by Tinnean
“Pleasure,” he responded shortly, and we shook hands.
I walked through the door and to the spot some yards away where Blue Boy was nibbling on some shoots of grass, and gathered up his reins.
“Good luck, Laytham,” Ned called softly. “I hope you have better luck than I.”
I paused, then gave a curt nod. “I wish you luck as well, sir.” I stepped into the stirrup, swung my leg over Blue Boy’s back, and turned him toward home.
Jem was still awake when I led Blue Boy into the stable.
“There was no need for you to wait up, Jem.”
“I know, sir.” He studied my eyes, then took the reins. “Mr. Stephenson returned a short while ago with his man and David. He’d met them at the Crown and Gauntlet, so he said.”
“How was Jezebel?”
“Behaving herself. Surprised me no end, I must say.”
I was more relieved than I cared to reveal. Geo was a competent horseman, I’d seen that for myself, but I’d been plagued by visions of him lying sprawled on the ground, having taken a toss.
“Er… Mr. Stephenson noticed Blue Boy was gone.”
Of course he did. I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Did he ask about it?”
“No, sir.”
I didn’t know whether to be thankful that he hadn’t asked, or to be disappointed.
“Go on to bed, Sir Ash. I’ll take care of Blue Boy. And if there’s aught I can do….”
“Thank you, Jem. I appreciate the offer, but no.”
“Go on to bed then, sir,” he repeated. “The morning will come soon enough.”
Yes, that it would.
I patted Blue Boy’s neck, touched Jem’s shoulder, then left the stable. The night was still, the air crisp. I crossed to the door that opened into the kitchen and entered my home. It was quiet and dark. And then Colling appeared, holding a brace of candles.
“Sir Ashton.”
“I hope you weren’t waiting up for me, Colling.”
“No, sir. I thought you would need a candle.”
“Thank you.”
“Mr. Stephenson returned home sometime ago.”
“So I was informed.”
“Indeed, sir.” He handed me a candle. “Have you need of anything?”
“No.”
“In that case, I’ll take myself off to bed. Goodnight, sir.”
“Goodnight.” For a moment I considered stopping in the study to retrieve the decanter of brandy and a glass, but I’d made enough of a fool of myself for one night, and I went up the stairs to my bedchamber.
Fire burned in the hearth of my room, a basin of water steamed gently, and across my bed was a nightshirt.
Other than that, my room was empty.
Well, had I truly expected otherwise?
Removing my spectacles first—there was really nothing I needed to see in the room—I stripped off my clothes, washed, and reached for my nightshirt.
There was a light tap on the door.
“One moment.” I pulled the nightshirt over my head, reached for my spectacles, and went to the door. “Ye—Geo?” In spite of myself, I backed away.
And then I was angry with myself. He’d never raised a hand to me; did I expect him to strike me now?
“Might I have a word with you, Ashton?” He stood there hesitantly. His weight was balanced on his walking stick, his hair was disheveled, and he was in his shirtsleeves, a far cry from his usual tidy appearance.
“Yes, of course. Come in. I’m sorry, I have nothing to offer you—”
“Have I… have I truly botched things so badly between us?”
“I beg your pardon? I meant a drink.”
“That’s the last thing I need. I’ve been imbibing rather steadily all evening.” It suddenly occurred to me that he was making an effort to enunciate clearly.
“Oh.” The word sounded hollow to my ears, and I sank down on the edge of my bed before my legs refused to hold me up any longer. “I’m sorry you felt the need to be drunk before you could bring yourself to come to me.”
“I think….” He took a step into my room and swayed unsteadily. “I think we’re speaking at cross purposes.”
“Are we?”
“This morning… you didn’t give me much chance to explain why I’d been away.”
“You explained well enough. You were in Austria.” I was not going to say a word about his need to prove he could do without me. “Which apparently has no postal service.”
“I couldn’t take the chance.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I said I—”
“I heard what you said. I’m just having a difficult time understanding why there was an issue with you writing to me.”
“If you’ll let me explain?” He barely waited for me to nod my assent. “Do you recall your missive to me?”
“I’m hardly likely to forget it, considering your response. Or should I say lack of response?”
“Please, lamb, please don’t snipe at me.” To my utter astonishment, he limped across to me, lowered himself to his knees, and dropped his head to my lap. “It came at a very bad time. I was being sent to Austria.”
“Could you not have at least sent regrets? Do you have any idea what that ‘There is no response’ was like? You could have written that it was an inconvenient time, but later in the spring…. Even a scrawled, ‘Our association is at an end,’ would have been more acceptable.”
