by Merry Farmer
Lady Burbage blanched. “Plump and productive,” she snapped in return.
“I’m sure I’ll sail my way through such a condition with elegance and grace,” Lady Matilda replied, resting a hand on Alistair’s arm.
It was Alistair’s turn to blanch. His collar felt too tight and misery infused every cell of his body. He glanced around the ballroom for a way out.
“Such delightful conversation makes me almost sad I’ll be going away tomorrow,” Burbage said sarcastically.
Alistair focused on him with a frown. “You’re going away?” Would he take Joe away with him? Was that what Joe wanted to talk to him about?
“Just a short errand,” Burbage said. “There is a bit of delicate family business I need to take care of.”
“Ha! I knew it!” Alistair’s father bounded into the conversation before Alistair realized that he was close enough to hear what was being said at all. “I can just imagine what your family business is. Opium, no doubt.”
Alistair winced. At the same time, he wanted to shout in triumph. At last, he had an excuse to leave the ballroom. “Father, are you certain you’re feeling quite well?” He shook Lady Matilda’s arm out of his and moved to rest a hand on his father’s back.
“Where are you hiding your sins, Burbage?” Alistair’s father demanded. “Your family’s shame will be brought into the light, I swear it.”
“That’s quite enough of that, Albert.” Alistair’s mother swept up to join them. Darren wasn’t far behind.
“Please excuse us,” Alistair said, certain his face was bright red. “Excuse us,” he repeated to Lady Matilda.
It was an embarrassment and a blessing to usher his father out of the crowded room and away from the stares of the ball’s attendees. Having his mother and brother there to deflect some of the attention helped, but it wasn’t until they were across the hall, working to convince his father to settle quietly into a parlor in a quiet corner, that Alistair began to feel relief.
That small bit of relief blossomed into an entirely different sort of nervousness when Joe unexpectedly walked into the parlor as they were trying to convince Alistair’s father to sit and asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
The undeniable sense that everything would be all right filled Alistair. He stood a bit straighter and said, “Father, you remember Mr. Logan from last month, don’t you?”
His father instantly stopped fussing and narrowed his eyes at Joe as if trying to remember him. “Oh, yes. The valet.”
Darren and Alistair’s mother turned to study Joe curiously. Joe nodded to each of them with the deference that was reasonable for his position and stepped cautiously closer.
“What seems to be the problem this evening, my lord?” he asked Alistair’s father, crouching beside the sofa where he sat and speaking to him from a lower level.
Alistair’s heart caught in his throat at the bold tactic Joe was using to address his father. He stole a glance at his brother and mother to see what they thought of it. The two of them stared on with interest and surprise.
“It’s these blackguard Eccleses,” his father growled. “They preen and pose, but all the while, we know they are as black-hearted as the devil.”
“Father, you cannot say such things,” Darren sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.
But Joe said, “Yes, it truly is unjust, isn’t it?” He reached for Alistair’s father’s hand, and surprisingly, his father let him take it.
“There is too much injustice in this world,” his father said. “We must work harder to fight it.”
“And we will, my lord,” Joe said with a nod, clasping both of his hands around the frail one he held. “We will fight whomever we must to make this world a safer place for those who are persecuted.”
“Yes, yes.”
Alistair’s pulse raced as his father’s shoulders dropped and the tension he’d been carrying all evening left him. Joe had such a remarkable manner and such a strong effect that Alistair’s affection grew to the point where he was suddenly terrified he wouldn’t be able to hide it. He turned away, searching the room for any sort of excuse not to look at Joe.
“Now, my lord,” Joe went on. “Would you really like to stay here, dancing the night away with London’s finest, or would you rather rest, safe and secure, in the comfort of your own home?”
“We don’t have to stay here,” Darren quickly backed up Joe’s question.
“I’ve had my dance,” his mother said with a sigh. “I’ve no deep desire to stay.”
“Then let’s go home,” Darren concluded, appealing to their father.
