Sound and Fury

Sound and Fury Copyright © 2006 by BA Tortuga All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address Torquere Press, PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680. ISBN: 1-933389-93-1 Printed in the United States of America. Torquere Press electronic edition / July 2006 Torquere Press eBooks are published by Torquere Press, PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680. www.torquerepress.com

Sound and fury By BA Tortuga Chapter One Hiding his deep yawn behind his hand, Seth Rhodes wondered, not for the first time, why anyone would wish to leave the warmth of their bed at dawn to be shot at. Or why anyone would think he would want to be there to witness it. Still, Carlton was one of the few, rare friends he had maintained from his formative years, and he was therefore bound to agree to second him in this ridiculous duel. Such utter tripe, the insult Carlton claimed the young pup had given him. The man was simply feeling his age, longing for the supposed adventures of his youth. And Seth had the terrible feeling that the young man who just rode up on a rather impressive Irish racer was a much better shot than Carlton could ever be. The young man slid from the horse, eyes flashing, even in the early morning light. Odd, really. He didn't believe such fiery anger could be pretended before noon, much less honestly felt. "Are ye ready? I've plans by eight bells. Let's move this along, yes?" Carlton surged up, nostrils flaring in a most amusing manner, and Seth put a hand to his arm. He looked the lad over, stifling a smile with less success than he had the yawn. "Yours was the insult, you have chosen your weapon?" A formality, as he knew very well the lad had chosen pistols. "Pistols. The distance?" The rich brogue was clipped, lips tight, but the stocky body was relaxed, easy, no sign of distress. "Twenty paces should suffice." He looked at Carlton. "I don't suppose you would care to apologize?" Grim-faced, his friend shook his head. Seth shrugged. "Very well. Pace off, and I will call to fire. Unless you have seconds arriving, sir?" "I don't. You ready, then? I've not much time to play with you." At Carlton's nod, the men stood back to back, Carlton's challenged a head shorter and a bit wider, curly red hair flaming in the rising sun. Then they paced off and faced one another. Seth waited until they were at right angles to one another, both at the ready before he called. "Fire!" The explosions were loud, a small, dark hole appearing in the meaty part of Carlton's shoulder, his friend's pistol falling to the ground. The young man stood and watched, eyes hooded. "Our argument's done now." Carlton staggered, went down on one knee, but looked nonetheless as though he would argue, so

Seth went to him and took the pistol from his hand. "Your honor has been satisfied. Leave well enough alone, you fool." He summoned the doctor with a wave, and went then to the other participant. "Are you satisfied, sir?" "I am. Tell your friend to watch who he passes judgment on." Green eyes flared, lips firming. "I'll not be so kind next time." "I will be certain to tell him so. You should be more pleased, young one. You are vindicated." "Until tomorrow morning, you've a point." The young man nodded, moved toward his mount. "Your friend will heal well and he can tell his children the evil Irishman Murtagh gave him the scar." "Good Lord. Is that what this is all about? And tell me, what is tomorrow morning?" He should simply let the boy go, but something about the lad intrigued him. Perhaps reminded him of himself. "Lord G. tomorrow at dawn. Some nonsense about his daughter." He received a patently nonchalant shrug. "Silly bugger, ought to know better and look to his neighbor's sons for the offense." "Lord G.? My lad, I should be careful of that one, were I you. He cheats." Now why was he feeling so protective suddenly? "Oh?" Nostrils flaring, cheeks flushing dark, the man nodded. "That will change the outcome of the fight. Many thanks." "You are most welcome. And should you feel you need a second, you may call upon me." He took a card from the case inside his coat, handing it over. "He's more honest when someone is there who knows his ways." The card was taken by a gloved hand, and a slightly worn coat sleeve slid back to expose a hint of bruised and bloodied skin before the material hid the flesh from his sight again. "Good Lord." He caught the lad's elbow in his hand, stopping him. "Are you quite well?" "I... Yes." The first hint of discomfort appeared on that square face, cheeks going pink. "Just a row." "Is that all you do with your time?" He could have bitten his tongue off. How he hated it when people judged him harshly. Why should he do so to someone else? "I apologize. That was uncalled for. Perhaps you should have that seen to, however." He got a short nod, the lad stepping away from him with a bitter laugh. "Perhaps when the physician is finished with plastering your friend." "Yes, I am sure I may arrange that. Can you stay a moment?" Or better yet, they would adjourn

to his home, where the sawbones could see to Carlton's comfort and also to this young Irishman. "Or you may come with us back to my lodging?" "Your friend will not take kindly to that, I think. I don't know if he told you, but he's none too fond." Oh! A hint of humor, of wit. A chuckle escaped him. "He is hardly in a position to dictate. I fear he has passed right out. Please. Ease my mind by coming and letting the doctor check you." "Ease your mind? You don't even know my name, you don't know more than I'm a good shot." "Well, I know your name is Murtagh. Mine is Seth Rhodes, if it makes you feel better to be formally introduced." Why on earth he was insisting, he had no idea, but the lad wouldn't leave without a battle on his part. "Declan Murtagh." The gloved hand was offered him, eyes confused, curious. He shook that hand, then used it to tug the lad toward his carriage, where they were loading Carlton. "Come. Bring your nag and you may follow us. Early though it is we could both benefit from a whiskey, and cook will have breakfast on. Duels are hungry work." "This is the strangest duel I've ever been a part of, I confess." Declan grabbed his mount, following him with a vaguely lost look. "How many have you been in, then?" Perhaps that was all the lad ever did. A temper that surpassed even his, mayhap? "This month?" "Why not confine it to the past fortnight and I will do the addition on my own?" He made sure Carlton was safely inside the carriage with the doctor before vaulting up to sit beside the driver. "Today was the eighth." Declan swung onto his horse, cheeks flushed. "But only two could be counted against me." "Well. No wonder you are such a fine shot." It was all he could do not to laugh aloud. Obviously the poor boy needed something else to keep him busy. "Yes. It is a gift." The boy flipped up his collar, rode with his head down, studiously not looking at people as they rode. "Indubitably. Have you an occupation here? A study?" "A... No. Not at the present. I... I am only recently arrived." Only recently arrived, and already fighting with everyone he met. Poor lad. "Well, at this rate you will have a reputation before you do."

"Yes. I... I have found that, even in a place as big as this, that once one is known for... marksmanship, it follows." Declan shrugged. "Like a fly towards rotted meat." "Yes." It took less than no time to reach his home from the dueling field, and soon enough he was climbing down and offering his stable to Declan Murtagh's horse. They were silent until they reached the house, where he called for Mary to bring whiskey and hot water and bandages. Declan stood, watching him, still and silent, green eyes following his every motion. "Please, sit down. There's tea, if you like, or coffee, and breakfast will be served as soon as Carlton is settled and the doctor has seen you." His house was unfashionably distant from the city center, but it was comfortable, and afforded him the privacy he preferred. It was also well run, bless Mary's heart. A chair was taken, a soft “thank you” offered. Now that Seth had him inside, the lad looked tired, oddly worn. Even his clothes were fashionable, but too worn, hard lived in. He imagined that Declan Murtagh had somehow fallen on hard times, and had not learned yet how to stop running. He knew that look, as he himself had carried it for far too long. "Here. Drink this. 'Tis coffee with whiskey and it will do you good. Ah, and there's the doctor. Perhaps if you removed your shirt?" "I... My shirt?" He got a look of panic. "I thought he wanted to see my arm." Such panic was unwarranted, but he was not one to push. "If you like I can leave the room. I simply believe it will be easier for the man to look at your arm if you remove the clothing." "You can stay. Hell's bells, it's your house, isn't it? It's just..." Declan worked off his cufflink, exposing one scraped arm, bruises following up into the shirt sleeve. "Here's the arm. Just bruises." "Hmm." He sipped his coffee, settling across from the lad as the doctor came in with bags and bandages and liniment. "The whole of it, please, so he may do his work." He received an unbelieving look, a slow blink. He could see the anger try to flare in those green eyes and sputter, exhausted. "He could just look at the arm..." "I am not going to berate you or hurt you, Declan. It would benefit you to be seen to, is all. Really, I will not ask anything of you in return but that you share breakfast with me." So tired. The lad looked so tired. With a sigh, the lad gave in, fingers working buttons open and shrugging the clothing aside. Someone had pummeled the lad more than thoroughly, varying shades of bruises coloring Declan's torso and arms with violets and blues and deep blacks. He kept his exclamation to himself, knowing it would be unwelcome. The doctor tsked and went to work, and they spent a very unpleasant quarter hour listening to the boy breathe through his nose.

Finally the lad worked his clothes back on, face paler than ever, lips almost invisible as they were pressed tight. "Thank you for your assistance, doctor." The doctor nodded, and collected his pay, seeming glad to get on his way. Seth could not blame him. "Should you like to breakfast before or after you've slept?" "Slept?" He got another confused look, a shaking hand rubbing through ruddy curls. "I'm sorry?" "You are obviously ready to drop from exhaustion, Declan. Stay for a while and rest, hmm?" Oh, soon enough Mary would be mothering the lad. The whiskey and the doctor's attentions only seemed to have deepened the dark half-circles beneath the lad's eyes. "Stay? But..." Declan swayed a bit, blinking. "I don't understand. You... Your friend... I shot him not two hours ago." "Yes, well. Carlton is an ass and he no doubt deserved it. And it is not as though you killed him. His carriage will take him home in an hour or so, once the bleeding stops completely, so you needn't worry about him being here. And really, there is far too much breakfast just for me." Best to keep the lad off balance. Then he might be confused enough to stay. "Breakfast? Oh, yes. You mentioned that earlier." Declan shook his head, rubbed his nose. "I should have not accepted your coffee, I think. It's early for whiskey." "Yes, and you look exhausted, as I have said. Mary!" His housekeeper returned, round and matronly and concerned. "Please show our guest to the blue room, if you please, and if he needs sleep clothes, mine will do well enough." Mary clucked and puttered and fussed and herded the lad towards the door, those green eyes completely confused, body running on the dregs of energy. They would sort him out, right enough, as soon as he woke. Until then, Seth thought it was just as well he got up at an ungodly hour of the day to meet Carlton's dueling opponent. The lad was heading straight to destruction, and Seth was just the man to stop his headlong rush. *** Declan woke up with a start, sore and lost as he blinked furiously, trying to suss out where in God's name he was. He managed to angle himself up, stumbling towards the door when the bandages about his chest offered him a clue. The duel. Carlton's second. What the Hell had he been thinking? Coming into a stranger's home and sleeping like a babe? He

didn't know that man from Adam. Hell's bells! Couldn't quite remember the man's Christian name. What if they'd realized who he was, contacted father? Father's people? He shook his head, hand on his stomach. No. There wouldn't be any more dealings with those folk, not if he could help it. Declan found his shoes, his waistcoat and jacket left where he'd dropped them. He had enough cash to last out the fortnight, then he'd sell Belle to a good horseman and slip onto a ship headed for the West Indies. No one would seek him out there. He dressed quickly and opened the door, hoping to find some hint of the time, of his overcoat, of the way out. "Oh! There you are! Well, what good timing you have, lad. I was just on my way up to wake you for dinner. Sir was just telling me how he wanted you to join him, and no wonder, as you're all but skin and bones. You could use some fattening." It was the housekeeper, Mairi? Marie? Mary! She grabbed his elbow and hauled him down the stairs with the strength born of manual labor, pushing him along until they reached a wellappointed dining room. What exactly was it about these people that found him hurried along as if he were a child and not a man? Declan blinked over at Mary, running a hand through his hair, sure there were still pillow-marks upon his face. "Thank you. Good evening." "Good evening to you too, lad." She gave him an astonishingly pretty smile. "Sir will be in soon. Have a seat, and I'll pour you some tea, hmm?" She poured him tea, as promised, and then plopped down on one of the needlepoint-covered seats at the long table. "Sit, sit. You'll give me a crick in my neck, looking up." He sat gingerly, minding his bones, and offered Mary a nervous smile before reaching for the tea and adding a touch of milk. Oh... Oh, so good. Such a comfort. "There, now. That's better, isn't it?" Now that he was relaxed he could smell dinner. Roast something, and fresh bread. "There is something about a fine spot of tea that makes a person easy inside." Declan blushed as his stomach rumbled, truly trying to gnaw its way out of his belly. "I beg pardon. The smells are better than I've come on in ages." "Mary is the finest cook in the city, if you like good solid cooking, as I do." His host appeared in the doorway, casually dressed in trousers and shirtsleeves covered by a soft jacket worn at the elbows, one button missing. Without the haze of exhaustion clouding his eyes, he could see the man was somewhat older than he, with dark hair and light eyes. Quite striking when he smiled, which he did, encompassing both he and Mary.

"Mary? Would you serve? Good evening, Declan." "Good evening, sir." He stood and held out his hand, managing not to wince or let out a sound. "Thank you for your hospitality. You're quite generous." His hand received a warm shake as Mary left them to serve dinner. "Please, resume your seat, Declan, before you fall over." The smile he received was also warm, and held no irony or accusation. Mary bustled back in with plates piled high with roast lamb and potatoes and slices of thick, buttery bread, serving both he and his host before sitting down to her own plate. If he had been a weaker man, Declan would have found himself teary-eyed at the sight of such solid fare. As it was, the hand that held the knife shook, trembled worse than it had ever in the face of fists or muzzle. Politely ignoring his distress, though it must have been quite obvious, Mary and his host dug into their meals with only the comment that Mary had blessed it as she cooked it. Several times. He tucked in, eating with the quick silence that marked his habit of late. The roast melted upon his tongue, as did the bread, and the potatoes were roasted to perfection. Stuffed full as a tick, he put aside his fork, the plate still half full, and nodded to his hosts. "I've never had better. Thank you." "Oh! Thank you!" Mary beamed at him, that utterly lovely smile bemusing him once more. "I hope you have room for custard." And off she went again, round form swaying. "You have just won yourself a fast friend, Declan. I so rarely have guests, and she does not hear compliments often except from me." "She's a heavenly cook. You are lucky to have found her." He gave his host a long look. "Forgive me my rudeness earlier. I admit there's a bit of a fog clouding this morning, but you were kind to have the bones look at me, give me a bed for the day. I do thank you." Returned in kind, his look, and now Declan could see those eyes were hazel, more green than gold. "You are most welcome. For some unknown reason, you remind me very much of myself when I was of an age." That made him smile. "That bodes well, if for nothing than the hope of good meals." Mary came back in, laden with a tray of coffee, brandy, and custard cups, still hot and sprinkled with cinnamon. "You can come and eat with us any time, lad. Isn't that right, Mister Seth?" "Yes indeed, Mary." Giving him a wry smile, Seth nodded. "In fact, I was going to offer the lad gainful employment, and a room here in the house." "Pardon me?" Declan was beginning to worry about whether he had been shot at dawn and was

now floating through some world awaiting judgment. This man did not know him -- at least one would assume that -- and yet opened house and dining hall and good will to him? Unreal. "Well, I would assume from the looks of your mount that you know good horseflesh, yes? I have a dear friend whom I would love to beat next year in the derby, so I could use someone to help improve my stable, as well as my breeding stock." With all evidence of real enjoyment, his host ate his custard, eyes closing in bliss. "You really should try this.” "I..." He looked over at Mary for a moment and then surreptitiously pinched himself on the inner thigh. Hard. Well then, he wasn't sleeping. "Is something the matter?" Leveling a shrewd gaze upon him, Seth raised a single brow. "Have I insulted you?" His temper flared a bit, as always ready to come to his defense and downfall. "No, indeed. These days I require a bit more than an offer of kindness to take offense, as my mornings are quickly filled." That received a soft laugh. "Yes. So I understand. By the by, your engagement with Lord G. I assume he issued the challenge?" "He did." Lice-ridden, hare-lipped bastard, blustering about, making suggestions that he'd bedded the smelly, spotty git he named daughter. Stupid arse. "I thought so. He has been after someone to marry that poxy lass of his for some time. I would offer my services as second then, as I said earlier, and speak to him on your behalf tonight." For the first time since they had met, he saw something dangerous flash in those eyes, something hard beneath the relaxed exterior. "Marriage?" He shook his head, chuckled. "I'm not the match he needs, in truth. Not in funds or name or station." In truth, once his father's factors found him, he would be lucky not to be headed into bound service, and placed upon a ship. His pater frowned upon willing children and held a firm stance on sons who stole horses and funds, and ran. "Most likely not, but I have no doubt that he hopes, should rumor show someone young and attractive such as yourself paid her some attention, he might find someone with a minor title. Allow me to speak with him?" He took a deep breath, preparing to refuse straight-out, then his ribs twinged, the pain deep and resonant. One good shot and his luck would be over. He nodded. "I would be even further in your debt. If he will not hear you, then I will meet him as planned." Desperation was a firm mistress, but he did learn his lessons in dribs and drabs.

"Thank you. I would not see my newest business associate gunned down by one of Lord G.'s grooms. Mary, prepare the blue room for Mr. Murtagh to move in. Declan, I suggest you go to wherever you have been lodging and collect your things. I will go and see Lord G. at his club, Mary, if you would be so kind as to have Lawrence prepare my evening kit." With that, Seth was up, carrying a tray of dishes to the kitchen before disappearing upstairs. Declan sat, blinking at his hands. Business associate? Go collect his things? When had things altered so drastically? When had his world turned itself topsy-turvy? He stood and frowned, shook his head. No. When was not the correct question. He knew when. The real question was why.

Chapter Two 'Twas late when Seth returned from Lord G's. But it was a most profitable evening, so he could scarce complain. He was quite pleased with the outcome of their meeting, and could only hope that young Declan had been bemused enough to do as he said and gather his belongings. Mary met him at the door, taking his coat. "Good evening to you, Mary. Is Declan in?" "Why yes, sir," she said. "He's in your study." "Brilliant." He handed over his gloves and hat as well. "If you could possibly heat some water? I feel the need for tea." Waiting for Mary to bustle off, he headed for his study, anticipating giving the lad happy news. He found the lad sound asleep before the hearth, bright red curls shining in the firelight, one of his books on the thin knees. He settled in the chair across from Declan, watching him intently for a time, finding peace in the even rise and fall of the boy's chest. Yes. He was, indeed, doing the right thing. "Declan. Lad. Wake up." Green eyes flashed open and that thin body grew impossibly stiff for a heartbeat, then eased. "Oh. Oh, forgive me. I dozed off. The fire felt pleasant. You have my apology indeed, sir." "Nonsense. Were it not for me you would be abed by now." He crossed one booted foot over the other. "I managed to see your opponent, Lord G." "Aye? Did he hear you out?" Declan carefully sat up, placing the book back in the shelf, face quite carefully neutral. "He did, in fact." The next would either enrage the young man, or relieve him. Perhaps both. He pulled a piece of folded paper from his jacket. "He sends a formal, written apology." "An apology?" Declan blinked, cheeks going dark. "And why did he offer such an apology to you when I myself did not rank one in person?" He stifled a sigh. "Well, you were not there, were you? If you like, we may call upon him on the morrow and he will issue you one in public. I was acting as your second, after all." He got a long look and then Declan shook his head, hand on battered ribs. "That won't be necessary. I... I will accept his apology as it stands. Thank you." Now it was his own turn to be relieved. He certainly did not wish to let Declan know how he had come about the apology. "Thank you. I appreciate your faith in my ability." He smiled at Mary as she came in with the tea. "Ah, perfect. And a bit of honey and brandy, too, hmm?" They were both given a cup, and a plate of biscuits, and off Mary went again, leaving them alone.

