by Clare London
“It’s Joel’s—Starsmith’s company now,” Matt said quickly. “And we couldn’t afford you at the time. But… thanks for the compliment.”
“Now come and see what we’re doing with your latest project!”
The stock of prototypes was on a side counter, a collection of elegantly shaped containers with snug lids and handles on the sides, adorned with intertwined leaves. Even the smallest one looked imperial enough to be carried in by handmaidens to a royal banquet. Matt was thrilled at how the ancient original had been updated to a modern treasure. So far, the surfaces were undecorated. A pile of slim gold plates lay by the side. When Matt looked more carefully, he saw they were crown-shaped templates, though the edges were still rough, and the leaf details hadn’t been engraved. The crowns all had two shallow dips at the base of their spokes for the diamonds to be inset, which was the latest design plan. Plain zirconia gems would be used for these samples, of course, at this stage.
He felt an astonishing swell of pride at seeing his design take shape.
“We’re all excited by the project, boy,” Lloyd said by his side. “The crown’s a beautiful shape, yet simplistic enough that we can incorporate it on the smallest item. We’ll set molds for the rest of the sizes, and then attach each crown shape to the finished pots. We’ll probably have a set of samples to you by the end of the week. I’ve never seen this specific coronet and leaf combination in all my years on royal commissions. Well done for pushing the envelope on that.”
“May I…?” At Lloyd’s nod, Matt picked up one of the larger pots. It was smooth against his palm. Without thinking, he slipped a finger over the lip.
“Matt?” Joel sounded amused. “Looks like you’re searching for something.”
Matt shrugged. “Just feeling around.”
But when he put the pot back down and Lloyd turned aside to answer a question from another worker, Joel was still staring at him, his brow puckered. His voice dropped so only Matt would hear. “Was there something inside yours? The one you found at the site?”
Matt didn’t answer for a moment. What the hell was he doing? He’d forgotten exactly where he was. He’d reached inside instinctively, just like he’d done when he found that stash at the farm. And found—well, that was something he’d tell Joel eventually. Just… “Not here. Not now.”
Joel was a consummate professional. He wasn’t here today to argue with anyone. Instead he gestured over to the far corner of the room. “And that’s where they’re working on the rings.”
Matt almost ran. This was the part that entranced him, the craftsman’s individual work on a unique item. The fire was hotter over here, and there was a gentle roar and crackle in the air from the flames. One of Lloyd’s colleagues worked at a bench with a nugget of gold. He heated it until it was red and malleable, then gripped it in the vise.
“The metal’s relaxed by the heat now,” Lloyd explained, having joined them there. Matt knew the principles but deferred to the older man’s expert knowledge. “Brendan will cut it to the height of the stones.”
The young man with a heat-flushed face concentrated on the metal with fierce intensity. Matt wondered if he was even aware of their presence behind him, watching him work. He used a small hacksaw with precision, cutting the metal into a band suitable for a ring. Then he gripped it with a clamp and twisted it into the familiar rounded shape. At the front of the ring, where the two sides met, the cut had cleverly left the appropriate space for the pair of diamonds to be eventually seated.
“We’ll engrave the leaf motif on either side of the stones,” Lloyd continued. He looked and sounded very proud of the work. “Solder it all up, smooth off the edges. Polish it to within an inch of its life.” He chuckled.
“Beautiful,” Matt said with awe. “Even before the addition of gems.” He glanced across at Joel, and found Joel looking steadily back. Joel’s eyes were startlingly bright, beyond the reflection from the oven, and his chest moved with rapid breaths. As Matt stared, Joel’s tongue slipped out and moistened his lips.
Beautiful. Matt seemed to be stuck on the word.
Joel cleared his throat and broke his gaze. “Keep me posted,” he said to Lloyd with an encouraging smile. “I hope to visit the palace next week with a progress report.”
MATT followed Joel out onto the London street, half-reluctant to leave the sight of his design coming to life but half-impatient to spend more time alone with Joel. The late-afternoon sky was a smoky gray. The streetlights were starting to come on, brightening London’s shopping district in readiness for the night, and although the traffic still buzzed and clattered in the background, a lot of the human noise had eased. Many shoppers and workers were on their way home.
