Page 26 of Their Brazen Countess
Linc inhaled sharply. “We should talk. I know discretion is important to you, but I refuse to be relegated to shadowed corners and back alleys.” He huffed a laugh. “Well, any more than is necessary.” Linc tucked his nose into the crook of Arthur’s neck and inhaled deeply, as though he needed his scent to sustain him. “Take a few days to think about it. Let me know when you are ready to discuss the possibilities.” Then the handsome man slipped away as quietly as he’d appeared.
Arthur stood there in the dark, reeling. The taste of Linc lingered on his lips as he tried to imagine how he might configure his life in such a way to fit a man such as Linc. He would have to marry eventually to carry on the title, but suddenly the thought didn’t seem so bleak. After all, they had found Jo, who had loved them both. Was it possible they could find another woman who could feel the same?
Chapter Thirteen
A Few Days Later
LincstrodeintoTheMarket and looked around the main salons. Arthur was nowhere to be found, but that didn’t exactly surprise him. They had agreed to meet at midnight and it was only a few minutes past eleven. Linc had been restless sitting in his rooms, watching the clock. He thought at least here he could find some distraction, either in the form of socializing with the ladies or in a card game. He had no particular preference for which, just that the time pass less slowly.
Before he allowed himself to be diverted, he sought out Madame du Pompadour’s right-hand man. “Good evening, Phillippe.”
“Good evening, my lord.” Phillippe bowed. “How may I be of service?”
“Can you arrange the Blue Room for Dunmere and I? We may send down for a few of the girls as well once we’re settled.” Linc staunchly tried to ignore the fluttering in his stomach.He would not be nervous about this meeting. It’s not as if Arthur had told him to be on his way. He would’ve carried on with a stiff upper lip like the good Englishman he was.
But that hadn’t been the case. At least not yet. Arthur had agreed to meet here. That had to mean he intended to carry on.Good God, he hoped so!
“Very good, my lord.” Phillippe bowed again and hustled off to see to the requested arrangements.
Nearly an hour later, as Linc folded on yet another losing hand—he was far too distracted to be playing cards—the very person who was drawing his focus waltzed into the card room. Arthur was looking very dapper in his black evening suit with a swallow-tail coat, black waistcoat, white shirt, and white tie. Never mind the fact that every other man in the room, including himself, wore the exact same evening dress.
“If you will excuse me, gentlemen.” Linc stood as the other men at the card table nodded and bid him good evening. He crossed to the bar where Arthur was ordering a drink. “Excellent timing. I required a reason to step away from that table and cease my losses.”
“Happy to be of service.” Arthur picked up the glass the bartender had placed before him and saluted Linc. “Other than a few losses, how has the rest of your night been?”
“Interminable.” Linc opted for honesty.
Arthur chuckled. “I felt every tick of the clock like a physical touch. Tap. Tap. Tap. Midnight could not come soon enough. Why did we think this was a good time to meet?”
Linc laughed. “I was a bloody fool. I have no idea what I was thinking. Shall we head upstairs to talk? I reserved the Blue Room when I arrived earlier.”
They chatted about the latest gossip as they climbed the stairs, keeping the conversation light. When they were finally alone, Linc poured himself a drink, repressing the urge to immediately taste Arthur once again. Drinks in hand, they finally sat down in the two wing chairs by the fire.
“I suppose we should come to terms about this arrangement between us.”
“Agreed.” Arthur took a deep breath. “You need to understand right from the start, at some point, I shall have to marry. I have a title to pass on.”
“Understood. Not everyone is in the position I am. I’m perfectly happy passing my title on to my cousin or his heirs, eventually.” Linc took a sip of his drink.
Arthur nodded. “For now, it may be easiest if we meet here. I…I don’t wish to put either of our staffs in a difficult position.”
Linc considered the suggestion for a moment. “That makes sense. Eventually we may find it more convenient to meet at one of our homes, but for now I see the sense in your suggestion. I’d also like to suggest we leave the door open to sharing a woman as we did with Jo. If we meet someone we both care for, we might find the arrangement works for us.”
“I’m afraid I am not prepared to open up to a woman like that again. At least for now, I’d rather the two of us find our footing first. Then we could consider bringing in someone if we found her to be as perfect for both of us as Jo seemed. As I said, I will need to marry.” Arthur shrugged and took a long drink from his glass. “I know there is this attraction between us. There is no denying it. But I feel I should warn you off of any emotional entanglements. I simply must marry, my bloodline demands it. Once I do, I fully intend to commit to the marriage.”
Linc stuffed down the disappointment rearing up inside. Arthur was right; it made little sense to allow emotional entanglements. They could enjoy each other. They were friends. But that was all it could ever be, nothing beyond the physical. “Understood and agreed.”
Arthur grunted his response and drained his glass. Then he stood up and stretched before he removed his coat. “Can I get you a refill?”
Linc looked at his still half-full tumbler. “I’m good, I thank you. I want a clear head for what comes next.”
“Agreed.” Arthur pulled a cigar out of his pocket and held it out toward Linc. “A smoke then?”
Linc shook his head. “No, thank you.” His father had enjoyed cigars, and he still liked the pungent aroma, but it was not a habit he had ever indulged. He supposed it was better than Arthur having another drink. The man seemed to be indulging more lately, between the loss of Jo and the strain between them. Hopefully that would change soon.
He sensed a certain tension building in the room now they were agreed on terms. Sitting and watching Arthur, Linc’s arms and legs vibrated with a restlessness he could only attribute to desire. Perhaps also a bit of nervousness. Arthur had an air of confidence Linc had noticed more and more in the rest of his life. Now it seemed to be spilling over into Arthur’s intimate moments, and Linc found it damned attractive. A commanding presence that seemed to draw him in and hold him captive.
He would never have described himself as the submissive type. He’d been a lord for far too long, and though he was not perhaps as dominant as Stone, he certainly was one to state his needs and expectations without hesitation. This feeling of wanting to serve Arthur, at least in a sexual capacity, felt strange. Strange, but not unwelcome.
