Page 25 of Their Brazen Countess
“Linc—” Arthur’s voice called out in hushed tones.
“Don’t.” Linc cut off his excuses and slipped away quietly. He didn’t need more disappointment piled on top of yesterday’s heartache.
Chapter Twelve
March 1862
AvoidingLincwasprovingbloody difficult for Arthur. It didn’t help that none of their circle was aware of their estrangement. The Lustful Lords were marching right along, pairing off and falling in love, with no notion of what had occurred between him and Linc. And they certainly had no idea about…her.
Arthur’s gut clenched. He couldn’t even conjure her name, let alone speak it.
He was at yet another ball and there was Linc, smiling and beguiling the ladies with his charm.The bloody—
Arthur sighed. He wanted to hate Linc, but sadly, he knew it was his own fault they were apart. His own fears and insecurities held him back. It had been one thing when—he nearly choked on her name—when Jo had been there as a buffer. But there had been no denying that the night he’d let Linc take him, there had been something between them, even without her there.
Now the man was parading around London’s ballrooms as though he didn’t have a care in the world. And damn him to hell, Arthur couldn’t look away. Couldn’t stop watching. The way Linc’s dark blue eyes sparkled with mischief. His sly, puckish smile as he said something undoubtedly outrageous to the young miss he was dancing with.
Something primal and needy inside of Arthur demanded that he make Linc bow to him. Make him kneel before him and take whatever he chose to give him. The notion was so strange and foreign he nearly recoiled physically as he stood next to his friend Lord Stonemere and his brother-in-law, Lord Brougham.
“Are you well, Dunmere?” Cooper, Lord Brougham, stared at him.
“I think I shall take some fresh air on the balcony. It’s a bit stuffy in here.” Arthur made to leave the group he stood with.
“Arthur, do be sure to dance with a few of the eligible ladies.” His sister, Emily, Lady Brougham, gave him an arch look. “You did promise to make aneffort.”
Refusing to say anything—after all, he had promised to make an effort to find a match, but that had been before Jo and Linc—he chose to nod in acknowledgement. What could he say to his sister?
Soon he found himself in the frosty night air on the balcony where only those seeking escape from the evening’s entertainments or some form of privacy would venture. He moved to the far end of the space and melted into the shadows, happy for the reprieve.
“There you are, Dunmere.” An all too familiar voice followed him into the shadows.
The two men stood in silence as Arthur’s body warred with his upbringing and societal expectations.
“You know, you can’t avoid me forever.” Linc’s voice held a note of sardonic humor.
Needled by his mocking tone and cool sense of confidence, Arthur looked at where the moonlight shone down on Linc. “You’re the one who walked away. What makes you think I’ve been avoiding you?”
“I’ve seen you at the last three balls I’ve attended, yet each time I visit with our friends, I find you conspicuously absent.” Linc let one silvery brow lift in question. “And I left because you hurt me. Staying would only have led to more hurt, on both our parts.”
“A coincidence. As good etiquette dictates, I ensure I do my duty and dance with a few of the ladies. It just so happens to have aligned with the times you chose to greet everyone.” Arthur tried to sound as nonchalant as he wanted Linc to think he felt about it. Not that he had carefully timed each absence from the group to avoid any awkward meetings, which, of course, he had. His cock twitched, highlighting why that strategy had been so very necessary. “And I suppose you are right. I—” Arthur swallowed, guilt swamping him. “I did not handle that moment well. I’m sorry if I hurt you. You’re my friend first and foremost and I would never wish to do that again.”
But he would one day, won’t he? Because he’ll have to marry. Eventually.
Linc edged closer to him, crowding him in the darkened corner and drawing him from his thoughts. “Good. I should hate to think that you were dodging me. Evading this thing between us.”
Arthur growled, his earlier instinct rising to the fore in a most unexpected surge. He snaked out a hand and fisted it in Linc’s hair as he drew the man closer. “I thought you were past sneaking about.”
“I was caught off guard and rather hungover. It wasn’t the moment to discuss your obvious concerns. But when I looked for you later in the day at a reasonable hour, you had hied off to your country house.” Linc sounded hurt, perhaps even a tad resentful.
“I-” Arthur hesitated, trying to remember what he’d thought that morning. “I was still so fuzzy from the night before and the way you left, I assumed you were done with me.”
Linc lifted a hand to his face. “Wary perhaps, but not done. You returned to London but did not seek me out. I thought to give you the space you seemed to desire.” He appeared to swallow, his throat bobbing with the motion. “You…you are all I have left. I didn’t want to overstep more than I had. I thought—hoped—you would come to me when you were ready. But you haven’t.”
It was too much to bear, too much to hear without acting. Arthur took Linc’s mouth with his own and the kiss was one of possession. Ownership. Their tongues tangled and twined but Linc sank into it, melted in to him: submitted to him.
Arthur turned him and pinned him against the stone railing. Their cocks had both grown hard. His own pulsed and throbbed with need as they rubbed against each other. A low groan escaped one of them, Arthur wasn’t sure who, as the kiss lingered and slowly ended when the need to breathe took over.
He rested his forehead against Linc’s. “We need to talk about how this might work, but I’ve been miserable without you this past month. It’s bad enough being without Jo. I don’t want to lose you as well.”
