“I knew you would enjoy it!” Eli’s smile was genuine now. He was truly pleased, and Jack was glad he’d been honest.
“How did you know I would like it when I was so set against it myself?”
“I have a hidden talent for knowing what people want to read.”
“You’ve only owned the bookshop for a few months,” Jack pointed out.
Eli grinned. “True. You’ve caught me out, haven’t you?”
“I am simply—”
“I took no offense. Rather, I’m impressed. I always am when I can’t charm someone to believe whatever I say.”
No, Jack couldn’t let himself fall for Eli’s seductive words. “Then I accept the compliment. I have learned to be skeptical of anything you say.”
“You are wise. I am good at choosing material for the same reason Constance recruited me. I watch people carefully and take more information from that than their actual words. I took your measure and thought you needed more excitement in your life. I’m right, aren’t I?”
This was moving into uncomfortable territory, quite literally. If he continued to ponder what Eli was truly offering, he’d need to adjust his breeches. “You made an excellent guess as to the reading material that would suit, but I think you may have some ideas about my character that are incorrect.”
“Oh really. What might those be?”
He frowned. What to say? He didn’t dare speak directly, no matter how certain he was about Eli’s preferences.
Eli spoke for him. “Are you perhaps referring to my thought that we could be close…”
“Friends?” Jack suggested.
“That is one option. There are others. I believe we have more in common than you want to admit.”
Jack did not intend this conversation to go any further. “We should return below stairs. Constance may need our assistance ridding herself of lingering guests.”
“First let me fix your ribbon. It’s come undone.”
Jack reached behind him and found the trailing ends. “I can do it myself.”
“But why when I’m here and I don’t mind?”
“Eli.”
The provoking man had already moved behind him. Jack stiffened when Eli’s fingers skimmed over his neck. Damn, that felt so good.
“There. All fixed.”
Jack stood abruptly, needing to get away. But when he turned, Eli was right there, so close they were nearly touching. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.
Eli licked his lips.
Jack’s hands trembled. He longed to reach for the beautiful man in front of him, but he forced himself to take a step back.
He hit the edge of a table.
Eli reached out to steady him, and his hands closed around Jack’s arm, warmth seeping through to Jack’s skin. Eli might as well have been touching bare flesh.
“I’d like to get to know you a lot better,” Eli said.
Jack shook his head. “No. This can’t happen.”
“What?” Eli asked, all feigned innocence.
“Whatever you think is going on between us.”
Eli smiled. “I don’t think anything is going on, but I’d like for something to.”
“No.”
“Jack?”
He shook his head. “You’re mistaken. You think that…”
“You’re breathless.”
Jack scowled. “Because I’m angry.”
Eli’s gaze dropped to where Jack’s cock strained against his breeches. “No, I don’t think that’s from anger.”
“I can’t. Eli, don’t ask this of me.”
Eli nodded and stepped back. His expression was sad, far worse than angry or mocking. “If you change your mind…”
“I won’t. I know some men can take those risks, but I can’t. You can call me a fool or…” He turned away, chest tight, eyes stinging.
Don’t shut yourself off. He imagined the words in Dominic’s voice. It was advice he would certainly have given if they’d spoken again before he died.
Eli laid a hand on his shoulder. “I admire you. Your honor. Your dedication. That’s part of why I’m attract—”
Jack turned around. He intended to tell Eli not to voice those feelings. He didn’t want things between them to be more awkward than they already were. He knew what Eli felt, had known since the day they met, but once the words were out there, he would have to acknowledge them.
But when Jack looked at Eli and saw his parted lips, his passion-darkened eyes, he could no longer hold on to his self-control. He’d kept his desires locked away, pushed down as deep as he could get them. They were always there, though, fighting to erupt. It had been far too long since he’d sought some relief. He couldn’t wait any longer.
He lifted his hand and ran his thumb over Eli’s lower lip. Eli sucked in his breath, and it was as if he were watching someone else caress the man before him. He was utterly powerless to stop it.