"I suppose you must be a bit...shall we say wondering?" "No. I'm bloody well confused is what I am. Do you know my father? Is that it? You've sent for him? Because I'll warn you, I won't go back." The tea cup rattled for a moment against the saucer and then stopped. "No matter the consequence." Oh, dear. He sipped his tea before answering, savoring the bloom of whiskey heat in his belly. "I have no idea who your father is, Declan. My contacts in Ireland are few and far between. I only assume that is where you're from because of the way you speak." "Damn my mouth." Declan closed his eyes for a long moment and then set the tea cup aside. "I should go. I've overstayed my good sense and any man's good will. I am in your debt, truly." "Nonsense. I meant what I said about you helping me build a stable." He paused, calculating for a moment. "Of course, when you go out into polite company, you might wish to leave due to my reputation, not your difficulties." "Pardon?" Declan shook his head. "I swear, you make a habit of confounding me. Your reputation, sir?" "Oh my, yes. I am quite the bounder. Defiling innocents, consorting with low persons, and, apparently, I cheat at cards. I am quite the devil incarnate. I once had a young lady faint at the very sight of me." He kept his tone light, but he hoped it was obvious enough that he was not entirely amused. One red eyebrow lifted. "Someone forgot to inform your staff, sir." "Yes, well. I must hold the deed to their family, as well as the rights to their as yet unborn generations, to keep them in my house." Sipping again at his tea, he studied Declan's expression. "This would be easier if you did not insist on speaking in riddles." Declan frowned at him, brow furrowed. "So you've a bad name and I'd rather not have one at all, given what mine finds me. We're a fine lucky pair." "So long as you understand that we begin on even ground, and I have no interest in your past beyond what you wish me you know. Is that plain enough?" "Aye." He was given a single nod and asked not a solitary question or given even a curious look, Declan’s eyes on the fire. Tired suddenly, he set his cup aside and rose. "You have retrieved your things?" Declan stood, shrugged. "Doole carried it all in the saddlebags." "Declan...I should like for us to be friends. I apologize if it seems as though I am lording you about. I simply have a habit of making up my mind and going about doing things." He put a hand to the boy's arm. "Can we start fresh in the morning?"

"Well, given that I'm no longer engaged to be being shot at, I suppose it would fit on my schedule." He got a wry grin, those eyes twinkling just a bit. That burden was lifted, and he felt lighter. "Good. Shall we retire? It is most late." "Yes. I...I feel as if I could sleep a fortnight." "So could I." He motioned for Declan to precede him, following the lad out into the hall and up the stairs. He stopped just outside the lad's door. "Goodnight, Declan. Trust that all will be well." "I trust in my aim, sir. It serves me well and brings the most interesting people into my life, indeed. Goodnight." "Goodnight." He left Declan to his sleep, retiring to his room. He ached, the tension leaving him, and thus leaving every bone in his body sore. How he hated facing Lord G. and his ilk. Every time he was forced to do so it left him feeling physically ill. Yet somehow, Seth felt that Declan Murtagh would be worth every one of the multitude of difficulties he would cause. *** He spent his days in the stables and paddocks watching the current mounts, learning their habits and their ways. Declan had a room now -- not that he was there often, mostly heading off with the lads for a single whiskey and a working man's plate at the pub after the day's work -- but his saddlebags were safe, sound. He liked the work, liked the horses and the men that worked in the stables. He liked that nobody asked him anything about who or where or what, just let him work and drink and sleep and work. He'd never lived so good. Which was, of course, far too good to last. Or at least he assumed it was going to come crashing down when Seth Rhodes called him to the study, sending the message through Mary. Surely now it was time for his good fortune to end. The temptation to go in fury blazing was intense, almost overwhelming, but he banked it. Rhodes had been good to him, damned good, and he was going to act in a proper manner if it killed the lot of them. He knocked on the study door, hat in hand. "You called for me?" Rhodes sat behind his enormous desk, in his shirtsleeves, scowling at the papers before him. At Declan's words he glanced up, the scowl smoothing. "Yes. Yes, I did. Come in and have a seat." Declan nodded, taking one of the soft chairs, eased a bit by the look.

"I was just reading over the recommendation you made on the mounts we should put up for auction. Do you really think we ought to sell the dapple gray?" "Aye, I do." He nodded. "He'll bring in enough for three fine colts, maybe four. Plus, if you're smart and careful, he'll seed the fine ladies you have afore he goes. He's good, but he's aging and he's a bad bet, on the tracks." "Damn. I rather like the mangy old beast." Rhodes grinned at him suddenly. "But if you say so, off he goes." The grin faded as quickly as the scowl had. "Tell me something, Declan." He tilted his head, nodded. Saints above, the man changed moods faster than the wings of a hummingbird beat. "Do you dislike me? Find me offensive in some way?" "I beg your pardon?" He blinked, eyes wide. "Offensive? I'm sure I don't understand." The man simply stared at him. "I should think it would obvious. Is there something about me that makes you avoid me?" "I'm sorry? I've been avoiding no one. I've been working as we arranged." He stamped on that little voice that said that it was easy to avoid someone that kept another someone all befuddled and confused, a someone that made things confusing. "I have asked you to dine with me. You have refused. I have come to the stables to see you, and you are conveniently absent, even though the stable lads assure me you were just there. The only way I may see you is if I summon you upon business." There was something, in that voice and those eyes, that made him very uncomfortable indeed. "I...." He blushed dark, didn't know what to say, how to explain the feelings deep in his belly, the anxious ache that Rhodes built in him. Faithfully, his temper bounced up to cover for him. "Don't go accusing me of hiding out. I've been working my arse off in those stables, dawn 'til way past dusk. You cannot blame a man for buying a nip down to the pub when his duties are done." "Of course not." Rhodes sighed. "I apologize, Declan. I have obviously overstepped." The usual mask of businesslike detachment was back, Rhodes' expression smoothing into an unreadable facade. "What should we ask for the nag at auction?" "Jesus!" Declan stood, shaking his head. "Are you two men trapped in one body? I swear by the heavens I've never met one who runs flame and ice like you do. I swear, I expect steam to pour from you where the two meet!" "Really." Rhodes stood as well, skirting the desk, advancing upon him. "And you, Declan Murtagh, are a study in contradictions as well. One that is as frustrating as it is fascinating. Sadly, I never get to see you."

By the time Rhodes stopped, their bodies were almost close enough to touch. "See me? Why on earth would you want to see me? I'm bad at chess, worse at small talk, and manage to find trouble more often than it finds me." He didn't back down, not a bit, nostrils flaring. That same unidentifiable something flashed in Rhodes' eyes. "I have not asked for chess, nor small talk, have I? I find polite chit chat unutterably boring. But you, sir, refuse even the simplest request that you come and eat Mary's cooking." "And you, sir, refuse to answer any questions without confounding my head and sending my good senses reeling!" He shut his mouth with a snap. Shite. "Well, at least I can claim to have some effect on you, I suppose." Turning abruptly, the man made for a side table. "Would you like a whiskey?" Declan blinked, and then blinked again. The lousy bastard had just done it again. Not quite sure if he was going to scream or break something, he nodded. "Yes. Please." He got a stiff shot, matched by the one Rhodes poured for himself. "Cheers." "Cheers." He nodded and drank, the familiar heat soothing and settling him. Damn this man and his...distracting ways. "Oh. That's the stuff. Another?" Another splash found his glass, and Rhodes slammed his back quickly, eyes closing for a moment as it went down. Now this Declan understood, and he took his shot eagerly, muscles tensing at the fire splashing in his throat. It looked like Rhodes understood it, too, sucking back one more shot before putting the decanter away, the fine crystal so incongruous with the truly hard drink. "Well, I feel much better." "I'm glad to hear it." God above, the man made his head spin. "Are we done yelling at each other then?" Might as well just ask, he was doing a shite job of figuring the man out. "I believe you started the yelling, Declan. My inclination is to say no, however, as we do seem to have the effect together of throwing oil on a fire." The glint he got out of the corner of one goldflecked eye was wicked. Truly, the man was a kaleidoscope of moods. He arched an eyebrow, fighting his grin. "Should we just pick a topic then and get to it? Politics? Horseflesh? My lack of manners? Your confounded nature? The benefits of a nightly constitutional?"

"My nature? Confounded? Never say so. You are perverse." The other man fought his grin just as hard, losing the battle in a flash of white teeth and laugh lines. Declan offered up his own smile. "Bah. I haven't an ounce of perversity within me, no matter what the lads might say. Not a single ounce." "Pity." Laughing aloud, Rhodes sat once more, this time in a comfortable chair near the hearth. "Perversion can be so amusing." He chuckled, grinned. "Amusing, sir? But I tend to call forth other things than amusements. Offense being the foremost." "You are rash, that is certain. I believe I understand, however, having been much the same at your age. And not so different now. I am simply better at hiding it." Declan moved to sit across the hearth, easing at the approving look he received. "You do hide it well. Sometimes." "Other times not so well?" Watching him closely, Rhodes opened the stiff, starched collar on his shirt and tossed it aside. "I beg your pardon, but that was stifling." Declan nodded, studiously not looking at the man's bared throat. "Gentlemen's clothes are always so. Unbearable." "Yes. Pity I have become just respectable enough that Mary forces them on me via my valet. Tell me, how do you feel about the country?" "The country?" He blinked again, head tilting. "Which country?" "Well, in general, north. Specifically Yorkshire. I have been invited to a friend's estate there, and I should like for you to come with me. He says he would like to sell of a few of his horses." "Of course." He nodded. If nothing else, he was sure of this, of his ability to know horses that would suit. "I would be happy to accompany you." "Excellent. I shall look forward to our journey on the week next then." The glint was back, pure devilment in those eyes. "I shall have your captive attention for the entire time." "Indeed. We will have to see whether you push me from the carriage on the way to, or manage to wait until the return trip." That got him a chuckle. "You may well smother me as I nap." "Somehow I believe you would welcome the attempt, if simply to prove you nap with only one eye closed." He relaxed, their laughter mingling together in the room. "Possibly. You may well find out." Rhodes sobered, once again changing moods with no more

reason than the change of direction of the wind outside. "I look forward to learning more about you, Declan." His own smile faded. "I'll warn you now, that rarely turns out well." "Let me be the judge of that, hmm?" "As you will." He nodded, offering the smallest of smiles. "Does the offer for dinner still stand? I'm afraid my answer this morning was...hasty." "Certainly!" Absurdly pleased for such a small request, Rhodes rose, and motioned for him to do the same. "'Twill be a pleasure to have someone to dine with." Declan stood, nodding. "Indeed. Thank you, sir. Shall we?" "I think we shall." He got an inscrutable look as Rhodes preceded him from the room. He followed, shaking his head. They would either kill one another in duel or become fast friends. Probably both.

Chapter Three The carriage ride seemed endless. Had he had his wits about him when they set out, he would have had his horse saddled, but instead he thought to pass a pleasant time with Declan. Sadly, the lad was clearly back to avoiding him. The first night on the road, he had forgiven Declan not eating with him, saying instead that he must care for the horses, a feat, Seth knew, that his coachman was entirely equal to. By the morning of the third, and hopefully last day, barring rain, he felt completely reviled and ignored, their intention to become friends sadly crushed. Perhaps, he thought, Declan simply did not know how to be sociable. He had the makings of a fine conversationalist, a good sense of humor, and a tendency to tell the truth that Seth admired. He also possessed a remarkable temper, and frankly, a tendency to tell the truth would get a man in trouble when that reared its head. Late on the final day, the coach rounded a nauseating corner and started up the drive to his estate. Seth had never been happier to see it, and as soon as the springs rocked, he climbed out, feeling every one of his years as his back and legs protested. Declan hopped out, breathed deep, eyes curious as they looked about for a long moment, just taking things in. Then the horses were taken in hand. "Come on, you lot. There's no more carriage for us, either one. Never spent so long in a box, I swear." "Yes, I am quite sure it must have seemed endless." He did not mean to snap, but really, how could he not when Declan was so eager to be away? Those green eyes flashed over at him. "And why, by all the saints, are you so prickly? I did my best to stay quiet and still, to not bother a bit." "Stay quiet..." The back of his neck tightened, and Seth closed his eyes. "I thought we might converse." "Oh." There was a sigh, a quiet little sound that was frustrated and sad all at once. "I guess I'm as shite a traveling companion as I am a son." The laugh was bitter, clipped. "I am not your father, Declan." Truly, the boy's father sounded very much like his. He offered a weary smile. "You can make it up to me by letting the coachman take the horses and coming up for tea, which Edwards will no doubt have ordered for us." "I swear, you are changeable as the skies." Declan nodded, though, looking suddenly lost. "Should I help with the baggage, too?" "Declan. What is the matter?" He simply could not understand it. "I don't know what you want me to do. I was down to selling my nag and now I'm riding like some high-born that wasn't thrashed out of his own house and..." Declan threw his arms up, hat going flying. "Criminey! What's a man supposed to do? I don't want to make it to where I'm beak-hunting and setting myself 'gainst the broadsmen again."

Nodding, saying nothing for a moment, he took Declan's elbow, leading the lad gently toward the house. After he had pulled in several breaths 'twas easier to speak normally. "You think I will turn on you eventually. Yes, I can understand that. I have borne such myself. I can assure you, however, that in the course of normal conversation you will say nothing I cannot make light of, Declan." Declan looked over at him, nodded. "I'll remind you of that, saint's honor. Tell me about this place? If it was mine? I'd never once go back to the cesspool." "Oh, I go to the City for the, er." What was one to say? "The companionship. But this house I inherited from an uncle. I fear it came to me rather badly careworn, but we've made it right, have we not, Edwards?" The door opened smoothly as they rose to the top stair, the weathered, rough hewn panels original to the oldest part of the house, built of a pink-gray stone. Newer additions extended in a hodge-podge of styles. "Indeed, sir. We've triumphed over the adversity of mice and rot. Welcome home." Edwards unbent enough to smile. The effect rather terrified most people. Declan actually chuckled, "No mere mice could stand against the sheer will here." "No, indeed, young sir. We will have no mice, I say. Do come in. Your bags have been taken up, sir. Will the young man be..." Seth cut him off. "He'll be in the blue bedroom." Declan didn't argue, just nodded toward him in thanks, eyes looking and looking at everything in sight. 'Twas interesting to see it through someone else's eyes. Many a cit would find the decor dated now, as Seth had done much of it some ten or twelve years previous. Still, it had a warmth and comfort, even in the hall. The horrid classical plinths and vases had gone, replaced with elegant side tables and warm tapestries. "We shall have tea in the small salon. Declan? Shall we?" "Tea sounds ream. I never thought riding in a carriage would be work." "It does strain things best left untouched, hmm? Including the belly." He led the way down the hall to a small, simply decorated salon, all dark blue, white and gold. It had the most comfortable chairs in the house. Edwards had outdone himself, cucumber sandwiches and biscuits, tiny tarts with dollops of cream atop. "Oh, that's a feast for the eyes."

"It is indeed. Edwards, you are a gem. I did not introduce you, for which I am heartily sorry. Edwards, Declan Murtagh. Declan, my lad, this is Edwards, my man about the house and keeper of all things at Rhodes Hall." "Fine to meet you, sir." Declan shook Edwards’ hand, tore his eyes away from the food long enough to nod and smile. Very nice. Edwards had taken to the lad immediately, out by the door, Seth could tell. The way Edwards turned the tray so the cream tarts sat toward Declan certainly reinforced the idea. Edwards poured, then left them, muttering about little meat pies. Declan waited for him to sit, then settled into one of the comfortable chairs, long-fingers wrapped around the china cup. The lad took a deep, deep breath, looking at peace with things. Much better. His head still ached, so Seth let it fall back against the tufted chair roll. "Oh, this is infinitely better than that benighted carriage." "Lord bless me, yes. I thought I'd choke on the air in there. So still." "We should have ridden. I never thought..." Well, he'd never thought to be so quiet, frustrated and in the end, snappish. Declan tsked and drank. "I've never gone in a carriage so far, didn't know better." "My last carriage ride had a great deal of, er, company. So I did not fall to it either." Do shut it, Seth, he thought. No need in terrifying the lad with his proclivities. "Company? Am I...I wouldn't be keeping you from someone you'd rather be with?" "Nonsense. I have not seen any of my old companions in an age. We hardly keep in touch. I have become a boring old gentleman." He winked, letting one side of his mouth kick up before reaching for a sandwich. "If you're old, then I'm a vicar in the Church of England." "Oh, I assure you, I am considerably older than you. More tea?" Was that a hint of admiration, or was he simply desperate? "Please, thank you. Considerable compared to what? You're not older than my oldest brother, surely." The steam wafting up had a delicate, sweet scent, reminding him that he'd not had any tea. Seth poured for Declan and warmed his own. "How old are you, Declan?" "A score and two years, come Boxing Day." "Well, there you are. I am very nearly ten years your senior." Seven. Nearly eight. Close enough as not to matter, any road.

"Oh, and that is long in the beard, indeed. We shall have to call you Grandfather as you suck your teeth." He got a laugh, happy and honest, dancing like those eyes. "Be careful I do not turn you over my knee, youngster." "Careful, my wizened friend; the bones in the hand get brittle with age and I hear tell the Irish come bony back there." Thinking about Declan's bottom, which he was shamed to admit he had not studied closely, was probably unwise. He was, however, ever unwise. "I am sure I could find aught to beat you with to save my hand." "But could you lift it, in your ancient state?" "Just long enough to inflict sufficient damage." Laughing like he had not in some time, Seth leaned back, sipping more tea. "Insolent pup." "Not even a bit, I vow. I'm as mild as cream." Wicked thing, but clever. Daring. "Of course." He stared, letting warmth creep into his gaze. "Too bad bland as cheese is dull." Declan laughed, shook his head. "I believe my scent is better than even the dullest cheese, or you'd have commented in the carriage." "Certainly you do not have the odor of a Stilton." Oh, Edwards made a Stilton savory rice pudding that inspired raves. 'Twas good to be home. As if his thoughts summoned the man, Edwards appeared once more, laying out a tray of pies redolent of lamb and potatoes. "Oh, that smells like home..." Declan near drooled, took a deep, deep breath. Edwards beamed. "May I get you aught else, sir?" He smiled at the man, pleased as punch. "No, thank you, Edwards. Efficient as always. Have a pie, Declan." "Help yourself first?" He almost laughed, the way Declan vibrated, near sparked. "Very well." Seth took one, nibbling on it. Really, they were not his favorite, as Edwards well knew. Undoubtedly there would soon be a selection of cold meats and cheeses. Until then he would have cucumber sandwiches and a cream tart and... well, it appeared he had regained his appetite after the carriage ride. Declan ate heartily, moaning over the lamb with a distant look reeking of nostalgia. "Oh, my mam made these, every Wednesday tea like clockwork." "Did she? I fear my own sainted mama never set one dainty toe in the kitchen." His childhood cook, though. Oh, she had made the most wonderful roast.

"My mam wasn't much dainty, but she could make a lad hop up and listen, no matter if he had five or fifteen years." "That sounds quite wonderful, actually." He could remember actually conversing with his lady mother, perhaps once. "She was, quite wonderful." Declan took another pie, head ducked a bit as if praying. "Still, it's best that the angels called her 'fore my own failings came to light." "Were she as good as you say, I doubt she would have turned on you." Seth weighed the comfort they had found against his need to know. "What are your failings Declan?" "I... temper, mainly. And... I was not... not as chaste as my Christian father would wish." Seth stared. "All young lads have indiscretions." "Not all lads. Not like I had." Everyone thought that. Seth knew better. All sins were forgivable if only one cared enough. Sadly his own family had not. "I assure you, Declan, lad. There is naught you have done that I cannot understand." "I beg to differ. I committed a sin against nature." Those cheeks burned, eyes upon the rug. "But I reserve my sins for rage and pride now, I vow it." "Oh, those are the dull ones. I much prefer gluttony and lust." He laughed lightly, trying to ease the lad's mood. "Please eat more pies. They will only get thrown to the pigs if you don't." "Better than sloth, I think." Declan took another, nibbling at the edge of the crust. "Indeed." Once again, Edwards slipped in and out, this time with a tray of Seth's favorites. He indulged his gluttony then. "That you have no problems with." "Not usually. Sunday mornings the temptation finds me." Declan chuckled, leaned back and watched him eat. "Sunday is meant to be a day of rest." The conversation flowed much more easily now, perhaps because Declan knew he wished to talk. "Where in Ireland?" "Toward Annalee, we had a house by the abhann. Small for a Londoner, but Da was a man of some importance and his brother a Bishop in the church." "That sounds like quite a place." A Bishop. Gracious. Declan nodded. "It was a fine place to be a boy." "So was Yorkshire." He smiled. "Maybe we can recapture some of that, hmm?"