“You want to grab an early dinner?” Joel asked. Matt felt Joel’s hand brush his as they strolled along the pavement. “It’s not worth going back into the office tonight.”
Matt laughed. “Who are you, and what have you done with Mr. Joel Workaholic Sterling?”
“I said I could take time off, if and when I wanted.”
“When someone makes it worth your while maybe?”
Joel paused. “I didn’t mean to imply…. God. Matt.”
Matt paused too. He knew exactly what Joel meant with those short, single words. The depth of feeling ran through him, a flood of sensation. Without second-guessing himself, he took Joel’s hand in a firmer grasp. “I want you. Now.”
Joel sucked in a breath. His cheeks were slightly flushed. “But… dinner?”
“To hell with the food,” Matt bit out. His thumb rested on Joel’s wrist, and he could feel the pulse throbbing faster than before. From the heated look in Joel’s eyes, Matt expected to be tumbled into a nearby hotel room and fucked within an inch of his life. He wouldn’t complain.
Then his stomach rumbled.
“Damn.”
Joel laughed. “There’s an Italian restaurant nearby I like. They’ll do an early supper.” But he didn’t move straightaway. In fact, he seemed unusually uncertain. “Then, after dinner… well, I wondered if you’d….”
Joel was really struggling to express himself. Matt was amused, but he didn’t want Joel to think he was laughing at Joel’s expense. And actually, his own breath was in short supply—his heart was thumping fit to burst out of his chest, and his skin had flushed with goose bumps at the mere words after dinner. “Just say it, Joel.”
“Yes. You’re right.” Joel drew a breath and spoke more smoothly though discreetly, considering they were in full public view. “I’d like you to come back to my flat tonight. I want to get to know you better, outside work. And I want to fuck you. But in bed, properly this time. Very properly and very thoroughly, with plenty of time to spend on that fine body of yours. On that fine cock of yours.”
The sudden heat swamped Matt from head to toe. “Wow. When you say it, you say it.”
“Forgive me if I took some time to phrase it clearly enough,” Joel said very precisely. His eyes twinkled. “I’m a little too used to keeping things on an even keel at work.”
Something made Matt think Joel was used to that outside of work too. But he wasn’t going to call him on it.
“And I wasn’t sure…,” Joel continued.
“About?”
“Whether you thought the other Sunday at the farm was a one-off. A moment’s madness, maybe? A mistake.”
“Jesus. No!” Matt realized his voice had been too loud when a within-earshot courier faltered on his way up the steps of a nearby building. Matt turned so his back was to the road, to shelter their conversation a little better. “Or I wouldn’t have done it.”
Joel’s smile broadened. “You really are that honest.”
“Yeah. You should try it sometime.”
Joel snorted, unoffended. “I think I just have, haven’t I?”
“Yes,” Matt said with a grin that he suspected looked more like a leer. “Yes, you have.”
Chapter Seventeen
JOEL’S flat was on the fourth floor of a
n elegant block in Kensington, with a porter on the front desk and full security on all floors. Pity, Matt thought, because he would have jumped Joel right there in the lift if he could have done it without the CCTV’s eye on them. As it was, he felt as shifty as an unwelcome double-glazing salesman as Joel breezed through the building ahead of him. There was no sign of anyone else in the building, which Matt found a little creepy. He was used to his dad chatting and shambling around in their shared, small house, while traffic rumbled past outside. Or the noise of animals and the family bustle at the farm when he stayed with Gary and Caro. Here, even his footsteps in the hallway were muted in the thick carpet.
The flat itself took his breath away. It was magnificent, so unlike Dad’s cottage that he felt he’d stepped into another world. In the living area, the main feature was a floor-to-ceiling picture window, like he’d only ever seen in TV series, looking out over Kensington, an unusually leafy borough of London. Discreet lighting in the ceiling cast illumination on that side of the room, highlighting the view. Around him, the furniture was obviously expensive, upholstered in pale wood and leather, the walls painted in similarly soothing colors. Through one half-opened door on the other side of the room, Matt saw a very modern kitchen. And he assumed the other two closed doors must lead to the bedroom and bathroom.
