Baron of Hearts (Master of Monsters Book 2)

by Hadley, Stephen L.

  “You would think that,” she growled.

  And with that, she turned on her heel and marched purposefully up the stairs. Leo watched her go in confusion and with no small amount of frustration. Every little thing Cirilla did seemed purposefully designed to vex him, jerking him constantly between affection and indignation.

  But, however much she might puzzle him, he could not afford to let the woman roam his home unobserved. Sighing, he loosened the buttons at the neck of his shirt and followed her up the stairs.

  He found her sitting at the foot of his bed, her boots discarded and her knees drawn up beneath her chin. She glanced at him as he entered, closing the door behind him, but otherwise ignored his presence. She did not even look over as he undressed and pulled on his far more comfortable bedclothes.

  “I… apologize if I’ve upset you,” Leo said cautiously. Making his way past her, he climbed onto the bed a conservative distance from where Cirilla sat.

  “I broke with Josiah months ago,” she announced. She spoke flatly, without stirring. “My father threatened to disinherit me if I didn’t. He even wrote it into his will. I knew he didn’t have long, so I tried to explain to Josiah that it was only temporary. I told him that the minute my father died and my inheritance was official, we could be together again.” Her voice grew pained and quiet, scarcely louder than a whisper. “He decided that he didn’t want to wait.”

  “I’m sorry,” Leo said, unable to think of what else to say. The two of them remained quiet for a moment until a thought occurred to him. “Hang on. That night, you told me that you… that you two were—”

  “I lied,” Cirilla said. Wiping her eyes discreetly, she turned to smirk at him. “I said I’d cut your throat if you lied. Never said anything about me.”

  Leo chuckled softly, then flopped limply back against the pillows. He couldn’t decide if he was glad to hear the news or not. On the one hand, he was certainly relieved that he wouldn’t have to fear suffering the same public humiliation as Olden. On the other, it was unnerving to realize just how effectively his fiancée had manipulated him with a casual lie.

  “I suppose you outplayed me again,” he admitted.

  “Did I?” Cirilla said. Crawling forward, she stretched out alongside him. Still dressed in her evening gown, she provided an unusual contrast to Leo’s exceedingly casual clothing. “Then why do I get the feeling you’re far happier about the situation?”

  Leo hesitated, then shrugged. “And again ,” he said.

  Cirilla’s grin did not widen, though it did grow far more earnest. Reaching out, she began to play with the few dark hairs that protruded above the collar of his nightshirt.

  “I’m not keeping score,” she murmured. “But… if you felt like cheering me up, I might have a few ideas. If you’d care to hear them?”

  Leaning forward, Leo kissed the woman’s cheek. Her skin was warm, almost unnaturally so due to her sudden blush.

  “I’d love to,” he said.

  ***

  “This isn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Leo admitted, as he followed Cirilla down the darkened hallway.

  Grinning, the woman turned and shushed him. The last of her earlier melancholy had vanished the moment they set out, much to Leo’s relief. Though he’d expected something vastly different from his fiancée’s innuendoes, he had to admit there was a certain, peculiar excitement to be had from roaming his own estate after dusk. It felt almost as if he was a child again, sneaking out of bed to raid the kitchen or steal a taste of forbidden liquors.

  That feeling vanished somewhat when Cirilla paused outside a particular closed door and reached for the handle. Swallowing, Leo hurried to her side and caught her by the wrist.

  “Not that one,” he whispered, pulling her along. “That’s Sann’s—my drakonid. You remember her?”

  “Ah,” Cirilla murmured. “Right. Perhaps another time.”

  Stepping in front of him, she turned and indicated the next room. “This one?” she asked, brows lifting.

  “Empty.”

  Scowling, she crossed to the opposite side of the hall and pressed her ear to a door. For a few seconds, her face was mostly blank. Then, with a stifled giggle, she scurried back to Leo’s side and pressed her brow to his shoulder.

  “What?” Leo asked. “What is it?”

  “Your trow, yes?” she asked. “They share a room?”

  “That’s right.”

  “No need to ask why,” she teased. “Sounds like they started without us.”