Alistair’s nerves tightened again, and he turned from where he’d gone to study the clock on the mantel back to Joe. Joe sent him only the briefest of looks before focusing on his father again.
“What do you say, my lord? Bed, and perhaps a hot chocolate, or dancing until dawn?” he asked.
Alistair’s father huffed out a breath. “I’ve never been one to stay up ’til dawn. And I do like hot chocolate.”
“It’s settled, then.” Joe smiled his endearing smile that made Alistair want to run to the ends of the earth for him, patted his father’s hand one last time, then stood. “If you’d like, I can ask Mr. Vine to have your carriage brought around.”
“That would be lovely, young man,” Alistair’s mother answered with a genuinely grateful smile. When Joe started forward, she stopped him with a hand to his arm. “And thank you ever so much.”
Joe smiled and nodded to her, then left the room. Alistair followed him with his eyes, his gaze lingering on the empty doorway when he turned the corner. Lady Matilda be damned. He knew whom he wanted to face the slings and arrows of life with.
“What a charming young man,” his mother said, smiling for the first time that evening.
“A capital fellow,” his father agreed, attempting to stand.
Alistair rushed over to his side to help him as Darren did the same.
“He’s the valet who helped Father last month?” Darren asked.
“He is,” Alistair answered, too afraid that his emotions were written in bold on his face to meet his brother’s eyes.
They escorted their father to the hall, then waited while their coats were fetched.
“I think I’ll stay behind,” Alistair said, near panicking at the thought of missing out on an opportunity to spend more time with Joe. When his brother glanced questioningly at him, Alistair went on with, “Lady Matilda would have my head if I abandoned her to face the ball on her own.”
Understanding and mischief dawned on both Darren and his mother’s faces.
“Of course, son,” his mother said, stepping over to kiss his cheek. “You go court your beauty, and the rest of us will wait eagerly for happy news.”
It was all Alistair could do to keep his smile from giving away his true excitement as he watched his family prepare to leave. That was made even harder when Joe was the one to bring them their coats. He didn’t bring Alistair’s coat, and considering he hadn’t been there for the discussion about staying for Lady Matilda’s sake, Alistair dreaded the moment someone would put the pieces together and figure everything out.
“Thank you once again, Mr. Logan,” Darren nodded to Joe as he prepared to escort his father down the stairs. “If you ever find yourself in need of employment….” He left the offer hanging.
Prickles raced down Alistair’s back at the thought. Employment. As a valet. A man with constant, intimate access to his employer. His pulse raced so fast it made him dizzy.
As soon as his family exited into the night, Alistair felt the brush of Joe’s hand against his.
“Come with me,” Joe whispered. “I know where we won’t be disturbed.”
Those words turned Alistair’s dizziness into fervent expectation. Without a word, he turned and marched down the hall with Joe. There was no possible excuse that he could think of for a viscount like him to be following a valet deeper into another family’s house, but he walked with bo
ld steps, his head held high, as though he were on a mission of great importance. Blessedly, after turning a few corners, they were in a part of the house unoccupied by guests, or anyone else, for that matter. The entire wing where Joe led him was silent, as everyone in the household was needed or expected elsewhere.
“I’m not sure who knows about this room,” Joe said, slightly louder and much faster, as he turned the handle on a small, unremarkable door at the end of a long hallway. “I’m not even sure they use it.”
He took Alistair’s hand and pulled him through the doorway into what appeared to be a small, cramped study. The curtains on the two windows at one end of the room were open enough to let in just enough moonlight for Alistair to see Joe, but not many details of the room. It had a desk, bookshelves, and a small, leather sofa, like any other study. The embers in the fireplace were banked, proving that the room was used, but that was all Alistair could see and all he had time for before Joe surged into him.
