by K. Sterling
“On your back,” Alastair ordered and he quickly flipped over. Byron sat up and lapped and sucked at Alastair’s lips as he coated his length with lube then pressed the head of his cock against his entrance. He pushed past the tight ring and Byron moaned as his head fell back. Alastair slowly slid home and locked Byron’s ass against his groin. He rocked smoothly and Byron shuddered as he stretched around him.
“That’s so good,” he sighed as he fell back and lolled on the bed as Alastair filled him with deep, rolling thrusts. He heard the click of the lube bottle then yelped in surprise when Alastair’s slick hand tightened around his shaft, coating it in lube.
“It’s about to get so much better,” Alastair said then slowly eased out of Byron. He fell forward and attacked Byron’s lips as he readjusted their legs. Alastair guided the head of Byron’s erection to his hole then slowly sat back until he’d taken him deep into his tight heat.
“I think I can die now,” Byron sighed as pleasure and warmth spilled into his groin and pressure throbbed in his sack. “Well, in about three minutes,” he corrected. He was going to come harder than he’d ever come in his life, anything after that wouldn’t matter, really.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d wait,” Alastair murmured against his lips as he rode Byron slow and hard. Byron hummed as his hands gripped and glided down his back then tightened around his ass cheeks. The slick, tight heat of Alastair’s passage was intoxicating and Byron couldn’t stop panting his name as he bucked his hips in time with the slide of his body. Alastair sat up and planted his hand on the mattress behind him then swore as he ground his prostate against the base of Byron’s cock. Pre-cum drooled from the end of his shaft and Byron reached for it then pouted when Alastair pushed him back. He slid off Byron’s cock then shifted and scooted lower. Alastair parted Byron’s thighs then filled him in one quick, deep thrust.
“Lord!” Byron screamed as his back came off the bed. His toes curled and his heels dug into Alastair’s ass as he crushed his prostate, sending sparks of white heat down his limbs. “More!” He sobbed as he clawed at the sheets and Alastair nodded as he braced his hands on the bed outside his shoulders. Sweat dripped from his temple and Byron’s neck stretched and he collected it with the tip of his tongue then found Alastair’s ear. “I want you to come inside my ass and then feed it to me,” he whispered and he felt goosebumps spread across Alastair’s skin. I’m going to fucking love monogamy. That was the first time he could say those words to anyone. He’d never been with anyone long enough to consider it. Sadly, Alastair was already one of his longest and most successful relationships. He’d never connected with anyone the way he did with Alastair and he was too focused on getting to Bede to put in the time. He was going to have to learn to be a decent boyfriend.
“You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Alastair gasped before his lips covered Byron’s. Perhaps he was better at it than he thought. They were wild as they fought to get closer, deeper, harder. Alastair’s hips slammed against Byron’s ass, filling the air with sharp slaps as their skin became slick with heat and sweat.
“Alastair! Fuck!” Byron screamed as intense pressure pulsed in his ass and drove into the base of his cock as his nerves wound tight. His jaw fell as his eyes rolled and a long, loud moan poured from him as his body bucked and trembled.
“Sweet Christ!” Alastair swore then hissed as he thrust hard then jerked. Incredible heat flooded Byron’s core as come shot from the end of his shaft, hitting him on the stomach and neck. Alastair’s head tilted as he slowly pulled out and he clicked his teeth as he caught a ribbon of come as it dripped down Byron’s crack. He licked his finger clean and Byron gasped in protest as he rose on his elbows. Alastair shushed him as he swirled his finger around Byron’s hole then offered it. Byron opened his mouth obediently then hummed as he sucked.
“More,” he demanded. Alastair nodded as his fingers collected the cum from Byron’s chest. He pushed them into Byron’s mouth then groaned in approval as he licked them clean. Alastair sat back on his heels then gestured at his cock.