Jack cupped his cheek, and Eli leaned into his touch. Jack’s other hand came up to touch Eli’s hair. It was as soft as he’d known it would be.
Dominic was the only man Jack had kissed. He’d kissed a woman once, but he was clumsy and it wasn’t good. He’d tried so hard to want it, to want her, but he didn’t. She’d been kind, but she could tell he wasn’t truly into it. He’d kissed her like it was a duty.
He lowered his head and brushed Eli’s lips with his. Eli moaned, and Jack was lost, kissing Eli in earnest. He’d worried memories of Dominic would flood his mind, but this was no innocent boy’s kiss. It was a jolt to his senses.
Jack’s cock swelled more. Eli’s arms came around him, and he held Eli’s face in his hands, angling Eli’s mouth to fit perfectly with his own. Eli opened for him, and Jack pushed his tongue into his warm mouth. He was everything Jack wanted.
A door closed down the hall, and the fantasy shattered. Jack jumped back and stared at Eli, breathing raggedly. “Fuck.”
He heard footsteps. Who was it? Were they coming here?
“Jack?”
What had he been thinking? If someone had walked in on them… “This was a mistake. A Very Big Mistake.”
“Jack.” Eli’s pleading tone made Jack’s chest ache.
“I apologize. It won’t happen again.”
“You don’t need to—”
Jack held up his hand. “You should leave.”
The hurt in Eli’s eyes was like a slap, but Jack stood firm. The kiss had shown him what he felt for Eli was more than a random flirtation. Eli genuinely wanted Jack, maybe as much as Jack wanted him. He had to end this before things got worse.
Eli straightened his coat and walked out without saying another word. He closed the door quietly but deliberately behind him. Jack managed to keep his expression neutral until Eli was gone. Then he crumpled into a chair.
Jack had ruined his chance to connect with another man, to feel again. He’d given up something that might have been even better than what he’d had with Dominic. He’d worshipped Dominic in the way of a very young man captivated by someone slightly older, someone willing to teach him about pleasure. With Eli, everything was different. Jack was enthralled by him, but not because of mysterious feelings he didn’t understand. He understood it all too well. And now he’d hurt Eli, told him no and then yes and then pushed him away. He’d made a fool of himself.
But he had good reasons. He was trying to protect both of them. Their kind of loving was dangerous. He might be broken and unable to fix himself, but he could exercise enough restraint not to end up like Dominic, or worse, allow Eli to.
CHAPTER TEN
The bell on the shop door tinkled, and Eli lost his place in the row of figures he’d been adding up. Damn it. Now he’d have to start all over again.
His anger dissipated when he looked up and saw Mrs. Stephens, the wife of the colonel he’d given his card to. They hadn’t been introduced that night, but he’d seen them leaving together. At least he assumed it was the colonel’s wife. The woman might just as well be his mist
ress.
In any case, she must be quite eager for supplies to call on him so soon. And an eager customer was usually one willing to part with considerable coin. After spending much of an evening in her husband’s boorish company, he had no problem fleecing the man of every penny he could.
“Good morning, madam. I hope you are in good health.”
She shivered dramatically. “I’m near frozen, but otherwise well, sir.”
“Has it begun to snow?” he asked, glancing out the window.
“Not yet, sir. But I expect it any moment.”
“How may I be of service to you, madam?”
“I am seeking Mr. Ashfield, sir,” the woman replied.
“I am Elias Ashfield, and it will be my pleasure to assist you in any way.” He smiled at her in what might be considered an overfamiliar manner. Color rose in her cheeks.
“My husband, Colonel Stephens, gave me your name as someone who could help me with difficult-to-find items for my household.”
“Of course; let us retire to my office.” He offered his arm, and she took it. “Billy!” he called.
“Yes, sir?” The boy appeared from the stockroom where he had been unpacking a new shipment.
