From Afar

by Ava March

  His expression inscrutable, Aleric considered him for a seemingly endless moment then slowly leaned down, his gaze locked with his. Raphael’s lips tingled, anticipating his kiss, but Aleric stopped just short of contact. “Yes.” The word whispered across Raphael’s lips, the softest brush of sound.

  Raphael lurched up, slanted his mouth over Aleric’s. He slipped his tongue past the man’s lips, swept the hot depths of his mouth, tangled with Aleric’s. The kiss continued on and on, as his heart, his soul, every bit of him surged to full life. Wrapping his arms around Aleric’s neck, he clung to him, refusing to ever let him go. Somehow knowing he could not let him go.

  But the sweet relief was short lived. Worry reared its ugly head, threatening to douse the joy coursing through his veins.

  Aleric pulled back, breaking the kiss. “What’s wrong?”

  “She won’t let you refuse her.”

  Aleric raised an imperious brow. God forbid Raphael ever forgot the man was a son of a duke. “Invitations can be refused. Rest assured, I have refused many.”

  “Not this one. I saw the way she looked at you. She wants you. I’m like a mouse scurrying along the edges of a room. Nothing more than a slight nuisance. Easily ignored. But you? You are not so easy to ignore. And she might become concerned that since one became two, then two could become more.”

  “Then we shall just have to convince her otherwise.”

  If only it would be so easy.

  He began to shake his head, but Aleric’s strong hands framed his face, stilling him. “We don’t have to convince her tonight, do we?”

  “No. But we might have to leave London if—”

  He was silenced by a quick kiss, hot and fleeting, and containing a promise of so much more. With a low growl, Aleric scooted closer, chest to chest, hip to hip. Raphael shuddered as the hard, satiny length of Aleric’s cock pressed against his. Arousal instantly ignited his senses. Fierce and sharp. So much sharper because Aleric’s blended with his own. Impatient, needy, demanding his full attention.

  “Do you intend to put that to good use or not?” Aleric demanded, his lips curled in a feral smirk, as he rotated his hips, rubbing against Raphael.

  He wrapped a hand around Aleric’s neck, about to jerk him closer, to tell him exactly where he intended to shove his cock, when the carriage slowed to a stop.

  Damnation.

  Raphael reached right to lift the shade. “We’re home.” Their home. Never again to be so lonely. So empty. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he was actually glad to be home.

  Aleric cursed under his breath. As Aleric moved back to the opposite bench to button his trousers, Raphael lifted his hips and did up his own, a wince pulling his mouth at the discomfort of cramming his erection into his breeches. He reached into his coat pocket and pressed a heavy brass key into Aleric’s hand.

  “I damn well intend to put it to good use. Now get in the house. I’ll pay the driver.”

  Chapter Eight

  Aleric reached the second floor and continued to the room at the end of the short corridor. Every step made him acutely aware of the lingering dampness between his arse cheeks. A decadent, erotic sensation that made him eager for more.

  After opening the door to Raphael’s bedchamber, he went inside, not bothering to shut the door behind him for Raphael would soon be on his heels. He set the candle he’d taken from the small console table by the front door onto the dresser. The hearth was dark, but Aleric was in no hurry to light it. The ride back from the docks had heated him thoroughly, chasing away every bit of chill that had seeped into his bones from the damp night air.

  Why would Raphael doubt that he’d want to stay with him? The stark, bare, desperate need in Raphael’s eyes would have made the decision for him if the answer had not somehow been inside him all along. It was almost as if he didn’t have a choice in the matter. All he knew was that he could not even contemplate condemning the man to wander the empty townhouse alone. Both so beautiful, so perfectly constructed, a feast for one’s eyes, but so very achingly lonely.

  He tugged on the end of one glove, pulling it from his hand and letting it drop to the floor. Any hope of seeing his father or his brothers again was long gone, and he might have to leave London, leave everything he knew behind, but he now had Raphael. It was a marvel Raphael had wandered upon him on that fateful night. Odd, the way fate had played itself out. Just when it appeared all hope was gone, Raphael had, quite literally, dropped into his life. Patient and strong, honest and steadfast—a man who would stand beside him for the rest of his days.