"Does that mean I should dunk your head in the pond after a row over the last biscuit and jam, and hide your unmentionables in the tallest tree?" That caught him off guard, surprising a laugh out of him. "No. I prefer to relive my misspent youth in other ways." "I will have a temper with you if I find spiders in the bed sheets." Spiders...no. That was not at all what he wanted to put in Declan's bed. Seth sighed, Damn his treacherous thoughts. The lad did not need his lust, which waxed and waned as he got to know the lad. Declan simply fascinated him. Declan stood, wandered over to the window to peer out. "Saints preserve me, I thought for sure I'd be on a ship by now, of to the Americas or the West Indies, old Bess gone to the highest bidder and my soul offered to old Jack." "And yet you ran." He knew that much, knew that Declan had fled his father. "Your father is unlikely to find you here." "I know that now. When I came, it was as if his arm reached out to block the sun." Declan shrugged. "A boy's lingering fancy, you see. Along with a rough bit of travel to the south. I fared better than some; I didn't wear any chains." And there was some guilt there, beneath the fury. "Chains have their place." Let the lad think of that what he would. "But not if they're meant to haul you to gaol. Well, have you had enough? Would you like to take the pies with you?" "No, but thank you. Don't waste them on the pigs. I'll find the pantry and have at them cold in the night." "I shall tell Edwards. He'll be delighted." It was time to regroup, to search his conscience and decide what he wanted with the boy. "If that means more meals like this one, just tell me how to please and I'll put my back to it." "I know you will, Declan. It is I that I worry about." "You?" Those eyes met his, warm and curious. "How do you mean?" "I set out to please, but more often than not, I end up doing poorly. Come, I shall show you to your room." Declan would no doubt call him mercurial for this, but so be it. Seth felt old. And tired. Declan nodded, following him close. "I am sorry for making your travel unhappy, truly." "I know." He turned rather more suddenly than he'd planned, running into Declan full on. He grabbed the lad's arms to steady himself. "Do not worry on it, please. We'll get on. It simply takes time."

The lean muscles under his hands shifted, Declan's tongue slipping out to wet the barely parted lips. "Time. Yes." His blood rushed south, his eyes fastened to the lad's shining mouth. "I. Yes." Seth could see the bare hint of stubble above Declan's lip from the day's passing, hear the swallowed sound he made. His fingers bit deep into the flesh of Declan's arms, even through coat and shirtsleeves. Breath caught in his chest, he stared, his eyes meeting Declan's. The green eyes searched his, moving from one to the other, looking for something that he could only hope was there. Seth blinked, the sensation of his lashes hitting his cheeks clearly distinguishable. He feared very much that if he did what he wanted, he would scare Declan away. And yet...he leaned forward a scant few inches and put his mouth to Declan's. Declan gasped, lips parting beneath his, the black pupils going huge for a moment. Oh, oh, please. Seth moved closer, kissed deeper, needing. The scent of arousal hit his nose, musky and sharp and real, Declan's mouth clumsy, but hungry, wanton. Yes. Oh, yes. He put a hand to the small of Declan's back and drew him close, licking at his lower lip, pushing his tongue inside that sweet mouth. Hard and hot, Declan vibrated against him, fingers opening and closing against his ribs. His own hands were greedy, touching Declan wherever they could, mapping the lad's back and hips, his side and his arms. "I. Oh." The words were breathed out against his lips before the kiss went deep again. They finally separated, their lips clinging a moment. Seth had to breathe, and he resented it wholly. His fingers slipped along Declan's cheek as he met those fiery eyes. "Gracious." Declan nodded. Blinked, breath coming a little bit faster. "Declan...I do not want you to feel as if you must do, well, whatever we do. If anything." The very words tasted foul, but Declan would not be the first young man to find a benefactor and think he had to offer things beyond the pale. "I should think you know my reputation better than that." The words were light, almost jocular. "I wondered if that was what you meant." He smiled, cupping the back of Declan's neck again to pull the lad close. "I should take advantage of you before you hear the rest of mine." "Right now, reputations concern me little." Those eyes. Heaven preserve him. "Oh, good. Then you will not mind me seducing you." He smiled, mouth finding Declan's again, sharing the expression. Declan chuckled, the vibrations starting again, the lean body pressed close to him. They turned in a half circle, Seth pressing Declan up against the wall, thigh pushing between Declan's legs. Declan stiffened a bit, then moaned as if truly surprised, arousal pressing hard and sure between

them. His own prick rose, full and heated, pressing against his buttons. He rubbed it against Declan's thigh, breath coming hard and fast. He felt like an untried lad. Declan shifted against him, hand on his hip, helping him move, helping him rock. "Aye, you feel right fine, sir. Just there." "Oh. Yes." It felt better than fine. They lined up just so, their clothing a hindrance that he had no time for as yet, his hands moving even as his hips set up a rhythm. Their breath came together, both of them moaning as passion surged to the fore, lips crashing together once again. He reached between them, cupping Declan's prick, gaining a feel for it, even under the cloth. How he wanted to see it, taste it, but that would come later. A sharp needy sound was pressed into his lips, Declan going up on his toes and near grinding that thick heat against his palm. Seth found the cunning little flap that hid Declan's buttons, opening first one, then another. The male scent intensified as they fell open, and he reached inside, wanting flesh against his hand. Declan's eyes flashed, mouth tearing from him. "Your man? He won't come?" "No. He's likely planning our supper. A late one." Seth squeezed. "Bless him." The look he received near ached with desperation, the kiss doubled in its intensity. The lad seemed more starved than he was himself. He had not been that young in a long while. Pushing the tight trousers down, Seth began to stroke Declan, savoring the heat. The climax did not take long, but it was a sight to behold, for all its speed, Declan's body caught in the maelstrom, from toes to the bright curls. "Oh. So lovely. You're beautiful, Declan. Truly." He kissed one warm cheek, his clean hand going to his own placket, trying to ease the ache. Declan's clumsy fingers tried to help, the fumbling a random touch that threatened to drive him mad. Finally he got his trousers open, grunting as both he and Declan touched at the same time. His cock leapt, his heart raced, and his eyes went wide in surprise as he spent, just like that. "Oh..." Declan's fingers trailed through the wet heat, making his prick jerk and leap. "Yes. Oh. Shall we..." His voice cracked and he cleared it. "Would you come abovestairs with me?" Declan nodded, then took a deep breath. "You... If we are found, your name would be fouled. I would not harm you." A soft chuckle shook the lad, eyes dancing. "And I have not the strength to defend your honor, my friend." "I am quite capable of that myself, Declan. You might as well know. Most of polite society will assume..." Declan snorted. "Most of polite society seems to wear my scar or is married to the bugger who does."

He grinned. "It does seem that way." Taking Declan's hand, Seth led the way up. "Let me show you to my room instead, hmm?" He would enjoy what he was given. If there were recriminations, he would face them some other time. What was the country for if not enjoying the simple pleasures?

Chapter Four It was all Declan could do to just follow, to not vibrate his bones from his very skin. He had never expected to be able to feel or touch or.... Never. Never again. And Seth's touch was so much more intense than the fumblings behind the tavern or the barn. The stairs wound up and up endlessly, it seemed, but finally they reached a landing that Seth stopped on, pulling him along to a heavy oak door at the end of the hall. The master suite, no doubt. Indeed, inside was a sitting room with a dressing room and bedchamber opening off. Seth did not immediately pull him toward the bedroom, however, instead smiling at him and coming close to kiss him again. Their kisses had a heat unlike anything he'd felt, the warmth flooding him, pouring to touch his very bones. Their skin met, both at their mouths and down below, where their trousers lay open. He felt Seth begin to rise against him again, the hardness unbearably exciting. He made a deep, low sound, fingers landing on Seth's waist, tentatively sliding around to feel again. To touch that heated flesh. Seth moaned for him, legs spreading into a wide stance, hips lifting. Those hands, Seth's hands, started tugging at his clothing, gently. Easily. Twas the simplest thing to stroke, moving the silken loose skin up and down, from soft curls to wet, flared tip. "Declan. I. Oh." His jacket finally gave way and Seth attacked the studs of his shirt, stroking each patch of bared skin. Every touch made him shudder and shift, shaft throbbing almost painfully as parts of mere flesh were made alive and needy. "I can smell you. Both of us. Together." Seth breathed deep, leaning to kiss his throat, lips like a brand. "Feels...." His eyes rolled, the sensation delicious. "You are an addiction." "And you are delicious." Clever, searching, Seth's fingers found his belly, stroking down to his hipbones. Declan whimpered, shifting closer, then moving away, fascinated.

"You're not used to this, are you? Oh, Declan, the pleasures your body is made for." Seth found a scar, the one on his back just above his bottom, the contrast between the sensitive skin around it and the lack of feeling in the middle driving him mad. "'m no' a virgin, but this?" His voice was rough, raw, the brogue of his childhood creeping back in. "This is so much." "We will do as much or as little as you like, yes? But I think you will be a fine pupil." Nipping his neck hard, Seth pushed at his trousers, arching against his hand. The bite stopped his thought, leaving him with touch, hands and hips shifting, rocking. "Come, Declan. I think we should sit, at the least." A twinkling grin helped break the spell. The man was simply as mercurial here as anywhere. "Sitting." He nodded, trying to find breath to laugh. "Sitting would be bleeding fabulous." "Would you like to sit here, or in there?" Nodding toward the bedchamber, Seth waited, rocking on his toes, his whole expression one of anticipation. The blush near burned Declan’s cheeks. "Would...I mean...is it too much to...." He'd had the most wicked thoughts, but never thought to act upon them. Perhaps, never expected to act upon them.... "To what?" Without waiting for him to answer, Seth drew him into the bedchamber, cool and dark, the bed overwhelmingly large. "What do you want?" "To touch you. I...I don't want to offend." Right now, if he were to offend, he'd not know where to run. Seth began to undress, first the coat, then the fine lawn shirt. "There is nothing wrong with touch, sweet. Not a thing. I think I shall invite you to touch me all over with all of you." "Sweet? Me? My brothers would argue with you." So lean and fine, so different than the stocky, broad men he grew up around. Pale, pale skin showed piece by piece, Seth's chest muscled from sport, not work. His waist narrowed into fine hips, the bones almost delicate-looking, but the strength in Seth's legs belied that. The man stood nude before him, utterly unselfconscious. "Well one would hope your brothers would not wish to do what I want." He shook his head, teasing words faded by the sight of the man, aroused, wanton, unashamed. ‘Twas enough to make a man's head spin like a wooden top. Spreading his arms, Seth did a pirouette for him. "Where would you like to start?" The sight made him pounce, sliding behind Seth to rest one cheek upon a thin shoulder blade, eyes closing as his hands wrapped around the thin waist. "Here will work."

"Oh, yes. This will do nicely as a start." Hot. Seth's skin felt like fire, pushing back against him, consuming him. Declan simply did as he dared, fingers sliding and moving over torso and chest, down over one lean hip. He tarried here and there again, just mapping as he went, learning Seth as he wished. There was hardness to the muscle under that fine skin that had him testing its resilience, the contrast between that and the seeming fragility of collarbone and rib fascinating. The slope of skin along hip to groin drew him, the tips of his fingers grazing the mass of curls that grew there. "Oh. Yes. Declan. There." Seth pushed up, hips rolling, the muscles standing out in his thighs. It was heady, having the power. He stroked there again and again, one side and then the other, his hips moving in time with the ones against him. Finally Seth reached down, guided his hand slightly to the center, pushing his fingers so they rested deeper in the curls. The heat scorched him. The sound that escaped him came from deep within. He rubbed his face against the smooth skin of Seth's back, breathing the scent of them in. "Touch me there, Declan." Seth curled back into the cradle of his legs and torso, bottom rubbing him enough to make him crazed. The man truly had not one iota of shame. So easy, to allow his fingers to follow the paths they craved, to discover the wet trails sliding down the long shaft. He reached farther down, palm cupping the so-fragile sac. Rising on his tiptoes, Seth pushed into his hand, low rumbles coming to him on the hot air between them. The skin beneath his fingers felt thin and heated, smooth here, rough there. The things he wished to do. To see. To taste. His entire body shuddered, shaft throbbing. "You see? There's nothing you cannot touch, Declan. Or kiss...." Oh, such thoughts. He near whimpered, lips open against Seth's spine, tongue slipping out to taste. Salt. Sweat beaded on Seth's back, just a fine covering. The taste was addiction, as was the satisfied hum he got when he tasted further. His lips fit perfectly around the edge of Seth's shoulder blade, the flavor sparking a deeper hunger. One of Seth's hands came back down to cover his, stroking his fingers as suggestively as he stroked the hard flesh beneath his own hand. His thumb received special attention, over and over. His entire body tingled, ached, focus split between his hand and mouth. "May I touch you as well, Declan? Learn you? I would have you join me on the bed." Nodding was the best he could do, his voice trapped in his throat, dried to a whisper. Gently moving away, breaking his hold, Seth turned to kiss him, those odd golden eyes fair glowing. The kiss had teeth behind it, hinted of a need tightly banked, but raging away beneath.

‘Twas the most he could do, not to spend there and then, pour himself over that hard belly. They moved without him knowing it, Seth backing them toward the bed, stopping only when they nearly tumbled over it. "You're shaking." "This...this day has been beyond my dreams." "Has it? I am glad." His open trousers slid down his legs as Seth bent before him to pull his boots off. The tantalizing thoughts he had as that dark head rested on his thigh, so near. "What...what would your man say, to see you kneel for me." He reached down, just touching the soft locks. "No doubt he would scold. But I really think I would not want him here." He got a glinting smile as his left boot gave way. "Oh. Well, now, what a fine view I have from down here." Hot breath ghost over his flesh as Seth leaned just so. "Oh." Everything in him went tight and flushed with heat, clear as if they were sparring, focus complete. "Declan. Your scent." To his utter astonishment, Seth leaned still closer, nuzzling into the crease between thigh and groin, breathing him in. Then those soft, swollen lips found the base of his shaft. A sharp cry pushed from him, near torn. "Seth. Please. I'll. I cannot hold myself in." "'Tis fine, Declan. You're young, and we have all evening, hmm? There's no shame in relieving the need." Moving up, Seth enveloped the tip of him, tongue pushing along underneath. Seed poured from him, the sheer shock, the intimacy of the touch more than he could stand. The man simply drank him down, licking at him. "Better, yes?" The words sounded brisk, but the expression in Seth's eyes was anything but. "I...." He nodded, collapsed down onto the bedclothes. Better. Indeed. *** Seth knelt for long moments after Declan shot, stroking those lean thighs, smiling up. Yes, that looked better indeed. Such passion. Then he rose, taking Declan's hand to pull him close for a kiss, sharing the flavor. So much more. There was so much more they could share this night. "I hope you're ready to continue and not leave me?"

Declan stared up at him, eyes still dazed, but focused. "I don't want to leave this. Not at all." "Good." The salt of Declan's skin tasted heady, sent a thrill through him as he licked it from that sweet skin. Declan's moan had him smiling, the sound honest and deep. Declan reached for him, fingers skating over his skin. So eager, so needy. Seth turned into the touch, letting Declan learn him. God knew he'd not had anything but jaded men his own age in too long. Declan pressed close, fingers touching his nipples, his collarbones, quiet words muttered against his skin. Soon he would hear those sounds loud and clear. For now they would be enough as they were. It was time they utilized the bed, time to be where nothing pulled at them but the fine sheets and each other's hands. They finally sat on it, and he pushed Declan flat on his back, licking his lips as he surveyed his feast. Declan pinked, one hand cupping the tumescent shaft against bright red curls. "Oh, no. No hiding with me, Declan. You are beautiful." That hand must go, and Seth tugged gently at it, pulling it up above Declan's head to press it to the bed. The other soon followed, and everything in him leapt to see Declan so displayed. Heavenly. "What you do to me." "I." The flush went deeper, Declan's lips parted. That shaft swelled, throbbed as it curved over the flat belly. "Mm. Yes. You do." He smiled down, one finger tracing the swelling phallus. "I told you that it would be no time at all. Should I start at the top or bottom?" Declan jerked, stomach taut. "You expect me to think with your hand upon me? Your eyes?" A laugh escaped him, delighted, not mocking. "Oh, Declan, my dear. What fun we'll have. I shall start at the bottom then." Truly, toes did little for him, but the smooth skin of Declan's ankle fascinated. Seth tasted it, even as he stroked the arches of Declan's feet. Declan chuckled, toes curling. The red hairs here tickled his fingers, the skin deliciously pale and fine, unscarred, virginal. Laughing too, Seth tickled a little, watching the play of muscle as Declan kicked at him. So fine. "You take my breath, quite, you know." "I don't. I swear, I did my best just not to vex you, not to have you send me out." "Declan." He nuzzled, the hairs on Declan's leg abrading his cheek, the scent growing stronger the higher he went. "So unsure. I assure you, had I not wanted you in my home, I would have sent you packing the day of the duel."

"Yet just...." Declan moaned, thighs parting, moving as if swimming. "Three hours ago you might well have cursed my name." "I thought you loathed me." The skin behind Declan's knee was hairless, smooth, hidden. "No. I wished not to bother you." Declan twisted away, the cry echoing. "Such intimate touches!" "Are they unpleasant?" He knew they were not, knew by the way Declan trembled. He gave the caress again, licking this time, leaving a wet trail. "No. No, they're worth an eternity of flames, I swear it." "Yes. Yes, indeed." It would be worth any number of stigmas to feel this. The inside of Declan's thigh beckoned, and he nibbled at it. The soft sac drew up as Declan moved, the scent of desire a fine perfume, heady and musky. Long fingers reached down, sliding through his hair, near tugging. So tempting. Still, Seth went around, licking up the sharp hipbone, fingers finding the crease between Declan's thigh and buttocks, stroking so lightly, back and forth. Those jerking motions became a fine shuddering, moans turned to quiet cries. The flat muscles around Declan's navel bespoke work, and time on horseback. The ribs, well, they were as ticklish as the feet. There were random scars, too. A mark from a blade here, a nick from a bullet there. A mark from a whip wrapping around the thin ribs. He traced them all, exploring, needing to know Declan on the most basic level, from the stories his skin could tell. Green eyes met his, wide as their owner vibrated. "Seth. You. No one on earth has touched me so close." A growl rose in his chest, barely contained. No one else would, should he have a say. This lad absolutely stunned him with his need. "You need touching, Declan. Just like this." "And what do you need? What can I give you?" "A kiss." Yes, they would start with a kiss. One that Declan initiated, just to see what Declan thought a proper kiss should be. Declan's hand drew him up, even as the man slid down. "A kiss you can have, and eagerly." Then those lips brushed against his, tongue pressing in to taste him, to touch him.

His mouth opened under Declan's, letting him in, letting him taste. Seth settled against Declan's chest, warm and happy. Kissing seeming to be something Declan enjoyed, was familiar with, the arms wrapping around him and holding him close. Each bump of Declan's spine rose and fell under his fingers, every last one counted, catalogued. Seth kissed Declan back, teeth stinging. One kiss became two, became three, became too numerous to count. Declan's legs tangled with his, their bodies slowly rocking. Oh, yes, Declan liked kisses. What a wonderful thing that was. Sweet. Addictive as laudanum. Seth rolled to his back, pulling Declan atop him, needing the friction. Declan gasped, straddling him, their shafts resting side-by-side. "Such heat." "Such need. You make me need, Declan." There, all he had to do was reach down and line them up just so; every time Declan moved they rubbed together. "How did this happen? From silence to this?" Declan smiled against his mouth, body moving faster, near dancing against him. He smiled back, nipping at Declan's lower lip. "We argued, naturally. Sometimes that is all you can do. Fight." They were not fighting now, just rocking, groaning, pleasuring one another. "'tis near to fighting. The need to fight grew when...when I left off searching this." They did both end in a certain kind of release. This type felt better, no doubt about it. He tugged their cocks again, pushing them together. The kisses began again, deeper, sharper edged, stealing his very breath as Declan groaned. They needed...Seth knew what they needed and he stroked harder, pushed higher. He wanted them to fly. Soft words were pushed into his lips, Declan moaning, rubbing against him, prick wet-tipped and hot. "Yes. Oh, my yes, Declan. We. Good." His pride in his ability to always know what to say deflated even as his cock swelled harder, his balls drawing up. "Yes." Declan bit his lips, a sharp cry filling the air. "Please." "Sweet Declan. Come for me, lad." He pulled, pushed, grunted as he spent his seed, encouraging Declan by example as well as word. Declan rippled, heat pouring over him in waves.

