Annoyance shot through Benedict, bringing the feeling back to his fingers as he imagined pummeling this faceless intruder into a bloody pulp. With the way he’d been feeling lately, he would relish such a task.
“I see. You are dismissed. I will handle this myself.” It wasn’t until he was halfway to the door that he had a sudden thought and paused, looking back at the butler—who remained where Benedict had left him. “Who did you say the gentleman was?”
“I didn’t, sir, I apologize. It is His Lordship, the Earl of Vautrey.”
All the heat of his fury melted away, to be replaced by a stunned iciness that seized him from the inside out. For about half a minute Benedict could not breathe, could hardly see as the world around him tilted and spun far too fast. He shook his head and took a breath, certain he hadn’t heard the butler correctly. But the man had followed Benedict’s order to make himself scarce, and couldn’t be asked to repeat the name.
His ears rang as he turned back to the door, then began to roar with the pounding of his own blood, rushing hot and fast through his veins. He oughtn’t be surprised; Vautrey had been made an earl by his father’s death, which meant he wouldn’t have been able to go on hiding in Kent forever. His parliamentary duties and social obligations would demand he return to London at some point. And because Benedict preferred London, it stood to reason they would have to come face to face eventually. He had hoped that by the time they came to this, his fury over the other man’s betrayal would have diminished. Benedict took his time entering the room, certain he would be tempted to rearrange the structure of Vautrey’s face on first sight.
As it happened, the earl’s face wasn’t the first thing Benedict encountered. It was his back, encased in a black coat, and a head full of thick, shiny brown hair. He stood staring out a window at the moonlit walkway leading to the courtyard off the back of the house. There wasn’t much of interest out there, yet the man took his time turning to face him.
Time had done very little to change him, and when Benedict first caught sight of his face he lost the urge to bash it with his fists. Because that face reminded him of the boy who had befriended him at Eton. The boy who had dragged him off the lads he’d pounded into the dirt for calling him foul, hurtful names. The boy whose friendship had made him feel a little less alone in a world where it seemed no one else was like him. As it had turned out, there were many others like him, and Lord Alexander Osborn, Earl of Vautrey had opened his eyes to that fact.
Then, he’d gutted Benedict and left him to die. Metaphorically, of course.
“Hello, Ben,” he said, voice low but clear and firm. No hesitation, no uncertainty … just Alex as Benedict had always known him—sure of himself and filling the room with an undeniable presence.
The door rattled in the frame when Benedict slammed it. He kept the entire length of the room between them, knowing he could not be trusted to hold on to his self-control otherwise. The firelight cast its glow over Alexander from the hearth, illuminating patrician features and dark brows that shadowed his eyes.
“What … the bloody fuck … are you doing here?” The words came out clipped, between harsh breaths as he struggled to contain the overflow of emotion welling up from his middle. Rage, fury, sadness, confusion and pain. It was a toxic combination, poisoning him, killing him by degrees.
Alexander moved away from the window at a sedate walk, his fingers running along the surface of Benedict’s desk as he took in his surroundings with a curious eye. The man stood an inch taller than Ben, making him a veritable giant, but Benedict outweighed him by a stone and a half, carrying more bulk across his shoulders and chest. He dressed like a fashion plate and never had a hair out of place, but no one would call Alex a fop—at least, not to his face.
He paused, rhythmically rapping his knuckles against the edge of Ben’s desk and staring down at his polished boots. “I should think that was obvious. Surely you’ve heard the news. Katherine, she … died.”
A muscle in Benedict’s cheek jerked in reaction to that statement, and the urge to tear the room down around them surged within in once again. “So I have heard. You have my most sincere condolences, though I fail to understand why her death would bring you to my doorstep.”
A small smile curved the corner of Alex’s lips, making a dimple appear in his cheek. “Oh, Ben … you were never any good at hiding your emotions.”
“I’ve changed. You’d know that if you hadn’t run off to Kent with your blushing bride.”
“Ben—”
“What did you expect?” Benedict snapped. “That I would have spent the past three years sobbing into my brandy and wishing to have back what was lost?”
“Of course not.”
“Then you hoped to be welcomed back into my life as if you didn’t betray me?”
“That isn’t it, either.”
Benedict hadn’t realized he had begun closing the distance between them, until he was close enough to reach out and touch Alex—which he did. His arm shot out, one fist closing around the lapel of the other man’s coat. Alex stumbled, but righted himself and did nothing to be free of Ben’s grasp. He merely stared at Benedict with mournful eyes the color of cognac and sighed.
“I knew you wouldn’t have forgiven me, but I had hoped we might talk. You don’t even have to listen to me. You can berate me and call me every horrible name you can think of, and I will sit and listen. I just … when I had settled my affairs in Kent, I found myself wandering around this cold, empty house and … I had to come. Even knowing you hate me, even realizing I have no right to intrude on your life.”
