Chapter 16 #2
Thomas didn’t know how to politely bring the subject about, but he wanted him again.
Cameron had assured him that he hadn’t felt obligated, but even still…
asking for it was difficult. Thomas had just been wearing the man’s coat and boots, for mercy’s sake.
And Cameron had promised to supply a new wardrobe and stipend in the near future.
He felt like a parasite. A tick latched upon poor Cameron’s backside, sucking him dry. Both physically and financially.
“You will love it, I think,” Cameron said, innocently rolling his wide shoulders and stretching his beautiful neck. “The back garden, well, the estate grounds overall are transformative come spring. It’s a shame you arrived here in the dead of winter.”
A light knock at the door distracted Thomas from his shameless gawking. Lennon was there, balancing a tray with two mugs and some other appetizing-looking accoutrements. Strawberries and biscotti.
“Gentlemen,” he said, stepping inside and walking toward the low table. “Here are your drinks. I told Sulee to add some snacks since Sir Thomas is eating so well now.”
“Lennon,” Cameron said in a low warning.
“It is a pleasing thing,” Lennon held, having set the tray down. He put his hands on his hips, fully assessing Thomas. “Your face is fuller, too. You’ve gained a bit of weight.”
“Lennon, please stop.”
The older vampire waved his hand, ignoring Cameron. “Is he going to keep wearing your clothes? Or shall we begin the process of establishing his own wardrobe?”
Cameron rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re a real thorn in my side, you know that?”
“You’re an absent-minded and stubborn man who needs prompting from time to time. Everyone is a thorn in your side.” He smiled at Thomas and winked.
“Yes to the wardrobe, and we’ll need to set up a monthly stipend for Thomas as well. The two of you can have a discussion and establish your needs.” The latter part was directed at Thomas.
“I—Yes, thank you,” Thomas stammered. “All of this is very kind of you.”
“Do you have time available this evening?” Lennon asked him. There was no surprise nor judgment in his tone from the mention of the stipend, for which Thomas felt grateful. “After dinner, perhaps?”
Thomas nodded, amazed. “Yes.” This was all happening so quickly.
“Perfect. I’ll send Mira to let you both know when lunch is ready.” He bowed, then left them alone once more.
“Petulant man,” Cameron spat. He shook his head, but there was fondness in his expression. “Cantankerous old coot.”
“I think you’re lucky to have him,” Thomas said quietly.
Cameron’s smile broadened. “Oh, I know I am. He’s still a pain in the arse, though.”
“Surely not more than me?” Thomas quipped, moving closer. “You had no idea you were taking on such a pathetic and impoverished wretch when you sought this arrangement. I am sorry that—”
“You have nothing to apologize for. I… I am happy to provide and care for you, Thomas. If anything, it is increasingly evident that I made the right choice in removing you from whatever questionable environment you were previously existing within. I have no regrets about this arrangement, so please, can we carry on?”
Cameron’s pretty eyes were so filled with conviction that Thomas simply nodded.
“Yes, we can. Thank you.” Cameron nodded in turn, then lifted to grab one of the mugs on the table, which was just a smidge out of his reach.
Thomas stepped within the gap, seized the tray and gently set it on the floor at Cameron’s side, where he joined him.
“What are these files?” Thomas asked, cradling his warm cup between his palms. The snow began falling even heavier beyond the window. A pure white-out.
“Income and tax reports for one of our farmers on the eastern side of the territory,” Cameron explained while flipping through papers set in his lap.
He held his cappuccino in his free hand—the fragrant steam swirled hypnotically above the rim.
“These are from the 1950s and they still do everything with paper. They haven’t transitioned to electronic files, and I don’t have the patience to walk them through it. ”
Thomas absently flicked through the files that Cameron had already reviewed and set aside. “I could meet with them and assist, if you wanted? If you’re willing to teach me more about the accounting for the realm, of course.”
Cameron met his gaze. “If you have a sincere interest?”
“I do. I’d like to help you where I can. I do not wish to sit around and, I don’t know… be your pampered roommate.”
He chuckled. “Alright, I’ll start walking you through the accounts tomorrow then? Since you have your sartorial appointment with Lennon today.”
“Sounds perfect. I’d also like to have a craft of my own at some point?
Before I was… What I mean to say is that when I was in university, I had hopes of cultivating some sort of profession for myself.
Even though I’m the eldest son, there was no way in hell my elder father would ever relinquish the reins to our decaying estate and realm, so I knew I’d have to make my own way in the world.