  “Oh,” Leo said, strangely embarrassed by the revelation. He couldn’t quite say why it bothered him; he’d known for ages that Nyssa and Mihal were sleeping together. Why shouldn’t Cirilla know? And yet, her discovery made him feel uncomfortably as if one of his secrets had been unwittingly shared.

  “ Leo ,” Cirilla called softly, bringing him out of his thoughts. “You’re brooding again. What about these?” She pointed at matching doors in either direction.

  “Empty,” he said, again. “Actually, most of these are empty.”

  Cirilla made a face. “Then why don’t you just point out the ones that aren’t?” she suggested. “We’ll never find a third if I have to go searching through your spare closets.”

  Snorting, Leo stepped close and drew her into his arms.

  “Do we need a third?” he asked. “My bed isn’t that big.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” Cirilla teased. Slipping a leg in between his, she pressed against him gently with her hip. “I think we’ll manage. Besides, maybe I want to see if the sword fits the scabbard before I buy it?”

  “I don’t have that many scabbards,” he reminded her. “Unless you count the kobolds. Which I don’t.”

  “No?” she asked, sounding surprised. Pulling back slightly, she eyed him curiously. “Interesting. I thought you would have by now. You’ll fuck a drakonid but not a kob?”

  “It’s different,” he explained, starting to fidget. He didn’t mind the woman knowing that he bedded his slaves, but explaining the nuances of his nocturnal proclivities felt strangely intimate. “Sann can talk. Kobolds can’t.”

  “Most men seem to prefer their partners don’t talk too much.”

  “Not me,” he insisted.

  For a few moments, Cirilla merely watched him. It was difficult to tell in the darkened hall, but Leo thought she appeared pleased by his answer. Or perhaps it was simply his imagination. In either case, it wasn’t long before she shrugged and glanced back and forth down the hall.

  “Good to know,” she said. “What about your servants? Do you bed them often?”

  “Sometimes,” he said. “But Brigit and Delia work late and rise early. I don’t want to disturb them.”

  That wasn’t the only reason, of course. For all her adventurous impulses, he was loath to share Brigit with anyone. She’d been his first, years and years ago. To drag her out of bed for a late-night romp with a woman he’d met less than two days prior felt wrong. And Delia was… well, Delia. The girl was shy and quiet, even in bed. To make her watch—much less take her in full view of a relative stranger—would have been cruel, even for Leo.

  “You have more than just those two,” Cirilla pointed out. “What about them?”

  “They’re new,” Leo said. “I only bought their contracts a few days ago.”

  “And? A few days is plenty of time. By now, every last one of them will know the details of your sex life. Believe me, I’ve installed enough servants as spies to know.”

  Sighing, Leo fought the urge to squirm beneath Cirilla’s unyielding gaze. He wanted to argue, but could not. Still, the notion of his indiscretions being shared with laughs and whispers was enough to make the hair on his neck stand on end.

  “Relax,” Cirilla continued. “It makes our job easier. You can pretend you’re just checking up on them. I’ll do the talking.”

  Leo sighed again, then turned and gestured for his betrothed to lead the way.

  “Very well,” he said.

/>   ***

  It had been years since Leo’s home had possessed functioning servants’ quarters. For ages, when Brigit and Delia had been the only ones to attend him, he’d simply housed them in spare bedrooms. But, given the layout of the estate he’d inherited from the Hammonds, it had made more sense to resume using them.

  The rooms lay on the west end of the estate, tucked behind the kitchens and connected by a small, plain-looking lounge. The adjacent chamber doors all were shut, but the room itself was fortunately occupied.

  The room’s sole inhabitant lay upon a small divan, her knees drawn up beneath her. There was a candle beside her, which she used to read a thin, tattered book. So engrossed was she that she did not even notice when Leo slipped into the room, followed closely by Cirilla.

  Leo studied the young woman for a moment before he recognized her. She was one of the servants Brigit had purchased. Which, in turn, meant that she was one of those who had seen him stumble out of the closet, trousers around his ankles and his cock still wet with Karran’s juices.

