Thief of Hearts

Chapter 4-2

The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed two. David waited in his chamber. He refused to pace. He stood by the fireplace. The minutes ticked by. Slowly. He drummed his fingers. And waited. This would be the second of his rules gone. No bedding the staff, and no repeat performances. He needed to stop this. He needed to put it to one side and focus on the reason for him being there. Entangling himself was foolish in the extreme and messing about with a vulnerable lad was not only foolish, but cruel. The lad would become besotted, and he would…

The door opened and in came Jeremy. He shut the door, leaned on it, and a huge wickedly heated grin split his face. He strode across the room and grabbed David’s unresisting hand and towed him to the bed. They stood before each other, breathing hard, and then they were a tumble of arms and legs getting out of the clothing until they fell onto the bed, naked. David went to lie over him, but Jeremy surprised him by pushing him back and leaning over. He kissed his neck, his chest and laved at his n*****s, much in the way David had done to him, and David groaned at the sensations. He lingered there a moment, then kissed his way down to his stomach but then took David’s c**k in his hand, held it up and slid it into his mouth engulfing it in the moist warmth, sucking gently. The noise that came from David’s throat was…not one he recognised. Jeremy sucked with more enthusiasm than skill, but that made it all the more wonderful. He pulled off and grinned.

David growled, pushed him on his back and then they were writhing against each other. Clutching, absorbing until they shouted their release.

They lay panting.

“We really must slow down,” David said, face buried in Jeremy’s hair. He nuzzled his way to his neck and licked his skin, tasting the salt of his sweat and the essence of him.

Jeremy huffed a laugh beneath him and reached down and squeezed his backside. “I’d like a whole night with you in a bed. This is astonishing. Think of what else we could get up to.”

The fact that David agreed frankly terrified him. He rolled off and lay on his back with one arm under his head. He didn’t want to spend time with him. Didn’t want to get to know him. He never got to know lovers. That was the entire point in having lovers. They were forgettable.

Jeremy propped himself up and trailed his fingers down David’s chest. “It’s dancing and entertainment tonight. I doubt I’ll actually get to bed. He dropped a kiss onto his armpit and made him jump.

“What, no sleep at all?”

“Doubt it. Hard life being a footman.” He snuggled closer and kissed David’s chest.

“You need to get back. You can’t be late.”

Jeremy pouted. He propped his chin on David’s chest and looked up at him.

David tangled his fingers in Jeremy’s hair. “If you do get to bed, the door will be open.”

The smile Jeremy gave him lit the entire room.

* * * *

David summoned his valet. Spencer was considerably more than his valet, but for the weekend, that was his role and he played it well. Small, fastidious, and with an air of faint superiority, he fit the bill well.

“Whatever have you been doing? You look like a veritable shag rag.” He pulled out David’s evening clothes and laid them on the bed. “I hope you don’t expect me to actually dress you?”

“I might need help with the jacket. It’s damned tight.”

“As it should be. Can’t have you looking like something the cat dragged in even if he is damned gorgeous.”

David rolled his eyes. “Enough,” he muttered. Spencer was far too observant.

“Those eyes…” Spencer waggled his eyebrows.

David gave him a push. “What have you found?”

Spencer’s lips quirked into an approximation of a smile. “Half the house is under Holland covers and look to have been for some time.” He shot a glance at David. “Lot of dust.” He hesitated dramatically. “And a lot of interesting things which might not be missed for some time. If ever.”

David nodded. Satisfied. “Guests?”

Spencer shook his head. “Not seen a great deal. Too many staff. Too busy.”

“I’m not too worried about that. Might visit Framling, though.”

Spencer looked thoughtful. “Charnley is here.”

“I know.”

“Standish too.”

David groaned. “I know. It’s almost as if my attendance were engineered.”

“Well, in that case it might be better to leave with nothing. If attention is already on you, this could be risky.”

The thought had occurred to David. Usually, house parties were impersonal, easy pickings, and very easy to be away unsuspected. There was far too much awareness of his presence between Charnley and Standish. He rubbed the back of his neck.

He squeezed himself into the incredibly well-fitting evening clothes and attended to his cravat and hair. He fixed the jade pin and surveyed himself in the mirror. Elegant, restrained, yet hopefully, forgettable. Stealing from the aristocracy was pathetically easy in most cases. They had absolutely no damned idea just how much they owned. He needed to have a care and focus completely on the plan without being distracted by a pair of violet eyes.