“Clean me off,” he said and Byron purred as he rolled onto his stomach and reached for him. His eyes clung to Alastair’s as he lapped at his length. He sucked and licked greedily and Alastair whispered his name tenderly as his hands swept through his hair. “Never leave me,” he begged and Byron shut his eyes as they stung with tears and elation burst within him. He rose on his knees and wound his arms around Alastair’s neck.
“I’ll never leave,” he promised. “You’ll have to have me thrown out and change the locks,” he added and Alastair laughed softly as his lips danced along his shoulder. Alastair thought he was kidding. After what he’d just done to Byron’s body… He bit his lip as he looked around the room. “Do you think anyone heard me? I was kind of loud,” he admitted and Alastair’s lips pursed as he shook his head.
“I don’t think anyone heard you,” he said as he brushed the hair out of Byron’s face. “Outside of London. I’m pretty sure the Prime Minister knows we’ve just got back from Pound Town,” he murmured and Byron almost gave himself whiplash.
“Did you just say ‘Pound Town’?” He asked and Alastair grinned.
“There was no way I was getting any work done while we were at Beldon and I wanted to find out what a Donkey Punch was. The Urban Dictionary is a very sordid and instructional thing,” he said and Byron couldn’t breathe.
“Oh, my God…” He waved his hand in front of his face as he gasped. “That’s… Oh, shit!” He crashed back on the bed and hugged his stomach as he howled. The idea of Alastair reading outrageously immature and indecent definitions of slang terms was almost as priceless as hearing him say ‘Pound Town’. “That’s so amazing,” he said as he wiped his eyes. “You’ll have to apologize to the Prime Minister,” he added and Alastair snorted as he got out of bed.
“We can add it to the list, I hate the bitch,” he said and Byron tilted his head in agreement.
“What were your thoughts on the donkey punching?” He asked as Alastair headed for the bathroom.
“Stop it.”
Chapter 36
“It’s not like you to be up before me,” Byron complained as his lips brushed against Alastair’s ear. His teeth nibbled before silken wet heat tugged at the lobe and Alastair tilted his head back and found his lips.
“Mrs. Canter had some papers for me to look over and I needed to sign something. I didn’t want to wake you,” he murmured as his lips brushed against Byron’s. “Would you like to join me for coffee or should we go back to bed?” He asked and Byron hummed thoughtfully.
“Why don’t we eat breakfast then stay in bed until really, really late in the day?” He offered and Alastair glared playfully.
“Sometimes, I get the feeling you’d have a hard time choosing between me and a jam sandwich,” he muttered and Byron pulled a face.
“That’s nonsense. What’s all this?” Byron asked as he flipped through the pages of a report and Alastair looked up from his efforts to distract Byron by sucking on his finger and sighed in defeat.
“The Trust sent that over, it’s their findings at Beldon. They’re not going to give me too much grief about it burning down because it was “obviously unsalvageable and dangerous” and I’ve promised to rebuild on the site,” he said then waved absently before turning his attention back to his newspaper. Byron nodded as he scanned then stopped. His eyes grew wider and wider as he read.
“Did you see this page about the water survey?” He asked and Alastair shook his head.
“I wasn’t really interested. Should I be?” He replied and a sharp burst of sound escaped Byron. He clapped his hand over his mouth as he nodded. He pushed the page across the table and Alastair’s brows pulled together as he reached for it. His eyes flicked from left to right rapidly before he gasped. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he whispered as he became paler.
“That’s a lot of lead,” Byron said gently and Alastair nodded.<
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“That much lead…” His voice was thin and gravelly. Byron reached for his hand and squeezed it.
“That much lead could have severe neurological and psychological side effects. It could cause violent, irrational behavior, hallucinations, anxiety, depression…” He said and Alastair fell back in his seat.
“All those servants who heard things and disappeared or killed themselves.” He shook his head slowly. “Beldon Hall did that to them,” he added and Byron nodded.
“It did things to you too. And your family! Don’t you get it? They weren’t cursed and there isn’t anything wrong with you. You’re not going to turn into another madman,” he said and Alastair blinked back at him. “You left when you were twelve and you didn’t go back. If you had, you would have gone mad and been just like them,” he explained and Alastair let out a long, slow breath.