Stunned, he lay against Declan, his chest heaving with his breath. They simply burned together, firing like black powder. It humbled him. Declan blinked at him, fingers tracing his face, the look stunned. They curled close, his own hands sliding over that pale skin, his smile stretching his cheeks. "Well, I would say that was a fine way to start, wouldn't you?" "I. Yes. Yes." He got a look, a stare. "There's more?" "There is infinite variety, Declan." Seth smiled, nuzzling one cheek. "There are things you've never even dreamed." "That is...difficult to imagine.” "Have you dreamed, Declan?" Seth lowered his voice, let it become hushed, intimate. "I have. I have dreamed of you taking me into your mouth, inside your body." Declan's eyes flashed, so huge, purely stunned. "I...I would not have allowed myself to dream such." "No? You may think on it now, if you wish. Men can join bodies, you know." Oh, the very thought. If he were a young man still, his body would no doubt make a try for it. Oh, those cheeks went a deep, dark red, Declan's body pushing against his, shocked. "Yes indeed. The prospect thrills me, love. I can imagine how hot you will be inside, how tight." "I." Declan appeared quite at a loss for words, fingers simply tracing his lips. "I shall stop." Smiling, he kissed those fingers, tasting salt, tasting himself. "Only dare to dream, Declan. Dream for me. I promise I will not tell you no." Declan nodded. "Dreaming. Dreaming I can do." “Then we will sleep a while. After we can eat whatever wondrous treats cook prepares for us, and you may whisper your dreams to me, hmm?" He could only hope Declan would do exactly that, and not go silent again in fear or doubt. After this night it would be hard to go back. Seth had wishes of his own. And Declan was the one to fulfill them.

Chapter Five Declan woke in the morning, the sun warm on his face, the curtains opened, the glass thrown wide so that the wind wandered in, bringing the day with it. They had napped and woken, eaten and touched, bathed, then touched again. His skin felt alive, awake, as if the sunlight itself was beneath it. Of course, that could well be the soft snores against his back, the hand on his belly. Either way, he could not sleep another second. The snoring cut off abruptly, a snuffling sound following, very undignified and not at all how Seth might sound if he was truly awake. "You're all but vibrating, my dear," Seth murmured. His smile could not have been prevented. "I have not had such a pleasant waking in recent memory." "Truly, I must say I have not either." The hand on his belly pressed, Seth turning him onto his back so he could receive a kiss, warm and firm. "Quite lovely indeed." His cheeks went hot, but he did not pull away, wrapping himself tight around Seth, body heated and needy. "You're really quite perfect." Seth kissed his throat and his chest as well. "You cannot mean that." He was as flawed as they came, had always been so. "Why not? I have never wanted someone who was too beautiful to be anything but a worthless doll. You are built like a young man, and your skin shows signs of your life." He got a smile, those eyes...well. Seth seemed fully awake now. Declan reached up, fingers tracing Seth's jaw, the strong chin. "I have not lived a dandy's life." "No. Thank heavens." Nipping at his fingers, Seth grinned. "We will soon be rousted to break our fast." "A pure shame, that is." He chuckled, amused down deep. "Although you seem hungry." "Oh, I am." Another nip, then the wetness of Seth's tongue eased the sting. "Most emphatically." "Mm." He'd lost the topic of conversation, distracted by the touch, the heat. Chuckling, Seth rubbed a stubbly cheek against his belly. "Sweet. Strong." The rasp made him gasp, twist, his skin already alight. "Wanton." "I have never denied it. I admit though, that it has been years." Seth sat up, climbing astride him, making him blink. So forward.

"Years?" His fingers moved of their own accord, sliding up the flat belly to trace the lines of Seth's chest. "Since I let myself truly explore. I have been feeling jaded. Old." Seth touched him in return like a mirror image, hands moving exactly as his did. Every touch he gave, he received. "Not old. Not nearly." Declan twisted, turned just so under those hands. Seth's hips began to rock against him, their pricks rubbing. "Not so much, I suppose, no. I simply felt it. Felt that no one could make me feel again." "That would be a sin." The man fascinated him, enflamed him. Hard fingers pinched at his nipples, enticing him to follow the lead this time. "It would." His fingers answered, even as his hips rolled, a jolt sliding down his spine. An answering gasp came from Seth, even as the man smiled and said almost calmly, "Will you ride with me today, Declan? I should like to test your skills in the countryside." "I would." He was as at ease on horseback as anywhere and it aroused him, to see Seth riding. "Good." Oh. Oh heavens above, Seth had taken their pricks in hand, stroking them together. The air grew too light, his lungs struggling for each gasp, the pleasure near drowning him. Seth looked completely intent upon him, eyes serious, lip caught between his teeth. That hand moved, up and down, up and down. His own hands found purchase on Seth's hips, moving them together, squeezing as best he could. "More, Declan." He wasn't sure what more Seth meant, but every inch of his available skin was stroked, petted. "More. I..." His heels buried themselves in the bedding, hips driving up and up into that touch. Seth rode out each buck and heave, thighs clamped around his, hand moving on him roughly now. Urgently. It was as much as any rough touch against a tavern wall, yet so much more. "I need. Please. Declan." A flush suffused Seth's face, his chest. The prick against his throbbed, hot seed spilling over him, against him. The harshest sound left him, his hands holding onto Seth with everything he was. Heat flooded him, pouring from him to join with Seth's seed. "Mm. I vow, Declan, my dear. That is the way to wake up." A soft knock on the door had Seth laughing and calling out. "Draw us a bath, will you? Leave the tray by the door!" He smiled, fingers slowly easing away from Seth's skin. "You have an unnatural fascination with bathing, you know this?" "Do I?" Seth smacked his thigh. "I simply like the finer things."

The sudden sting was unexpectedly sweet as it faded. "And the coarser." "Indeed. I like them all, so long as they provide pleasure." Rising, Seth went to the door to retrieve their breakfast. It afforded him a fine view of the tight bottom, the swinging balls, and a long, straight back. Declan could no more have stopped his moan than he could have stopped breathing. Beautiful. "Hmm?" The return view was just as fascinating, even with the silver tray bisecting it. The food smelled like Heaven. "You... You are quite the figure." He sat up, moving to help, to discover what that scent was. "If you think so, I am content." The tray sat between them, Seth removing the cover. Eggs, rashers of bacon, points of bread, pots of jam... "I do..." His belly snarled and rumbled, trying to fight its way out of his skin to feast. "You only want me for my cooks," Seth said, with a laugh. "Oh. Scones." "No, your cooks are simply a lucky bonus." He grabbed a scone, held a bit to Seth's lips. Smiling, Seth took the tidbit, lips and tongue working over his skin for every bit of dough. "Mm. You must try them, love." He nodded, taking a bite for himself before offering more to Seth, that single word echoing within him. They devoured the scone, then the eggs and bacon before they got cold. The jam, well, it ended up smeared over them. Then they began devouring one another, tongues dragging over skin, heady moans filling the air. The tray crashed to the floor, and as they rubbed together, Declan could see where a bath afterward might not be amiss. "You smell like a tea table." Declan nipped at Seth's belly, the bright flavor of berry on his tongue. "And you taste like a berry patch." There was bright laughter there, Seth licking his skin as well, hands shaping him. "Tart and sweet all at once?" His teeth slid along the inside of Seth's thigh, discovering another spot of jam. "Mmhmm. Oh, Declan. There." The spot just under the sway of Seth's balls had those thighs tensing, had Seth rocking against him.

He pushed harder, licking and sucking, discovering every last bit of sweetness on skin soft as silk. Legs opening for him, Seth pushed him slightly, hands guiding him to the needy cock that rose between Seth's thighs, the swinging balls. The moans that escaped him echoed in his chest, his belly, and he could no more resist tasting the clear drops that slid from Seth than he could resist breathing. The salt against the sweet of the jam was addictive, purely necessary, and Declan went in search of more, even as Seth moaned above him, hips rolling. Those hands moved on his shoulders, his arms, restless and sometimes harsh. He swallowed and sucked, licked and nipped and nuzzled, near drowning in Seth's skin. "Declan." His name seemed a chant on Seth's lips, spoken over and over again on each rising of his mouth, each push down. A man could near live on this and this alone. No manner of clumsy fumbling and hurried touches could compare. "Come here, Declan. Please. I would. We may both have such pleasure." Seth pulled at him, turning him so his hips, not his head rose to lie beside Seth's mouth, Seth's tongue touching him even as he sucked that prick in again. He cried out, pleasure coursing through him in waves, pleasure surging to the fore. "Mm." Seth murmured about him, mouth all but swallowing him whole. The room spun, wild and dizzying, his mouth and hips both moving with minds of their own. Seth's hands cupped his bottom, pulling him in close, moving in him even as he moved in Seth, cock spreading his lips. They formed a circle of pleasure he could not deny. Not that he would deny it, not even begin to, with heat building at the base of his spine. A small tap on his shoulder and a deep, vibrating moan around his prick were his only warning before Seth came for him, filling his mouth with seed, crying out around him. Bitter salt and heat flooded him as he swallowed, bucked, his own body driving madly, fighting for his own pleasure. He got it when Seth touched his balls, fingers circling the base of his cock even as Seth sucked him again, lips closing tight. His breath caught in his chest, heat pouring from him, into Seth, into his lover. Seth stroked his skin, licking him clean. Where on earth the man had gotten the idea he was old... Perhaps it was a vanity, of sorts, or a strange madness. Declan would have to discover the truth. After they drew a bath. *** Things had been going so well. The carriage ride seemed well behind them, their breakfast and bath well done, and the afternoon ride a lovely interlude. Indeed, Seth thought they might be getting along famously.

Too bad such things did not last. All Seth had done was inquire about Declan's father, in the most delicate of ways. Really, all he had said was, "So you never really told me why you were running from your sire, Declan." Declan went quiet and still, shook his head. "Tis a complicated matter and behind me." Seth tilted his head, looking carefully at the lad. "I would not press, Declan, were it not that I fear you have not left it behind." "I have." The words were bitten off, bitter as almond shells. "We disagreed on a basic matter." From what Declan had said previously, Seth thought he knew what, but was determined to have it out, like drawing poison. "Did he find you with another man?" "Why should it matter?" Declan stood, beginning to stalk, to pace. "Because I would know you." Surely that was understandable? Knowing a man's body did not allow one to really understand him. Seth sat back and crossed one booted foot over the other leg, watching. "All you need know is that he wished me in gaol and if not there, then in a madhouse." "No." Seth stood, blocking Declan's path. "I think I must know more." Declan near growled, that temper slamming to the fore, eyes near sparking with it. "There are things a man wishes to forget, Seth." "You think I don't know that, you insolent pup?" Oh, as if he were a man with no past. "Damn it, Declan, I am trying to help." Declan went still and tight, like a single touch would either shatter him or send him into a fury. "It never ceases, does it? No matter where a man goes, he's naught more than a puppy looking for scraps, and Heaven forgive him should he growl." "Is that what you think of me? That I will cast you out if you do not dance to my tune?" Seth drew himself up as well, his old mantle of coldness settling into place. "Do or not, I'll land on my feet. I've taken my licks like a man, each and every time, barring the last where I broke and ran." Here they were, going in circles again, and it was no doubt his own fault. Seth shrugged, spreading his hands. "Very well. Let it stay buried then. I have correspondence to attend. I shall be in my study, should you need aught." Those lips went tighter still, but Declan simply nodded, made for the door like the hounds of Hell singed his heels.

Seth watched him for all of ten seconds, fully intending to let the fool boy go do whatever it was he wished to do. Then he followed, his boot heels ringing against the floor. As he full expected, the lad was headed toward the stables - no hat, no jacket - just running from his demons and to the horses. Seth was torn between following and leaving the lad to his devices. In the end, he followed, feeling he owed something he had rarely given. An apology. Declan's voice sounded as he entered the stable, the sound sudden and low, the man himself hidden away. "There was a man - older than myself, than you - with a little shack. He and I. We shared certain needs. When I was discovered, I took a whipping, to drive the Devil from me, but his hold was strong." "'Tis not the Devil, Declan," Seth said, his heart aching for such a youth. "No more than it was the Devil in me when I had my Scandal, though many said it was." "And did your scandal end with a man hanged off a bridge? Mine did. One man hanged and another in irons before they turned back to find me." Declan's words were pure fury gilt with shame. "I would never relive those days." "It ended in a man shot, a lady dishonored, and myself disowned. Thank the lord that I was able to make my own way, and that my dear father was so panicked at the idea of dying alone and unloved that he unbent enough to throw me a country home, far away from him and his." Those days had been his darkest as well. He could see Declan now, hands moving over a mare, easing her. "And does it still haunt you?" "At times, yes. Mainly now when it comes up in polite society, as there's always someone who is eager to hear the whole sordid tale, despite the passing of years." He paused, moving closer. "I am sorry, Declan." "As am I. Had I been more discreet, I might have..." Declan sighed, the sound of soft. "There is not an answer found in regrets." "No. I cannot be sorry for all of it, else I would never have met you." Finally he felt he could go, lay his hand on Declan's back. So tight, still vibrating like a bow-string pulled too far, Declan did not move away from his touch, instead welcomed him. Seth wrapped his arms around Declan's waist, gently pulling him away from the mare before kissing him full on the mouth, easing the vibrations. Declan's hands found his arms, wrapping around and holding on. Quiet sounds pushed into his lips, again and again, encouraging him. This was more about comfort than loving, more about knowing what it was like to be young and hurting and needing. Seth pushed Declan back against a box door, hands coming up to frame that sweet face. Those eyes searched his face, the lingering anger there no longer masking the sorrow beneath.

His thumbs stroked over Declan's cheeks, his lips moving on Declan's softly before he pulled away. "Better, love?" Declan's lips opened, but no sound came out. The nod was answer enough. "Then I shall leave off. Come back to the house with me? We could...I think we might." Do what? Eat? Bathe? Perhaps he should leave Declan to the horses. "We could." Declan nodded toward him, toward the house. "We might." Slipping an arm around Declan's waist, Seth led the way, steering Declan on. They might fight again, or they might make love. Either way, Seth would take whatever came and be grateful. 'Twas not every day that a man got a chance to make up for his own sins by easing another's. The fact that he genuinely liked and desired Declan simply made it like Heaven on earth. One he would gladly fight for.

Chapter Six Damn him and his temper. Such things he had shared with Seth, such things he had remembered. Still, nothing he had said, nothing had turned Seth from him, caused the man to pull away or condemn him. It was an... unnerving feeling. Truly. Seth turned in the big bed they'd shared during the night, sheets sliding down perilously low, showing Declan a length of hip and thigh. "Are you thinking again, lad?" Seth asked him, touching his chest almost clumsily. "I don't find myself well suited to it." He smiled, eyes drawn down the line of Seth's body. "Oh, I am sure you have a fine mind. You simply need to turn it to more productive uses than dwelling on the past." The touched gained dexterity as sleep cleared from Seth's eyes. "And do you have suggestions, my fine lord?" So easy, to find a quick smile and reach for that fascinating line of stomach. "Oh, hundreds." He got more skin as Seth sat up, stretching long. "I can think of so many we might need to eat first. To keep our strength up." He chuckled, nodded. His Seth woke with a fierce hunger, loved to break their fast with decadent meals. "Oh, you laugh, but I've not seen you turn down sausage balls and cream tarts." Seth pulled the bellrope beside the bed before crawling to give him a kiss. "Well, tarts have much to recommend." He pushed closer, hands dragging Seth to him. "They do. There's the biting. And the cream licking." Those dark eyes sparkled for him, the lines around them drawing up as Seth laughed. "And the lapping of the crumbs. I swear that's the part I enjoy." "Oh, yes. Every. Crumb. That falls." Seth punctuated each word with a kiss, little stinging bites. They made him arch, forget himself and press closer toward the touches. "Mm." Seth sounded as if he were breakfast, sounded happy as a man could be. Those hands touched him, smoothed down his back, his sides, fingers ghosting over his thighs. His own fingers explored Seth's belly, the way the muscles leapt and jumped for him. Seth pounced a little, pushing him down to kiss him thoroughly, hands holding tight to his shoulders.

He felt Seth's prick, hard against him, rubbing him. His thighs spread as he tried to gain purchase with his feet, to rub back up against Seth's heat. Moaning, Seth pushed down against him, helping them gain the friction they required, helping his cock find a spot alongside Seth's. A raw sound poured out of him, heat near flooding him as they found a rhythm, rocking and pushing, skin slapping. "Yes. Yes. Please." Seth became ever more vocal, rough, sweet love words falling from the man's mouth. "More." It fascinated him, consumed him, this passion they found. "Yes. More." Fingers digging in, Seth rode above him, rocking against him. It was hot, sweet, so big. "I..." The things he imagined, he craved. Declan pushed up, mouth slamming against Seth's, the flavor sweet as wine. The kiss went on and on, Seth's tongue sliding into his mouth, that sweet cock hot against his, and finally Seth spent, seed even hotter, coating Declan's skin. The scent was heady, driving him faster, his own pleasure rising. The kiss finally broke, Seth demanding his pleasure with a sharp, "Now, Declan. Now." His eyes rolled, his cry sharp as seed poured from him, his hands opening and closing. "Good. Good. Oh, perfect." Praising him, Seth stroked his shoulders, then his cheeks, the next kiss soft, almost sweet. "You. You make me imagine such things." His voice was a mere moan, a murmur. "And you make me want to give them to you." A light knock on the door had Seth chuckling. "Ah. Breakfast." "Perfect timing, as usual." Honestly, it was uncanny. "Mm. Indeed." Rolling off the bed and assuming a bed robe that had been tossed aside the night before, Seth went to the door and came back with a loaded tray. The smells were luscious, enough to make his mouth water, and he scooted over, giving Seth room to sit. The tray slid into place, Seth sitting close and pulling off covers. "Oh look. Frosted buns. Porridge. Eggs and ham." Every day the cook strove to outdo herself for them. "I will be spoiled." He snatched a bun, splitting it and offering half to Seth's kiss-swollen lips. "I hope so." Smiling, Seth took a bite, nipping off a bit before licking at the frosting.

They spent the better part of an hour feeding one another, lazy and relaxed together. So odd, to know such pleasure-filled awakenings. Truthfully, they both seemed to hold wars about the tea table. Seth stroked his belly when naught but crumbs remained, fingers a little rough, the touch soft. "So, what shall we do today, hmm?" A soft hum escaped him, proof of his pleasure, his satisfaction. "We should ride, else you tempt me to mortal sins." "Oh, I like to tempt people. Still, riding sounds a fine idea. Perhaps we might go to the village, as well. They have not the fine shopping of London, but there's a milliner, and I need a new hat." "Peacock." He slid from the bed before those clever hands could repay him for the tease. Seth only laughed, stretching one long leg out and wiggling the toes. "Indeed. I have so few pleasures in life. The fine fit of a new hat is one. You are another..." "Oh, ho! It is good to know that I am at least as valued as a hat." Declan laughed, finger sliding along the sole of Seth's foot. "But am I as worthy as a pair of boots? A new coat?" That foot twitched and Seth nearly kicked him. Ah! He'd found a sensitive spot indeed. Laughing, Seth sputtered, "Why yes. In fact, I think you need both." He chuckled, pounced and grabbed that long foot, determined to have more laughter from the man. A shout of laughter was his reward, Seth wriggling about on the bed, lean muscles flexing. Tears sprang to the man's eyes eventually, Seth's chest heaving. His own laughter joined Seth's, his cheek resting upon one long thigh as they panted, his arse stuck high in the air. Seth turned, quick as a cat, and smacked his bottom, laughing again as he jumped. "You are dangerous, love. I vow it." "Indeed and I have never dueled with you." "No, and that is just as well." Another slap and Seth was up and moving, smiling at him over one shoulder. "We should go shooting, too." "That suits well." He found his clothes, checked his curls in the glass. He needed to bathe, to shave. Perhaps tonight. He did so enjoy bathing with Seth. "Yes. We can go shop, then come home and have a leisurely luncheon..." here he got a smoldering glance. "And then go for a ride and shoot, hmm?" Declan shivered, body noting that look with an embarrassing eagerness. "Yes, my Lord." "Shall I call the valet?" Wicked, wicked man. Seth knew; Declan could see the heat in those dark eyes. "You are pure temptation made flesh."

