Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
T homas had thought the afternoon would drag, but in fact it flew by. His guards all sought him out, eager to find out if the rumours about a day off were true, and he was kept busy reassuring his men that yes, it was true and more importantly, that they’d still be paid. He barely noticed the hours passing until his stomach growled, and he was surprised to find that darkness had fallen.
He made his way to the kitchens and ate his meal, and now that he was free of the distraction of work, his nerves jangled in anticipation of the evening ahead and his mind turned to other things.
Specifically, to naked, duke-shaped things.
It didn’t help that prior to supper Evan had pulled Thomas aside into a quiet corner and kissed him until he was hard in his trousers, only stopping when Thomas gave a breathless moan, and then sending him on his way with a playful slap to the arse. Thomas had spent most of supper willing his cock to behave.
Evan was now sitting at the other end of the table, making a show out of licking up the length of a cold pork sausage. He caught Thomas watching and shot him a teasing smile before commenting, “You know, the last time I had something this big and salty in my mouth, I wasn’t anywhere near the kitchens.”
Thomas quickly ducked his head to hide the flush that was creeping up his cheeks. Evan was a menace—a sexy, distracting menace—who had, against all odds, chosen Thomas as his bedmate.
He still wasn’t sure how he had gotten so lucky.
When halfway through supper Evan cleared his throat loudly, Thomas glanced up the length of the table and found Evan watching him, one hand casually toying with the lacing at the front of his shirt and tugging it loose so that a dark patch of hair was just visible. Then he stood and shoved his hands through his messy hair and shook it out before prowling toward the door. He paused and ran a hand along his shoulder, pushing the collar of his shirt down an inch to reveal his collarbone. He looked back at Thomas, caught his gaze, and tilted his head in a silent invitation.
Thomas’s breathing sped up and his hand clenched tight around the handle of his fork. Visions of running his tongue over the curves and dips of Evan’s chest before teasing his nipples and working his way lower filled his head, and his cock throbbed with anticipation.
He was halfway out of his chair when Sam darted over to him and hovered at his elbow, eyes wide. Thomas suppressed a groan. “What is it?”
Sam glanced back over at the table where the other guards were sitting, and Darcy gave him an encouraging nod. “Begging your pardon, Captain, but since there’s no royals that need guarding except the duke, and you said you’d take care of him, does that mean there’s no overnight shift?”
Thomas hesitated but only for a heartbeat. There really was no need to station the guards overnight. It wasn’t like anyone was going to attack the castle.
Besides, if there were no guards on duty, nobody would come seeking him out. The night would be his—his and Evan’s.
“Fine,” he said. “No overnight shift, just this once.”
Sam beamed at him and practically skipped back to his table, confirming Thomas’s suspicions that he wasn’t the only one with plans for tonight.
Evan had slipped away while Thomas was talking to Sam, so he took his time leaving the kitchen. Once he reached the staircase, though, he jogged up the stairs and was slightly out of breath by the time he reached Evan’s bedchamber door.
Habit had him pausing to knock, and Evan let out a low chuckle. “Come in.”
Thomas eased the door open and slipped into the room, and he’d barely turned the key in the lock before he found himself being spun around and pressed against the wall as a shirtless Evan kissed him, slow and deep. Thomas let out a low groan and his hands brushed bare flesh as they traced up Evan’s spine, then back down again to the curve of his lower back.
Evan’s skin was warm and satiny smooth under his rough palms, and he slipped one hand inside the waistband of Evan’s trousers. Evan sucked in a sharp breath when Thomas cupped his perfect arse and squeezed, and the next minute Evan was unbuckling Thomas’s sword belt and tugging at the lacing of his trousers.
Thomas didn’t need any further encouragement.
He kicked his boots off, ignoring the clatter of knives, and shimmied out of his clothes. Evan did the same, the two of them trading messy kisses as they undressed, and when they were naked Thomas didn’t hesitate to get his hands under Evan’s thighs and lift him up. Evan’s face lit up with a delighted grin and he promptly crossed his ankles and clung to Thomas’s shoulders. The sensation of their rigid cocks brushing against each other sent shivers down Thomas’s spine.
When they reached the bed, Thomas threw Evan onto the mattress in one swift movement and followed him down so that they landed in a messy heap with Evan pinned beneath him.
Evan stared up at him, wide-eyed and breathless, then gave another delighted grin and surged up, tangling one hand in Thomas’s hair and kissing him.
Thomas closed his eyes and let himself get lost in the taste and feel of another man as he explored the inside of Evan’s mouth. They spent long minutes just like that, exchanging hungry kisses and hungrier touches, until Thomas’s cock was so hard it ached. His hips rolled forward instinctively, and the drag of his shaft over the ridges of Evan’s stomach muscles sent waves of pleasure through him that had him tensing in an effort not to spend all over the quilt when they’d barely even started.
