delicious little Ivy will be up for a ride?” the viscount asked.