“There are days,” said Anthony, helping Sebastian step out of the material of his skirt and then releasing him from his farthingale, “when I cannot believe that I have been so fortunate to be the one that gets to worship you. When I thought I had lost you through my own stupidity, I was distraught, desperate to make amends. I do not know what I would’ve done if you had not returned.”
Sebastian knew he had to say something, make sure Anthony understood that what had happened before could not be repeated, that there would be no additional chances. “I cannot pretend it didn’t hurt, Anthony. If there is a next time, then I will leave. I will not come back, and I will make sure you will not find me.”
“Swear on my life, there will not be a next time.” Anthony rested his forehead against Sebastian’s. “I told you once that I had never loved anyone. I was not lying. My lovers were always temporary. I saw no future with them, so there was no need to be faithful. You are my world, Sebastian, and when you left, I thought I would die. I cannot live through that again.”
They kissed, slow and sweet, and Sebastian didn’t think he could love anyone as much as he loved Anthony, his heart bruised and battered but full. Breaking the kiss, he was slightly breathless, and he could see the fire had returned to Anthony’s eyes.
The lacings on Sebastian’s corset were dealt with swiftly, and it joined the rest of his clothes on the floor. Standing in just his shift and hose while Anthony was still fully dressed didn’t seem fair to him, but before he could start to work on Anthony’s doublet, Sebastian was laid backward, onto the bed. Hands under his shift made fast work of his hose, and he writhed as kisses peppered his inner thighs, puffs of hot breath tingling across his oversensitized skin. Anthony’s lips trailed a path from Sebastian’s thigh to his ankle as the material was peeled from him. He reached forward and tugged at Anthony’s doublet. With a deep chuckle, Anthony understood his meaning and stripped out of his clothes with a practiced efficiency, and Sebastian removed his shift, leaving them both naked.
Sebastian scooted up the bed, making room for Anthony, who climbed aboard, crawling over Sebastian. The feel of skin against skin made Sebastian ache for more of Anthony’s touch. Sebastian’s hands roamed across his lover’s chest, running through soft curls of hair, nails scraping over nipples and making Anthony gasp.
“You ignite me. I could burn away to nothing at the barest of your touches,” whispered Anthony as he claimed Sebastian’s lips once more.
Sebastian’s hips canted upward to rub his hardness against Anthony’s, grinding against him, desperate for the contact. “Please. I need….”
Anthony pressed him down onto the surface of the bed, giving Sebastian the friction he desired. Sebastian’s whole body was consumed with the rush of pleasure as he lay pinned under Anthony. “Not yet,” said Anthony, sliding down Sebastian’s body. “I want to taste you first.”
Sebastian squirmed as Anthony kissed patterns across his midriff before a long lick to his shaft almost made Sebastian come undone. Anthony took him into his mouth, and the heat and wetness and Anthony’s wicked tongue were too much for Sebastian’s control. A finger stroked at Sebastian’s entrance as he emptied himself into Anthony’s willing mouth, the rush of ecstasy almost blinding as his head spun at such delicious treatment.
Sebastian was only vaguely aware that Anthony had retrieved the oil from the nightstand as slick fingers worked him open, his body needing little encouragement to welcome Anthony. He lifted his legs in invitation, and Anthony moved, quickly aligning their bodies and sliding his cock inside. It hadn’t been that long seen they’d done this, but Sebastian had missed him, missed the connection of being with someone so intimately. Anthony’s long, slow strokes were blissful, making his body arch with pleasure, his own cock returning to full hardness without needing to be touched. He wrapped his arms around Anthony’s shoulders, urging him to move faster, and Anthony obliged, speeding up the pace. The sound of skin slapping against skin intermingled with heavy breathing and moans of desire, but Sebastian couldn’t care how loud he was being. Anthony cried out as he came, and Sebastian’s second orgasm followed closely behind, accompanied with a shout of delight.
Anthony rolled off him then, grinning, and pulled Sebastian into his arms. “You are no longer allowed to sleep next door,” he declared, stealing another kiss. “I will not sanction having you so far away at night.”
Sebastian shifted to rest his head on Anthony’s chest. “Do I get a say in the matter?”
“None whatsoever. I might even make a new Crofton Hall rule that when you are in this room you must be naked.”
“That will hardly be a change,” said Sebastian dryly with a small laugh. “My clothes always appear to end up on the floor magically whenever I enter your room.”
“Must be some sort of sorcery,” Anthony said with a chuckle, “but it’s surely not malicious enough for us to concern a priest. I am sure we can muddle through without church intervention.”
“Given that blasphemy is just one of many of the crimes we are committing, the less the church is involved in our life, the better,” said Sebastian, his eyes drifting closed as Anthony’s fingers carded through his hair.
Chapter 24
SEBASTIAN had suggested that the best way to celebrate being married for a year would be to do so as a couple, and without half of England’s nobles invading Crofton Hall. But Anthony had dismissed that idea outright, which was why Sebastian was now making small talk with Sir Nicholas Tallaway, arguably one of the most boring men in the country.
“The problem with eels,” said Sir Nicholas, his chest puffed out as if he was about to impart a great knowledge, “is that they have a lot of bones. And who wants to spend their time at the supper table digging eel bones out of their palate?”
“Yes, I can see the concern,” said Sebastian politely, wondering if he could escape by having Bronwyn succumb to another fainting spell.