"We are well matched." Splashing in a basin, Seth sighed. "We should be practical, shouldn't we? We must leave the bedchamber sometime." He smiled, moving to assist. "We should. It will make the return all the more exciting." "Anticipation, hmm?" Seth turned, hands settling on his chest as the man leaned to take a kiss. "I always want you, Declan. Always." "You are not alone in this..." Their lips met, clung for a moment. Then they both turned away, ready to assume their clothing and find another day's amusement before coming back to find even more pleasure in their night. *** Seth rolled up to one elbow, watching the gathering gloom. What a day it had been. They'd gone to the village, and frankly, Seth had found it odd to be in civilized company with Declan, as if the lad were his alone, and he did not want others to see it. The possessiveness surprised him, and yet it should not, really. Declan was his, all the way to the ground. The ground, however, was becoming more uncomfortable. Cook had insisted on sending them a picnic when they went out shooting, and really, they had both required a nap afterward. Declan lay beside him, ginger lashes oddly dark on the lad's cheek. Seth reached over and stroked one side of Declan's face, smiling, thinking of all they had done, and all they might do. 'Twas like gentling a fractious horse, working with Declan day to day. Declan smiled, leaned toward his touch, which was telling of the trust they were building together. Not a fortnight ago the lad would have jumped and woken with a growl. Leaning, Seth pressed a kiss to Declan's mouth, letting it deepen as Declan responded, waking to touch him. Declan's fingers slid into his hair, the response honest and rich, right. Seth laughed a little, thinking he'd done more of that in the last weeks than he had in years, and pulled back, fingers curling under Declan's chin. "Good nap?" "It was. I had pleasant dreams. You rested well?" "I did." Oh, that mouth. It tempted him beyond reason, so Seth took another kiss, letting it go deep and long again. Declan moaned, near purring into his lips, eyes staring into him, bright and green. Yes. Just like that. Seth let their lips part, licking at the depression above Declan's chin. Time to expand the trust perhaps. "Have you ever made love outdoors? I think perhaps it's too chilly now, but we must try it some day."

Declan's head tilted, the green eyes confused and curious at once. "I have been... touched out in the alley behind the tavern, but I could not call that lovemaking." "No, I wouldn't call that lovemaking either." Such innocence mixed with a certain amount of bravado. "What else might we do..." he trailed off, watching that expressive face. What could Declan come up with on his own? "What is your highest pleasure? Mine has..." Those cheeks flushed, but Declan pushed on, refusing to back away. "Mine has been our times in the mornings. You have quite the hunger." "I do..." Well, that left the field as open as a stallion in a paddock full of fillies. "I have done...many things. I should like to try some with you, Declan, I admit it. For with you they would be completely new." "And where are these other lovers? How could they find you easy to leave?" "I. Well. I fear many of them were never meant to be permanent, if you will. They were, and are, friends. You are quite unique, my dear." He did not wish to blemish their afternoon with a fight. Truly. For a moment, he despaired, then Declan's smile bloomed, eyes dancing. "Unique. I. That is a fine thing to be." "It is, I do believe." Yes. That was it. "Oh, the things you've never dreamed, Declan." His hands slid down to circle Declan's wrists, pulling the lad's arms up above his head. "To see you laid out for me and bound." Declan pulled against him, not fighting, more testing, lips parted on a gasp. "I. Oh." Seth caught his breath. Yes, he thought Declan might respond well to that one. "Yes. You know I would never do anything you did not want, so it would only be to heighten your sensation." "I... I trust you with my darkest secrets, my pleasure is easier still." He could see the way Declan's pulse raced, the fair skin flushed with heat. Seth pressed his mouth to the pulse that fluttered under the skin of Declan's throat. "Then I would have that, among others." Declan moaned, the sound almost wild, heated. "I would... would give it." "Oh, love." His chest felt tight. Truly, the lad managed to amaze him, to surpass his wildest imaginings. "You will not regret it, I vow." Declan leaned up, lips brushing his, then pushing tight against, the kiss hungry and wild. If they weren't careful they would be making love out in the open, and while the thought held massive appeal, it just wouldn't do. He had a comfortable bed at home. With posts. "Come, love," he said against Declan's mouth. "We should return to the house."

"We should." Another quick smile, the joy as honest and fierce as the temper. "Although bouncing on the saddle might send us both flagging." "It might...though I have a friend who swears by making love on horseback." See what Declan would make of that. The look he received was pure incredulity. "You cannot be serious." "Oh, I assure you, Travis does most everything on horseback. He was in the cavalry." Look at that expression. Seth rose, holding a hand down. "They... The English teach remarkable things to their horsemen." Declan stood, gathering foodstuff and blanket, filling the saddlebags. "You think so?" He raised a brow. "I imagine Travis is self taught. He's very...talented. He has himself a pair of twins now, I understand, that keep him well occupied." "Twins?" Declan's eyes were saucers, staring. "Brothers? That. I. Oh." "Mmhmm. He's a man of far more exotic tastes than I." That might have been too much. Seth slid close, the smell of horse and Declan and the fresh bread they'd dined on strong. He stroked Declan's chest. "You are quite enough for me." "Oh. Good. My brothers are..." Declan shuddered, shook his head. "I would not wish those horrors on either of us." That had him laughing out loud. Oh, he did love this man. Seth sobered a little at the thought. How it would hurt when Declan left. Like a cloud had passed over, his mood soured, and Seth saddled his mount. "We should go." Declan looked at him for a long moment, mouth open as if to speak, then it snapped shut and Declan simply nodded, swung into the saddle. It was not like him to apologize for his moods, but in this instance, he did, for he hated putting that look in Declan's eyes. "I am sorry, Declan. I. 'Twas a bad memory that made me snarl." Declan nudged the mare closer, met his eyes. "Careful, then. I would go and challenge any and all that haunt you." Oh. Such a sweet one. Seth reached out, grasping Declan's hand. "I believe you would. What have I done to deserve you?" "Deserve me? You? Seth, I cannot begin to compare..." "Hush, love. You amaze me every day." Before they disintegrated into rampant sentiment, Seth laughed and kicked his horse into a run, challenging Declan to a race. Declan called after him, the pounding of hooves close behind, chasing him.

The rushing of air and the feel of a powerful mount under him helped to chase the bile from his mood, and the sight of Declan flashing by, gelding leaping a fallen branch had him catching his breath at the sheer beauty. Declan rode like a centaur. Declan's laugh was warm, caught by the wind and carried to him as they rode, coat-tail flapping. They got to the stable nearly at the same time, his stallion putting on a burst of speed at the last minute. 'Twas good to hear Declan laugh and see his wind-pink cheeks as they walked their horses out. The stableboys took the reins once the horses calmed, Declan becoming more trusting that the lads would treat the horses well. Sliding his hand into Declan's seemed a natural thing, a need he could not ignore. They walked together, the day passing even as they watched, dark creeping up on them. "We seem to have regained the good, hmm?" "We did, and managed it outside the house proper." His hand was squeezed tight, Declan close, smelling of male and desire and horse. "Do you think we'd last through tea? Or should we skip that and have supper in bed, later?" That laughter soothed raw spots within him. "Oh, let's not tempt the fates. Our meals are better in the bedstead." "They are. Afterward, then. First we play. Then bathe. Oh, yes a bath." He would need oil to soothe the marks the bonds would make. "Mmhmm." That was a sweet sound, rich, pleased. His Declan enjoyed bathing with him, enjoyed all things sensual. The door opened as if by magic, and unobtrusive footman standing aside to let them in. Really, Seth thought, he was so spoiled. The carpet on the stairs ate up the sound of their footsteps so that he felt like a thief in his own house. Such flights of fancy. He must be verging on senility. "Those thoughts are creeping upon you again." Declan's hand rested upon his lower back, only a moment. "They are. I vow, it is a terrible thing to get old." Determinedly, Seth pushed his odd mood away. "Thank goodness you are young and enthusiastic, hmm?" "You do realize less than a decade separates us? That your age weighs false on you?" "Oh, now, don't go using logic on me, lad." Pulling Declan into his bedchamber, Seth gave in to the urge to kiss him silly, lips pressing, tongue pushing in. Declan's kiss was eager, heated, hands wrapping around his waist and tugging him close. Wanton lad.

Yes indeed. Seth kissed hard, his hands squeezing Declan's buttocks, his thoughts automatically turning to the things he could do to it once Declan was tied. His cock leapt. Declan stepped closer, bringing them fully together, proving that his was not the only need. "Sweet. Sweet, Declan. May I? I would do what we discussed." He began undressing Declan, the skin he uncovered hot and smooth, better than any fine silk. Declan nodded, skin flushed and fine as it came exposed to his eyes. "Yes. Yes, I will." "Good. Then we must get these off." Damnation, so many clothes. Seth finally growled and ripped the thin linen shirt Declan wore, needing more skin. Ever more. Declan groaned, the sound wanton and fine, hands pushing into his trous, tugging and pulling at them in answer. Finally they both stood nude, and Seth smiled, feeling entirely debauched as he pushed Declan to the bed, helping him stretch out. So lovely, the coppery curls on the strong legs caught the lamplight and Declan's belly moved and shifted, breath coming quick as that fine prick leapt. "Beautiful." He stroked up one leg, his fingers dancing over the thin skin behind Declan's knee. So soft there. So fine. "It's odd to hear you say so." Declan's legs parted, toes curling just so. "But it is true." The belly next, he thought, tugging at the hairs that grew low there, thumb brushing over Declan's navel. That earned him a laugh, then a deep, pure moan, the sounds all wrapped up within each other. "Seth, your touch..." "Mmhmm. Wait. The sensation intensifies." He climbed up to give Declan a brief kiss. "Let me get the ties." Declan's hands slid up his arms, fluttering a bit, touching him, the gentle hold betraying Declan's nerves. "Nothing you do not want, hmm? We can wait." It might well kill him, but if Declan was too nervous, well, the lad was like a fractious horse. Seth could work with him. Gentle him. "No. No, I want. I..." Declan took a breath, met his eyes. "It is a strange idea to me, but not unwelcome." Declan's cheeks pinked, one of his hands drawn to touch the heavy shaft that waited for him. "Not unwelcome at all." "Good." The kiss he gave as a reward pleased him as well, making his breath come fast. Seth moved away before he forgot himself, finding a set of soft, padded straps in his bureau. He'd not

used them in...well, years. But they would serve their purpose. Returning to Declan, Seth tied one end about the post on the bed, bringing Declan's wrist to meet it. "Let us try just one to begin, so you get the feel of it." Those eyes watched and it fascinated, the way he could see the emotions chase one another across that face. Curiosity and want, unsurety and need. The skin under Declan's arm was as thin and sweet as that behind the lad's knee, and Seth touched it, letting Declan feel what it was to be bound. "Oh..." Declan shifted, rippled and tugged at the binding, lips so sweet as they parted. Seth licked at Declan's mouth, his shoulder brushing the upraised arm as he licked and sucked at that lower lip. Tender and good. The sounds that filled his mouth spoke of Declan's pleasure, just from so simple a touch, a kiss. There was so much more. He took up the other hand, as Declan showed no signs of panic, and fastened it to the other strap, securing Declan to the headboard. "All right?" "I... Yes. I never thought that it would feel so... exposed." Those lovely eyes never left his, watching so very closely. "It's not for everyone, but if you can trust...oh, I can make you fly." He started low, brushing his fingers over Declan's ankles, teasing. Declan's legs spread, soft chuckles in the air as they pulled away from his hands. "Sensitive." He tested the strength of Declan's calves, digging his fingers in against the muscle. "Yes." Declan nodded, moaning happily at his touch, at the deep caress. He imagine those muscles were sore, as much as they'd done in recent days, so Seth lavished a bit of attention on them, easing the way for what would come later. As he'd expected, Declan melted for him, relaxing into the sheets with a happy little sigh. Yes. Perfect. He worked up the thighs, feeling muscles quiver before they gave, warming right to his touch. Declan began to move, rocking most unconsciously into his hands, focused on the pleasure he created. Feel it, Seth thought. Only feel. When you couldn't touch all you could do was feel; he remembered that. Helpless in the face of your own pleasure. Soft words floated down to him, praises and promises, Declan's tongue loosened by pure desire. The insides of a man's thighs had always fascinated him, and Seth took a great deal of care with them, noting that Declan's were a little red from all of their riding today. As he massaged he trailed his thumbs down along them, testing the sensitivity of Declan's skin. "Mm..." Those lips opened on a gasp, Declan's head lifting, eyes dazed and unfocused. "Seth."

"Hmm?" Smiling, Seth did it again, watching the shiver of muscle under skin. So lovely, the little curls clinging to his fingers, the smell of Declan hot and rich. "I... You'll make me quite mad." "Oh, you will not be alone, love. I am following you down the path." His mouth all but watered. Bending, Seth kissed his way from knee to groin, letting his cheek rub here and his fingers rub there. "It hardly seems fair; I cannot please you." Declan arched, body reaching for his hands, his lips. "Do you think it does not please me to see you, to know that you can naught but feel what I do to you fully? We shall have to let you reciprocate soon, love, so you might see." Oh, what a delicious idea that was. It had been so long. Oh, that excited his love, the heavy cock leaping, a dull flush covering Declan's belly. "I would explore every inch of you." "Oh, yes. And I would near expire from pleasure." Skipping that fine cock, Seth touched Declan's belly, only resting his hand on the lower expanse for a moment. Such heat. Such honest hunger directed toward him. Declan reached for him, look dear and comical as the bonds kept him still. "What would you like, Declan? A kiss? A touch? What?" That mouth called to him, but so did the prick and the belly and the tight nipples... "Kiss me." How could he resist? Seth slid his hand up to brace on Declan's chest, pressing his mouth to Declan's. Soft lips opened for him, bruised from their kisses throughout the day, and his prick leapt. Declan poured himself into the kiss, their bodies pressing together, rubbing. The need between them simply astonished him. Really, it was too much and not enough. Seth moaned, cupping Declan's head with his free hand to lift the lad up into the kiss and give even more. One leg wrapped around him, Declan whimpering low into his mouth. How Declan must want to touch him, if that desperate hold were any indication. Addictive as opium. Seth let his lips trail along Declan's cheek, down Declan's throat, then came back up to kiss that mouth again. The sweetest of sounds were offered to him, nothing false or held away or kept private. His own sounds amazed him, raw and deep as he stroked Declan's skin and kissed the lad until they were both breathless and slowly writhing with need. "Love..." "Yes. Yes, my Lord. You have my heart." "Yes. Oh. Declan." He could not get enough. Simply could not taste, touch, or be enough.

Declan gasped, laughed, muscles bunching. "How you make me need..." Turning his head Seth bit hard into the muscle of Declan's arm, making him jump, letting him feel and feel. The cry echoed, wild and needy, the sound enough to send him biting again, marking the fine skin. Not only did he bite, he sucked hard, pulling the blood up under the skin, feeling the heat radiating. "I. I. Oh. I. Please." Declan jerked, rocking beneath him. "Please." "What. What would you have now?" "You. I need. I would have you... have you..." Those eyes met his, heated, needy. "Would you take me?" "I will." Oil. He had to have oil somewhere, surely. Seth did not know if he could hold on long enough to prepare Declan after that look, after seeing Declan laid bare. But he would. For Declan. Declan nodded, stretching to bring their mouths together again, this kiss deep and slow, a building fire. Seth pushed his hand between Declan's legs, gathering up the heavy balls to roll them a little. Then he slipped his fingers down to touch Declan's hole. So tight and hidden, the wrinkled bit of skin tightened, shifted under his touch, tempting his finger to stroke and tease. So he did, his hand trembling a little with the need to make it good, make Declan crave it again, over and over. 'Twas almost too much, too big. Then Declan's leg lifted, knee bent and drawn up, offering him ever more. Now he needed the oil, for he would not risk hurting Declan for the world. Seth rolled away only long enough to fumble for it on the washstand and coat his fingers, coming back. "Are you ready to feel part of me, Declan?" "I am. I have a need." Those eyes watched his fingers, tongue sliding out to wet those parted lips. "Good. Good." The oil eased the way as he stroked over the skin around Declan's entrance, watching each reaction closely, feeling them all on his own skin. Declan's eyes closed, body shifting as if to touch him in return. "Yes. You see now, hmm?" Seth gave Declan one finger, sliding it just inside, letting Declan adjust. "I do." Declan moved, just beginning to ride his touch, to slid along his finger.

The open, giving way Declan responded to him made him shake, but Seth did his best to keep his hand steady, to push into Declan's body evenly, in and out. Yes. Like that. The lad opened for him, so sweet and easy that he felt sure two fingers would not be amiss. Declan accepted him, body rippling around him, squeezing his fingers with a sure grip. Seth watched his fingers disappear and reappear, watched the flush that covered Declan's limbs and torso. Oh, heavens above. His prick told him had to be time. "Do you need more, Declan?" "Please. Please, I have such a need." Declan arched toward him, begging voice and body. "As do I. Now, then." His prick needed more slickness, and Seth spilled the oil on the bed with his clumsiness, but finally he had himself ready, his fingers replaced by the head of his cock, pushing, feeling such heat. "Oh..." Declan's eyes were wide, but Seth saw no fear there, just a trust that rocked him to the core. All he could do was to reward that trust with care, and Seth slipped in slowly, his eyes trying to roll as he moved. Seth blinked them open again, though, needing to see it as Declan's arm muscles bulged against the restraints. A sheen of sweet made Declan gleam, made the tight stomach shimmer as Declan shifted, gasped for breath. Grasping Declan's hip with one hand, Seth stroked down that belly with the other, letting it close around Declan's prick. That made Declan's body tighten, the sensation maddening, fierce for a moment before Declan managed a breath. "Oh," His voice came out raw, filled with need. "Declan. Love. You cannot know." "Then... then show me. I want to know." "I will. I promise." He bent nearly double, kissing Declan's mouth, trapping that hot cock between them. Declan moaned, rocking between his mouth, his cock, so eager. Seth just drove deeper, harder, his moans continuous now, his breath rough and ragged. Over and over he thrust in, loving Declan with all he had. Rarely did he find a lover so trusting, so eager, and never so open, so focused on him and their pleasure. He wanted Declan with him when he reached his climax, wanted to see that dear, flushed face as they both spent. Seth worked his hips and his hand, giving and receiving more than he could have dreamed. Declan groaned, muscles rippling and convulsing around him, body tight as Declan's prick leapt in his name.

Seth succumbed, the pleasure too much to bear, making him spend. His whole body shook and he clasped Declan's prick so tight in his hand, pulling a little, grunting as Declan's body squeezed him. "Love. I. I did not imagine." "Nor did I, Declan. Nor did I." It took the last of his strength to untie Declan's hands. Seth needed to feel them on him. They curled around his shoulders, holding him with a ferocity that spoke of their need. He returned the embrace, his hands slipping up and down Declan's back. "Thank you, love." "You were inside me. It was..." Declan's words faded away, lips on his shoulder. "It was. Hopefully it shall be again. And sometime soon, you shall return the favor, love. Will you promise?" Seth could think of few greater joys. "I would. I would want you to feel what you have shared with me." "Then you will. I vow it. After we bathe...and eat." And sleep. Perhaps. "Mmhmm." Declan nodded, curled close. "Yes. After." Such wonders he found in this lad. Seth sighed, curling close. He would ride the crest of the pleasure until inevitably, Declan moved on. Until then, he would love with all he had. 'Twas the very least he could do.

Chapter Seven After their long holiday, the city seemed close and dark. Dreary. Damp. Declan rode down to the ferrier's, Hannah needing a new shoe, the clop of the unshod hoof odd and strange in the mist. He kept his head down, unwilling to dare troubles now. Now that he had something to lose. Something quite stunning. “I'm telling you, they say he is back in Town. I say we go and see for ourselves if the rumors are true." The voice split the fog, aristocratic and snide. He tilted his head, ears perking. He was not so interested as...practiced in the need to hear. "What does it matter if they are?" the voice that no doubt belonged to the other set of hoof beats returned. "Everyone knows the man is...odd in his tastes." Declan turned his head, looking through the mist to see if he recognized the riders. Neither of them looked even vaguely familiar, but for their type. Heavy jowls and carefully coiffed hair, their horses just a bit too skinny. He would have turned up his nose and said good riddance but for the first man saying, "Well, odd or not, if Rhodes is harboring that Irish lad that the mad old man is tearing up the city for, it will be entertaining." His legs tightened on Hannah's sides, hard enough that she skittered. Declan's heart pounded as he turned down a side road, heading away from the ferrier's, eyes down, hat pulled low on his face. Someone could take her on the morrow. Straightaway he headed to the house as his mind raced like a fox before the hounds. He had seen the evils his esteemed father wreaked upon those that crossed his path. Declan would not drag Seth into danger. "That was fast, sir," The stableboy, oh what was his name? The boy came took Hannah's reins. "I was waylaid. She'll need to go as soon as you can manage it." He had no time to talk, so he nodded, headed up to the room he'd called his own and began to pack his necessities, gather what wages he'd collected. Seth was upon him before he could leave the room, however, clad in shirtsleeves and breeches, dressing gown open. "I thought you had some damnable duty? Did you change your mind and decide to bathe with me?" "I was waylaid." He took a moment to admire, to drink the lovely lines in lest he forget them. "Although I should have stayed. The day is much too dreary for riding."

