Restrained, page 13
Robert felt the bed move as Matthew moved into place behind him, then he was stretched as Matthew slid slowly into him. It had been years since he’d allowed another man to do this, since he’d let anyone else have so much control over him, but Matthew was different. Matthew was worth it. He felt Matthew slide out and press in again, this time hitting the just right spot, making Robert moan with pleasure. Matthew kept thrusting into him, kept hitting just right inside of him. Robert pressed his hips back, trying to meet Matthew’s cock as it pumped inside of him. He felt Matthew’s arm around his waist, holding him, then sliding down to wrap his hand around Robert’s cock and stroke in time to the thrust of his hips. Surrounded by Matthew, Robert couldn’t think of anything but the feeling of his dear boy’s skin against his. He felt his body tense, and as Matthew thrust into him again, Robert’s cock swelled, and he spent over Matthew’s hand. Two hard thrusts later and Matthew swelled inside of him and filled him.
He could feel Matthew’s weight resting against him, then Matthew pulled away, and Robert collapsed on the bed, even his bones feeling melted and soft. It had never been like that with anyone before. He struggled to push himself out of the pillows. He ought to... there were many things he ought to do. Check on Matthew. Say something to him. Get up.
Before he could sort his mind into a fit state for any of that, he felt the bed move as Matthew got up. Matthew. He didn’t want him that far away. He started to roll to his side to stop him, then he felt something cool and wet press against him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Matthew had returned with the washbasin and was gently running the soft cloth over his body, cleaning him up. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had taken care of him. He closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the feeling of being completely vulnerable to his lover.
The bed moved again as Matthew got up to put the basin away. By then, Robert’s mind had returned to itself and he was able to roll to his side and watch his lover walk across the room and return. Robert raised the blanket up beside him, inviting Matthew to join him. When Matthew slipped into bed, Robert pulled him close, letting Matthew nestle against his chest. He felt Matthew’s soft breath against his skin as the boy drifted on the edge of sleep.
He almost missed Matthew’s soft sigh that came out, “I love you.”
He brushed his lips against Matthew’s hair. “I love you too.”
But his boy was already asleep.
Chapter 13
***
THE FIRST THING ROBERT NOTICED when his sleepy brain registered the room was the unfamiliar feeling of a head resting against his chest. That had never happened before. He never let anyone stay, and none of the men he invited up to his room expected it. If he had invited someone up who didn’t know that, that was a terrible lapse in judgment and security. And how could he have been enjoying himself in bed with someone when Matthew was in trouble?
Matthew. That woke him fully. Matthew. He smiled and stroked the soft curls brushing against his chest. Matthew was not a lapse of anything. And he’d stayed, known everything about Robert and still stayed. The poor boy was exhausted, though, and needed to be allowed to sleep. Robert eased him onto the pillows and slipped from the bed. He smiled again as Matthew rolled onto his side and clutched the pillow Robert had been sleeping on like a favored toy.
Robert gathered his clothes from the floor and emptied the pockets. Best to get some work done now, then he could spend the day with Matthew, planning. He’d never thought he’d be glad to have someone to plan with, but Matthew... Best to get the damned will looked at. Then he could decide if he would return it to Sir Hector or torture the man with it himself. Although Matthew probably should have some say in that.
“The Last Will and Testament of Edward Greensleigh.” That was odd. Robert had never heard there had been anything wrong with Ed’s will, surprising, perhaps, but not wrong. And Ted would have told him. They had been closer back before Ed died and Ted cut himself off from the old group. Robert unfolded the pages and started to read. The will was short and to the point.
“I, Edward Greensleigh, being of sound mind, do hereby leave my estate as follows. My half-interest in the business known as Greensleigh Enterprises I leave to Theodore Hodgson to be managed as he sees fit and the profits of which to be used as he sees fit for his lifetime, then upon his death to be passed to my nephew Matthew Greensleigh.”
There were a few other bequests, money to both Matthew and his older brother, something about shares of any other business ventures going to Ted, but those all blurred before Robert’s eyes. He let the will drop to the table.