Alistair’s back thumped against the closed door as Joe pressed his body against him, slanting his mouth over his. Alistair groaned with sheer joy at kissing Joe at last, deepening their kiss and sliding his tongue along Joe’s. He’d wanted to entwine with Joe that way so badly for so long that finally getting what he wanted had him trembling with need in no time.
“Burbage is going away,” Joe panted between kisses, working open the buttons of Alistair’s jacket and waistcoat as he did.
“Then we should make the most of this moment,” Alistair said, fumbling with Joe’s buttons as well. He was far clumsier than Joe was and ended up abandoning the complicated task to slide his hand down. He cupped Joe’s erection through his trousers, going hard himself.
Joe let out a rough sound of approval and ground against Alistair’s hand, then managed to say, “You don’t understand. He’s not taking me with him. I’ll have a week off.”
Alistair sucked in a breath as though Joe’s words were a caress and sought out his lips again. Every shred of caution he’d been clinging to vanished as he kissed Joe, exploring him fully and passionately. Joe finished with his buttons and pushed and tugged at Alistair’s jacket. Alistair pivoted away from the wall, shrugging out of his jacket while also making another attempt at Joe’s buttons. There were too damn many buttons in the world.
They stumbled a few steps across the room toward the sofa, pulling at each other’s clothes and doing an awkward job of exposing each other’s skin. Somehow, Alistair ended up stripped from the waist up while managing to unfasten Joe’s trousers to free his prick. Sliding his hands around Joe’s thick, hard cock, feeling its heat, had him dangerously close to coming. But he adored every second of it. His body throbbed with need that he’d denied himself for too long.
When they reached the sofa, breathless, kissing and groping without any art or focus, Joe suddenly took charge. He twisted Alistair in his arms, tipping him off his feet so that he landed splayed on his back across the sofa. Alistair drank in the sight of Joe tugging off his shirt in the moonlight, the strong, firm lines of his bare torso with his prick standing up over the sagging waist of his trousers, before he rushed forward. Joe made quick work unfastening Alistair’s trousers, tugging them down to his thighs in a gesture that was so demanding and possessive that Alistair had to grip whatever parts of the sofa he could to keep himself from bucking off.
He barely had time to think before Joe grasped his cock, stroking it a few times before bending down to close his mouth around it. Alistair let out a long, low moan of pleasure, instinctively flexing his hips to drive himself deeper into the hot wetness of Joe’s mouth. His split-second of worry that he’d gone too far melted as Joe let out the most sensual sound of enjoyment Alistair had ever heard. He threw his head back and added pleasured sounds of his own to the song.
Joe knew exactly what he was doing. He bore down on Alistair, sucking and stroking with his tongue, before moving in a hard, steady rhythm that had Alistair breaking out in a sweat. The pleasure was so acute that Alistair shot straight to the edge in no time, spending himself in Joe’s mouth with a sharp curse of surprise. For a moment, he was suspended in the all-encompassing pleasure of an orgasm that shook his whole body.
All too quickly, that pleasure turned to guilt.
“Sorry,” he panted. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Joe asked, still panting and aroused, as he slid his way up Alistair’s overheated body, kissing as many spots as he could as he went. When he reached Alistair’s shoulder, neck, and jaw, he ground his still iron-hard cock against Alistair’s softening one.
“I should have held out longer,” Alistair said, turning his head so he could kiss Joe. The heady musk of his taste sent shivers of renewed arousal through him.
“I’m certain I can make you come again before the night is through,” Joe hummed in a saucy voice.
A thrill of lust and affection shot through Alistair, and he put his full energy into kissing Joe, already certain Joe would be able to make good on his promise. That certainty doubled as Joe’s sensual grinding turned into deliberate thrusts against him. The heat of Joe’s cock throbbing against his belly as he sought his own orgasm had Alistair panting with arousal. He wished to God his trousers weren’t around his thighs so that he could spread his legs and offer Joe a far more enticing part of him to fuck. He settled for gripping Joe’s backside and teasing the pucker of his ass with his fingers.