Or running. Seth smiled and stretched for him, showing off a bit. Then the smile faded, Seth looking at the case on the bed behind him. "Are you traveling?" He nodded. "Please. I. You mustn't ask. I must go." A smarter man would have lied, but he had never been good there. In truth, his truths landed him in trouble more than not. "Go?" That mobile face went blank, Seth searching his eyes. "Go where? What is this about, Declan?" "I cannot." He walked over, hand on Seth's arm, heart near to breaking. He wanted nothing more than to stay. "I...I fear I fail to understand." He could see the effort Seth put into making light of it, into smiling for him. Seth's fingers touched his. "Will you return, then?" "I pray to, with all I am." That was not a lie, but a most fervent wish. One he didn't believe would come to pass. "Declan, please. I. I believe we mean more to one another than this flight. Is it another duel? We can put an end to that easily." Seth held his hand now, grip firm, almost desperate. "If it were only that simple. I..." He shook his head. "I cannot put you in more jeopardy than I already have. You... I cannot be the one that leads to your harm, my lord." My beloved. The other hand rose to stroke his cheek. "You're doing it now. There is nothing worse you can do." Then Seth stepped away from him, shoulders going straight and strong, chin up. "But I will not beg." "No. No, you should not." Not for him. Not for a landless Irish fool. "Begging does not become you even a bit." "I would say not." There was a glimmer of something in Seth's eyes for a moment, something that looked like pure rage. Or pure grief. "I shall miss you, love." "And I you. More than I have words for." He stepped forward, daring to brush his lips against Seth’s. "I pray that you will welcome me, when I am free to return." His father could not live forever, surely. Seth surprised him by holding him there, kissing him until his ears rang and his blood sang in his veins. "Come back to me, Declan. Soon."

"I swear it, Seth. With all I am." He stepped away, took up his dueling pistols. "Now, spare a prayer for your hotheaded one in chapel, and think of me when you ride." "I will think of you in my bed, as well." The rueful look was one he knew well. He had seen it much, generally directed inward as Seth made fun of himself. "If you are going, go now. Or I will not let you." "Yes." He took up his satchel and jacket, set his hat on his head. "You are my heart, my lord. I will never regret you." With that he headed out the room, down the stairs. With luck he would find a ship to cross him over to the continent, to lead his damnable misfortune from the ones he loved. *** Seth sat at his club, idly turning his drink in his hand. He had not been able to bear the friendly banter of his fellow Hyacinths, and so he had gone to White's. Most of his fellow members there treated him like a pariah; indeed he only had a membership because it amused the owner, he thought. Supper had been a dull affair of lamb and root vegetables. Of late all of his suppers and baths and naps had been that way, though, since Declan had left him nigh on a fortnight before. He hoped the lad was safe. Of course he also wished things like toe rot or severe headaches on Declan as well. Another sip as Seth watched people come and go, most of them not even acknowledging him. All but one, in fact, a Lord Wethington, who sat beside him without asking assent. "So, I understand you were harboring a fugitive, Rhodes." Seth turned his head to stare, saying nothing. "Now, now. There's no reason to be rude. The young man's father swears the lad simply needs to allow himself some correction for some time and he will be allowed in decent company." "Correction. Tell me, Wethington, where is the lad's father?" "I assume he is still in attendance at Lord and Lady Farrington. He is quite determined to find the boy and perform his fatherly duties." The urge to pluck the piggy little eyes out swept over Seth. He loathed this man, any road. Maybe 'twas not such a bad idea. Instead, Seth took a page from his friend Lowe's book and skewered the man with another look, his lip curling. "How lovely. You must be great friends with them, considering how you attend your own sons." "Now, Rhodes, at least I have produced them to protect my family name and not a one of them would be seen in your company." "Thank the good lord for small favors. Tell me, did I not hear that your Ean was recently seen in the company of Morgan Dellahue? I believe he is a member of my other club..."

Wethington's face became even more florid, the thick lips opening and closing most gratifyingly. Seth flicked a bit of lint off his sleeve. "Was there aught else?" "No. No, indeed." Wethington stood, nose wrinkling. "I do hope the lad didn't escape with your valuables." Seth let his eyes close against the pain of that. Declan had only taken the most valuable thing in Seth's world. Himself, and with him, Seth's love. Suddenly the smoky room with its lingering odor of male sweat and lamb was too much for him and Seth rose, intent upon leaving, and he would have indeed had he not seen Lord Farrington's cousin, and the family black sheep, his friend Travis. "Travis! I have a favor to ask of you, my friend." Blue eyes widened upon seeing him, Travis standing to clap his arm. "Anything, my friend. Anything." Seth smiled, feeling almost good for the first time in an age. "I need an invitation to your cousin's home. As soon as you can get me one." Both of Travis' blond eyebrows rose, but he nodded, always a helpful friend. "Whatever I can do, Seth." "Excellent." Seth clapped his hands, relishing the very idea. Travis should not worry about what he could do to help Seth. Instead he should worry what Seth was going to do with his help. *** Two days later Seth found himself in the Farrington's ballroom, watching the glittering ladies and somber gentlemen whirl by. For himself, he had dressed to stand out, his coat of claret velvet making him seem like a splash of blood among all of the black. His waistcoat would have impressed the royal family; it shone so with gold threads. Seth fully intended to keep from blending. Travis had procured him an invitation to the ball, and he was watching and listening, looking for Declan's father, hoping to see him before the screeching soprano of the Farrigton's daughter as she sang drove him utterly mad. When Declan's sire did arrived into view, the likenesses and differences near left him breathless. Tall and lean, sharp featured, in that the man was not like son at all. But the light of the man's hair, the piercing eyes, those were Declan clear through. As casually as he could with the intent that he bore, Seth moved close to the man, eavesdropping shamelessly. "...need to assure his safety is paramount. I have procured the finest physicians to assist him from his madness, his sinful nature. I simply need to discover where the evil has led him."

A red hot flush crept up his throat and into his cheeks. Seth bit back a curse and took a deep breath, moving just a tiny bit closer, studying the faces of Declan's sire's audience. "How awful, to have a son so lost." The men surrounding the man were clergy and pious alike, men invested in both their purses and the purses of the church. Poor Declan, to be so hunted by these types, to be constantly running. It made him furious. Of course, he had quit running so long ago...Time to prove it once again. "Why, surely gentlemen," he said, stepping into the circle, "you might consider the father to be the lost one." At least a dozen eyes met his, at turns shocked and horrified. Declan's sire stared at him for a moment before the thin lip curled. "It would be expected for a known sinner and sodomite to say so, indeed." "Ah. Then we have no need for introductions, do we?" He should have known the man would have seen him long before Seth had a chance to return the favor. That was the way Town worked. "Not at all. Tell me, did you have a fight to send Declan away or did you simply have to pay the little fool?" "Well, you see, sir, that is what I wished to speak to you about. I blame his leaving, in fact, upon you. You might even say, without stretching the bounds of truth that you took him away from me with your idiocy. I value him greatly, you see, and that makes you a thief." Seth smiled, glancing about, reveling in the horror spreading on the faces ringing their little show. "Therefore," he finished, "I fear I must challenge you, sir. Name your seconds." "You stand here, in polite company, name yourself a sinner and then challenge me?" Oh, his wager had paid quite well, Declan did possess his father's temper indeed. "Better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven, sir. If I must be as pompous and uncaring as you to be a saint, then I do declare myself a sinner indeed." He grinned wider. "You may name your weapons as well." "Pistols, you barbarous sodomite!" The man near blushed purple, it was an amazing sight. "I will not have my honor questioned, nor my family further dishonored by you!" Goodness, he could only hope the man did not expire of a failed heart before they met. "At dawn, then. At the Battersea Fields, hmm? I shall look forward to it." He'd never been so sure of anything in his life but Declan. "At dawn. Now quit yourself and leave decent people to polite company."

"I think I shall have another drink," he said, deliberately turning his back on the man, knowing it wouldn't be long before several stout footmen tossed him out on his ear. Still, he would not bend. They would have to physically remove him. To his surprise, more than one man came to drink with him. Men with whom he'd done business, men who had earned his respect, his friendship. He gave them all a grateful smile, letting them know he valued their friendship, their support. When he did finally leave it was under his own steam, and well over an hour later. It was quite liberating, honestly. In fact, the only way it could have gone better were had Declan been at his side. He could only hope the lad was still in Town. Surely when Declan heard his father had engaged in a duel with Seth he would come running, if nothing else to challenge Seth himself. Or perhaps thank him. It all depended upon his aim tomorrow at dawn. *** He watched the bubbles rise in the pint of ale, the filthy glass cracked along one side. He was a fortnight into his cups. Dizzy and near to the pocket with his cash. Lost and alone with only his dueling pistols to his name. Declan snorted at himself. He was becoming quite intolerable, if he did say so himself. Even for an Irishman. The barkeep spat, coming over to peer in his face. "You'll not sleep here," the man said, his English as broken as his cups were. "No. No, I won't." He'd sleep in the stables. The straw was warm enough. "Good." The man spat again and left him, just as someone sat down to his left side, caped overcoat steaming gently. "Really," the man said. "The French are too rude." He laughed, shook his head. Madness, but the voice sounded familiar. "Shall I buy you a whiskey, Declan? Surely it is preferable to ale." He frowned, swayed as he tried to focus over. "Aye, it is..." His mind would give him Seth, even here. "Though perhaps I would be better served to take you out and dunk you in the trough." "My..." He stood, shook his head. "Can I be seeing truth?"

"Well, you have never been one to see things not there, have you? Even when you were ill or in your cups. You said as much." Seth smiled at him, though it was sharp as a straight edge. "I. True. My lord. Seth." His eyes were going to bulge from his skull. "Do you know how hard it was to find you, love?" Seth peered at the ale before him. "Shall we remove to my room at the inn?" "Yes? I... my accommodations would ill suit you." That was perhaps the most ridiculous thing he'd ever said, but it mattered little because all that his mind heard was that 'love'. "I have slept in worse places than a stable. Still, I had my valet collect your things. Come." A warm hand he'd thought never to feel again landed on his arm, tugging. "You brought your man?" He swayed, following much like a lamb to the slaughter, the raucous laughter of the men behind him fading away. "I did. I will not flee to the continent without some of the comforts of home." Seth turned as they walked out into the night, steadying him as the cooler air hit him. Home. The word made him almost dizzy, the drink and days of misery finding him in a rush. "How did you come to find me?" "I asked people. You are distinctive." They weaved as they made their way to the inn, the rough cobbles and soft mud of the street tripping him up again and again. "There are a number in Ireland exactly my match." "But not on the way to Calais." Finally they were inside again, and soon enough up the narrow, twisty stairs to Seth's room, the best in the house, naturally. He wrapped his arms around himself, feeling suddenly filthy and foul, like the lamplight exposed his last few days. "Come, love. There's a bath awaiting." Oh, gracious. A bath. "I..." He took a step forward, the urge to see Seth's face, Seth's eyes quite impossible to resist. "You came. I. It could be a dream." "I came. I had little choice, really. We shall talk more on that later, you may be sure." Talk seemed the last thing on Seth's mind, however, as he began stripping off Declan's clothing. His tongue seemed to be not in the least bit interested in talking, cleaving itself to the roof of his mouth as Seth moved him about like a rag doll.

They settled into the tub, Seth naked against him, playing bath attendant with a sea sponge and a pot of sweet soap. He had died. That was the only real answer to this. He had fallen into his pint and drowned and was now enjoying his just rewards. When Seth dunked his head into the tub and his nose landed inches from Seth's prick, he knew he was right. He had to be. He even managed the briefest touch before Seth tugged him back up, sputtering and splashing. Scrubbing his hair, Seth moved against him, slow and steady, a sort of full on undulation. "My lord..." He moaned, body eager and heated, the slide of their skin together a particular pleasure. "Yes. Declan. Sweet." Seth finally kissed him, the pleasure complete. He'd missed this. So desperately. He dove into the kiss like a man possessed, hands reaching up from the water to cradle Seth's face. Seth kissed him back like one in famine, lips and tongue working against his, sweet and hot and good. He gave himself over to it, moaning into those hungry lips as a man starved. They moved together, the water slapping at their skin in a hot caress, the soap stinging his eyes as it slid down from his hair. Seth held to him, fingers bruising his arms. His legs wrapped around Seth's waist, settling in the man's lap as they rocked together. They were all heat and sensation, slick skin slipping and sliding as they fought to get closer, fought for purchase. Seth bit his lower lip, leaving it throbbing, then worked down his throat leaving bruises behind. "Seth." He stretched up and up, room swirling, dipping drunkenly as his heart pounded. "Yes, love." Seth sucked up a mark just over his heart. "I shall keep you this time." "You make such promises." If only they could be true. "I mean them. I only wish you were so honest." A pinch to his bum emphasized that growl, that moan. "I have never lied to you. Not once." "No." Seth leaned back to look at him, to stroke his cheek. "No, I know. I have only wished for more than you could give." "What?" He frowned, shook his head. "What could I have given you that I did not?"

He'd been cold, alone, in a foreign place so that his father would not have opportunity to hurt this man. "You might have trusted me to help you. I want to, Declan." Seth stroked his chest now, the touch less arousing than comforting. "I wanted to help slay your monsters." "I could not allow him to harm you. I could not be the one who brought your name low." "Oh, love." Seth kissed his cheeks, his chin, the hollows under his eyes. "It is impossible to bring my name lower among those I dislike. You are what I love." "I wished to protect you." To protect Seth and keep from the gaol. "I know." Oh, those kisses moved back to his mouth, and they would make him forget himself for sure. Seth seemed bent on distraction. It was working. Declan groaned, hands sliding around Seth's waist, holding them tight together. Any regrets they could deal with on the morrow. They began to rock again, their slight upset forgotten, the need rising between them again. Seth reached down, hand grasping his prick, and stroked him, making him moan. "Yours." He whispered the word against Seth's jaw, Seth's throat, again and again. "Yes. As I am yours." Those fingers squeezed and pulled, making him crazed, the pleasure all the more intense for him thinking it lost forever. He arched, prick pulsing and throbbing in Seth's grip, eyes rolling in his head. "Sweet Declan. Yes. Oh, yes." Seth leaned in, face against Declan's throat, soft gasps coming from him. "Yes. Please. I would..." He would have Seth's pleasure, all of it. "Declan!" Seth convulsed against him, thighs like stone beneath him, cock jerking madly against his thigh. Yes. Perfect. He slumped against Seth, heart pounding, lips open on Seth's skin. Seth stroked his skin, making patterns he couldn't read. "Oh, you feel most fine, Declan. Perfectly fine." "Yes. Most fine." In fact, the world could end here, and he would be happy.

Chapter Eight Declan looked like a freckled angel. Sleeping, his eyelashes fitted his cheeks, his lips relaxed, and even his hollow cheeks softened. Too bad Seth knew better than to think him such, especially after finding the lad in his cups in Calais. Stroking Declan's cheek and feeling the rough whiskers there, Seth sighed. They needed to sober and clean the lad up so they could talk. The bath had helped, but they needed a shave and some food. He went to the door of their room and called for a maid or the innkeeper, ordering up a full breakfast and handing over coin to the young lady, ignoring the way her eyes ate him up. Then he went back to Declan. Declan had moved to the spot where he'd lain, hand searching for him, mouth opening and closing as the lad spoke in his dreams. His heart squeezed in his chest. So young. God in Heaven, he'd forgotten what it was to be so young. Seth sat on the edge of the bed, taking Declan's hand. "I'm here, sweet. I promise." "Love." Declan held on, squeezing his fingers, eyes blinking open. "Heaven help me, my head's going to crack wide open." "Good. Maybe it will teach you about drowning your sorrows, hmm?" He squeezed back, though, reassuring. Both of them. "I'm Irish. We're supposed to drink to our pain." 'Twas all he could do not to pop those shapely buttocks. "I vow, Declan. If you ever run away on me again I'll let you drown." "I couldn't let you be hurt by my Da, love. He... I." Declan sighed. "Tell me you understand that." "Of course I do. The fact that I, er, damaged him might be of interest." He did not wish to tell, but he might as well mention it now, while Declan was in no state to do anything. "Damaged him?" Declan blinked, looked at him with a vague confusion. "Your father. I rather...winged him." There. Let the lad make of that what he would. "He challenged you? To a duel? My Da?" "I rather challenged him. He was making light with your good name." Declan blinked again. "I. You. But." Poor lad, he was quite befuddled. "But? He smiled gently. "I won."

Declan reached up, touched his lips. "You. You won." "I did. I did not kill him, love. I would never do that, leave that on your conscience." He kissed Declan's fingers, loving the contact. Declan's eyes closed, a look of sheer relief so raw, so necessary that it ached deep within. "Seth." "I love you, sweet. You know that." Yes. They needed the touching, the loving. He drew Declan close and loved him, holding him tight. "I do." Declan nuzzled into his throat, the action sweet and hungry all at once. "Good. Your father is no more than nicked on the arm and furious... yet I feel he will not chase you again." "He despises me as none other. He believes me Satan-possessed." "He is a fool." Pressing Declan down, Seth kissed him hard, mindful of the lad's head. Poor, sweet, drunken Declan. He must feel as though he'd burst like a dropped melon. Declan opened to him, the kiss flavored with salt and whiskey and a pure, bitter desperation. He pushed into the kiss, his tongue slipping in, giving them both hope back. Seth’s hands found Declan's shoulders, gripping tightly, trying to tell the lad all of the things he needed to know. Declan's lips wrapped around his tongue, sucking hard, drawing him in. All of that trust, all of that pleasure simply poured into him, and Seth was glad the worst was over. The telling. At least for now. They moved together, the kiss growing and changing, making him gasp. Declan moaned, hot and clinging, body sliding against his own. He would have to assure that Declan never ran again. One way or another. Thoughts of chains and collars were most entertaining, even if his overheated brain was no place for them at the moment. Declan stretched, heated prick caressing his hip, the motion sweet and heady all at once. Seth forgot his thoughts of bondage and reached for Declan's cock, stroking it between them, pressing it to his body. Soft, soft skin covered such hardness. The wonders of a man's body never ceased to amaze him. "I. Seth, I ached for you." The words were the barest whisper, just ringing with a truth. "Sweet. Oh, Declan. I missed you." How could he do anything but offer up his own honesty as he kissed the words against Declan's mouth? "And you found me." Those green eyes shone as if a fire burned behind them. "I could have been anywhere." "I would have found you there." This mood had to go. Seth kissed it out of them, stopping them from becoming maudlin.