“The lady and I will be in my office; please attend to any customers while I’m occupied.”
“Of course, sir,” he said, straightening his coat and standing taller.
When they were alone in his office, Mrs. Stephens made quite a show of untying the ribbons and separating her cloak to reveal a pale dress that worked with her dusky complexion exceedingly well. She took time to carefully straighten the lace along the dress’s low neckline, though it seemed perfectly arranged to Eli. Her fingers played over the tops of her breasts, an obvious invitation if Eli had ever seen one. He looked up, and their eyes met. For a moment neither said a word.
Then Eli stepped forward. “Let me take your cloak.”
He drew the garment off her shoulders, deliberately brushing bare skin where her neck joined her shoulder. “I do hope it’s warm enough in here for you.”
“Oh yes, sir. It is quite warm.”
“I agree.” He moved away, unwilling to overplay his hand and feeling far less enthusiastic for games than he normally would. He hadn’t stopped thinking for a single moment of sharing a kiss with Jack, not even in his dreams.
“Tell me what goods you have need of, madam, and I will do my best to procure them,” he said as he hung up her cloak.
She gave a sly smile. “I have many needs.”
“Let us start with provisions for your cook, and from there we shall see what can be done.”
“A sound plan.” She listed the things she hoped to find, the typical goods the city was short on, ones he could easily acquire given a day or two.
“I shall endeavor to fulfill these needs with alacrity. Shall I have the items delivered to your house?”
“Yes, sir. That would suit me well.”
“Now we must reach the most hated part of these negotiations and agree on a price.”
“I want the best, sir. Whatever that costs. My husband has a tremendous fortune. I see no reason not to spend it.”
Eli smiled. Oh, this was going to be a valued alliance indeed. “Nor should you. Why deny yourself if there is no need?”
Mrs. Stephens nodded in agreement. “Send the bill. He will pay.”
“As you wish, madam.”
She rose, and Eli followed suit. “You’d do well to warn your suppliers to watch out for my husband.”
Eli frowned. “I thought your husband wanted goods for his table?”
“Oh, he does, while at the same time catching any smugglers he can, as if the loss in taxes would make up for the army’s lack of provisions.”
“How does he hope to buy tea if the smuggling trade dries up?”
She gave a small shrug. “Perhaps he believes you’ll manufacture it from the air.”
Eli laughed. “If I could do so, I’d be a much richer man.”
“You’d have to be careful, sir. The king’s men would likely hang you for a witch as soon as they got all they wanted out of you.”
Eli grinned. “You have the right of that.”
He liked that Mrs. Stephens seemed as exasperated with the British army as he was.
“Your men won’t have to work too hard to avoid him tonight. He’ll likely fall asleep at his post if he knocks back enough whiskey.”
This was a woman ripe for sedition. Young, beautiful, disenchanted with her husband. Eli wondered if she already had a lover; not a steady one, based on how deliberately she flirted with him. He decided to see how far she would go in her criticism of the British. “I suppose it is his duty to guard the shoreline.”
“He would agree, but I can’t see what good it does other than making it harder for citizens to get decent food or wood for the fire. Why doesn’t the army simply attack these rebels? How prepared could they be for such a battle? His Majesty’s army is large and well trained. I want this over and done with so I can go back to England.”
It was a good thing His Majesty hadn’t put Mrs. Stephens in charge of his forces in America; Washington would likely be forced to surrender in a matter of weeks. Fortunately, Howe seemed more taken with drinking and fucking himself into a stupor every night than marshaling his forces for an attack.
“You aren’t taken with our fair city?”
“Fair? Ha!” She snorted. “Not with the stench of foul water and a good stretch of it burned. Perhaps it had more charms before these Americans decided to turn against His Majesty.”
“I believe it did.” And one day it will again. He bowed. “It has been my great pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“You flatter me, sir.”
“Not without reason,” Eli responded.
“I should like it if you delivered the goods personally.”