“Matt?” Joel looked uncertain. “Do you want a drink?” He had two glasses and a bottle of water in his hand. It was an expensive brand. Matt would have been happy with tap water. “Or another beer?”
Matt shook his head. He was acclimatizing to being in penthouse heaven, and it had temporarily robbed him of speech. But when Joel put the water down on a low table by the huge sofa, Matt stalked over to him.
“If you want anything else—”
Matt kissed him into silence. Hard. When they broke for air, Joel’s pupils were blown and his chest heaved as he tried for deeper breaths. “Just letting you know what I do want,” Matt said, dipping his mouth close to Joel’s ear. The shiver that ran down Joel’s body was very gratifying. When Matt nudged Joel toward the closed doors, Joel stumbled back quickly, willingly, taking the path to what was obviously his bedroom. Matt didn’t let him grab the handle at first. He pushed Joel against the frame and kissed him again, holding him there until they were both breathless.
“Are we going in?” Joel asked at length, a thread of amusement in his shaky voice. One hand gripped Matt’s bicep, the other slipped to the back of Matt’s neck. “Else I’m going to drop to my knees right here and blow you until your eyes roll up into your head.”
Matt’s gut lurched with excitement. Oh God, did that sound good! But on a bed? Would be even better. He fumbled behind Joel’s body and opened the door. They tottered backward, kissing again, panting with anticipation. And then Matt caught a proper sight of the bedroom beyond and burst out laughing.
“What?” Joel gasped.
“What a bloody mess! Thank God.” The bed wasn’t properly made, a couple of half-empty coffee mugs perched on the bedside table, and clothes had been thrown over the back of the chair by the window. And the cool, almost clinical decoration didn’t extend to Joel’s private room. There were London photo scenes and old movie posters on the wall, display cases with models of aircraft and classic cars, and piles and piles of books, both on shelves and stacked on the floor. From a brief glimpse, Matt recognized every kind of design book, plus many on jewelry collections from around the world. Oh, and more than a few trashy thrillers too.
“What do you mean, thank God?” Joel sounded defensive.
“I thought you’d just borrowed this show flat for the night. This shambles shows you’re as mortal—and as messy—as the rest of us poor humans.”
Joel opened his mouth to protest, his cheeks pinked, but Matt dove in for another kiss. This time his forcefulness landed them on Joel’s bed, on top of the covers, dislodging two of the pillows. Matt struggled to undo Joel’s work shirt, while Joel shoved Matt’s shirt up over his head.
The kissing was much slower this time, deeper and richer. Matt still felt the burning need to get closer to Joel, to get him naked, to press against and into him. But now the feeling was layered with so much more. They wriggled awkwardly to shed the rest of their clothes until they were both naked.
Matt lay back on the shockingly comfortable mattress, trying to gather himself, trying not to rush, when everything in him ached to hold Joel, to get them both off again. Joel knelt up, resting back on his heels, and gazed down at him.
The look in Joel’s eyes was predatory, and Matt’s cock twitched, liking it a lot. He cleared his throat. “What you were saying. About blowing me?”
He’d never seen that look of pure devilment on Joel’s face. Joel raised his eyebrows, bent at the waist so his head was over Matt’s groin, and took Matt’s cock into his mouth.
“Oh my God.” Matt gripped the sheet underneath him like it was his only anchor to the planet. Joel’s fingers curled around the base of his cock, holding it steady, teasing it to full hardness, while his mouth…. God, his mouth devoured Matt, his tongue lapping around the crown, his lips fastening tight as he moved up and down. Matt landed a hand on Joel’s shoulder, as further anchorage, though also to feel the flex of muscle under Joel’s smooth skin. “Please,” Matt gasped, not caring he was shamelessly pleading. “Yes!”
Joel hummed quietly, his tongue vibrating against Matt’s length, his free hand sliding under Matt’s balls to caress the skin behind. His cheek brushed Matt’s thigh, a slight scrape on the flesh from his evening stubble.