Declan followed his lead easily, eagerly, the kiss growing wild and sharp-toothed. Seth cupped Declan's buttocks, pulling him up for more. More friction, more touch, more everything. An addiction, that's what Declan was to him. It took little time for Declan to cry out into his lips, heat spraying over his hip as Declan shuddered and shook. "Yes. Love." His hips slammed against Declan's as he shot, his eyes rolling back in his head. Declan held him, rocked him through the waves of pleasure, the rush of need. "Oh. Declan." They lay together, both of them breathing heavily, slicked with sweat. "My lord." Declan leaned in, licked his throat. "Mm. So. Where shall we go, hmm? Nice? We could tour the continent. Paris. Rome. Explore." "I... That sounds most pleasurable. To see the world with you." "Yes. I think it would be, too." And by the time they were done with the grand walk in Nice and the ruins in Rome, it would be safe to return home. Where they belonged. "Then... You can forgive me for the trouble I brought you?" "Oh, Declan. There is nothing to forgive but your running from me." He turned, his nose against the tip of Declan's. "And that was only your youth coming out." Those eyes flashed. "I am not all that young, surely." "You are, to think your father could ruin me. Must we argue, Declan?" Seth feared for his control, should Declan begin. Feared his own anger, simmering under the surface. "Not now. My head would burst. We will fight another day and take a perverse joy in it." Seth laughed aloud, relaxing a bit. "We will. You say I am changeable, after all." "As the winds themselves. It fascinates." "And maddens, I'll wager." He stroked Declan's side and hip. "We shall rub along, though." His words seemed to amuse, Declan's eyes alight. "Indeed, I pray we shall." Seth kissed Declan thoroughly. Oh, yes, they would fight. And he might have to tie Declan up before it was all over. He would look forward to it. ***

Declan wandered the gardens, letting the rain pour down on him, rinse the ache and throb that the excess drink had built in him. His father, challenged, beaten. Driven back to the Isle to leave him in peace. It was quite unbelievable. Quite odd. Quite fascinating. What he would have given to see it. His waistcoat was soaked through, his boots sopping and slushing in damp patterns, the grass showing his footprints. He staggered back as Seth appeared before him like an apparition, water-logged and hair plastered to his head. "Declan Murtagh, I swear to all the gods, I am going to beat you to death." Declan blinked, took a step back. "Whatever for?" "Where have you been?" Those white teeth flashed, almost bared like a wild animals. "In the garden." His own temper flared, white-hot and sharp. "What madness has hold of you?" "What madness..." Seth laid hands on him, shaking him like a terrier with a rat. "I thought you'd gone." "Gone where? What need do I have to leave you?" Hell take the man, he hadn't lied about leaving before, had he? He hadn't snuck away. "I. I thought." He could feel the fine rage in the trembling of Seth's fingers. Or the fear. Declan stilled, met Seth's eyes as surely as he knew how. "You thought wrong." "I did, indeed. You're quite wet." Seth smiled, smooth and easy, making him blink. The man changed faster than the weather in Calais, and that was saying a great deal. "Surely, that must confound your nerves, sliding from fury to peace." "Hmm? Oh, I am far from peaceful, love." Seth poked him in the chest. "You are still not out of the woods, you see." He puffed up, stepping closer, an unfamiliar heat growing in him. "I am only in the gardens, Seth." "You could have said something. You left me sleeping. I vow, it gave me a start, and I am far too old for that." The smug amusement Seth could muster when playing the aged card infuriated him. "You. Are. Not. Old." His nostrils flared, one eyebrow lifting. "No? I am." Now the laughter came fast and hard. "Elderly. Infirm."

"I should turn you over my knee to prove you wrong." "Oh, you think you can, hmm?" Now there was a dangerous glint in those golden eyes, a dare to be sure. "If you are as infirm as you claim..." He was near vibrating, twitching, the sensation in the air new, strange. "Then it should be no challenge, you youngster." As if readying for a duel, Seth drew up, shoulders straight, all male. He stepped close enough that he could feel Seth's heat, their chests near slamming together. "You are always a challenge, you stubborn arse." "Am I? I vow, I am not the one growling and snapping like a hound at the least provocation." That was an out and out falsehood. Could the man not see it? "You have quite lost your good sense." "I have. I threw it to the wind long ago." Seth kept pushing, pressing against him, their wet forms slipping and sliding. He prick surged, filling and pressing against his placket. "You will prove to drive me mad." "I will try. It is only fair, Declan." Something dark flashed in those eyes. Something desperate. "'Tis only right, since I love you to madness and beyond." Yes. Yes, he knew this. He knew the truth of it. Declan groaned, stepped close and reached for that strong jaw. "You should take me behind closed doors, my lord, before I bare myself to you in the garden." Seth did not help him to remember himself, leaning to him for a kiss before backing away and blinking water from those long eyelashes. "Come. Come, Declan." "Yes." His body was one vibration after another, blood thrumming through his veins with a steady pounding, belly tight as a board. They moved slowly, both of them shivering but not from the rain. Finally they gained the room once more, and Seth turned as soon as the door was shut, slamming him back to take a searing kiss. They rocked, tongues pushing, hands tangling in wet cloth. Seth gave him everything. Heat, fire and need. All of it. Biting at his lips, Seth pressed against him, cock hard and heavy. He opened, the heat within him near unbearable, near maddening.

Seth's tongue slipped inside his mouth, tasting him. Those clever hands moved everywhere, loosening his damp clothes. His own hands were clumsy, his good sense caught within the web Seth created. Finally though they stood nude and shivering, and Seth dragged him before the fire, pulling him down on the floor. There was not an inch of that body that appeared old. Not one. Just lean and muscled and capable. His moan tore from him, hands sliding over arms and legs and belly and sweet, stiff cock. Anything he could reach. "Love. Yes." All it took was a nudge for them to topple, kissing and touching, rubbing madly. No sweet lovemaking, no gentle exploration -- no, this was need, purely and completely, dark desperate words passed between them as they arched and grabbed. Seth touched his prick, mouth like a brand on his neck. That hand pulled and stroked, thumb moving on the underside, sensitizing him to the point that he could have screamed. Maddening. It was. He needed. Yes. "Please!" "Please what, sweet? What do you want?" The words came breathless and needy, Seth moving against him restlessly. He wasn't even sure if Seth was aware of speaking. "You. Please, love. I ache." He arched, legs spread, hips rolling with a barely hidden desperation. "Yes. Oh, yes." Seth settled atop him more firmly, pressing between his legs, and it was just as well he was still stretched from the previous night's joy, because Seth gave him no warning before the tip of that heavy prick was pressing in. His moan rang through him, throat working as he took that thick heat within, the pleasure and pressure satisfying an ache deep within. "Declan..." Seth moaned his name as if it were the only word ever said. Sharp teeth closed on his neck, Seth anchoring there as their hips began to move. His sounds poured from him, pushed out by the flesh within him, filling him. "Yes. Yours. Please." "Yes." More and More, Seth gave him all, hips rocking, driving into him. The friction was unbearable, yet he could just stand it as shivers rolled up and down his spine. A fire blazed within him, pouring through him in a rush. His heart knocked madly within his chest as his muscles clenched, squeezing his lover's flesh. "More. I vow, Declan, you will kill me yet." Seth's voice sounded strained, harsh, and Seth finally reached one hand between them to touch his prick, fingertips just landing on the head.

Seed sprayed from him, that single touch more than he could bear, more pleasure than he could imagine. Through hazy eyes he could barely see the deep flush that took Seth's skin as wet heat filled him deep inside. Seth's cry echoed loudly in the room, that fine body shaking for him like a leaf on the wind. "My lord." The words were quiet, whispered against Seth's chin, jaw. "Mine. Oh, Declan. Whatever else you are, you are mine." Seth kissed him then, lips soft and bruised against his. Yes. Yes, every bit of him, no matter the consequence.

Chapter Nine It...chafed. Seth had rented an accommodation in Calais, a house of their own, and was thinking of moving inland to let Declan see Paris or some such, sort of a delayed grand tour. Still, he missed his things. Oh, he was not a man tied to tradition, but he wanted his horses and his bed and his own grounds where he could run mad if he wished like a faun in the woods. Being under constant scrutiny when he went out, well, chafed. His mood had turned surly days ago, and while he was not avoiding Declan, he was not as open with the lad, surely, for fear of snarling at him. No, indeed, Seth felt like a bear with a wounded paw. The door to his chamber opened, Declan nodding at him once before heading over to open the shutters, let the wind from the coming storm blow in. Biting back his instinctive shout, Seth nodded as well. "Good evening, Declan. Did you have a good walk?" "Good enough. The storm looks to be quite wild. I near lost my hat." "Well, mayhap I should go out in it. T'would suit my mood better than sitting and playing the pianoforte, hmm?" "You were invited to come with me, you remember?" Declan stood at the window, slowly unbuttoning his waistcoat. "I am no fit company today, sweet." What else could he say? Declan nodded. "You look like a man who wishes a fight." "I do not!" Sighing, he reined in his temper. "I am simply...unsettled." Declan continued stripping down to his smallclothes, the actions slow and steady and deliberate. "Then perhaps we must settle you in your skin, my Lord. This unrest cannot be healthy." Seth could not help but stare. The lad had the sweetest skin he'd ever had the pleasure of encountering. Damnation. Too bad he was in no mood to enjoy it. Crossing his arms, Seth affected his most offensive drawl. "And how do you propose to do that?" One red eyebrow rose, challenging him. "I shall either beat or love it out of you. I haven't yet decided." "Oh, ho! Brave words, infant." As if Declan could do him harm. Love him, yes, but not in the way he needed right now. "Brave, indeed." There was a flash of hurt in those green eyes that was immediately hidden in a bright fury. "I have been accused of many things, Grandfather Time, but cowardice is not one." Declan was down to skin and it was a sight to behold, the stocky, scarred body near stalking him.

Seth held his ground, but it was a sight to make even a dead man want. His prick stirred in his trousers. He put his shoulders back, staring Declan right in the eye. "No, not a coward, love. Never that." "No. Not a coward. Not a child." Declan met him, head-on, fingers wrapping around his wrists with a firm, sure grip and lifting them to his throat. "Take them off." Raising an eyebrow, Seth said, "I beg your pardon? Did you want me to do something?" "I told you to do something. You are not deaf yet, old man." Well, well. He undid the top button of his collar, his neck cloth long since gone. "So you did. And if I decline at some point?" "Then you and I shall have words, but I do not believe you will decline." Declan held his gaze, the fire in those eyes quite fierce, quite captivating. Just to see it continue to burn Seth undid another button, then another, feeling that look like a touch. "So sure of me, then?" "Yes, Seth. I am." The words landed between them, sure and firm. "I see. Well, I am glad of that, at least, since I am not. You said yourself I was mercurial." Declan had an air about him, that of steel tempered by fire. He'd come out the stronger for his ordeals. "Yes. Mercurial and maddening and needing and the most beautiful thing I've seen. Do not stop." His hands, which had paused at Declan's words, began moving again at the lad’s order. "You think me beautiful?" The bloody shirt finally came off. "I do. The rest, Seth. I would have every bit of you." He could smell Declan's musk, feel the contrast of the chill wind and that heated form, so close to him. He thought to protest, but he would play that card, when Declan least expected it. Nodding, Seth undid the buttons on his trousers, letting them slide to the floor. "How could anyone not find you lovely?" Declan took his hands, placed them on the back of his neck, his torso exposed. "Leave them there." His immediate reaction was to lower his hands, reaching for Declan, trying to take control back. "No." Declan's hands were strong, firm. Surprisingly sure. "Leave them." He stopped, took a breath, and decided to trust, leaving his hands just as they were. "All right, love." "Thank you." He was given a kiss, hot as the gates of Hades, but slow so that the heat filled him, top to bottom.

Then, as he stood, a soft kerchief was plucked from a side table, the cloth covering his eyes. His muscles quivered. "Declan..." He had teased about this before, had talked of teaching Declan so many things... "Yes, Seth." His hands were bound as well, the cloth silken and soft. "I will give you what you need." "You always do, love. I just. I am not sure I can give you what you need." He stood there, shaking like a lathered race horse. Declan's hands landed on him then, pushing deep against the muscles, sliding against his skin. "You already have." The hint of breath on his shoulder was the only warning he received before the sharp teeth marked him. His whole frame jerked, pleasure coursing through him. His breath left him in a whoosh, and Seth thought on how long it had been since he simply bent to the will of another. Since he had allowed himself to. Declan hummed, lips and teeth hungry against his skin as those strong fingers explored him. First one nipple was stroked, then his hip bone circled. He went up on tiptoes, which reminded him he still had his boots on. That made him chuckle, the idea of him standing bare but for his boots, bound to Declan's will. His heart raced at Declan's touches, though, making his mouth dry. Declan's mouth moved, lips open as it slid over his skin. The fingers at his hips moved to his sacs, tugging gently enough not to hurt, but firmly enough to feel. Gasping, Seth rocked into the touch, his hands fighting the binding a moment. "Declan. I. I might fall over. You. I. It's too good." "Come to the bed. I have only begun." Declan moved about him, leading him across the floor, only to stop suddenly. "Oh. Oh, perhaps this instead." He was eased down, knees upon a cushion, the velvet of the ottoman tickling his stomach. Another pillow was brought for his elbows, his head. "Are you quite comfortable, my Lord?" Comfort was entirely relative. He was indeed quite at ease, physically. "Yes, Declan," was all he managed, his body sinking into the position Declan set for him. "You know that I love you. That leaving you ripped my soul." Declan's heat landed against his back, hands sliding around to hold him close a moment. He relaxed, the feel of Declan against him profoundly good, utterly comforting. "Yes. As I love you, Declan. So much. I had to find you. I would always find you."

"I know this now. I will not forget again." Soft, feather-light kisses trailed down his spine, that heat never leaving him, Declan so close. He needed to believe that. Declan had never lied to him, had he? Seth sighed, nodded, giving in. "More love." "Everything." Declan slid down and down, tongue slick and hot, teeth scraping against the small of his back, a coil of sensation beginning to spiral. His hips began to roll, his backside rocking against Declan, his prick on fire. Every sensation was heightened without the distraction of sight or touch. Everything felt huge, hot. When Declan's tongue slid further, moving against his most secret spot, lights flashed behind his eyelids. His balls tightened up against his body, and sweat broke out over him, despite the storm coming in. He cried out, something nonsensical and loud. "Yes." Sure fingers slid between his spread legs, his sacs cupped, his shaft stroked as that maddening tongue played. Pushing, stroking, licking -- Declan drove him until his sense was lost. All he could do was to sit there and feel, to let Declan have him. His body rocked and shook, and he distantly heard himself begging. "I would have you, Seth. Take you now." Declan's weight was on him again, the wet-tip of the man's prick nudging his entrance. "Yes. Yes, please. Declan." He wanted that beyond anything. He had not wanted it with anyone but Declan in a long, long time. "Yes." Declan pressed forward, spreading and stretching him with firm surges, not tentative, not at all. His spine arched, his hips pushing back to open him up and let Declan in so easily. The lad, no, not a lad...Declan was all man. Declan speared him, made him buckle with pleasure, his whole body needing the support of the ottoman he was draped over. "My lord..." Declan's mouth found his skin, hands upon his hips to move them together, skin slapping as Declan possessed him. "Yours." There. Yes. He'd said it. "I love you, Declan. So much." "Yes. My own. So long as you will have me." One hand wrapped around his prick, stroking him and driving him toward madness. Seth gave in to sensation. He bucked and rocked and pushed back and forth between the two needs. Finally he could take no more, and he shot right into Declan's hand, a low cry bursting from him, one of pure abandon.

"Yes. Yes, just so, my Lord. Just like that for me." The words were bit out, Declan near his own end as the lean hips pounded him, liquid heat flooding him in short order. Seth lay there, blind and limp, his breath and Declan's sawing in his ears. Then he stirred a bit, moaning as his knees protested. "Declan, love. I think the bed?" "Yes. I think we should." His hands were untied, then he was helped up and led to the bed, the curtains drawn against the lamplight before the kerchief about his eyes was removed. So considerate, his Declan. Seth held out his arms, needing a kiss, needing Declan's mouth. When he got it he hummed, smiling into the kiss. Declan's hands stroked his hair, the touch of their tongues languid and quiet, at odds with the storm. The storm within was quelled, however, his restlessness gone. It felt good. Right. Declan had proven something to him tonight. Something wonderful. Something he had not dreamed to find, yet had been gifted with. *** The morning dawned bright and clear and Declan only hoped Seth rose with as bright a countenance. Part of him still blinked in shock at how forward he had been, how he had tasted and taken and insisted that Seth allow him to care as much as he was cared for. The bigger part of him, however, was near to dancing because he had seen the release, the pleasure on Seth's face. Seth stretched, rolling toward him, sleep-warm and heavy eyed, smiling at him. "Good morning, Declan." "Good morning." He could no more hide his own smile than he could breathe water. "You slept well? The storm has passed." "It has indeed." One of Seth's hands found his thigh, sliding up along to his hip. "You look in a fine fettle." "I was enjoying the morning sun." He turned more fully into the touch, drawn to it. "I see that." Seth nodded toward the open bed curtains, the open window. "It would be a fine day to take a ride." "We could let the horses have their heads." He had not had a long run in too long. "We could. We could pack some cold meat and cheese and escape for a bit. Someplace along the coast..." Oh, that put a light in those golden eyes, Seth rolling up to kiss him.

He answered that kiss with one of his own, the remaining tension in him transmuting to a fair need. Seth near bowled him over, swarming up to wrap around him and kiss him like they had not sated themselves so thoroughly the night before. Hands hard on him, Seth pulled him closer still, rubbing against him, leaving no doubt of his lover’s need. Declan moaned, let himself rub as well, move and shift and rock toward the beloved body. Let himself beg for more. He received naught but encouragement, Seth's hot breath on his cheek, on his lips, soft words starting to fall on his skin. Love words. Not once did Seth call him "lad". That quite enflamed him, made him eager and pleased, proud and sure of his place here in Seth's bed. When Seth's hand closed around his prick he might have thought he'd found Heaven. Oh, the man knew how to touch him, how to draw every gasp and moan out of him. "Please..." He arched and offered himself over to the touches, most eagerly. "Yes. Oh, yes. Declan." Seth touched him, loved him, mouth moving on his skin much as his had on Seth's the night before. Sure. Loving. Needy. His fingers slid into Seth's hair, holding the hungry mouth to him. Their moans joined in the air, both of them needing. Seth pushed and this time they did topple, one of Seth's legs sliding up over his so they might fit together, pricks pushing alongside. His thighs tensed, hips rocking up and driving his body upwards. He felt as if flames were licking at him, pushing him to move faster. They moved, Seth's hands holding him close, that mouth starting new fires everywhere it touched. He lost track of how long they stayed there, frantically loving, but it was Seth who spent first, biting into the flesh of his shoulder. "My Lord!" His eyes flew open, the sting and burn enough to send him tumbling, pleasure pouring from him. They settled, Seth chuckling a bit. "Good morning, indeed." "There are worse ways to begin one, I must say." His smile could not be denied, not after such a waking. "Indeed. I found it most pleasant myself." Those searching fingers dug in to tickle his ribs. "I am famished. Shall we go in search of breakfast?" Declan's laugh rang out. "Indeed we should. I will need to break my fast to keep pace with you." "You will, love. I assure you. I intend to play today. I swear, you have put me in the best mood." His heart swelled and he drew Seth close, the kiss quite heated and happy. "It was all I wished for."

"You are too good to me, love. But I shall accept it and deem myself lucky." Seth hopped out of bed, quite nude, and struck a pose. "Feed me." He chuckled low, sliding from the bedding. "Have a care I do not eat you whole." "Mm. Either way what bliss..." Seth's stomach growled then, making them both laugh. "Food first, though." "Yes. A full spread so that we might both enjoy the day." He tossed Seth some smallclothes, laughing as they draped around the man's shoulders. "Oh, yes. Scones, jam, cream..." Seth whirled, the linen underthings flying as he came bounding over like a faun and gave Declan another kiss. "Perversions. Sinful decadence." Declan wrapped his arms around Seth's waist, laughing into the kiss. "All of the best things in life." He got a look, as serious as the last had been in jest. "I am ever glad I found you, Declan. Then and now." "As am I. I would not do without you again." No matter the consequence. "Then we are in agreement." Another kiss and Seth was off to pull the bell, that mercurial temperament swinging back to playful. Declan chuckled, then began to hunt enough clothes for decency. No matter how the moods swung, he trusted he was the man who would cling tight and ride them out. *** Seth burst through the doors of their rented house in Calais, several stout servants behind him. "We should travel relatively light," he said, "as we'll have to go by sedan chair if we choose to go over the mountains. Declan!" Ah, Declan was right there. Good. "There you are. We'll need to pack our trunks." "Trunks." Declan smiled over at him, head tilted. "You have decided on a plan, then?" "I have. We are touring the continent." Twirling, Seth turned and hauled Declan into a lively reel, dancing him up and down the hall. He would be glad to travel, to shake the dust, or rather mud, of this place off his boots. Declan jigged along, laughing at him, for him. His moods and quick decisions seemed to rattle his lover less and less often. That had to mean Declan meant to stay, no longer looking at him like a young stag ready to bolt. It made him happy deep inside, making his own moods less dark.