That was what this had been about, taking Ted’s inheritance away from him and disregarding Ed’s final wishes. Sir Hector had been willing to send Matthew into Dixon’s service to hide the fact that he had stolen Ed’s share of the family business from Ted, and Matthew had gone right along with it, had said he couldn’t just let his family be ruined by the damned will. Robert glared at the slim form still clutching the pillow on the bed. How could he have? If he’d been close at all to Edward, he would have known how much Theodore meant to him.
Robert grabbed the remainder of his clothes from the floor and dragged them on. The stack of letters from Percy fell out of one of the pockets. He considered taking them, but he didn’t. He’d gone through a great deal of trouble to get the brat out of Dixon’s, so he may as well let him know he didn’t have to go back if he didn’t want to. Robert turned out his pockets until the found the contract binding Matthew to Dixon that he’d taken from Dixon’s desk. Matthew could have that too. Robert would take the will. That was going with him. He would bring it to Ted and let him decide what to do with it. Robert nearly slammed the door behind him on the way out, but that would have woken Matthew, and he didn’t want to yell at the boy so soon after he’d left Dixon’s. There would be plenty of time for that if he encountered the brat in town.
Robert didn’t stop at the breakfast room to see if there was any coffee. He didn’t want Mrs. Barton or Mrs. O’Brien or Harrison, the butler, or any of the servants asking how his “cousin” was after whatever lie Lionel had told to cover their strange and disheveled arrival. He didn’t want to have to pretend concern for the brat. He’d take the horse back to the White Hart and break his fast there or somewhere along the road. He made it all the way to the front hall without encountering anyone.
“You’re up early.”
Robert wasn’t in the mood even for Lionel. “So are you.”
“My house. You have your coat.”
“I’m leaving.”
“Alone?”
“Yes, alone. That brat deserves what he gets.” He tried to shove around Lionel.
Lionel didn’t budge. “You don’t really mean that.”
“I do, actually. Do you know what that was about? The big secret I just wrecked my security to protect? Ed’s will. It was all to keep Ed’s will from coming out.”
“So he did mention Ted in it? I always thought it was strange he hadn’t.” How could Lionel be so calm about it?
“Well, now you know why.”
“Come and have some tea, and when Matthew wakes up—”
“I’ll be gone. Is there someone to saddle my horse, or should I do it myself?”
“Ted is my friend too, but don’t you think—”
“I’ll saddle him myself.” Robert remembered that Lionel and Jim had come to get him out of Dixon’s house. He really didn’t deserve to be the target of the anger meant for Matthew. “Thank you for your hospitality last night. I’ll make it up to you when I’m better company.”
“Then have some tea and talk to—”
Of course, he did deserve it for insisting on keeping him there. “I’ll see you in town.”
“One question, Robert. Why didn’t you just send for Jim?”
Robert stopped. “What?”
“When you were helping Matthew in town, why didn’t you just send for Jim? He’d have come to London if you’d asked, and honestly, he’d have been a better choice to prepare the boy for Dixon. He knows more about being a concubine than you do. So why didn’t you send for him?”
Robert glared at Lionel, but Lionel merely stood there, infuriatingly quiet, and waited for his answer. Robert wasn’t about to give him one. He stormed out the door and tried to slam it behind him, but it was ancient and heavy, and all he managed to do was wrench his shoulder trying.
Matthew woke up feeling warm and content. That was enough to remind him that he wasn’t at Lord Dixon’s anymore. Robert had come to rescue him. He rolled over and found the other side of the bed empty. He felt a little bit of the content feeling fade away, but then he really didn’t know the procedure for waking up with a lover. He and Percy had always had to sneak away in the night before they were discovered. Maybe it was normal to leave one in bed. And Robert had been so concerned about him, maybe he had wanted to let Matthew sleep. That must have been it. He’d wanted to let Matthew sleep as long as he needed. Matthew sat up and noticed Robert’s clothes were missing from the heap on the floor. Maybe Robert had gone down to breakfast.
