Page 64 of Enemies with an Earl
Felix ducked his chin, biting his lip. Despite the chill of the bathwater, he warmed inside. Something about this man made Felix feellight. His lungs weren’t tight; his heart flounced happily in his chest. He didn’t understand what it was. It must be the man’s humor that caused it.
“You know exactly why I rang, Thorne.” He lifted a damning towel. “You only provided me with these tiny cloths. What am I supposed to do with”—he shook the scrap of a towel—“this little thing.”
Thorne lifted a shoulder. “That does seem like a troublesome predicament for you. Unfortunately, it’s wash day. Those were all we had left.”
Felix scoffed. “My arse.”
Thorne grinned and rocked back and forth on his feet. The man wasmuchtoo pleased with himself. “Well, if that was all, my lord. I should get back to my duties.”
“I don’t think so, Thorne.” Felix stood. And took immense satisfaction in the way the man’s sharp jaw went slack, his Adam’s apple bobbing repeatedly as his gaze raked over Felix’s nude form. Felix threw a towel at Thorne, and it hit him smack in the face.
“You know, I did this at first as a jest,” Thorne said hoarsely. “But now that I’m here, this isn’t funny in the least. And I amincrediblyhappy with my decision.”
A chuckle rumbled from deep in Felix’s throat. “Come on, then. We don’t have all day. With the two of us working to get me dry, we can get into my bed much faster.”
The speed with which the man moved after that was astonishing. Then it was a flurry of towels as they quickly worked to get Felix dry.
“Damn you, Bentley. You’re drying all the fun parts,” Sam whined.
Felix dragged a last towel over his hair and threw it with the rest of the discarded cloths in the corner of the chamber. “Don’t worry.” He lifted his brows and smirked. “I’ll still let you play with the fun parts.”
“How magnanimous of you.”
“What can I say? I’m a giving man.” He turned and strutted into the bedchamber. A hungry groan came from behind him, and he grinned.
“Your arse is a fucking work of art. Why are people not painting that and hanging it up in their homes?”
A laugh burst from Felix, and he glanced over his shoulder, where Thorne’s stare was locked on Felix’s arse, wiping a hand across his mouth like he was a man starved. “Play your cards right, Thorne, and maybe you’ll get a taste.”
Stormy irises snapped to Felix’s, eyebrows lost somewhere beneath the ebony locks falling over Thorne’s forehead. Thorne was on Felix before Felix could take his next breath. Fingers dug into Felix’s sides, his body wrenched flush against Thorne’s, a certain part of Thorneveryhappy with the idea Felix had just planted.
The man’s lips coasted over Felix’s as he spoke. “Don’t tease me, Bentley.”
Thorne’s fingers slid around to cup Felix’s arse, and he squeezed, grinding their hips together. Felix’s eyes slid shut, and his teeth sank into Thorne’s bottom lip, giving it a little tug. Bloody hell, he wanted this. He was taking this for himself,taking it back. He would bury the old memories with a new one. That way, if they ever resurfaced, he’d have this to turn to, to drown out the bad.
Felix pulled away and backed up until the mattress bumped into the backs of his thighs. Thorne prowled after Felix, that hooded onyx gaze like a caress. Felix shivered, and Thorne tracked the movement, bit his lip. Thorne’s right hand flexed, trembled.
“What do you want, Bentley?” came Thorne’s husky question.
Felix drew in a steadying breath but held the man’s stare. “Fuck me, Thorne.”
Thorne stilled inches from Felix. And then they both moved at once, their bodies colliding, mouths finding each other, desperate, urgent, demanding. They were all groping hands and wandering lips as they divested Thorne of his clothing. Smallthumpsfollowed, Felix’s attention catching on a loose button rolling across the carpet.
“Easy. Now that’s going to need mending,” Felix murmured between fevered kisses.
Thorne nipped Felix’s lips while shoving his breeches down and kicking out of them. “Good thing I’m a fair hand with a needle.”
Thorne ripped off his shirt and then they were skin to skin. Felix sucked in a sharp breath. “Your hands are good at other things,” he said breathlessly. Said hands were currently kneading Felix’s arse, and he melted against Thorne, head falling to the man’s strong shoulder.
“I’m a man of many talents.”
“Mmm.” Felix could do nothing but agree, even if it would just feed the man’s vanity. Because, damn the man, it was true.
The ground vanished from beneath Felix, and a heartbeat later he was bouncing softly on his back, sprawled in the middle of his mattress. But the surprise was swallowed by heady desire as Thorne slowly prowled over him, a black panther in the shadowed crimson canopy. One that had spotted his next meal. The beast was loose.
Thorne’s lips danced over Felix’s neck, and Felix groaned when the man’s lips grazed the spot just below his ear that drove him wild. Nipped with his teeth. The man always seemed to know exactly what made Felix turn to putty beneath him, like he was perfectly attuned to Felix’s pleasure. Like Felix’s pleasure was important to him. Like Felix was important to him…
“The oil’s on the nightstand,” Felix said quickly, shovingthatthought away.