“All those lives and all the people who suffered… Because of the fucking water,” he said. Another thought broke and joy and warmth burst within Alastair as he looked at Byron. He wasn’t cursed and he wasn’t going to go insane and ruin Byron’s life. “Marry me!” He said as he jumped to his feet and Byron’s eyes flared.
“Why? Because of the lead pipes at Beldon? How were there still lead pipes at Beldon?” He murmured as he looked back at the report and Alastair laughed as he took Byron’s chin and turned his eyes to his.
“I love you and I know I can make you happy,” he said and Byron’s lips parted on a soft gasp.
“I love you too but you can’t marry me,” he whispered as he cradled Alastair’s jaw and his brows fell as his head pulled back.
“Why can’t I marry you?” He asked and Byron gave him a pointed look.
“You’re Waldeford. You can’t marry a man,” he explained carefully and Alastair snorted as he pulled Byron close.
“I’m Waldeford, I’ll do whatever the fuck I please,” he stated and Byron blinked back at him. He made a pfffttt sound and waved it off. “Politicians and royals are allowed to be gay now. Luxembourg’s prime minister is married to a man and he’s more important than I am. Possibly,” he added and Byron nodded slowly.
“This is still England, though,” he argued and Alastair raised a brow.
“I think England and the people of Derbyshire will be relieved when they find out I’m gay. After my ancestors, they’ll be overjoyed. I’ll be the first Waldeford in memory who wasn’t a murderer, rapist, torturer, embezzler or complete lunatic. And being respectably gay is quite cosmopolitan at the moment, it’ll practically nullify the entire “Madmen of the Manor” legend,” he explained but Byron still looked dubious.
“Right but what about your title and your heir?” He argued and Alastair shook his head. All of this might have been avoided if he’d just told Byron how he really felt. Then again, he struggled with ‘long weekends and holidays’. He’d probably faint if he knew the legal war Alastair was about to wage against the Church of England so he could be married at St. George’s. He’d own the damn thing if they tried to fight him.
“They can’t take my title from me because I’m gay. But I wouldn’t care if they did. I love you. I want to have a life with you and I want us to have a family. I don’t care about my title or an heir, I just want to be with you. I think I might want to have a child but that has nothing to do with my title,” he said and tears flooded Byron’s eyes and spilled down his cheeks as he threw his arms around Alastair’s neck.
“Yes! I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he cried and Alastair laughed as he pushed his fingers through Byron’s hair and tilted his head back so he could find his eyes.
“I want to build a home for you. I’m going to have Beldon Hall completely torn down and turn the site into a lake. We can build a big, beautiful home on the other end of the estate and we can start over. We can make Waldeford stand for something good and happy, I can put all the madness and evil behind me,” he said and Byron laughed as he wiped the tears from his cheeks.
“I thought finding Bede’s journals was my dream but I found you,” he said as he pressed his lips to Alastair’s. He grinned as his hands slid around Byron’s body and curved around his ass.
“I’ve had so many dreams about you but reality is so much better,” he murmured and Byron sighed in delight then kissed Alastair senseless.
Chapter 37
Byron sent the email and his eyes stuck to the screen until they became dry and burned. He forced out a breath but he couldn’t feel his chest move or hear his heart beating. He looked at the journals in their new protective case one last time then closed it. After looking for them for so long, then having them to himself, it felt a bit like giving up a child. But excitement bubbled within him when he imagined all the people who would be able to see Bede’s words and learn from them.
“I swear to you, Byron, the next time they ask me to attend another one of these summits as a representative of Britain’s modern royalty, I’m starting a war. I’ll buy my own battleship, sail it down the Thames and I’ll fucking attack Buckingham,” he grumbled as he adjusted his tie then checked his watch. “Are your sure you don’t want to accompany me? I’ll get significantly fewer questions about the relevance of social media in our politics,” he said and Byron shook his head.