“I hate to tear you away from your conversation, my darling,” said Anthony, sweeping in like a knight in shining armor, “but there is something urgent I need to discuss with you.”
“Oh, of course. I apologize, Sir Nicholas, but it appears my husband cannot cope without my counsel.”
Sebastian linked arms with Anthony, and they walked to a secluded spot, out of earshot of the guests strolling around the gardens, enjoying a surprisingly warm day for early spring. “My hero,” said Sebastian, “I thought he would bore me to death.”
“We can’t have that, for then I would have to go to the trouble of finding a new willing body on which to slake my considerable lust.”
“And where would you find one of those? Everybody at court should know by now that you are besotted with that strange wife of yours, and if you lost her, you’d be consumed with madness so great none should come near you.”
Anthony chuckled. “All the more reason to keep you alive, then.”
They continued walking, Sebastian glad for a moment’s peace away from the guests and their congratulations. “I think a good proportion of the people here are secretly surprised at the change in your behavior.”
“Some not so secretly,” said Anthony. “Lord Cooper asked me directly if your skills in the marital bed were so great that I had turned my eye away from other, prettier women.”
Sebastian supposed he should be scandalized, but he found it rather refreshing that someone should voice what most of the court were actually thinking. “And your reply?”
“That I would not speak about a lady in such a fashion.”
“Now, that I don’t believe!”
Anthony laughed. “I extolled your virtues, of course, and implied heavily that I have never been so sated.”
“If you are not careful, it will be I who gets offers at court, and then what shall you do?”
“I would simply have to lock you away in my bedchamber. Which I think would be a good idea even if you are not propositioned.”
“At least it would mean that for our next wedding anni
versary I would not have to endure these crowds.”
Anthony stopped walking and fell quiet. He looked thoughtful, and Sebastian wondered if he had said something wrong. “Anthony?”
“We agreed on a year or two,” said Anthony after what seemed an age.
“I don’t understand.”
“When you agreed to play Bronwyn, we said a year or two.”
The heavy weight of insecurity that Sebastian had been free of for months settled back onto his shoulders. He turned to look at the hall, at the people milling happily in the gardens of a place that he had come to think of as home. He blinked back tears that he refused to shed, and despite the thickness of his tongue, asked, “Do you wish me to leave?”
“No!” Anthony grabbed him, spinning Sebastian around to face him. “How could you even ask such a thing?”
“You’re the one that mentioned our agreement.”
“I was merely musing on how we came to be where we are.” Anthony’s hand rested on Sebastian’s cheek. “To have you talk fondly about the future—it was so far from where we started.”
“Oh.”
“Oh, indeed. There has never been anyone like you, Sebastian. No one who has captured my heart so completely. The court is full of pretty faces, but they are nothing to me. I would rather die than have you leave me, and I will spend my remaining days making sure you have no reason to go.” He kissed Sebastian’s forehead. “But while I cannot ask you to play Bronwyn for the rest of your life, I will fight tooth and nail to keep you at Crofton Hall.”
“It would be safer if Bronwyn were to fall victim to an illness. There are days when I wonder when our luck will desert us, and I will be dragged to the block to have my head removed.”
“Bronwyn’s death could be arranged. I have enough friends who could be trusted if needs be,” said Anthony, and Sebastian thought he heard a hint of sadness in his voice.
“Is that what you want?”
“What I want is you. I do not care if you are laced into a corset or breeches. I want to make sure you are happy, and I have no desire whatsoever for you to leave. The final decision should be with you. What would please you most, my love?”
“I would rather continue to play Bronwyn than have the court think you are once more available,” admitted Sebastian. “It is bad enough that some still think they can tempt you.”
Anthony snorted in amusement. “And do you think I don’t have the same jealousy when women look at Sebastian with an eye to marriage, or men leer at you as a young man who should be easy to bed? I have to grit my teeth and stamp down my impulse to rip out their hearts for daring to covet what is mine.”
“Then it is settled.”
“It is?”
Sebastian kissed Anthony chastely. “When we decide, together, that it is time for Bronwyn to depart, then Sebastian Hewel will keep his brother-in-law company. But until then, Lady Bronwyn will remain the very devoted wife of Earl Anthony Crofton.”
“And let no men or women try to part them.” Anthony grinned and kissed Sebastian deeply.
“We should get back to our guests,” said Sebastian, as a cry of triumph came from the direction of the bowls match.
“Agreed. I think if we play together we can wipe that smug grin off Matthew’s face, and give your cousin Claire something else to tease him about.”
Arm in arm, they strolled back to the lawn, and Sebastian smiled happily to himself. They would still need to be careful, and he knew that he would have to keep his jealousy in check, but he was more than willing to continue to play what had been the best role of his life.
Dedication
REBECCA COHEN is a Brit abroad. Having swapped the Thames for the Rhine, she has left London behind and now lives with her husband in Basel, Switzerland. She can often be found with a pen in one hand and a cocktail in the other.
Visit Rebecca’s blog at http://rebecca-cohen.livejournal.com.
Also from REBECCA COHEN
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Also from DREAMSPINNER PRESS
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Also from DREAMSPINNER PRESS
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Also from DREAMSPINNER PRESS
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Also from DREAMSPINNER PRESS
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Also from DREAMSPINNER PRESS
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
The Actor and the Earl Page 20
