Revolutionary Temptation

by Silvia Violet

  Not if Eli could stop him. “I pray so, dear lady. That would be cause for celebration.”

  “Yes, it would. You could see me off when I sail to London.”

  “Though it would sadden me to lose you, I would not think to miss such an occasion.” He rose then. “It was a pleasure seeing you again. Please let me know of any future needs.”

  She rewarded his solicitousness with a smile. “I have every intention of doing so.”

  He bowed and turned to go.

  “Oh, Mr. Ashfield?”

  “Yes?”

  “If you find a way to stoke the fires more properly, do call on me.” She gave a look that was all false innocence.

  He went so far as to wink at her. “I most certainly will.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Eli ceased trying to force Jack’s window open. He’d never manage one-handed, and he dared not release his grip on the ledge. The tree limb he stood on wasn’t going to hold him much longer. He would have to knock and hope Jack was the only person he woke.

  He tapped lightly on the glass.

  No response.

  Jack couldn’t be a hard sleeper after marching with the army. Eli tapped again, and this time he heard something.

  The next moment Jack appeared at the window in a nightshirt. In the time it took Jack to wrestle the recalcitrant lock open, the branch bearing Eli’s weight began to crack. Eli tightened his grip on the window ledge.

  “What are you doing here?” Jack asked, pushing one half of the window open.

  “Trying to get killed, obviously.” Eli bit back a hysterical laugh.

  Jack huffed. “This is no time for games.”

  “Well, I could hardly sneak into Constance’s room.”

  “You’d likely be more welcome there.”

  “That’s not the impression I got from that kiss of yours.”

  Jack ignored him. “What is your purpose in sneaking in? Why don’t you use the door?”

  A loud crack signaled the imminent loss of Eli’s perch. “A little help? Surely you don’t hate me enough to let me fall.”

  “Dear God,” Jack muttered as he gripped Eli’s arms and pulled him into the safety of his bedroom.

  “Thank you,” Eli said, bowing dramatically once he was steady on his feet.

  “Why are you here?” Jack appeared fierce in his anger, which only heightened his allure. Jack’s hair was down, flowing around his shoulders, and his feet were bare. Eli’s cock didn’t care that Jack had insulted him a few days prior.

  Eli bit back several comments he was sure Jack wouldn’t appreciate, and simply said, “I have information.”

  “It couldn’t wait until morning?”

  “Of course it could have, but I so enjoy climbing trees in the dark. The fact that it’s icy out is simply a bonus.”

  “Tell me what is going on. Now,” Jack demanded.

  “A meeting you need to see. Get dressed in something dark.”

  “Now? What kind of meeting?”

  Eli was impatient to get moving again. “Stop arguing, and get dressed. I’ll tell you on the way.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Along the East River, a bit north of the city. We’ll take a couple of Constance’s horses.”

  “But I—”

  “You do ride?” Eli asked.

  “I’m very accomplished in the saddle.”

  Did the man have to tease Eli so if they weren’t going to fuck?

  “I’m not going anywhere with you until you give me good reason.”

  Eli grabbed his arms. “This isn’t a game. I have intelligence from two sources that Colonel Stephens is meeting with a rebel spy who has promised him information.”

  “One of ours? Fuck.”

  Jack jerked away from him, crossed the room, and began sifting through his wardrobe.

  “You need more light.” Eli took a candle from the table by the bed. Fortunately, the embers in the fireplace were still hot enough to light it.

  “How did you learn of this?” Jack asked.

  Eli held the light so Jack could see the clothing he was choosing. “Mrs. Stephens revealed that her husband had been meeting a spy, and then one of my smugglers corroborated the story. She told me—”

  “She?” Jack asked.

  “Yes. She overheard an officer giving his superior details about a meeting with a rebel spy tonight.”

  Jack pulled a pair of breeches, a shirt and a waistcoat from the wardrobe. “Tell me where to go. I should do this alone.”

  “Are you protecting me? How sweet.”

