Chapter Eleven
IT DID NOT.
After another horror-filled sleep that was far too short, I found myself staring at four newly sewn outfits laid precisely across my bed.
They were magnificent. Differing shades of deep jewel tones of emerald, sapphire, deep mustard, and pure white.
The tunics shimmered in the firelight. Belted at the waist with a wide sash, the breeches were form-fitting brocade.
A lined ebony half cape went with each outfit and gold brooches with inlaid gold swans for House Stillcloud would hold the cloaks in place.
Fine leather boots to the knee with delicate stitching to add more sophistication to an already exquisitely ornate outfit.
I had never felt so out of place in my entire life.
Trying on the breeches after a hot bath, I found them to be like a second skin, tight yet giving in certain regions that required room.
I’d sent all the servants off. I’d no need of a valet, a barber, or a woman to brush out my hair and then settle a small silver circlet to my head.
Next, someone would rattle my door to see if I required someone to hold my prick as I pissed.
Life in Avolire was so exasperatingly stuffy that it became humorous.
A sharp knock on the door was barely heard over the roar of wind and sea outside.
The storm had intensified somehow, ripping at Avolire and the coast like a monster of the depths.
Lying awake as I had tried to find a moment’s rest, I heard the howls as the winds tore around the castle.
I had no clue how the poor elves along the coast were faring.
Or my ship, for that matter. Being tied to the dock was highly dangerous for any vessel.
It would have been much better for her to be taken out of the water for the duration, but alas, my ship was low on the shipwright’s list. Perhaps I should make a trip to the docks to slap him in the face with my new lordly power.
Another knock at the door startled me. Damn the lack of sleep.
I padded over to open it. Le’ral stood in the corridor, dressed in soft blue and gold that made the small flecks of goldenrod in his brown eyes stand out.
His eyes moved over me, lingering on my bare chest for so long I felt a stirring in my breeches.
“Good morn,” he said, tossing a look at the guards outside my door before returning his attention to me. “His Majesty requested I visit before morning prayers to assist you with any questions or wardrobe situations.”
“Does my brother think I don’t know how to pull breeches up over my arse and tie them?
” I asked of no one, then stepped back to let him in.
The soft smell of his soap tickled my nose as he entered, his gold capelet fluttering.
I closed the door in the face of another nameless guard.
The castle had no shortage of men and women sentries.
“Your brother is nervous. He wishes for all to go well,” Le’ral answered, making his way to the bed to run an eye over the new arrivals. “These are exquisite. The royal tailor is a wonder.”
“He does have skill with a needle and thread,” I had to confess.
While most of this prince shite was trying as the hells, having finely made clothing was a joy.
I was vain enough to know how good I looked in well-fitted clothes.
“And to think he only had a few days to create them. The fitting was rushed, to say the least.”
“That is why he is the king’s tailor.” His gaze flitted to me standing by the hearth where a low fire burned. The castle was damp now, the stones holding the rain and sea spray. “The men and women of the court will have to thank the master of the wardrobe for his keen eye crafting those breeches.”
A wickedness stole over me. “Mayhap the maids will have to avert their gaze should my tunic rise and they see the beast caged within these tight trousers.”
A smirk played on his lips followed by a knotting of his brows. “They are sinful.”
“Aye, they are. Should I take them off?”
Shameful of me to talk so when I was aware of our pact. I had no morals at all. Loathsome pirate. He warred with himself for several long moments as rain beat on the now bolted doors to the balcony. He wet his lips, shook his head, and then turned to face me.
“You are tempting me, My Lord.”
“Coelum. And yes, I am. If you’re offended, please say so, and I shall stop being such a slattern.”
He drew in a shaky breath. “I am not offended.”
“Good. So, shall I take them off to save the delicate sensibilities of the young maids attending morning prayers?”
By the witches tits, my cock was hard as a fence post now. There was no hiding the stiffness in these breeches, not that I wished to hide it.
“You are making our pledge to contain our passions to one night terribly difficult, Coelum.” Mm, I loved the sound of my name on his tongue. So elegantly said. “I know that our being thrown into this situation is incredibly awkward.”