He stilled his movements and broke their kiss, breathing hard. Evan blinked up at him as he reached out and dragged a fingertip over Thomas’s chest. His mouth curled into a slow, lazy smile and he said, “Tell me, Captain, will you fuck me?”
Thomas’s mouth went dry.
He wanted nothing more than to pin Evan down and fuck him senseless, and Evan clearly wanted the same thing, but a lifetime of deference to the crown had him hesitating. Was he really going to put his cock inside the second in line for the throne of Lilleforth? Thomas was a commoner, and his family was hardly what anyone would call respectable. He found himself saying, “Are you sure? It might not be proper.”
Evan raised an eyebrow. “If anything we do tonight is proper, I shall be most disappointed.”
Thomas cleared his throat. “It’s not that I don’t want to fuck you. I can’t think of anything I want more. But you’re a duke, and I serve the crown. I’m beneath you.”
“I think you’ll find that I’m the one who’s beneath you,” Evan said, “and that’s the way I like it.” He worked a hand between them and grasped Thomas’s cock. “I don’t give a damn if you’re a guard, or we wouldn’t be here in the first place. Now will you please put this magnificent beast inside me?” He stroked Thomas’s cock, slow and firm, running his thumb over the swollen, aching head, and the heat of his touch was enough to take Thomas’s breath away. His breathing stuttered and his cock throbbed urgently against Evan’s palm.
Then Evan arched his back and pressed their bodies together, his leaking erection leaving a damp trail against Thomas’s skin. It was an effective reminder that what really mattered was that he had a handsome, naked, willing man in bed with him right now who was literally begging to be fucked—and if their social standing didn’t matter to the duke, Thomas decided, then it didn’t matter to him.
He leaned in and kissed up the side of Evan’s throat before murmuring, “Do you have any oil?”
Evan squirmed beneath him for a moment before giving a frustrated huff. Thomas found himself being rolled onto his back and then Evan was straddling him. He leaned over the side of the bed and reappeared a moment later holding up a small flask and flashing a wicked smile. “Shall I get myself ready?” he asked, and without waiting for an answer he drizzled the oil onto his fingertips. Thomas watched, entranced, as Evan raised himself onto his knees and reached behind himself, the curves of his body gleaming in the lamplight.
Evan was gloriously limber, his body lean and tempting, and Thomas couldn’t resist reaching out and running his hands down the contours of Evan’s chest, his thumbs skating over his nipples.
Letting out a soft grunt as he sank his fingers inside, Evan splayed his other hand against Thomas’s chest to steady himself. The room was filled with the wet sounds of well-oiled fingers sliding in and out of his arse as Evan working himself open at a leisurely pace, letting out soft little moans and gasps. Thomas thought he might actually go mad if he didn’t get to fuck Evan soon.
“Let me,” he said, voice rough.
Chest heaving, Evan blinked down at him for a moment before rolling off to one side, planting his feet against the mattress, and spreading his knees wide. Thomas knelt in the vee of Evan’s thighs and fumbled with the stopper of the flask before managing to pour oil on his own fingers. He slid one inside the soft clutch of Evan’s arse and Evan let out a breathy exhale. “Oh, I do love a man with big hands.”
Thomas grinned, working his finger in and out until Evan began to squirm with need. “More?”
“Please.”
Thomas added a second finger and Evan’s mouth dropped open. He let out a low groan as Thomas pumped his fingers in a steady rhythm. When he curled them upward and his fingertips grazed over that sweet spot inside, Evan’s hips bucked up and he let out a shout, so Thomas did it again.
“Stop teasing and fuck me.” Evan might have meant it as a command, but it came out as more of a plea.
“Soon. You’re not ready.” Thomas wanted nothing more than to sink into that soft, inviting hole, but it was no boast to say that he was big all over. Experience had taught him that some things couldn’t be rushed. He teased at Evan’s rim until it softened further under his touch and eased a third finger carefully inside.
Evan sucked in a sharp breath, but Thomas didn’t miss the way his cock jerked, and his voice was tight when he said, “The next thing inside me had better be your cock, Captain.”
Thomas wasn’t going to argue—not with his blood racing hot in his veins and his erection harder than steel.
He pulled his hand back and swiped oily fingers over his length, slotted the head against Evan’s hole, and pressed forward. He sank slowly inside, and his entire world narrowed down to the clutch of Evan’s hot body around his cock. He paused for a moment to allow Evan to get used to his size before he eased back out again, then thrust forward carefully, fighting the urge to fuck Evan hard and fast.