  The other glove dangling from his fingertips, he paused to search within himself. He found not one hint of distress or resistance or even self-disgust. He was aware he probably should feel those things, yet he did not. Perhaps it was because he was a vampire now, but it felt right to be with Raphael. As if he belonged with him. Yes, he had recently begun to acknowledge that side of himself, but that didn’t mean he had ever been comfortable with it. Sodomy was against the law, after all. Punishable by death, never mind complete and utter social ruin. Men simply did not prefer other men.

  But he didn’t have to worry about what Society thought of him anymore, did he? Quirking a brow, he flicked his hand, the glove slipping from his fingertips. Perhaps the adjustment to his new life would be easier than he had imagined. It certainly held some distinct benefits.

  The sound of footsteps approached as the most important benefit of all walked into the room.

  Aleric stood still, his back to Raphael, and let the man come to him. Simply let his presence wash over him. Filling his chest until every breath felt easier and lighter. A hand touched his lower back, curved around his waist to settle over his navel. His skin tingled. A jolt shot through him, his cock eager to be free of his trousers once again.

  “Did the driver give you any problems?” he asked.

  “Pound notes have a way of solving one’s problems.” Raphael’s voice drifted over his shoulder.

  “Raphael,” he said, as a thought occurred to him. He squeezed his eyes closed against the sharp pinch of embarrassment. “I must tell you that I haven’t a shilling to my name. Nothing but the clothing you brought from my apartments.”

  “Not to worry.” Raphael’s other arm wrapped around his waist, held him close. Calm and accepting. “While not of noble birth, my mother was an heiress and she left it all to me. We never have to want for anything.”

  “We?”

  Raphael tugged and Aleric obediently turned in his arms. “Yes. We. You and I.” He took a deep breath, as if savoring the sound of the words, and then those thoughtful silver eyes sparkled with mischief. “Now then, I seem to recall that you posed a challenge earlier in regards to my intentions. But first, I believe I shall pose one of my own.”

  Raphael slid his hands up his chest to work the knot on his cravat. Just Raphael’s touch had the most profound effect on him. Aleric shifted his weight, desire roaring to full life. He knew Raphael could have the cravat off in a trice if he so chose, instead he lingered, moving so slowly, the linen sliding free of the knot in a long, soft drag of fabric against fabric.

  The cravat even seemed to flutter slowly to the floor, hanging in the air before dropping to form a puddle of white linen.

  He gritted his teeth. Raphael was doing it deliberately. Making him wait. That was his unspoken challenge.

  Raphael’s long lashes were at half-mast as he slipped the first fabric-covered button on his evening coat free. His elegant fingers moved to the next button, repeated the agonizingly slow process. Impatience built within Aleric. Breathing heavily through his nose, Aleric tried to keep it in check, to keep from shoving Raphael’s hands aside and ripping the coat from his own body. The disquietingly sharp flares of lust would forever rule him until he re-learned how to exert control over himself.

  He flexed his hands at his sides, needing to do something with them. Christ, had his trousers shrunk? It damn well felt as though his cock was sudden
ly crammed in a pair of Raphael’s breeches.

  His every breath carried the intoxicating scent of Raphael’s arousal, adding more fuel to the impulsive mass of need that was growing stronger and stronger with each passing second.

  Bloody hell.

  His arms shot out. One tug and the buttons of Raphael’s violet coat were skidding across the floorboards.

  Raphael shot him a frown that contained equal measures of annoyance and indulgence. “Have a care, Aleric. I don’t want to spend tomorrow night sewing the buttons back onto my clothes.”

  Taken aback, Aleric blinked, his fingers stilling a fraction of an inch from Raphael’s cravat. “You’re a seamstress?”