The door opened a crack, and the gardener from the night before came in. “You’re awake? That’s good. I brought you some breakfast.”
Matthew remembered the man had seen him naked running from the woods and turned bright red.
The gardener sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m Jim, by the way. Sir Lionel sent me up to see how you were. You are not to tell anyone this, but I used to live in London and worked as a prostitute. I was Dixon’s concubine for two years. Nothing you did could possibly be worse than what I did. You weren’t even there long enough to be sent out to the barn. Now if you want to speak of it, we can; if you don’t, we won’t. But have some breakfast at least. And I found you some clothes that will fit better than mine. I borrowed them from one of the footmen and said yours had been lost in the carriage accident you were in last night. Sir Lionel will get him some new ones. And one other thing, that was my room I took you to last night. You may have noticed it connects to Sir Lionel’s. You’re a bright lad. I think I’ll let you draw your own conclusions on that.”
“Thank you,” Matthew whispered.
Jim brought the tray over and put it across his lap. Matthew looked over the feast spread in front of him: tea and toast and eggs and sausages and tomatoes.
He started with the tea. “Where’s Robert?”
“He left.”
“Did he leave a message for me? Anything?”
“No. Didn’t he tell you?”
Matthew shook his head and stared at the breakfast that suddenly seemed less appealing.
“I’m sure he had a reason,” Jim said gently.
“We slept together.” Matthew couldn’t bring himself to use any of the terms that had been dragged from him the past few days.
“Well, Sir Robert is a grown man. If he didn’t want to, he wouldn’t have.”
“I practically begged him.”
“Again, his choice.”
“And he left before I woke up like I was a common whore.”
Jim sighed. “That was badly done but not your fault at all. There was no reason for him to leave here, and if there had been, a note would be appropriate if he didn’t want to wake you. But that is not your fault.”
Matthew closed his eyes. “He said I was too sore after the house party, so he let me...” He swallowed.
Jim stared at him for a moment, but he didn’t seem to be waiting for an answer, more thinking. He finally said, “Give? And he received?”
It felt so good not to have to force himself to say things that made him blush. Matthew nodded.
“Well, that shouldn’t bother him, not when he has a beautiful young man like you wanting him. Lionel and I... But you don’t need to hear details like that. Believe me, if that’s why he left, he needs a good blow to the head, whichever one he’s thinking with at the moment.”
Matthew managed a bit of a smile.
Jim sat on the edge of the bed. “I know Sir Robert. He’s a good man. I think I’ve been overestimating his intelligence, but he is a good man.”
“I’m sure he is. He just thinks I’m... I’m not worth waking up next to.”
Jim sighed and put his arm around Matthew. Somehow the other man’s hand on his bare shoulder didn’t feel like an intrusion, just comfort. “Maybe you should ask him what he was thinking. If he was thinking.”
“If he had stayed, I could have. But he’s not here.”
“You could go to his house.”
“Oh, that’s brilliant. What am I supposed to do? Walk into his drawing room and say, ‘Thank you for rescuing me from a house party where I was naked, on a leash, letting thirty men fuck my hands while they waited to use the rest of me. Oh and by the way, why did you leave after you let me fuck you?’”
Jim shrugged. “Well, I wouldn’t phrase it quite like that if he has other company.”
Matthew tried to glare at him, but he couldn’t manage it and found himself laughing just the littlest bit. “But I’m still not going.”
“No, I suppose not. Do you want my advice?”
Since Jim actually waited for acknowledgment, Matthew nodded.
“Eat up, put these clothes on, and leave. Do you have someplace safe to go?”
“Yes, my—”
“Don’t tell me! Sir Robert is an idiot, but I still don’t think he’s a bad man. I think he’ll come here to apologize, and when he does, well I can’t tell him what I don’t know. A little torture won’t hurt him. Not permanently anyway. Eat, get dressed, and I’ll have the carriage brought round. I’ll drive you into the village, and you can take the mail coach wherever you need to go. Sir Lionel will lend you the money.”
“Does he know that?”