Would you mind terribly if I pursued something, someday? ”
Thomas realized it was getting harder to talk to Cameron openly without explicitly disclosing what had happened to him. The failed elopement and subsequent imprisonment had been a metamorphic event. It marked a clear before and after in the course and quality of Thomas’s life.
It was also a heavy thing, and Thomas wasn’t sure if Cameron needed or wanted to bear the burden of knowing. It would be like asking yet another thing of him. To take on not only Thomas’s financial and physical shortcomings but his emotional ones as well.
“I would support you in this, of course,” Cameron said, then paused.
Something in his expression closed a little.
“As long as… I would hope that by the time you’ve decided on your craft, you’d be contented enough here that you’d wish to stay.
If you… if you truly wanted to leave and annul the arrangement, I suppose we could—”
“I have no plans to leave,” Thomas said, understanding clearly. “I don’t want to leave you, Cameron. That is not my aim, I promise.”
Still somewhat guarded, Cameron nodded. “Alright.”
Thomas felt the odd sense that Cameron didn’t believe him. That his intent in pursuing his own career was so that he could someday flee from the Ashford estate and strike out on his own.
The thought was so bizarre and outlandish that Thomas didn’t feel the need to draw the conversation out further. Instead, he asked Cameron how he could help for the day, and then was handed half the pile of tax and income forms and given instructions.
By the time Mira came up to let them know lunch was ready, both Thomas and Cameron had fallen into a studious silence over the files.
Within the records, Thomas could see the farm’s financial ups and downs.
On the whole, their prosperity was stable, and there were no missing reports or payments. The recordkeeping was diligent.
This felt remarkable to Thomas because his eldest father was constantly complaining about lapsed payments or misreporting from their realm’s subjects.
Thomas speculated that this issue was more a reflection of his father’s poor leadership than any conceived irresponsibility on behalf of their realm’s denizens.
The files had been a welcome distraction, but as Cameron set his papers aside and stretched his arms up, Thomas caught a strong whiff of him.
His presence was so… entrancing. If Thomas wasn’t mindful, he’d get caught up in the pull and allure of Cameron’s essence and nature quietly wafting from him—like scenting something fragrant and sweet that made one’s mouth water and stomach growl.
Except it made Thomas’s fangs pulse and his nature hum and squirm.
“Are you hungry?” Cameron asked, turning his head to regard him. “Shall we eat lunch?”
Thomas took a breath, which of course didn’t help. “Yes, and… could we play chess after lunch? Or not play chess?”
Cameron frowned, utterly confused. “What do you—Ah!” His face lit up with understanding. “Ah, right. I forgot momentarily that ‘playing chess’ is coded language, my apologies. It was a week ago that we last played, wasn’t it? Are you hungry hungry?”
Thomas smiled. “Yes, I am hungry hungry. Is it alright?”
“Of course. If you need to feed, simply tell me? As Lennon so insolently pointed out, I am… not always aware of certain subtleties. You must speak plainly with me.”
“I already ask so much of you,” Thomas said, gently sliding the tray between them aside and shifting closer. Quite intentionally, he looked up at Cameron from beneath the weight of his lashes. “It’s difficult to request more.”
Cameron stiffened as Thomas drew nearer to his body. “Well, I-I am willing to give much, so it’s alright.”
“Why?” Thomas asked quietly, lifting his fingers toward the collar of Cameron’s shirt. He paused. “May I?”
Cameron swallowed. His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily in the length of his throat. “You may. And because I… I want to. I delight in your contentment.”
“Mm…” Thomas parted the soft golden material of his sweater first, then lifted both hands to undo the first two buttons of his shirt. “You’re a very thoughtful and generous man, Cameron. I feel lucky to have been chosen by you.”
In expressing this basic truth within his heart, Thomas’s eyes alighted. Slowly, Cameron’s glowed to life in turn, luscious and green like a forest canopy backlit by the sun. Something inside of Thomas was deeply satisfied by that.
“Are you ready?” Thomas asked, leaning even closer. “Do you need to count?”
Cameron huffed, his voice tight. “No, I do not need to count.”
Tilting his head, Thomas smiled as he leaned into the warm curve of Cameron’s neck. He licked him in a slow, greedy stroke, reveling in the spicy sweetness of his skin. His fangs elongated into sharp points and he opened his mouth wide, then softly bit down.