Renegades, Rebels, and Rogues

All Shook Up-4

They were opposites in every way—Reza had skin the rich color of freshly turned earth, and Eduard’s own flesh literally paled in comparison. Reza wasn’t yet out of his teens, and Eduard was already in his late thirties. Reza was a roaming soul at sea with barely two guilders to his name, while Eduard had money and land on the horizon, the promise of a staid life as a plantation overseer in Java. As the days progressed and their journey together continued, Eduard grew enamored with the crewman, but though they spent the rest of the sea voyage together, it never crossed Eduard’s mind to invite Reza ashore when they parted ways in Java.

He spent his last moments onboard with the crewman; no words were exchanged, and after one final, lingering kiss, Reza raised his hands between them to push Eduard away. As he disappeared into the shadows of the ship, Eduard turned his face and his heart to a new life ahead. Any heartbreak he might have felt was soothed by the sight of the island’s natives—half-naked men hauling boxes of spices up gangplanks and across the decks, dark skin glistening in the summer sun, wiry bodies hardened by task and fate.

Before he even set foot on the island, he had already fallen in love with Java’s men.

As a plantation owner, he had no limits; none would deny him anything he wanted. Money and power were just as influential in the colony as they had been in Holland. With his new name had come newfound wealth, and any servant reluctant to spend time alone with him changed his mind when Eduard offered to pay for his…”services.” Reza had faded to a fond memory Eduard sometimes remembered in dreams that left him clutching his bed sheets as if he were drowning at sea. The young man had been nothing but a pleasant moment, the first of many, whose recollection would bring a fleeting smile to Eduard’s face the same way remembering a childhood sweetheart might prick the heart with nostalgic longing.

But his face blurred with all the other Javanese men Eduard slept with, and now, even after Reza had said his name, it was hard to spot the gangly crewman in the cultured gentleman standing before him in his drawing room.

“Do you not know me?”

The moment the words were free, Eduard had realized his mistake. He’d seen Reza’s dark eyes die in that instant. Eduard’s heart had, too, when Reza pulled the letter free from his pocket.

“God.” Eduard held his face in his hands, his mind a whirl of emotions. He lay against the arm of the loveseat, one leg stretched across the couch’s length, his head thrown back. For one brief moment, he regretted he hadn’t asked Reza to follow him ashore all those months ago. Then his secret would be safe, this man would sleep with him still, and all would be well in his world.

Wait until Marien found out.

Eduard clawed his fingers down his face, furrowing his cheeks into a caricature of regret. “Shit.” Marien would kill him, simple as that. Reza wouldn’t be able to blackmail a dead man. “What am I supposed to tell Marien? ‘Hey honey, you remember that nice boy from the Nicolaas? Well, he’s screwing me over now, and I don’t mean literally.’“

Reza stayed silent.

They had been lovers once, Eduard mused. Perhaps…

His eyes swiveled to find Reza, and he let his gaze trail down that lean body, remembering the feel of firm flesh beneath his tongue and hands. The proud way Reza threw back his shoulders thrust out his chin, and each swallow bobbed his Adam’s apple, which Eduard could almost taste. He remembered pressing his lips to that bauble, suckling as it moved with each gasp and moan from the man. It had been he who had taught Reza how to love another, and Eduard could recall all too well the kisses trailing below that knob, into the dimple at the base of Reza’s throat. He remembered lying on his back beneath the young man, legs spread to rest on Reza’s thighs, hips raised to allow the crewman entry as he eased his hard c**k between Eduard’s buttocks. That thick, dark c**k, the swollen tip extended from its foreskin; Eduard could feel it between his lips, in his mouth, in his ass. Eduard used to scrape his nails along Reza’s wiry arms as that heavy erection pushed its way into his tight hole…

For a long moment, they stared at each other—Reza tall and proud, an impassive look on his face, and Eduard, reclining on the loveseat, his green-gold eyes blazing with a desire within that refused to be extinguished. They had been lovers, once. Perhaps there was something more than money Eduard could offer the man now.