“Joel. Shit. Joel?” Matt was going to come, and soon.
Joel said something, but it was muffled. At the same time, he slid his middle finger farther back and nudged at Matt’s hole. That was all it took for Matt to come with a loud, shocked, joyous cry, his dick jerking and spilling into Joel’s mouth. He shuddered a couple of times, then stilled, flattening himself on the wonderful mattress. His head was spinning, his skin hot and oversensitive.
Joel slid his mouth away and kneeled up again. This time he looked shaky. He grasped his cock, the strokes much more decisive now. Matt watched, passive beneath him yet urging him on with words alone.
“Do it, Joel. Come on. Your turn—”
Joel came with a cry of his own, his head dropping back, the muscles in his arm in sudden, sharp relief as he gripped himself one more time, and come spat stickily over his fist.
WITH the edge taken off their excitement, they sat quietly together on the bed, propped up against the plush headboard. Joel fetched the water he’d offered previously and a grocery bag full of fruit from the kitchen for them to snack on. It looked like he’d just done his shopping for the week. It was another charming domestic touch that reassured Matt he hadn’t been fucked by a total control freak. They didn’t dress but pulled the top sheet over themselves to keep warm. Matt knew what he’d prefer as a way of keeping warm, and the sly glances he caught from Joel suggested Joel felt the same. The sexual tension between them—even if they weren’t ready to go again yet—was still thrumming through his veins.
“Will you stay over?” Joel asked softly.
Matt would have made a joke—“just see if you can get me to leave this bloody luxury bed!”—but Joel looked unusually nervous. “I’d love to.”
Joel shifted. Was there another problem? “I haven’t had anyone stay over for a long time.”
Matt wasn’t sure what to say. He was flattered, also excited. Maybe a little scared, though Joel didn’t frighten him as a man. It was the disturbing sentiment, that was all.
“It’s okay by me. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
Joel smiled very slightly, as if secretly amused at that. Matt shrewdly guessed Joel wasn’t often comfortable. There was something about his tight control, his professional, restrained façade. And yet that made his surrender to sexual satisfaction all the more thrilling. “You don’t have any personal photos in the flat?” Matt made small talk—anything to help Joel relax more. “You know,
holidays, or evenings out, or family events.”
The sudden stillness made him realize he’d taken a wrong step.
“My family…,” Joel began, haltingly.
“God, you don’t owe me any explanation,” Matt hurried to reassure him.
“No. It’s fair. And I want to tell you. We met because of family, right? Because Starsmith bought your dad’s business. And that’s the only family I’ve had for a long time… Starsmith and my job.” Joel’s voice had changed; the tone was flatter. “Actually, I said something to Caro at the farm about my past, but I don’t know if she told you.”
“She doesn’t gossip,” Matt said quickly.
“I didn’t mean that.” Joel gave a tired smile. “I’ve never told anyone before except Teresa, but it was a relief. They’re in prison for fraud, you see. It’s not something I boast about. I haven’t seen them for years, not since they were arrested. They got the maximum sentence.”
“Shit.” Matt acted instinctively. He reached for Joel and pulled him into his arms. The bag of fruit rolled slowly off the bed and landed on the carpet with a thump. Joel gave a soft sigh and rolled tight against Matt. Their kiss was heartfelt but not as passionate as before, not as needy, yet it felt more intimate. When they broke for air, they stayed lying in the bed, on their sides, face-to-face. Matt ran a gentle fingertip over Joel’s mouth, tracing the damp lips, then yawned quietly.
“You want to sleep?” Joel asked with a slow smile.
“I want more of you,” Matt said. “But….” He yawned again, more loudly this time, and slapped a hand over his mouth. “I’m sorry! Don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“It’s all of this,” Joel said softly.
“The sex? I’ll have to go into training.” Matt was ready to make a joke of it, especially to cheer up Joel after his revelation.
But Joel’s answer wasn’t what Matt expected. “I mean this. Us. It’s special for me.” He sounded half-surprised, half-defensive. “I don’t know how. I don’t know why. But I’ve never felt like this with someone before, and it’s… it’s unbalanced me. Maybe it has you too.”