"I think we should start in Paris. Really, no more than a day or two someplace decadent, and then onward." "You are a force of nature, Seth." Declan's hand rested on his hip, those eyes dancing. "Am I?" They slowed, both of them staring at the other. A loud throat clearing separated them, the men waiting. "Yes, yes," he said. "Start with the kitchen and ask the cook what the bare necessity is." Declan pinked, but didn't move far away from him. "You are. What shall I do?" "I think we should go upstairs and look at what we will need. And as we will spend the night on the road..." He put one hand under Declan's elbow and drew him away, grinning. "We should test various materials for softness." "Oh. It would not do, to lack... padding in the night." Declan glanced over at him, wicked as any imp. "Precisely. As old as my bones are." That joke had taken on a whole new tenor, one without the overtones of worry it had held before. "Oh, Grandfather Time. We should pack your cane and a parasol for the sun..." Declan scooted forward, taunting him. Seth laughed right out loud, the sound echoing in the stairwell. He gave chase, his boots pounding on the stairs as Declan broke into a run. They zipped through the halls, Declan leading the chase, strong thighs working. He had no chance of catching those long legs unless Declan wished him to. He found out Declan's wish when they met in the bedchamber, Declan turning about so they collided with a thump, their breath whooshing out. Declan's arms wrapped around him, mouth pressing against his straightaway, tongue pressing in to taste him thoroughly. Such confidence Declan had gained. Seth loved it. Every bit. He kissed right back, tasting the chocolate Declan had drunk for breakfast, as well as the indefinable flavor of the man himself. "You do make my head spin." Declan's forehead rested against his own, the bright green eyes shining. "And you make me hard as a rock." Seth grabbed Declan's hand and shoved it between them. "Nothing soft here. Shall we try the bed?" "We should, if only to compare the bedding we choose for our travels." Declan's hand rubbed and stroked, sliding along his shaft.

"Absolutely..." His breath caught, loving that touch, feeling it run up his spine in tiny bursts. "More." "Yes." Declan groaned, fingers pushing harder, Seth's clothes rasping against his most sensitive skin. "Declan." Seth moved toward the bed. Or at least he thought he did. He told his legs to move. "Mmhmm..." Declan began moving, rocking against his thigh, prick stiff and hot against him. His thighs barked against the bed rather painfully, and they fell over, both of them laughing breathlessly. Undeterred, Seth worked at Declan's clothing. The fine skin was exposed to him, even as Declan's mouth strove to drive him to distraction. He moaned, torn between looking and feeling. Finally he just bit down at Declan's throat, letting his fingers wander. Sharp hips, long thighs, a trim waist, they all called to him. Declan arched, thighs sliding to cradle him, hips beginning to rock up toward him. "You will leave a mark." "I will. Do you care?" The fashionable neck cloth might cover it, and certainly no one in Paris would know any better... "I am your own, Seth. I would wear your mark." "Oh..." He bit harder, sucking up a deep reddish purple mark, wanting to see it. When he finished he was panting. "I would wear yours as well, you know. Any day." That earned him a deep moan, Declan rolling atop him, lips heated and hard against his throat. Teeth abraded his skin, burned a moment before a hot tongue soothed it. Seth arched, feeling the heat and pressure of it, thinking how good it would feel tomorrow to press his fingers there. Fingers worked his blouse open, baring more skin for Declan's hungry lips, the clever touches which played him like a pianoforte. They had lost the feeling of teacher and student. Now they went at it hammer and tongs, both of them vying to be in control, both of them ceding control when they needed to. Declan lifted up to smile at him, lips red and swollen, eyes heated and wanton. "I do love you, my lord." "Yes. Oh, yes, Declan. Love. So much." His whole world narrowed then, to Declan's mouth and Declan's body. They were never going to manage to do more than rub this time. They were too enflamed. "Yes." Declan pressed closer. "I have a need, Seth. Such a need."

"As do I." They rocked until they found the place where they fit together hand in glove, their pricks aligned, and then they moved hard and fast. Seth's breath came heavily, his skin hot, flushed with need. Declan's stomach went tight, green eyes flashing as those hands tugged him closer, encouraged him to move. Seth moved so close they might have shared skin, his mouth finding Declan's once more while his hips thrust and thrust until finally he shouted and spent himself, wet and hot against Declan's skin. Which was an entirely different kind of mark. "Yours." Declan rolled, gasping and jerking against him, the final few thrusts before the end made smooth and slick. "Mine, love. Always mine." Yes, they would have to find something as soft as this fine bed for their trip. He intended to do this every chance he got. "Mm." The soft sound was a sweet agreement, the kiss a vow. "So. Are you ready to adventure with me, Declan? At my side?" "Where else would I be, my Lord?" "Where else indeed." Seth laughed, kissing Declan hard, filled with enthusiasm for their travels. His earlier dread had gone altogether. They would test every surface, and see ancient wonders that would make Declan stare, and they would go home when enough time had passed. And they would do it all together.

Chapter Ten Things looked much the same as they had when he had left -- he knew they must -- but the city seemed less threatening, less ominous. He thought that he might begin to believe he belonged here, now that he'd seen the wonders of the world, laughed and made love in the most exotic of climes. Declan allowed the curtain of the carriage to drop, leaning back against the seat to smile over at his lover. Seth was most fine to him, cutting a dashing figure in his evening clothes, that strange unhappiness moved on from the beloved face. If he had his way on it, that unhappiness would never find a home with them again. Seth smiled back, patting his leg. "Are you sure you want to stay in Town for now, love?" Seth asked. "I know I asked you to go to a few events, meet the men of my club, but we can always away to the country." "I should meet your acquaintances, my Lord, and they should become used to me." He had no intention of deserting his place at Seth's side. "Good, good. I promise, you shall like them. Some of them might try to shock you. They don't mean to do any harm, they just fancy themselves outrageous." Seth squeezed, pushing at his leg playfully. "And are they? Outrageous, I mean." They had seen so many things, such amazing acts, that he found it hard to believe odder things could exist here. "Oh, my, yes. Some of them go far beyond my particular levels of depravity." The light laugh was still altogether serious. "But Devlin would never allow a member who was truly a bad man." "I believe your levels of depravity are more than enough to distract me." Beyond Seth's level of depravity.... "Are they?" That devious gloved hand slipped farther up his inseam, right toward his cock. "I do aim to please you, my love. I truly do." He could no more help the way his prick leapt than he could stop the blood that rushed to his cheeks. "You manage better than I could have imagined." "You continually amaze me as well." Seth had opened up to him over the long months that they had traveled, giving him praise often, smiling so much. Certainly the man was still changeable as the weather, but it seemed the bad blew over much faster now. That hand slipped higher still, and he groaned, sitting upright. "You'll have me pushing at my buttons." "That will mean you shall fit right in." He got a wink as the carriage rolled to a stop, then a hard kiss, Seth leaning on him with that hand as their lips and tongues met. His moan escaped him, pushed into Seth's lips. His eyes rolled, fingers grasping at Seth's shoulders. A deep hum escaped

Seth as they passed control back and forth, both of them striving, leaning. The kiss went on and on, finally leaving him blinking and panting when Seth pulled away. His fingers brushed against Seth's lips, feeling how swollen and heated they were. "You are enough to make a man mad." "Just wait. I intend to do so much more. Come, love." Seth vaulted out of the carriage when the driver opened the door, laughing back at him, cutting a fine figure in his evening kit. "Beast." He went more slowly, knowing that Seth enjoyed the sight of him dressed to the teeth, enjoyed the opportunity to see him, slicked and polished, in proper company. Indeed, Seth stood and watched him, standing on the steps to an imposing stone building. The foyer was not so intimidating, however. Well lit and littered with comfortable furnishings, the club appeared warm and inviting. There were men scattered about in different groupings talking and laughing and, in some cases, quite obviously touching. Nothing...untoward, exactly, but there was a relaxation here that spoke of a certain lack of concern, a casual freedom. It was...liberating. Even more so when Seth took his hand to pull him down the hall, the heavy rug eating the sound of their steps. "I should introduce you to Dev first, I think. He's expecting us." He refused to admit to his sudden attack of nerves, refused to entertain the small voice that wondered if he belonged here. Seth squeezed his hand like he knew, before leading him into a well-appointed study. The light here was far dimmer, the furnishings perhaps a bit more posh, but it still had an air of comfort and use. A lean, fair man stood from behind a desk and met them, hands outstretched. "Seth! How wonderful to see you back from the continent," the man said. "This must be Declan Murtagh, hmm? A pleasure to meet you, Declan. I'm Devlin Mountebank." "Good evening." He shook the long hand, then smiled as Seth was clapped on the arm, the welcome fond and heartfelt. "Come and sit with me a moment." Devlin indicated some cushioned chairs before the fire, leading them over. "So how was your tour, Declan? I would ask Seth, but I know he both loves and loathes the continent." "It was fascinating. I would spend my days wandering in his company and be a happy man." Declan's mouth slammed shut upon the words. Honestly, he misspoke himself. "Declan loves me well, Dev," Seth said, reaching to touch his hand. "You remember our tour, how fascinated I was? Well, Declan made it all the more so again, like I was a young man on my first tour. I vow, I am blessed." Devlin smiled. "Excellent. I am glad." His cheeks burned, but his heart was glad to hear it. Of course, he would be gladder still if he could have a moment with his lover, explore some perversities of their own.

"So, have you dined? I think Low and his Texan are eating with Thaddeus and Drummond. Or perhaps you would like a private dining room?" "You not only allow Irish lads, you let the Colonials in?" He smiled at the thought of one of the gun-toting hooligans amongst these men. "Oh, yes. I allow any who might make a friend happy. Seth would not bring you here would you not belong, my dear." Gray eyes twinkling, Devlin winked at him. "I imagine you and Stephen will get along famously." "So long as we manage to avoid dueling? I have no doubt." He was quite out of practice. Seth chuckled, the sound low and intimate. "I am your only dueling partner from now on." His eyes went wide and he looked over at Seth with a mixture of desire and pure shock at that tone spoken when they weren't alone. "I think we would like to dine alone, Dev. Can you arrange it?" Seth stared directly at him, more gold than brown showing in Seth's eyes. His body responded wholeheartedly, as if they were truly alone and him able to fulfill his needs, Seth's needs. "Of course. I'll see to it now." And just like that, the man slipped out of the room, leaving them alone. And closing the door behind him. "He...he seems a good friend." His cock ached, swollen and trapped in his smallclothes. "He is, indeed. One of the best a man could ask for. Come to me, Declan." One gloved hand extended to him, Seth reaching, watching him intently. So easy, to move toward that hand, to allow himself to be fascinated by those bright eyes. "And when I do? What would you do with me?" "Oh, I think I shall let you choose." Hand closing about his, Seth tugged him so he knelt in front of Seth's chair. Then Seth bent to kiss him. "Something to stir our appetite for supper." He pushed up into the kiss, free hand curled around Seth's nape to hold them together. His tongue slid alongside Seth's, the fire between them familiar and sudden and sure. Seth hummed for him, licking his lower lip, hands settling on his shoulders. When they pulled back to start a new attack, Seth smiled for him, rubbing noses with him. "So what would you like?" He leaned close, hand daring to slide along Seth's length, tease it through the cloth. "I would very much like to feel this." "Then...oh." Seth arched into his hand like a cat. "Then by all means."

The buttons opened for him, Seth's prick pressing and pushing out toward him. His mouth watered at the rich, male scent of his lord, the promise of such pleasure. Hot, hard, Seth's prick trembled in his grip, blood pulsing along the vein. "Declan! Oh, sweet. I...yes." Declan dipped his head, tongue sliding along that vein before tracing along the swollen tip that peeked out from the delicate, soft skin. Salty, deep, so good, that flavor. Seth gave him moans and gasps, those gloved hands stroking up along his neck to cup his cheeks, holding him in place while Seth thrust in a steady rhythm. He rubbed and rolled the heavy sacs through the fine cloth as he sucked, encouraging every bit of Seth's pleasure. A deep bass rumble was his only warning before Seth spent, filling his mouth and throat with hot seed. Oh, someone else had been excited by their teasing, and beyond reason. His own cock ached and throbbed as he cleaned Seth, tongue careful on Seth's skin. "Mm. Yes, now come here, love, and let me return the favor. I find my own appetite is voracious." Tugging him up, Seth pulled him to stand, opening his trousers with those damnable gloved hands, the feel of the cloth on his prick at once strange and pleasurable. His gasp filled the air, his hips rolling to beg for more, firmer touches from those lovely hands. He got them, both of Seth's thumbs trailing beneath, pressing at him. The soft, smooth coolness of the gloves contrasted sharply with the heat of Seth's mouth when his Lord bent and licked at him, lips sliding around the tip of his prick. "Seth." His head fell back, breath huffing from him in a rush. He would suffer an eternity of Hell for such moments as this. A soft sound was his only answer as Seth sucked him hard, tongue working him, hands slipping down to cup the base. Then those devilish fingers began working in time with Seth's mouth. No one could resist that pull, not and remain even the slightest bit sane, so Declan didn't even try. Instead, he offered himself over to it, heart and soul. Seth sucked him, licked him, teased him and then stopped teasing. All the while Seth moaned for him, the sounds vibrating about him. Seed poured from him, along with a desperate cry, his pleasure simply too large to contain. Licking him clean, Seth smiled against his skin, petting him for long moments. A soft knock on the door finally interrupted them, and Seth tucked Declan away before doing up his own buttons. "I think that's our supper." Declan couldn't fight his smile. They had established quite a habit of teasing and arousing one another over a tray of food. "I'll fetch it for us." "Oh, let's find a more private room." Seth stood and kissed him hard. "Devlin might want his study back."

"Oh. Yes. We...tend to linger over our food." Goodness, he'd forgotten where he was. "We do." Warm, teasing, that light in Seth's eyes threatened to have him ready to go again. Seth took his hand. "Shall we?" "Indeed." He nodded, fingers twining with Seth's, the act something he'd never prayed to enjoy. Seth led him to the door, where indeed, a uniformed young man awaited them. "Sir Mountebank would like for you to meet some of the other members later on, but he's bid me take you to your dining room, sirs." Declan could not resist the urge to lean to Seth, whisper in one ear. "Fancy fancy. Are you sure men like me are allowed here?" "Oh, yes. I think they like men like you a great deal, I assure you." They passed through a crowded great room, with Seth pointing out various men. "See there, that's Travis, and he has twins, would you believe, both of them his for the picking, just as I’d told you." "Twins? In truth?" Declan blinked, but there they were - two man as alike as one, standing altogether too close for propriety. “I vow you were but jesting.” "Oh, my yes. You will like Travis. I vow, he has won as many duels as you have. And over there is my old friend Dare. He likes the feel of a whip in his hand. And not for horses." Oh, that smile was pure wickedness. "You don't mean...." Surely not. "I do." Finally they reached a small, well-appointed room that had been set up with plush pillows on the floor surrounding a low, inlaid table. "Will you require anything else?" the lad asked, setting the tray on the table. "No, thank you," Seth replied, passing over a coin. And then they were alone again. Declan looked at the exotic decor, chuckled low. "Such finery and they found proper chairs too dear...." "They did. I think perhaps we ought to take off our fine feathers. Just to make sure we keep them clean." Seemingly able to ignore the wondrous smells coming from the tray, Seth began undoing buttons. Declan moved across the room, drawn to Seth's skin, to the fine body becoming exposed. "No one will interrupt us?" "No. This is a private room." The coat and shirt fell away, then the trousers, and finally, the

gloves. But not before Seth touched himself, the contrast between cloth and skin almost shocking in appearance. Declan reached out, his bare fingers following the paths Seth's had just before. Seth hummed for him, the sound low and happy, perfect. Seth reached for him then, pulling at his clothes as well. "Come, love. You, too." He blinked a bit, then began stripping, his hands much more interested in Seth's skin than his own. Chuckling, Seth helped him, touching his skin as it was exposed, fingers slipping and sliding. "So lovely. And all mine." The possessive note in that voice made him tingle. "Yes. I would have none other." Declan stretched, body twisting under that touch. "Good. Good." Seth kissed his throat, his chest, hands on his hips and pulling him closer. "You delight my senses. I cannot get enough of you." They slid down, the velvet soft against them both as they rubbed together, skin upon skin. They rolled, first him on top, then Seth, the deep cushions protecting things like elbows and knees. Finally Seth sat up, panting a little. "Food, love. We need our strength." "We do." Seth's nipple was salty on his tongue, a hors d'oevre that drove his hunger more than the tray that rested so closely. "Umm." Seth stretched for him, arms rising toward the ceiling, those lean muscles pulling and moving. His every touch elicited such a reaction that he couldn't help but explore farther. He reached out, pulled the lid off the tray, the scent of meat and bread and something rich and spicy filling the air. His mouth continued down, tracing and trailing on the muscles of Seth's belly. "Declan...." When he got too close to Seth's prick, Seth pulled him up, popping a savory pastry into his mouth. "Teasing man." "I am...mm...." Oh, rich. Luscious. Good. "More." "Of course." Chuckling, Seth fed him another nibble, then another, licking the crumbs off his lips. He fed Seth a strawberry coated in sugar, licking the sweetness from Seth's lips. They shared the juice for long moments, the kiss going on and on, before Seth leaned back and fed him another bite. This was some sort of cake with candied fruit. Declan found that one too cloying, so he followed it with a bit of gingered pear, the slight burn cutting the sweet. "Oh, that one I like." Seth grabbed another, licking at it, biting into it before sharing it with him. Drops of the juice dripped down upon Seth's belly and he followed them, tongue chasing the sweet.

The muscles under his lips quivered, and Seth began to touch him again, his cheeks and chin receiving sweet caresses. The remaining drop caught in Seth's curls, balancing right below the indent of navel. Declan wrapped his fingers around Seth's prick, tilting it so that his tongue might continue its chase. "Sweet...." Seth's hips tilted for him, that cock pushing up into his hand. The scent there was better than any food, sweet or savory. "Yes." So easy, to close his eyes and breathe in, to fill himself with his lover. Heavens. Slipping right between his lips once more, Seth hummed and stroked with his hips, murmuring love words. "Declan. Love. Good." The flavor of Seth slid on his tongue again and he welcomed it, savored it, humming with a pure happiness. "Yes. I love how you taste me, sweet. Love how you feel. Have I told you that?" Rambling, that was what Seth was doing. His hum would have to be answer enough, for his mouth was busy, filled with Seth's heat, the heady drops spilling into him. He could have gone on forever, but Seth pulled him up, then pushed him down on the pillows to move over him. Oh, yes, that man had a fine idea, Seth's hips swinging about so they settled above Declan's face, with Seth's mouth coming down on Declan's cock so they might both feast. They moaned in concert, his hands wrapping around Seth's hips and pulling Seth's cock into him. Seth moved down on his prick, mouth closing on him, lips a tight seal as they sank all the way to the base of his prick. A rush flooded through him, his legs spreading and cradling Seth's shoulders, his sudden cry loud, even muffled by Seth's cock. They moved so well together, so easily. Seth knew all of his sensitive spots and found them one by one, hands slipping between his legs to cup his balls. One finger pushed against his hole. He pressed toward the touch, aching to feel, to be filled. Yes, love. Please. Seth knew. Seth always knew, pushing two fingers deep inside him, letting him revel in being filled. At the same time Seth sucked hard, pulling on his prick, demanding his response. He fell into a rhythm, head and hips rocking and shifting, the pleasure perfect and undeniable. Matching him thrust for thrust, Seth gave him everything. Touches, kisses and a hard, hot prick; everything he could need. Seth's fingers brushed against that spot within him and he jerked, burying his face in Seth's skin, throat swallowing desperately around the tip of Seth's cock. One more touch and seed poured from him, his hips rolling as he filled Seth's mouth. Moments later Seth arrived as well, filling him deeply with the main course, seed spilling down his throat. Declan drank Seth down, humming out his pleasure around Seth's flesh. He had needed this, needed his lover.

"Mm." When Seth pulled away it was reluctant, lips and tongue clinging to him a little. "Yes. Oh, my. And we still have a meal to eat, love." "We have a feast, between us." "Oh, yes, love. We do. We always do." Seth smiled for him, pulling him up for a kiss that tasted of them both, hot and deep and good. They fit together with the familiarity they'd discovered in their travels, and Declan felt the rightness of it, from head to toe. They settled together for their meal, none of the awkwardness there now that had been when they first dined together, Seth's face open and happy as he told Declan about his friends and the club and how much fun they would have both in Town and out in the country, how happy he was to be home. There. With Declan. Both of them where they belonged and damn the consequences. end