It was enough to send Joe into a powerful orgasm. Alistair sucked in a breath as warm wetness spilled across his stomach. He’d done that. He’d caused the gorgeous, kind, wonderful man in his arms to come, and the sensation of the evidence of that across his skin was glorious. As glorious as the way Joe collapsed above him, letting out a sound of satisfaction as the urgency of the moment turned into a tender embrace. The world may have been a mess around him, but he’d brought satisfaction to the man he loved. Nothing else mattered.
Chapter 11
Joe had no idea of how the mechanics of the situation could possibly work out, but as the potent rush of lovemaking began to fade into the afterglow, he and Alistair managed to entwine in each other’s arms on the impossibly small sofa. Their position was awkward and cramped, but at least he still had his arms around the man he’d just shared a life-changing experience with. Their damp bodies were plastered together, and their faces were mere inches apart as they struggled to catch their breaths.
“That was everything I hoped it would be and more,” he finally managed to say, threading his fingers through Alistair’s hair. “And I want more.”
“As do I,” Alistair said, still breathing heavily. His hands brushed Joe’s sides and back before caressing his backside. The simple touch was magical. “So much more.”
“When?” Joe asked, propping himself above Alistair so he could study his handsome, sated expression in the dim moonlight. “Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there.”
“I would say tonight, if I thought we could get away with it.” Alistair reached up to caress the side of Joe’s face. “But we both know that’s impractical.”
“Everything about us is impractical,” Joe laughed. He couldn’t have wiped the grin off his face if he’d tried.
“Impractical, but so perfect,” Alistair said with a tender sigh. “I need you in my life, Joe. All of my life. The rest of my life. I can’t imagine going on through this mad existence without you.”
His words felt like stardust poured into Joe’s heart, radiating heat and perfection through his entire body. “I don’t want to go on without you either,” he said, sentiment thick in his voice.
He lowered himself to kiss Alistair tenderly, with all the passion that coursed through him. But it was different from the passion of lust, from every other encounter, no matter how satisfying, he’d ever had in his life. He wanted to be with Alistair, to share his life, his troubles and his joys. Yes, he wanted to make love with him in every conceivable way, until they were both silly with satisfaction, but it was more than just that. He want
ed to be able to call Alistair his and for Alistair to do the same with him.
Their kiss quickly heated as their tongues danced together and their lips explored one another. Alistair’s prick began to stiffen again between the two of them, which caused a matching reaction in Joe. He wanted nothing more than to grind against Alistair, to join with him in earnest and come inside of him, but they weren’t prepared for any of that. And a dusty office in the house of his employer was not the right scene for fucking all night long.
“A hotel,” Alistair panted, caressing Joe’s face with both hands and gazing deep into his eyes. “What we need is to check into a hotel.”
“Yes,” Joe agreed, victory surging through him. “Just tell me where and when.”
“This week,” Alistair went on, surging up to steal light kisses from Joe’s lips as he spoke. “I’ll book us a room at a discreet hotel somewhere here in London, where no one will question us. As soon as I’ve made the reservation, I’ll send you what you need to know. I’ll make it for tomorrow.”
“That’s hardly soon enough,” Joe teased, jerking his hips against Alistair’s. “Would that it could be tonight.”
“Would that it could be every night.” Alistair responded with fervent movements of his own, increasing the heat between them as they both hardened further.
Joe groaned in agreement and captured Alistair’s mouth in a searing kiss. There might be time yet. They could get each other off once more before he had to return to his duties and Alistair needed to go home.
“I had a thought,” Alistair said, his breathing growing shallow as his hands roved Joe’s body once more. “There is a way we could be together without anyone questioning it.”
“God, that would be wonderful.” Joe shifted to kiss his jaw and nibble on his neck. How dangerous would it be for him to leave a mark there?
“My brother gave me the idea, actually,” Alistair went on, squeezing Joe’s backside. “I could hire—”