His arms tightened around my waist. “Would it, Ashton? Do you want so much to be rid of me?”
“No, of course not, but at least it wouldn’t have felt as if I were less than the dirt beneath your feet.”
“Ah, lamb, I’m so sorry. It… it was a highly secretive mission. No one could know. Even Father thought I was simply in Baden taking the waters for my leg.”
“It wasn’t a pleasure jaunt.”
“No.”
“Was it successful?”
“To a degree.”
“Will you have to go on other missions like that?”
“No. My leg…. It would be too precarious.”
“And our… our association isn’t at an end just yet?”
“No, lamb. Not for a very long time to come.”
I sighed in relief. “I… I had a gift for you….”
“I know. I regret so deeply that I couldn’t be here.”
“You know? What do you mean, you know? Only Mr. Ruston and Jem knew the colt was for you!”
He gave me a droll look. “As did Lady Laytham, and as I’m sure you’ve discovered, a secret is not a secret once more than one person knows of it. I chanced to come across Miss Marchand the other day whilst crossing Berkeley Square.”
“Oh? I trust Arabella was suitably chaperoned?”
“Her maid followed along behind her, weighted down with numerous purchases.”
I sighed, wondering if anything at all was left of the letter of credit Aunt Cecily had still possessed and if I’d hear from her soon requesting another.
“I plied her with ices at Gunter’s, and she was quite happy to unveil her grievances toward you. You are not her most favored person, I’ll have you know, Ashton.”
“I’m quite aware of that. Nor is she a favorite of mine.” My shin throbbed in remembrance of the many times she’d kicked it in our youth. “You would have liked the colt very much. He was a sweet-goer with a very soft mouth.”
“Didn’t you name him?”
“No, he was yours. That was for you to do.”
“I’m so sorry I was out of the country. I’m so sorry I was unable to spend my birthday with you. I’m—”
“Enough, Geo. You’re here now.” That was what mattered, and I wasn’t going to let a spate of ill temper drive him away.
“May I… may I spend the night with you?”
“Of course. You’re always welcome in my bed.” I could feel his prick against my knee.
“Where were you tonight?”
“I went to Colonel Whittemore’s.”
“Why?” He didn’t sound too interested. He was busy pushing the hem of my nightshirt up over my thighs, following the material with his lips.
“You were there. I was going to drag you home if I had to.” I laughed, even as I spread my legs wider for him. “I burst into the Colonel’s bedchamber.”
“I imagine that didn’t go over very well.” He nibbled along the inside of my thigh.
“N… no. He… he had company.” My testicles were exposed now, and he licked a path over them to the rigid length of my shaft.
“Like warm velvet, lamb. What happened then?”
“I thought it was you, and I demanded he unhand you.”
“And when you realized it wasn’t me?”
“I offered to meet him at dawn.”
“A duel?” He reared back. “Are you mad, sir?”
“No, but it was all I could offer to make amends. An apology didn’t seem to suffice.”
“Dammit! Whittemore is one of the best—have you chosen someone to be your second? Never mind, I’ll do it. I’m a crack shot, and if it looks like he plans to do anything but delope, I’ll stop him.”
“Thank you, Geo, but it’s not necessary.” He would do that for me? I was more touched than I wanted to reveal. “He called me cork-brained and declined my offer.”
“Thank God. And I hope you’re pleased. You’ve completely put me off the mood!”
“I beg your pardon, I’m sure.” I smiled into his hair.
“Ash, do you realize if word of your action ever got out, you risked being shunned by all your neighbors?”
“It didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to let him debauch you.”
“You weren’t?”
“No.” I didn’t tell him Colonel Whittemore had even more to lose than I—not only the respect of his neighbors, but his friends, his fellow officers, Miss Petre.
“Ashton, would you… would you make love to me?”
“Of course.” I wasn’t going to tell him that I always did. Hopefully now, things would be better between us, but….
“No, I mean… would you sodomize me?”
I couldn’t catch my breath, and my hands began trembling. John had never cared for anything but to be mounted by me. Geo had never wanted more than to mount me. It had seemed there would be no happy medium, and I’d resigned myself to that state of affairs.
“Are you very sure?”
“Yes, I am.”
I ran my palm over his hair, then tipped up his chin and pressed my lips to his, catching a hint of the whisky he’d been drinking. “I’m a good cocksman, Geo. You won’t regret it. I promise you.”