The thought made Eduard’s gaze soften, and a slow smile spread across his face, seductive. In one fluid motion, he rose from the loveseat with the grace of a large feline untwining itself from repose, then closed the distance between them. One hand brushed the front of Reza’s shirt to splay flat against the muscles hidden beneath the flowing fabric. He kept his eyes downcast, watching his own fingers pluck at the buttons on the front of Reza’s shirt. When he spoke, his voice was low and warm like drizzled honey. “Reza.”

Still Reza held his tongue. Eduard let his fingers tickle over Reza’s stomach as they played in his shirt and moved, lower, to the tie that held his breeches in place. Unbuttoning the last few buttons of the shirt, he eased his hand between the folds of material to pluck at the tied sash at Reza’s waist. “I have other things I can offer you besides money,” he purred. When his fingers glanced over Reza’s belly, the skin fluttered at his touch. Eduard raised his eyes to meet Reza’s. “We can settle this among ourselves. Like gentlemen. I was always gentle with you.”

Reza cleared his throat. “I’ll not be pushed aside so easily,” he said. “It can’t be casual between us anymore.”

Concern flickered across Eduard’s furrowed brow. “What do you mean?”

“I need a room,” Reza announced. “An allowance, to be determined. Perhaps a share of ownership here. I will draw up a list.”

“I thought…” Eduard searched Reza’s face, trying to read past the stoic features. If he bartered for the letter with s*x, then Marien need never know. They could resolve this tonight, now—in Eduard’s mind, Reza was already on his way back to port, a few guilders jingling in his pockets, the taste of Eduard’s juices still on his lips.

But a room? A share of the profits? “Damn it,” Eduard swore. “I have no liquidated assets on hand. I thought perhaps a night or two in my bed would be satisfactory enough. I owe you nothing more than that.”

Then the slight anger in his voice dissipated and he leaned into Reza with a sigh. “Reza,” he purred, his hand easing up beneath Reza’s shirt to rub the smooth muscles of his stomach. “Let us not spoil what we had together with talk of ownership and allowances. Come to my room—what do you say? One last lay for old time’s sake, how’s that? Then we’ll see where things stand between us.”

When the crewman didn’t answer, Eduard stared into those dark eyes and thought he saw something waver in their depths. “Reza.”

Eduard breathed his name, so close now—he leaned against Reza’s chest, one hand easing around Reza’s waist. Reza’s shirt rode up as Eduard pressed his advantage, and his fingers were already angling into the waistband of Reza’s breeches. His other hand wriggled into Reza’s pocket in search of the letter. His nose brushed Reza’s cheek, nuzzling him, and just as the tips of his fingers brushed over stiff parchment, Eduard touched Reza’s mouth with his.

The very earth beneath their feet began to shake from their kiss.

With his eyes closed, Eduard could almost believe he was back at sea, the ship rolling beneath him on choppy waves, Reza once again in his arms. But the tremor grew insistent, unsteadying them, and Eduard fell back from Reza, his hand slipping from the crewman’s pocket. Around them, the room rattled on its foundation. The shells and trinkets tinkled together on the shelves, plaster dust rained down around them, a crack opened in the wall above the double doors. As Eduard moved away, Reza reached out for him; he caught Eduard in a tight embrace and stumbled against him. His eyes were wild with fear. “What’s happening?”

Eduard forced a smile to cover his own discomfort. “An earthquake. They’ve grown frequent here of late.” Turning that smile toward Reza, he added, “I find them best experienced in bed, if you ask me. Preferably naked, and not alone. You know what I mean.”

Even as he spoke, the trembling subsided, but Reza didn’t move. For a breathless moment they stood clasped together, waiting for a second tremor. When none came, Eduard leaned in for a kiss, but his lips landed on Reza’s jaw as the crewman turned away.

“I believe we have a few details to discuss,” he said, all business once again. He shook free from Eduard’s embrace and stood, distancing himself. For the second time that day, Eduard groaned at his stymied libido. “You have a spare room I can use, yes?”

“Reza,” Eduard growled. “You can sleep with me.”

“Eventually we may get to that,” Reza conceded.