“It’s done. I just sent it and they’re picking up the journals soon,” he said as he looked up at Alastair and he crouched and gathered Byron’s hands in his.
“You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met and I’m so proud of you,” he said then kissed his hands. “How do you feel?” He asked as he reached for Byron’s face. He kissed Alastair’s palm then sighed as it curved around his cheek.
“It’s a little bittersweet. I can’t wait to share this with the world but I’ll miss having them to myself. And it’s all finally over,” he said and Alastair nodded.
“Have you thought about what you’d like to do next?” He asked and Byron gave him a hesitant look. It wasn’t going to get easier, so he decided to get it over with.
“I want to write about Belford Hall,” he said quickly and Alastair blinked rapidly before he stood. Byron rose and reached for his face as his eyes went to the window and became distant. He guided Alastair’s eyes back to his and waited for them to focus. “I want to flush out all the secrets and show the world it’s truly over, that Waldeford’s starting over. You deserve a fresh start and to be your own man, not the heir to that legacy,” he explained and Alastair looked a little dizzy as his eyes searched Byron’s.
“But my grandfather and the art,” he whispered shakily and Byron shushed him.
“What you’ve done to return that art and free Bede from Beldon and share him with the world is heroic and you deserve to get credit for that. I want to show how you’ve turned all this evil and these terrible tragedies into something good. I don’t want you to be the next Madman at the Manor. I want you to be the new Earl Waldeford and I want people to respect you for what that stands for now,” he insisted but Alastair looked uncertain.
“People will see “Nazi” and it’s just going to be another very large, very dark mark against me,” he argued and Byron shook his head.
“That’s why I want to go all the way back. I want to expose all of it, the entire history of Beldon, including Keller and the lead pipes. I want it to be about more than the earls. It should be about the house, the servants and the families of the earls as well,” he stated and the color left Alastair’s face.
“I can’t have what happened to me…” He said and Byron shook his head quickly.
“You were a victim but you left as a child and never went back,” he said firmly. “That’s all that needs to be said about your childhood at Beldon. I want that to be the end of your story with Beldon Hall until you saved the lost art, found Maggie Gilbert and rescued the journals from the fire,” Byron added and Alastair’s eyes narrowed.
“I don’t get credit for starting the fire?” He asked and Byron made a dism
issive gesture.
“That was already well under way when you raced in to save them,” he corrected and Alastair nodded slowly as he gathered Byron in his arms.
“And will this project take you many, many years and make you happy?” He asked and Byron laughed as he pressed his lips against Alastair’s. There was nothing Alastair wouldn’t allow and tolerate to make him happy.
“I think it will take a few years, actually,” he mused and Alastair growled softly as his lips glided along Byron’s jaw.
“Wonderful. I think you should start your research with the newest lord Waldeford,” he whispered against his ear and Byron shivered as he bit back a moan.
“Should I?” He panted and Alastair hummed. Byron grinned mischievously as his fingers trailed down Alastair’s back then traced the cleft of his ass through his trousers. He groaned and Byron felt the deep, lazy rumble roll through him, spilling heat in its wake. “I think I know him pretty well,” Byron teased as he bucked against the hard-on pressing against the front of Alastair’s pants. He cleared his throat as he licked his lips and Byron felt it against his neck and it made his knees wobble.
“He’s learned some new things,” Alastair breathed and Byron hummed in response.
“Has he?” He asked as he leaned against his chest.
“I was on Urban Dictionary and I thought we might try a few things,” he said and Byron’s head snapped back as he laughed.
“I can’t wait,” he said then sighed heavily. “Don’t you have a summit to go to?” He complained and Alastair shook his head.
“I think I’m going back to bed,” he declared as he tugged on Byron’s hand then towed him toward the bedroom door.
“But the summit!” Byron complained and Alastair shrugged.
“I’m Waldeford. And today I want to stay home and make love to my husband and celebrate the greatest achievement of his professional career,” he said imperiously and Byron’s chest swelled with pride and content and it didn’t have as much to do with finding the journals or finishing the translations as he expected.