  “No,” Raphael said, with a haughty little shake of his head, as he slowly worked his way down Aleric’s waistcoat. The erection tenting his breeches provided Aleric with some measure of comfort. The man wasn’t as unaffected as he appeared. “But it’s more trouble than it’s worth to arrange for a tailor to keep his shop open after nightfall. By necessity, I’ve learned how to wield a needle and thread to tend to repairs.”

  “Can’t we just hire some servant to come in the evenings, tend to such things for us?”

  “It’s best if we don’t. Uncomfortable questions and all.”

  “Don’t your neighbors question your presence in this house?” Raphael lived in a townhouse after all. Neighbors on either side and across the street.

  Raphael pushed first Aleric’s coat and then his waistcoat from his shoulders, tossing them onto a nearby chair. “I rarely see them, and I rarely use the front door. Usually come and go through one of the windows.” A flick of his fingers and the onyx cufflinks on Aleric’s shirt cuffs fell into his hand. He slipped them into his pocket. “They believe I sleep the day away and spend my nights about Town, like all the other idle gentlemen of the ton.”

  “They’re correct on one account.” He flexed his hands then pushed off Raphael’s coat. The sight of the velvet on the floor slightly appeased his lust. One step closer to having Raphael naked.

  Aleric was about to attempt the small buttons on Raphael’s waistcoat, try to manage them without giving into the impulse to rip the damn garment in two, when Raphael tugged on his shirt, pulling the tails from his waistband.

  “Arms up,” Raphael murmured, a little smile playing on his mouth.

  One swift movement and Aleric’s shirt joined Raphael’s coat on the floor.

  Raphael’s gaze was more potent than a physical caress. It swept over his bare chest, followed the thin line of dark hair that disappeared behind his waistband, settled on his erection. His cock pulsed, throbbed, fighting against the placket. Sweat pricked every inch of his skin. If Raphael touched him right now…by God, he would not be responsible for his actions.

  That smile widened, revealing the tips of two sharp, gorgeous teeth.

  At the growl of impatience rumbling his chest, Raphael turned on his heel. Left Aleric standing there, muscles drawn so taut his entire body trembled. Thankfully Raphael didn’t linger over his own clothes. Waistcoat, cravat and shirt soon joined Aleric’s coat on the chair.

  “I’ll leave the trousers to you,” Raphael said, as he sat on the edge of the bed to remove his breeches and stockings.

  The hell with the buttons. They skidded across the floor, joining the others, as Aleric kicked his feet free of his shoes. The next instant his cock sprung free, cool air hitting his skin in glorious, welcome relief. He left his trousers and drawers in a wrinkled heap and stalked to the side of the bed.

  Fists clenched, he glared down at Raphael, who sat naked on the bed, his beautiful prick jutting from his body, fluid beaded at the tip. “Are you done yet?”

  “No,” Raphael replied with calm determination. “In any case, it’s good for you.”

  Like hell it is. Aleric growled again, the low sound rumbling through the room.

  “Patience, Aleric.”

  Rather than irritate him further, Raphael’s soft murmur somehow took his frustration down one critical degree. Then Raphael’s lashes swept down. His brow furrowed, his lips pursed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t want to accidentally bite you.” He looked up to Aleric and quickly pulled his lips back, flashing his straight white teeth. He had somehow willed his fangs to recede.

  It was on the tip of Aleric’s tongue to tell Raphael that he didn’t much mind if he bit him—he’d done it himself to Raphael on a couple occasions thus far and knew there would be many more to come—when the man slid off the bed, gracefully dropping to his knees at Aleric’s feet.

  Raphael grasped his hips, opened his mouth, slipped out his tongue. Aleric had no idea how he held back the orgasm. It was right there, at the base of his cock. The pressure building in his ballocks to near impossible levels, he speared his fingers in Raphael’s soft hair, completely disheveling the neat queue at his nape, and silently urged the man to do more than merely flick the tip of his tongue over the crown.