Jim grinned. “I’ll inform of it after the fact.” He patted Matthew’s arm. “I’ll leave the clothes here and let you eat in peace while I see about getting the carriage ready. Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
Matthew waited until Jim was gone, then forced himself to eat some of the breakfast. The food was excellent, and after a few days of whatever Lord Dixon deigned to feed him, Matthew was hungry. When he’d finished what he could, he got out of bed and went to the washstand.
Percy’s letters were scattered across the bedroom floor, as if Robert had found them in his pocket and dropped them. Matthew gathered them up when he’d dressed. At least no one could use them against him now. Robert had been kind enough to see to that at least. There was something else. A sheet of heavy paper. Matthew unfolded it and saw the contract that Lord Dixon had shown him that first day in the brothel. Robert had gotten that for him too. It spelled out everything Lord Dixon had wanted, clearly and graphically, from “remaining naked unless otherwise instructed” to “sexually pleasuring guests, staff, farm staff, etc. in any way requested, including orally, anally, manually, etc.” There was more, but Matthew couldn’t bring himself to read it. Had Robert read it? Was that why he’d left? No, he’d known exactly what Matthew had been there for. Seeing it written out wouldn’t have been worse than watching him being lead around on a leash pleasuring any man who asked with his hands while they anticipated the climax of the evening. He shoved the contract into his pocket with the letters and left the room.
Jim was waiting for him in the front hall. He didn’t ask any foolish questions, just led him out to the waiting gig and started for the village. It was small, but the mail coach stopped at the inn, and Jim had been careful about arranging their arrival so it was just taking on new passengers towards London. Jim kept a polite distance from him while Matthew requested a ticket to Brighton, then he came forward when the fare had been agreed on to pay for the ticket.
“I will pay you back,” Matthew promised.
“It’s Lionel’s money, so you don’t need to worry about it. But let me know if there’s anything else we can do, or anything you’d like me to do to torture Sir Robert a bit.” He patted Matthew on the shoulder and waited with him until the driver said he was ready to leave, then he stood on the front steps of the inn and waved as the coach pulled away.
Matthew was the only passenger in the mail coach. Once they got underway, he stared out the window at the trees, remembering his late-night run through that very stretch of land, first to get help for Robert then again with the man, his hand in Robert’s, running to safety. He didn’t want to think about that, about the few minutes when they had been so close. He pulled Percy’s letters out of his pocket. They would distract him at least.
Percy’s letters were sweet. If he had gotten them when they’d been sent, he would have been pleased by them, would have felt warm and loved, but now he could see it hadn’t been a grand passion. It would have been a nice diversion, though. He might even have made a trip to India to see him. The last letter made him a little sad.
It seems you are either uninterested in pursuing our friendship, or are prevented from doing so by the responsibilities of your position. I understand if that is it, so I will cease writing after this, but I did want one final letter to tell you that, as there is nothing for me in England, I will be going with a delegation to Japan. I am quite excited to be one of the few from Europe to have seen this land. I will not write if I do not hear from you. Should you need to find me, I am including the address of the company headquarters in Tokyo. A letter sent there will reach me.
Yours ever,
Percival Hamilton
Matthew sighed and tucked the letters away. He hoped Percy had found someone, maybe in the company, maybe even in Japan. He’d always liked the exotic. And he’d always been much braver than Matthew.
{--*--}
Robert spent the first hour of the ride cursing Matthew. He’d cultivated the appearance of friendship with Dixon for years. It had made an excellent cover. Anytime someone heard whispers of him in connection with another man, they assumed he was like Dixon and laughed it off. Now that was gone. Dixon would know he’d been up to something at the house, and he’d have noticed the will gone by now, and he’d know it had been Robert. The only thing saving him from a burglary charge was the number of secrets Dixon didn’t want revealed. And all to help Matthew. The little brat had known what he was getting into. He’d told Robert as much, both before the blasted handover and at his townhouse. He’d even signed a contract. He should have left the brat to his fate. It would have been a just punishment for cheating Ted out of his inheritance.