Evan, though, didn’t seem to feel the same need for restraint. “Harder,” he urged, spreading his legs wide. He shot Thomas a wicked smile. “I want to feel you tomorrow.”
Any shred of self-control Thomas might have had disappeared on hearing that. He set his hands on Evan’s waist and snapped his hips forward, setting a rapid pace that quickly reduced Evan to a moaning, panting, and utterly gorgeous wreck.
Evan had one arm thrown wide and the other around his cock, stroking himself, and his head was tipped back. With his eyes closed and his lips slightly parted as he moaned, Evan lost to passion was breathtaking. The sight had the heat in Thomas’s belly gathering like a storm cloud, and he was consumed with the need to claim Evan as his own.
He lowered himself so that he could hook his arms under Evan’s upper body, lifting him up off the bed as he fucked into the hot clench of his arse. The change in angle had Evan moaning loudly as he clung to Thomas, his hand moving in time with his thrusts and his knuckles brushing the skin of Thomas’s belly as Evan started to tug at his cock faster.
When Thomas felt his climax approaching, he pulled Evan close and buried his face in the curve of his neck, his movements becoming choppy and urgent. Evan responded by clenching his arse around Thomas’s cock, and the effect was immediate. Thomas’s world exploded in heat and pleasure. He gave one final thrust and came, gasping for breath as he fell apart.
It was only seconds before Evan tensed. Wetness splashed against Thomas’s stomach and Evan collapsed against his chest, shaking through his own orgasm.
Once Evan was still, Thomas eased his softening cock out of him and lowered him slowly to the mattress, his own limbs shaky from exertion as he lay down alongside him. Evan rolled toward him with a lazy smile.
Thomas grinned back but didn’t try to speak, his mind still hazy with sex and pleasure. He did manage to extend an arm and pet clumsily at Evan’s toned bicep, though, in what he hoped was a gesture of mutual satisfaction.
Evan’s smile widened and he put his arms over his head and stretched with his whole body like a particularly contented cat. He lay there quietly, catching his breath before he spoke. “That,” he said, “was rather perfect.”
Warmth bloomed in Thomas’s chest. He propped himself up on one elbow so he could see Evan better. “It was, wasn’t it?”
Evan hummed and his smile widened. “We should do that again.”
Thomas gave a soft laugh. “I’d like nothing better, but can we wait until I can feel my legs first?”
“I suppose,” Evan said with a put-upon sigh, but he was still smiling—a wicked, tempting thing that looked far too good on him. He moved toward Thomas and leaned in for what Thomas at first thought was a kiss, but between one moment and the next, Evan made a single swift move and Thomas found himself pinned to the mattress with Evan straddling him—again. Evan’s eyes were bright when he said, “Next time we should do it like this.”
Thomas reached out and caught Evan by the hips. “Yes,” he rasped out. “We should.”
Evan stared down at him, eyes dark, and Thomas wondered for a moment if he might persuade his cock to cooperate after all, but then Evan scrunched up his nose. “My arse is leaking.”
Evan leaned over and grabbed a corner of the bedding, then reached behind himself. After cleaning himself up, he pushed the cum-streaked linen aside and lay down, plastering himself against Thomas’s front and resting his head on his shoulder. Thomas wrapped an arm around Evan’s back, and he was once again struck by the way Evan fitted perfectly against him and by the rightness of it.
He wondered how often they’d do this before Evan inevitably grew tired of him or departed the kingdom on another one of his spying trips, leaving Thomas alone with nothing but his memories.
His chest ached at the thought.
Pushing down the tight ball of loneliness that threatened to spring free at the thought of his time with Evan ending, Thomas pulled him closer.
Evan nuzzled at his throat in response, working his way up in a string of light pecks that ended with him claiming Thomas’s mouth properly. They spent some time like that, trading lazy kisses. It might have led to more if they hadn’t both still been boneless from their last efforts, but instead they ended up with Evan resting his head on Thomas’s chest while Thomas wrapped an arm around him.
Spending time like this, touching and holding Evan even without it going further, was deeply satisfying in a way that Thomas hadn’t ever known. When he’d taken lovers in the past, he’d had no desire for it to be anything other than a physical release. He certainly hadn’t wanted his lovers to stay and cuddle.
With Evan, though? He found he wanted to spend more of his nights sharing a bed.
Possibly all of them.
He let himself imagine it as he soaked up the heat of Evan’s body against his, and they lay in a comfortable silence that was only broken by the crackle of the fireplace. Secure in the knowledge that he didn’t have to go back to his own bed, Thomas found his eyelids growing heavy as sleep pulled at him.