“To be fair, Le’ral, ever since my boots left my ship, my life has been fiddly.”
“Fiddly. Yes, things are very fiddly.”
“That being said, I find that our time together has been pleasant. Your patience with a less than eager student has…” Why was this so difficult? Just be honest with the man. Unless you fear your truth? “It’s shown me that perhaps we could carry on with an affair while I’m landlocked.”
His shoulders softened somewhat. “Would that be wise?”
“Probably not. But I’ve never been one to sail only on smooth seas, for it’s the turbulence in life’s harsh blows that mold a skilled sailor.”
The smallest smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. I wanted to place a kiss there, to each slight twist upward.
“Are we speaking of a love affair or the nightmarish typhoon that has settled over the city?”
I took a step, then another, the howls of the winds outside lessening to a soft hum that my blood rushing through me drowned out. Stopping within reach of him but not touching him was torturous. And terrifying.
“An affair,” I whispered. I dared not use the other word he had tacked on.
My knees were turning to plum pudding as it was.
“I thought my time here would be shorter. A quick hello, a blood test, then my sailing off with a hold filled with gold owed to me. That, as we all can see, has not played out.”
“Your brother’s exuberance to include you in his life is akin to plucking a loose stone from a dam.
Once the waters begin to rush through, there is no stopping them.
” He held himself so stoically it was difficult to gauge where his thoughts were.
A fast glance down to his crotch belied his otherwise calm exterior. His prick was thick.
“So I’ve come to learn,” I replied, eyeing that lovely cock as I spoke.
“So, since I am to be here for a lengthier stay, perhaps we could rescind our initial agreement.” He cocked a brow.
“Witches tits, this is ridiculous! Soon we’ll be sending for the ambassador to mediate.
” That made him smile in earnest. “Le’ral, I would like nothing better than to have you in my bed until my ship carries me off over the horizon.
” He seemed to be wavering. “That is, if you’re interested in carrying on a liaison?
I know you haven’t been seeking company since the loss of Mirolar, and if I’m coming across too strongly, just say so and I’ll—”
He came at me like a shark scenting blood.
With a wild hunger, his mouth crashed over mine, his hands diving into my still-damp hair.
He pushed his tongue between my lips. The taste of him mixed with a clove-heavy tooth cream pulled a growl out of me.
I returned his kiss with a mild madness.
Whatever this elf possessed that called to me so, I hadn’t a clue, but I needed more of it.
Of him. I would untangle the knot of confusion later.
Right now, I wanted him on his knees with his mouth full of cock.
He kissed me so hard my lips ached, then he went to his knees. Burying his face into my stomach, he tasted my navel, whispering things I couldn’t hear over the renewed fury of the storm outside.
“Free my cock,” I grunted as I slid my fingers into his hair. “Take me into your mouth. I’ve dreamed of seeing your lips stretched around my prick.”
“I have dreamed of you as well,” he confided, his breath hot on my stomach as he untied the laces of my trousers with deft fingers. “Long, hot dreams where I spend in my sleep as if I were a young lad. The staff must think me unable to control my desires.”
“Just tell them you are dreaming of me and they’ll understand,” I teased as he pulled my cock out of my breeches. The tip was slick. His nostrils flared before he buried his nose in the ebony patch of curls at the base of my staff.
“So cocksure,” he whispered as he took me in hand, licked the head clean, and swallowed my cock. I rose to my toes. The feel of his wet, hot mouth engulfing my prick was nothing short of divine.
No gagging or weeping, just a soft hum. This was why I preferred lovers with experience.
Le’ral was seasoned. He knew what males liked and how to pleasure them.
His hair was soft to the touch as I carded my fingers through it.
His skilled tongue teased my slit, his lips coated with saliva before he sucked me down his throat.
Knowing fingers moved under my stones to rub my hole.
Just a tease of pleasure that could be mine if I wished it. And I did.
“Damnation, you know how to use your mouth,” I panted, hands resting on his head.
There was no need to direct him where I wanted him.
He was already there, laving my prick so well that I was already on the edge.
“You have to stop or I’m going to spill in your mouth when I would much rather fill your arse with seed. ”