I rose to my feet and helped him up. The bed was already turned down, and I made quick work of undressing him, enjoying the feel of the crisp hairs that covered his torso, the sharp points of his nipples that peeked through the hair, the narrow trail that led down past his navel to his prick.
“Lie down.” I took the jar of lotion from the bedside table and scooped up some with my forefinger.
I didn’t have to tell him to bring his legs back. He caught his legs under his knees and left himself exposed to my eyes and my touch.
I stroked my fingertip over his opening, dipping in, and suddenly found the opening very tightly closed. “When did you last do this?”
“Er… not recently.”
I could ascertain that much. “When, exactly?”
His mouth took on a stubborn twist, and I was afraid he wasn’t going to answer me, but then he admitted, “Never.”
“Are you sure you want me to do this?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, ‘why’?”
“Geo, please don’t be obtuse. You’re turned twenty-eight. You’ve been about in the world and had numerous opportunities. Why have you chosen me to take your virginity?”
“I just have, all right? If you’d rather not….” He was becoming irate, and I decided it didn’t matter just then why he’d chosen me.
“Very well.” I pressed a kiss to his lips. “Turn on your side.”
“Why?” he asked suspiciously.
“It’s going to be uncomfortable. I want to make it as pleasurable as I can for you.”
He rolled to his side, and I could see the long ridge of scarred flesh along his thigh. I kissed it, then began toying with his fundament, rubbing the sensitive spot below it, and soon I had him moaning in pleasure.
I slid a finger into him, and he stiffened. I replaced it with a finger of my other hand, and teased his prick with feather-light touches.
That distracted him, and he was soon moaning again, unaware when a second finger joined the first, and then a third, each with a goodly quantity of the lotion on it.
He jerked and yelped when I found that spot within him and paid particular attention to it. He began thrusting his hips back at me, taking my fingers deeper into his body.
I coated my prick with the lotion and carefully withdrew my fingers.
“No, Ash! Don’t—”
“Hush, dear one. I’ve no intention of leaving you.” I raised his leg, parted his nether cheeks, and put the head of my prick to him. With slow, careful movements, I slid into him, always taking care lest he give me any sign that I was hurting him.
He lay still, clenching around me, and it was all I could do to keep from plowing into him and exploding in a wondrous display of fireworks.
His prick had softened. I ran my thumb over its crown, catching the liquid that oozed from it and rubbing it ’round and ’round, then bringing it to my mouth and sucking it off.
“You always taste so delicious, Geo.”
“What?” He stared at me over his shoulder, eyes wide, and shivered and loosened a bit around me.
“That’s right, gently, dear one.” I altered the angle of my prick and eased forward, knowing I had found the exact spot when he groaned.
I brought my hand back to his prick, which was once again in glorious tumescence, and resumed rubbing and stroking.
I nipped at the skin where neck and shoulder joined, licked a path up the side of his neck, nibbled on his earlobe. His breath came out in soft grunts, and I held on to my control by a whisper.
And then he began thrusting back against me once again.
“No! Geo, don’t!”
“Yes! Ash, please!”
And it was too late. My control unraveled and I began thrusting into him, my groin slapping against his arse—his lovely, firm arse that no one else had ever got to enjoy—and within moments I was spending.
And he was a heartbeat behind me, filling my hand to overflowing with his essence. I endeavored to contain it, and laughed when I couldn’t.
“Hmmm?” Geo’s voice was drowsy.
“May I ask how long it’s been?”
He yawned. “When was I here last?” he asked absently.
“You’re not funning me?”
“Why would I do that?”
“You were on the continent, and you found no one to your taste?”
“It was more that no one found me to their taste.”
“What?”
“The scar, my limp. Women aren’t the only ones who look for perfection in a mate.”
“They’re all mad. To bypass a man such as yourself—”
“Thank you, Ash.”
“I simply speak the truth. How are you feeling?”
“Quite the thing, dear boy. A trifle stretched, but beyond that….” He turned his head and kissed the corner of my mouth. “I’m pleased I waited for you.”
“Ah, Geo.” I sighed, pleased as well, and replete. I brought my hand to my mouth, licked it clean, then twined my fingers with his.
Within moments we were both asleep.
Things changed after that. Geo still only stayed with me at the week’s end, but he began to look for excuses to be with me. I had always made sure that by week’s end there was nothing to divert my atten
tion from him, but now he insisted on coming along with me, meeting my people as I made the rounds of the estate, seeing to the business of running Fayerweather, pleased to note that I knew what I was about.