  And now, he’d come calling in his bedclothes.

  “Great,” he muttered.

  The woman jumped at the sound of his voice, nearly toppling the candle in her fright. She rushed to her feet, eyes wide and face pale. Then, after a second’s hesitation, she offered a belated curtsey.

  “My lord!” she exclaimed. Her eyes darted to the woman beside him, then back. “Um… apologies, my lord. I didn’t hear you enter.”

  “It’s fine,” he said quickly. “You—ah… I was wondering—”

  “What’s your name?” Cirilla interrupted. Stepping forward, she elbowed Leo slightly as she passed.

  Again, the servant’s eyes shifted to Cirilla. She seemed to hesitate before answering, however, presumably because she could not decide how properly to address her.

  “Bailee, my lady,” she said. “If it please you.”

  “It does please me,” Cirilla said, in a reassuring tone. “What are you reading, Bailee?”

  The woman glanced down and looked almost surprised to find the book still in her hand. She flushed and nearly tucked it behind her back before remembering herself. Then, without meeting Cirilla’s eye, she held it tightly against her lap with both hands.

  “It’s naught but a trifle, m’lady,” she mumbled. “A love tale I read as a girl.”

  “Let me see,” Cirilla said. She spoke gently, but with just a hint of command behind the words.

  For a brief instant, horror flashed across Bailee’s face, so intensely that Leo thought she might refuse. Then, practically on the verge of trembling, the woman handed over the book. Her face reddened as Cirilla took it and began to flip through the pages, pausing occasionally.

  “A love tale?” Cirilla teased. “I suppose that’s one way to describe it. Though, if my father had found me reading such a bawdy thing when I was young, I expect I’d have found myself over his knee.”

  Bailee’s face reddened further, so much that Leo half-expected her to break into tears. And indeed, she sniffled once. Before he could intervene, however, the woman let out a slightly strangled laugh.

  “Aye,” she agreed. “Mine did the same before he passed. Burned it in front ‘a ma and my sisters, too. Had to find a new copy once I was out on my own.”

  Chuckling, Cirilla handed the book back. She touched the woman on the shoulder then, offering a sympathetic smile.

  “Good,” she murmured. “I’m glad you did. Why should the men have all the fun? It seems to me that we girls deserve a bit of excitement too. And if that happens to be lewd from time to time, well… who has the right to say otherwise?”

  Bailee laughed again, still blushing. She glanced toward Leo, then jerked sharply away.

  Subtly, so subtly that Leo would have written it off as coincidence from anyone else, Cirilla shifted slightly to place herself between him and the woman. Leaning in slightly, she lifted Bailee’s chin with her thumb.

  “Well?” she asked playfully. “Am I wrong?”

  Given the redness of Bailee’s face, Leo did not think the young woman could blush any deeper. But she did, shaking her head slightly.

  “No, my lady,” she said. “You’re not.”

  “In fact,” Cirilla said, turning and wrapping an arm gently across Bailee’s shoulders. She gazed at Leo from alongside the woman. “The baron and I were just discussing how fun it might be to… indulge. What do you say?”

  Bailee stiffened. She glanced at Leo, then back at Cirilla. “M-my lady?” she stammered.

  “Nothing serious, of course,” Cirilla said. “Just practice, if you will.”

  “I—” Bailee began, then fell immediately silent. For several long seconds, she tried and failed to speak.

  “No?” Cirilla said, sounding disappointed. Withdrawing her arm from around the woman, she shrugged and returned to Leo’s side. “What a shame. Well, we’ll be in the kitchen for a bit if you change your mind.”

  Leo cocked his head and opened his mouth to speak, but a single, guarded look from Cirilla stopped him. Nodding dismissively in Bailee’s direction, he offered his arm to his betrothed and allowed her to steer him out of the lounge.

  Only once they were safely ensconced in the kitchen and out of earshot did he turn to her.

  “What was that?” he asked. “Another word or two and she would have agreed.”

  Scowling, Cirilla held a finger to her lips. “And she still will,” she whispered. “I give it three minutes before she joins us. Only this time, it will be her choice. You’d be surprised how eager young women—or men—can be when you make them think it’s their idea.”