Benedict squeezed his eyes shut and drew in a slow breath, quickly losing the battle with his rational mind. This was madness. Every word Alex had just said was true. He had no right coming here and upending Benedict’s life. And yet …
“Say it,” Benedict demanded, yanking Alex closer until they were nearly nose to nose. “Tell me why you’ve come.”
Alex took hold of the hand gripping his coat, though he didn’t pry it loose. He simply held it there, against his chest as he lowered his head toward Benedict’s.
“I came for you.”
The murmured words fell against his lips a second before Alex’s mouth followed, pressing against Ben’s, tentative and searching. With a savage growl, Benedict slammed his hands against his chest, sending him sprawling back against the desk.
Chest heaving and heart pounding, he glared at Alex while swiping the back of his hand across his mouth. Still, the taste of him lingered—sugary and sweet, laced with peppermint. Even that hadn’t changed. Apparently, Alex still suffered from an incurable sweet tooth. Benedict could taste the evidence of that, but there was more, too. There was history and a collection of secrets held between them. There was pleasure and pain and wild abandon. There was a sudden clash of past and present that left him reeling.
There was the very real possibility that Benedict was going insane, because instead of taking Alex by the collar and tossing him out on his ear, he did the unthinkable.
Forgetting for just one moment that this man had nearly been the death of him, Benedict advanced. He took hold of the edge of the desk, caging Alex between his arms and using his body to pin the other man in place. Then, he searched out the source of that cloying sweetness with a pained groan. He kissed Alex with all the force of his anger and his grief, releasing three years’ worth of starvation and need. Going pliant against him, Alex raised both hands to Benedict’s jaw, and with a tilt of his head and sweep of his tongue, kissed him back.
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Taming of the Rake Playlist
Click to listen on Spotify
Tonight (Best You’ve Ever Had) by John Legend, Ludacris
Gravity by Sara Bareilles
Grace by Kate Havnevik
High Off You by alayna
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sp; Confidently Lost by Sabrina Claudio
The Morning by RIMON
Miscues by Maryann Vasquez
Mind and Body by Ayelle
Untitled (How Does It Feel) by D’Angelo
Make Me Whole by Amel Larrieux
Frustrated by R.LUM.R
Need You by Emanuel
Crash by Mack Wilds
Good to Me by Emotional Oranges
Lights On by H.E.R.
Hone$ty by KALLITECHNIS
Put Me To Bed by Amina Buddafly
All Night by SRNO, James Vickery
You Give Me That by Raveena
Cool Side of the Pillow by Kyle Dion
Spend My Life With You by Eric Benet & Tamia
Close 2 U by Raveena
One More Time by Rayana Jay
New Day by Kate Havnevik
Book 5: Chasing Benedict
Coming December 7
Click to pre-order!
Benedict Sterling founded The Gentleman Courtesans agency to assure financial security for himself and his friends. Unfortunately, the efforts of a spiteful gossip-column writer threaten to expose his secrets—including those that could see him ruined and ostracized. With everyone he cares about in the path of his enemy, he is determined to silence The London Gossip once and for all. But when a lover from his past returns seeking to make amends, Benedict is left grappling with the pain of his past as well as his present dilemma.
Lord Alexander Osborne, Earl of Vautrey, has returned to London with a singular goal—win back the man he loves. Unfortunately, their previous separation has made Benedict resistant to ever allow Alex into his life again. He’ll do anything to win the other man’s heart—including accept the terms of a contract that will temporarily set Benedict up as his courtesan. For now, Alex is willing to take whatever Ben is willing to give. However, in the end he will settle for nothing less than love and a future with the love of his life.
The Gentleman Courtesans
Series Reading Order
Now Available:
Tempting the Bluestocking (prequel novella)
Portrait of a Lady
What a Courtesan Wants
Making of a Scandal
Taming of the Rake
Coming Soon:
Chasing Benedict
More by Victoria Vale
Enjoy this Dark Romance series, The Villain
The Villain
The Dove
The Butterfly
The Damsel
The Gift
The Scandalous Ballroom Encounters Series
Masquerade
A Marriage Most Scandalous
Tempting Two
Submitting to the Marquis
Dominating Mr. Darling
Her Beautiful Bastard
Scandalous Christmas Encounters Vol. 1
Scandalous Christmas Encounters Vol. 2
Scandalous Christmas Encounters Vol. 3
About the Author
Sexy heroes … sassy heroines … electrifying erotic romance.
Victoria Vale has written over two dozen Romance and Young Adult novels under various pseudonyms. As a lover of erotic romance, she enjoys nothing more than a sexy hero paired with a sassy heroine, flavored with a dash of spice and lots of heat. A wife and mother of three, she enjoys reading (of course), cooking, sewing … and other activities that aren’t appropriate for inclusion in a biography.
Taming of the Rake (The Gentleman Courtesans Book 4) Page 26