  Jack huffed. “No, I’m preventing you from doing something reckless and giving us away.”

  “Trust me, I know how to sneak around. I’m far more concerned about you.”

  “I may not like what I’ve been asked to do, but in my time in the army I’ve learned how to avoid the enemy.”

  Did he see Eli as the enemy? He’d tried to avoid him, but Eli wasn’t one to give up, even when his opponent would rather hurt him than admit what he wanted. “I’m coming with you. I’d never be able to explain the location clearly enough.”

  “It’s where you meet your contacts?” Jack asked.

  “It is, and if you use this against them—”

  “That’s what you think of me?”

  The man was exasperating. “It’s more than you think of me.”

  “Eli, that’s not true.”

  He didn’t need soft words from Jack right then. They were too confusing. Wanting the man was one thing, but the other things Jack made him feel… His heart was more than he was willing to risk. “We’re wasting time. I told you to get dressed.” He gestured toward the clothes in Jack’s hands.

  Jack pulled on his breeches, lifting his nightshirt as he did so, which gave Eli a glimpse of his muscular thighs and the curve of his backside. The jagged scar above his left knee did nothing to lessen the beautiful picture he made. Jack turned his way, and their gazes met. Jack clearly knew Eli had been staring.

  “I can’t help myself. I think you’ve figured that out already.”

  Jack snorted. “At least I’m not the only one with no self-control.”

  “Then…” Eli shook his head. “Never mind. Just get dressed.” He turned his back to avoid further temptation.

  “I never should have—”

  Eli didn’t want to hear this confession. “No, you should never give in, never admit what you want, never touch me. I understand. You don’t need to elaborate.”

  Jack buttoned his waistcoat quickly, slipped on a black coat, and grabbed a heavy cloak.

  “Keep your cloak pulled together,” Eli said. “You don’t want your white shirt to give you away.”

  Jack took hold of Eli’s arm as he turned away. “I’m sorry.”

  Eli’s eyes widened. “Did you just apologize?”

  “I did.”

  “Thank you. Now follow me.” Eli slung his leg over the windowsill, hoping he could find a steadier branch.

  Jack tugged him back into the room. “We can use the servants’ entrance. It will lead us right to the stable.”

  And be much easier on Jack’s leg. Why hadn’t he thought of that? “Of course. Lead the way.”

  When they reached the stables and began saddling their horses, Jack said, “You like this, don’t you?”

  “What?”

  “Stealing around in the night, high adventure. It’s like a scene from the book you gave me.”

  Eli laughed. “I do like it. Is that so wrong?”

  “No.” Jack’s voice was soft. “Not at all.”

  “You’re wondering why I didn’t join the army if I like adventure so much, aren’t you?”

  Jack nodded.

  “The simple answer is that I couldn’t afford a commission.”

  Jack turned and gave him a skeptical look.

  “As I said before, you don’t know everything about me.”

  “You have all the trappings of a wealthy man.”

  “
Any money I have is reluctantly given me by my De Lancey relatives. Do you really think they’d help me set myself up as a continental officer?”

  Jack snorted. “I suppose not, but—”

  “What? You think I should join the British? Be your spy from behind their lines?”

  “As useful as that could be, I would never ask a man to kill for a cause he didn’t believe in.”

  Eli nodded. “I can’t do that. I don’t even want to kill for our side. I’m certain I’d be horribly sick afterward.”

  “I was. The first time.”

  “You were?” Eli asked, but it fit. Jack was a man of honor who would abhor killing, even as a soldier.

  Jack frowned. “I’m no monster.”

  “I never thought…”

  “Some of the men who’ve served under me are. A few laugh when they kill; they glory in it.”

  Eli’s stomach roiled at the thought. “I’m sorry you’ve had to see that.”

  Jack adjusted his stirrups and mounted. “You ready?”

  Eli nodded, mounting the light-brown mare he’d chosen. “Follow me.”

  “If we come upon a British patrol?”