  Folding his arms, Leo stared back at her. It wasn’t that he disagreed with anything Cirilla had said. He simply disliked the lecturing tone she’d used to say it. And so, he couldn’t help but cling to the slight feeling of vindication when his fiancée was proven wrong.

  It was not three minutes before Bailee joined them in the kitchen.

  It was two.

  ***

  Bailee was giggling by the time she reached Leo’s bedchamber, playfully fending off Cirilla’s attempts to strip her of her clothes along the way. Leo followed the women, grinning as he observed their antics. His indignation with his fiancée had been intense, but fleeting, and it certainly couldn’t stand up to the prospect of sharing a bed with the two women.

  He’d considered such diversions previously, of course, but circumstances had never made them practical. His months of virtual solitude with only Brigit and Delia for company would have been a prime opportunity, but the necessities of their small household had proven too much. Occupying the both of them for hours would have created such a backlog of chores that he simply couldn’t justify it.

  But now, with a full complement of servants, he could afford a bit of perverse indulgence.

  “My lady!” Bailee exclaimed, squirming in Cirilla’s arms. Her cheeks were flushed, a barely contained smile twitching the corners of her mouth. “How can you even—?”

  “Oh, don’t act like you’ve never thought about it,” Cirilla teased. Keeping her arms firmly locked around the maid from behind, she turned the two of them to regard Leo. “Just look at him. You know he’d agree to it.”

  “Well, yes, but…”

  “What am I agreeing to now?” Leo asked, shutting the chamber door. He eyed the two women with mock severity.

  “Nothing, dear,” Cirilla said quickly. Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she released her charge and began to undress. “We were simply discussing which of us would get you first.”

  “Oh, is that all?” Leo snorted.

  “Yes,” Cirilla said simply. Turning her back to him, she allowed her dress to fall in a puddle around her ankles. Then, with a sensuous roll of her hips, she added her undergarments to the pile. Still, she did not turn to look at him.

  Leo felt his body begin to respond and forced himself to keep from staring too directly. He glanced between Cirilla and Bailee, then quirked a brow.

/>   “And?” he asked. “What did you decide?”

  “I suppose you’ll have to wait and find out,” his fiancée purred. Stepping daintily behind the serving girl as if she was a folding screen, she tugged idly at the woman’s sleeves. “Don’t be shy. I can’t be the only one undressed; I’ll catch a chill.”

  Bailee stiffened suddenly, her eyes widening so dramatically that Leo thought she might flee. Then, with a muted laugh, the girl spun to avoid looking in Leo’s direction. Despite her embarrassment, she undressed nearly as quickly as Cirilla had. And soon, breast-to-breast, the two women scurried onto his bed.

  Leo undressed leisurely, enjoying the view as he made his way toward them. There was something intimately novel about seeing a woman naked for the first time. And, to his delight, he found the experience in no way changed by having a pair to inspect.

  Cirilla’s body was lean and pale, the very model of a young noblewoman. Her breasts were not overly large, though they proved plenty large enough for his gaze to momentarily catch on them. The small patch of hair at the apex of her thighs likewise caught his attention. It was dark, like the rest of her hair, but trimmed so short that it had not even begun to curl and so thin Leo could almost just make out the skin below.

  Bailee, on the other hand, could not have been more different. The maid’s body shared none of Cirilla’s leanness but more than made up for it with erotic curves. Her breasts were large, almost spilling over the hand she’d nervously used to cover them. She blushed beneath Leo’s inspection, practically burying her face against Cirilla’s shoulder.

  But then, in the first display of initiative she’d shown since her arrival, the maid rolled onto her back and fixed Leo with a shy, inviting smile. Her legs parted, offering him a glimpse of her damp, inviting sex.

  “Come, my lord,” Bailee said. “Won’t you join us?”

  Any reservations Leo might have held vanished in an instant. He climbed atop the bed without hesitation, crawling toward the women on all fours. His bandaged hand throbbed once, then fell silent in light of his growing arousal.