  He let out ragged moan, his head tipping back, as silken lips slid down to the base, engulfing the entire length in blissful wet heat. His legs shook as Raphael picked up a rhythm of long, decadent strokes, sucking hard each time he pulled back. Aleric could not even look at him, for he knew if he did, the sight would have him spilling down Raphael’s throat. The man’s mouth was heaven. Second only to his body. No, his kiss. No, his touch.

  Everything about Raphael drove him to the edge of distraction. Rousing need on a scale he had never experienced before.

  A hand shifted from his hip, fingers splayed and drifting toward his groin. Then two digits pressed against his length. Raphael’s rhythm unbroken, he took his fingers and Aleric’s cock into his mouth on the next downward glide.

  A memory passed through him. There and then gone. So quickly he hadn’t been able to grasp it. He furrowed his brow, tried to will that recollection back, but Raphael was sucking his wits right out of his cock.

  The lightest whisper over his ballocks and those wet fingertips were sliding behind to swirl over his entrance.

  His knees threatened to buckle as the memory slammed into him, the force of it almost knocking him over.

  Hannah.

  He tightened his grip on Raphael’s hair and flung the man off him.

  Raphael landed on his back a few paces away, skidding into the chair and knocking it to the floor with a loud clatter. Confusion and shock written all over his face, he stared at Aleric. He pushed up onto his elbows. “Aleric?”

  He shook his head, one hard movement warning the man to hold his damn tongue.

  “Usually come and go through one of the windows.”

  “Your bedchamber window wasn’t locked…easily accessible from the rooftop.”

  The image of Katerina’s two vampires, crouched on the warehouse roof, flittered through his head.

  “But even throwing back a bottle of brandy will only…”

  The brandy, his spirit of preference, that had awaited him in the bedchamber. The absence of the drab coat he detested in the wardrobe Raphael had brought to the house. The kidskin gloves he thought he had lost long ago. The once missing cravat pin and the mate to his onyx cufflink.

  From the moment Aleric had first laid eyes on Raphael last night, the man’s presence had felt so familiar, as if he had known Raphael all his life. Yet he actually knew very little about the man. The little he did know he had learned by questioning him. But Raphael had somehow known every detail about Aleric. No questions necessary. Except one—why Aleric had cut ties with his family.

  Christ! And Raphael had just touched him in the exact same manner as Hannah had just last night.

  “My apologies, Lord Aleric, for the lack of a proper introduction.”

  Bloody fucking hell.

  It had not been fate.

  His chest worked under the force of his suddenly harsh breaths, as a torrent of betrayal and rage roiled up from within. Pounded through his veins, hot and fierce, mixing with the lust roused to a fever pitc
h to form a noxious concoction. Hands clenched in fists at his sides, he stepped toward Raphael.

  “How did you know my name?”

  Raphael swore his heart stopped. All he could do was stare at Aleric looming above him.

  “How?” The word snapped through the air. “I never told you. Never introduced myself.”

  He opened his mouth but no words would come out. His mind completely blank, swamped with shock, unwilling to accept how everything had turned so horribly wrong so very quickly.

  “How the hell did you know the address to my apartments?”

  Raphael closed his eyes. Utter and absolute anguish settled over him. A thick, heavy blanket of misery that killed every trace of happiness, robbed him of all hope. The most horrendous pain tore at his chest, a pain that would now be with him always.

  How had he not foreseen this? Not even worried once that Aleric would question how he had known something as simple as his name, never mind the address to his apartments.

  If that was not the height of foolishness, he didn’t know what was.

  He knew what he’d done. Knew his mistake. This was his punishment for savoring Aleric’s single-minded focus on him. All he had wanted was to please Aleric, to fan his desires while reveling in the sensation of being the sole object of Lord Aleric Vane’s attention. For finally being in the position he had envied from afar for so long. Too caught up in the moment, he hadn’t thought before he acted. Simply followed his instincts, which had been borne out of years of watching Aleric with that whore.

  And to think not five minutes ago he held secure in the knowledge Aleric would be with him forever.