  “I have the necessary papers as well as bribe money,” Eli said, patting his pocket to make sure his pass was still there.

  “That’s the real reason you wouldn’t send me on my own.”

  “Maybe I wanted to protect you.”

  “Thank you.” Jack’s gentle tone made Eli’s heart beat faster.

  ***

  Jack and Eli passed only one patrol as they moved out of the city. The soldiers on duty waved them through when they recognized Eli. What they thought Eli’s business was at this time of night Jack couldn’t imagine, but they were clearly unconcerned by his desire to head toward the river. Their nonchalance might have been due to the fact they were stinking drunk. They should be damn glad they weren’t Jack’s men. General Washington instructed his officers to deal harshly with men who drank while on duty.

  When they neared the river, Eli reined his horse in, and Jack did likewise. They dismounted and put their horses on picket lines, though Jack didn’t like the idea. “What if someone comes across the horses?”

  “It’s a risk we’ll have to take. We can’t bring the beasts any closer. There’s too great of a chance of us being heard.”

  Jack knew he was right, but he still didn’t like it. It was unsettling to be so dependent on Eli for knowledge of the terrain.

  They moved deeper into the woods. After a few moments, Jack heard something, voices maybe. Eli held up a hand, signaling for him to stop.

  Jack moved in close to Eli so they wouldn’t be overheard. He could feel Eli’s warmth even through his layers of clothing. He wished… No, he couldn’t allow himself to wish for things like that.

  “Are we close?” He whispered the words in Eli’s ear. He wanted to run his tongue around the edge, to pull Eli tight against him, to kiss and bite him until he writhed in Jack’s arms. Jack started to pull away, hating how the man had thoroughly bewitched him.

  Eli nodded as he turned toward Jack, almost brushing Jack’s cheek with his lips. “Let’s move forward until we can hear.”

  His breath warmed Jack’s ear, and it felt so damn good. Jack’s prick begged him to pick up where they’d left off the night before. Thank God they were searching the woods for a traitor and such behavior was out of the question. He longed to blame Eli for the feelings he’d stirred in Jack, but Jack’s aberrant desires weren’t Eli’s doing. Those feelings had been with him since he was a boy. Eli was temptation itself, but Jack had been around plenty of desirable men since Dominic, and he’d managed to resist them. He’d manage to deny his need for Eli as well.

  Jack let go of Eli, and they both took a few cautious steps forward. He wondered where Eli had learned to move without making a sound. There had to be more to Eli’s past than it seemed.

  As they drew closer to the river, the murmurs turned to distinct voices. Eli grabbed Jack’s arm, halting him. Then he cupped his hand to his own ear, signaling for Jack to listen.

  “Only two thousand troops?” a man said.

  “Yes, that’s all we have, and many of them are saying they won’t stay the winter if they don’t get paid.”

  Jack tensed. Their forces were dwindling, but those numbers were a gross underestimate. He wanted to rush out and grab this traitor by the neck and choke him. The last thing they needed was for the British to believe the continentals weak enough for easy capture. It was too near the truth.

  “What does Washington hope to accomplish with so few?”

  “I’m not sure, sir, but there’s talk of moving north to take Burgoyne’s army.” As far as Jack knew, Washington had no such plans. Was this young man deliberately misleading Stephens?

  “Talk isn’t good enough; you promised me specific information.”

  “You said you’d release my brother if I brought you something you could use.” At least now Jack understood the man’s motivation to betray the rebels.

  “This isn’t enough,” Stephens snarled.

  “You gave me your word as a gentleman.”

  “Are you calling me a liar?” Jack heard a pistol being cocked.

  “N-no, sir.”

  “Then get back where you belong, and next time bring me something better.”

  “If I could just see my brother, sir.” The man sounded painfully young and scared.

  “You’ll see him when I get what I need,” Stephens growled.

  The young man’s voice was familiar, but Jack couldn’t quite place it. He started to move forward, but Eli seized his arm and shook his head.

  He pulled Eli close and whispered. “I need to see him.”

