Page 7 of An Earl's Bet
Chapter 4
Hugo wasn’t sure howEarnest knew to tell him that he’d followed the rules.It broke his heart and mended it all at the same time.He hated that someone might know what had happened to him, but there was something so incredible about having the reassurance that he’d done the right thing.If he followed the rules, he wouldn’t get punished.He’d spent his entire childhood telling himself that until it became part of him.Last time with Earnest—the only other time he’d ever done this—Hugo had been frantically overwhelmed by the newness of the experience that he’d barely registered the way Earnest had talked encouragingly all the way through.This time was better.Different.Earnest had teased while he’d encouraged him.
“What do you mean?”He had to know the rules.If he wasn’t so attracted to Earnest, he would’ve asked first because he always needed to know the rules.The idea that being with Earnest—this time and last time—had overridden his instincts to understand what he had to do was more than he had the capacity to figure out.Why?No, he couldn’t let himself think about that.
Earnest shrugged.“Let me clean us up first.”
Was that a rule?He didn’t want to ask.Earls were supposed to know things.He’d trained his whole life to be an Earl; the exact sort of Earl that his father wanted him to be.Powerful, masculine, and in control.Willing to marry the right sort of girl—nothing less than a proper Lady with a fortune—for the sake of the Earldom.It held no appeal for him, unfortunately.
Earnest’s gentle care as he used a damp cloth to wash the sticky mess off Hugo’s stomach made him ache.No one had ever done that for him; his father employed sadistic nannies who enjoyed enforcing his father’s rules the same way as his father had.It’d been partly why he’d thrown Earnest out the first time.Being cared for was foreign, too much, and here he was again.Earnest kissed him on the forehead and he squirmed.Was this just for him, or was Earnest like this with all his lovers?Yes.If he thought about other lovers, he wasn’t going to make this into something it wasn’t.
“Some people have a lot of rules for this type of thing.Some men only like to partake in virgins to make sure they don’t get diseases, but there are better ways to prevent disease than the abuse of young boys and girls.Others like to talk about what they will and won’t do, and it’s important to have that negotiation.”
“Negotiation?”
Earnest shrugged.“Some people like to make these things sound like rules, but it’s really just part of the main conversation.There is only one rule.”
“Which is?”
“Everyone has to say yes before something happens.”
He didn’t understand.“And if they don’t?”He couldn’t imagine Earnest forcing someone to say yes.
“Then nothing happens.”
“Oh.Is it that simple?”
Earnest nodded.“It is for me.As you said earlier tonight, I like people to like me, and so that’s my rule.I’ll only do something if we both want it.Maybe or no means I’ll stop.”
Hugo closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath.For most of his life, he’d begged his father to stop, promising to be better, and his father never stopped.“You did that before when I said stop.You just stopped.”
“Yes.”
Hugo’s heart twisted in his chest, aching with the knowledge that it was possible to have someone listen to him when he said stop.Now that he was the Earl, people did what he asked all the time, but that was respect for the title, not about him as a person.This felt different.He knew that Earnest would’ve kept going—wanted to keep going—and yet he’d stopped when Hugo had asked.It mattered.Heat burned behind his eyes and he stared at the far wall to prevent a hot tear from falling.He couldn’t say any of that.
“I like your rule.”
Earnest kissed him softly, just a press of lips, and then he rested his forehead against Hugo’s and just stayed there, staring into his eyes with a gentle expression.What was this feeling?
“Come to bed with me.”Earnest’s whisper confused him.