He was barely awake when Evan pressed a kiss to his shoulder and murmured, “I rather like you in my bed. I might have to keep you here.”
“I’m glad,” Thomas mumbled, “because I intend to stay.”
And he let himself pretend, just for a moment, that they weren’t only talking about tonight.
T homas woke suddenly, a vague sense of dread creeping up his spine and making the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. He blinked himself awake and extracted himself from Evan’s grip, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and sitting up as he tried to make sense of his sudden unease.
The fire had burned down to embers, but there was still enough light to see that everything in the room was as it should be. Evan’s breathing was deep and even, and when Thomas checked he found the door still locked. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.
He ran his hands over his face, stifling a yawn, and considered ignoring his disquiet and crawling back into bed. Evan was right there, naked and warm and tempting. But that itching, prickling sensation of wrongness refused to leave him.
He heaved a sigh. Maybe it was just an instinctive reaction to knowing the castle was unguarded. He hauled himself to his feet. He’d do a patrol of the outside entrances and that would reassure him that he was worrying over nothing.
Then he’d come back to bed and see if Evan couldn’t be tempted to another round of fuckery. He didn’t think it would take much.
He dressed in silence and slipped out the door, leaving Evan sleeping. There was no reason to wake him, not when Thomas only intended to do a single round of the castle’s entry points and check everything was secure. He moved soundlessly down the stairs and headed for the kitchen, where he grabbed a lantern to light his way. From there he made his way to the front courtyard, starting his inspection with the main gates, which were locked up tight.
It was eerily quiet. It was obviously too early for any of the staff to be up and starting their day, and the absence of guards at the gate was jarring. Thomas took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders and reminding himself that even if someone were to break in, there wasn’t much harm they could do. It was the reason Evan had sent the king and his husband out of the country.
He made his way back into the castle and worked his way along the passages that led to the exterior, checking every door and gate along the way, even the ones that hardly anybody used.
Everything was as it should be.
Still, he found himself tensing every time he turned a corner. Something was wrong —he could feel it in the marrow of his bones. He just didn’t know what.
He’d made it two-thirds of the way around the perimeter when he found it.
At the end of a short, dust-filled corridor, a door leading to a small courtyard with low walls that hardly anybody used was standing ajar.
He might have thought it had been left open by accident some time in the past, given that the area was barely visited, except he knew for a fact that there had been a guard posted here only yesterday. Thomas’s gut clenched as he stepped closer and lifted the lantern to get a better look. Dust motes danced in the air, and the lamplight showed a trail of fresh footprints leading from the courtyard along the passageway toward the main part of the castle.
Thomas lowered the lantern, his brow creasing.
Who was sneaking in a disused door and why? If someone had come to fulfil the threat against the royal family, they weren’t very skilled in their craft, given that they were apparently unaware the king and prince consort had left Lilleforth.
Honestly, the pragmatic part of Thomas was offended by the existence of an assassin who was so poorly prepared.
Evan never would have left that door open. And he would have covered his tracks at the very least. There was a reason he’d escaped detection for so long.
That, and nobody would suspect a member of the royal family of being a spy.
Thomas sucked in a sharp breath as his own earlier words to Sam came to mind.
The Duke of Ravenport is also a member of the royal family.
The hairs on the back of Thomas’s neck stood on end and waves of hot and cold ran through him, his stomach clenching as realisation hit him like a brick.
Evan was royalty.
Evan was royalty.
Thomas had been blind.
When they’d been told there was a threat against the royal family, they’d all—Evan included—assumed the king was at risk, but what if somebody had worked out that Evan was the Rogue, and he had been the target all along?
And Thomas had just left him, asleep and alone, in an unlocked bedroom in an unguarded castle.
The passageway echoed with the clattering of boots as Thomas ran back toward the main hall at full pelt, his heart beating hard enough that it threatened to leap out of his chest. He skidded around the end of the corridor and raced up the stairs. He surged forward, not slowing—and had there always been this many steps?
He was gasping for breath, the staircase seeming to go on forever, but he forced himself to keep moving until he reached the top.
Taking barely a second to suck in a lungful of air on the landing, he started running toward Evan’s chambers, desperate to warn him and keep him safe.
He skidded to a halt outside the bedroom door, blood pounding in his skull, and slammed it open—only to come face to face with Evan. He seemed remarkably composed, considering he was stark naked and the ambassador for Falsmark was standing next to him.
“It’s you!” Thomas gasped out. “The threat’s against you !”
“I’m aware, thank you,” Evan said dryly.
He turned his head slightly, and steel gleamed in the lamplight as the ambassador set the blade he was holding closer to Evan’s throat.