  Eli nodded and motioned for him to follow.

  They circled around to another position that brought them in closer to Stephens and his informant. When the rebel soldier turned toward the river, the moon illuminated his face. Captain Ames. A knot formed in Jack’s stomach. The young man was likely no more than eighteen—too many of the rebel officers were frightfully young to have such responsibility thrust on them. Jack knew how much a brother could mean to a boy, but he couldn’t dismiss the fact that this soldier had given away secrets and planned to do it again. The boy climbed into a boat as Stephens mounted his horse and turned to ride away.

  If Jack called out to the boy, Stephens would hear him. He had a clear line of sight. He could shoot, but then he’d never know if Ames’ use of misinformation was intentional, and Stephens would still be alerted to their presence.

  He had to let the boy go and get a message to Tallmadge. The spymaster could decide what to do with the information.

  “We have to let him go,” Eli said, his hand still gripping Jack’s arm.

  Jack nodded. “I know. He lied about the numbers and Washington’s plans.”

  “Do you think he’s one of us?”

  “Possibly. I’ve got to contact the man I’m working for. He’ll know.”

  “We need to get out of here quickly,” Eli said. “Colonel Stephens and I aren’t the only ones who use these woods. Smugglers often camp near here. We’d do best not to interfere with their trade.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  They’d nearly made it back to the road when the rustle of leaves alerted them to someone’s presence.

  Jack grabbed Eli and pulled him behind a tree. It wasn’t a perfect cover, but it was better than nothing.

  A man’s voice carried to them. “I heard something over here. I’m sure of it.”

  “It’s fucking freezing out here, Anson. Can’t we just forget about it?”

  “If it’s a deserter, the major’ll reward us if we catch him.”

  The other man huffed, and the two of them moved closer.

  “See anything?” Anson asked.

  “No, I’m telling you it was probably just an animal.”

  “We could try to flush ’em out,” Anson said. Jack saw him raise his pistol. He clamped his hand over Eli’
s mouth and used his other arm to hold Eli tight against him.

  Anson fired. The bullet lodged in a tree quite close to them. They managed not to make a sound.

  “See? There’s nothing out there,” the other man said.

  “Fine. I guess you were right.”

  “Come on. Let’s get out of these goddamn creepy woods.”

  When he could no longer hear the men’s footsteps, Jack let himself breathe normally again. Slowly, he let his hand drop from Eli’s mouth, but he kept a grip on him. He needed an anchor to hold himself upright.

  “That was close,” Eli said as he turned to face Jack.

  They stared at each other, both taking big gulps of the frigid air. Then Eli shoved Jack back against the tree and kissed him. There was no slow build-up this time, nothing gentle about it. Eli’s kiss was an assault, one that Jack welcomed. He needed some way to relieve the tension of nearly being shot. Nothing would do that better than burying himself in Eli.

  The kiss went on and on, and Eli ground against him.

  No. They couldn’t. Those men could come back…

  “Need you,” Eli whispered against his lips.

  “Yes, but…not here.” He pushed Eli away. “We have to get back and then…”

  Eli took his arm and pulled him down the path toward their mounts.

  ***

  The ride back to Constance’s house seemed to take far longer than it should. Eli’s cock ached the whole time. They’d been so close. If only they’d been in Jack’s room or somewhere safe.

  As they neared the stable, they dismounted and walked their horses inside.

  Eli was contemplating what to say when Jack grabbed his arm and jerked him into an empty stall.

  “The horses.”

  Jack growled. “They’ll be fine for a few minutes.”

  “Jack, what are you—”

  Jack sank awkwardly to his knees and worked the fastening of Eli’s breeches.

  Eli couldn’t believe this was happening. “You don’t—”

  Jack wrapped a hand around Eli’s cock. “Shut up and let me do this.”

  Eli let his head drop back against the side of the stall, still wondering if he were dreaming. No way was Jack West on his knees in the straw ready to suck Eli’s cock.