He suspected she’d be available to receive more than the food and wine she’d ordered. “I do think a personal touch is best when doing business with a valued customer.”
“Then I shall see you soon, sir?”
“Yes, you shall.” He took her gloved hand, kissed the back of it, and felt her shiver, a signal that she wasn’t quite as experienced in these matters as she wanted him to believe.
He showed her out and returned to his office to consider how quickly he could make the requested delivery.
***
The next day, in the late afternoon, Eli made his way to the Stephens residence, which was on a most fashionable street, a short distance from Constance’s home. He traveled on horseback, accompanying a hired cart filled with crates of provisions: tea, sugar, a case of exceptional wine, cinnamon, nutmeg, and several other difficult-to-acquire items.
As Eli had assumed she would, Mrs. Stephens invited him in to take tea with her.
“Are you keeping well today, Mrs. Stephens?” he asked as he took his seat.
“I’m wretchedly bored with this foul weather. I despise snow and cold and this drafty old house. I don’t think I’ve been warm since we settled here.” She looked up at him, her lips in a perfect pout. If he wasn’t mistaken, she’d put some color on them. “I do wish there was something that would warm me up.”
Mrs. Stephens was beautiful, willful, and strong-minded, all the best qualities in a lover. Eli should be thrilled at the prospect of an easy seduction and the added bonus of extracting information for the rebels. He wasn’t, and he knew the cause of his malaise. Damn you, Jack West.
“My grandmother had a secret recipe for a warming beverage: tea with whiskey, ginger, and clove. It’s been the only thing keeping me from shivering unto death these last nights.”
“Should I call for some whiskey to warm you now?” Mrs. Stephens asked with a coquettish smile.
“No, tea will do fine when coupled with amiable company.”
She poured for Eli and then herself. After adding a cube of sugar and a splash of milk, she took a sip and looked at him over the rim of the cup. “Surely a m
an such as yourself has better ways than mere drink to stay warm.”
“Sadly, with the difficulty in acquiring the best fuel, my fire burns no brighter than yours.”
“We could change that, perhaps.” She dropped her napkin and leaned down to retrieve it, allowing him to see down her dress. Despite his mind’s adherence to Jack’s charms, his body reacted well to her efforts.
Take the bait.
I’ll never change Jack’s mind if I start an affair with Mrs. Stephens. He knew without a doubt that if Jack ever did agree to be Eli’s lover, he’d be a jealous one.
He needed a way to put her off the scent without ending the possibility of a liaison in the future. “I imagine Mrs. Sullivan might have some advice on how to best warm these drafty houses. She’s lived in town far longer than either of us. I feel most fortunate to have formed an intimate acquaintance with her, don’t you? I will consult her when next we meet.”
Mrs. Stephens pouted again. Her full lower lip was simply made for sucking. “I must confess to being jealous of her ability to advise you; would that I had an answer here.”
Eli pretended dismay. “I would much prefer to be able to provide an answer myself.”
“If you do discover an answer, call upon me. I shall be eager to hear what you have learned.”
“Be assured that I shall think of you immediately.”
Eli took a sip of tea, and she did likewise. She was clearly vexed by the implication that Constance had laid claim to Eli, but not enough so to be truly angered.
Her aspect suddenly brightened. “I just remembered something I must tell you before you go.”
“I am, as always, eager to listen.”
“You needn’t worry to warn your suppliers after all. My husband isn’t concerned with their business.”
Eli leaned forward. “He’s not? Do explain.”
“I overheard him say he’s meeting a rebel spy.”
“Really? One of their men?”
She finished a dainty bite of cake and responded, “How good can this cause of theirs be if one of their number is already willing to betray it?”
Eli snorted, too stunned at his good fortune to actually speak.
“My husband is meeting the man tonight. I heard him gloating about it. The meeting’s a good thing, I say. Maybe he will learn something that will help end this fool war once and for all.”
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