Page 8 of An Earl's Bet
“We are already in bed.”
“Yes.Now we can sleep, and you can ask me more questions in the morning.”Earnest kissed him once more, then rolled over and started fussing with the blankets until they were both tucked in.Hugo didn’t understand how Earnest knew that he had more questions, but perhaps Earnest was right and they could wait until he’d slept.Earnest leaned over and blew out the candle, removing the last vestige of light in the room.Hugo was quite tired, so he rested on the pillow and closed his eyes.For once in his life, his brain didn’t immediately invent catastrophes to keep him awake half the night.It still took a while to drift off, but waiting for sleep was calmer than usual.
Hugo woke to the sounds of the maid lighting the fire in his room which was nothing unusual except for the man sound asleep next to him in his bed.The glow of light from the fire added a promise of future warmth to the room.The maid, Annie, worked quickly and didn’t look his way and for once he was glad for her training because the idea that someone on the staff might know that Earnest had slept in his bed all night made him shudder.Once more, he had to remind himself that the staff weren’t going to tattle to his father about him, and over the past seven years, he’d slowly replaced his father’s staff with new people.People who didn’t remember the old instructions.
As soon as he’d inherited, he’d immediately sacked those who’d assisted his father in his ways.It was selfish, perhaps, because service jobs in big houses were sought after and not the easiest to get, but he couldn’t have them around knowing that they’d been his jailers and they’d helped his father to ...act like he had.
Earnest made a little mewing sound and tucked himself against Hugo’s body.Hugo flinched, staring wildly around the room, but Annie had already left.He tried to relax.There was a beautiful man in his bed, one who’d willingly kissed him, and no one knew about it.He was—probably—safe here, at least for a short time.Sanjit, his valet, knew better than to wake him after a dinner on a big race day like the St Leger.Slowly he breathed calm into each muscle, easing out the tension in his shoulders and stretching out his body.Earnest flung an arm over Hugo’s chest and wriggled closer.Hugo gasped as he realised the hard length of Earnest was pressed against his back; it said something for his state of anxiety that it’d taken him so long to notice.He wanted to rock back against Earnest’s length, to feel the friction of him on his skin.It would be so easy to shift slowly, rubbing his spine and ass against Earnest, except ...There was the rule Earnest had mentioned.He could only do something if Earnest said yes.
“Say yes to me.”He whispered, embarrassed, against the back of his hand.Earnest groaned and hugged him tighter.Was that yes?And then Earnest kissed the back of his neck.
“Are you awake?”Earnest grumbled.
“Yes.”He rolled over to face Earnest and was immediately enveloped in a kiss.It was a gentle good morning of a kiss, sleepy and slow, as if Earnest wasn’t quite awake yet, a bit like a dream.He never knew that waking up with someone could be like this, simply because he’d never done it before.His father had taken him to brothels when he was old enough, but he’d used the privacy of the room to give the women money and just talk.They always seemed happy to talk to a too-young anxious boy who’d been forced to be there by his father.Over the years, he had a few favourites, Jane, Harleen, Sarah—women that he considered friends—and he'd helped them buy their way out of the houses where they worked, setting them up with their own property and lives.He still visited on occasion, not for relations, just to talk to each of them because he didn’t really have anyone else he could talk to with such confidentiality.
“Do you ever stop thinking?”Earnest pulled away from the kiss.
“Not really.”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
He wanted to protest—he hadn’t said anything out loud—but somehow Earnest knew that he’d been stuck in his memories.Just for a little while, Hugo could pretend that the rest of the world didn’t exist and it was simply himself and Earnest together in the warmth of his bed.
“Would you like to try?”He paused, swallowing ...unable to say the words out loud.
“To impale myself on you?”How did Earnest say such things without a worry?
“Yes.”
“I would.Do you have oil?”
“Oil?”Hugo hated the wave of ignorance that prickled the back of his neck.Not knowing things spelled danger, but Earnest was gentle with him, breathing against Hugo’s neck.
“It makes it more comfortable for me, especially because you are huge.”
“I am?”
“Surely you must know?”Earnest made an odd noise, snuffling against Hugo’s neck, as if he were trying to bury a laugh against Hugo’s skin.He didn’t want to ask what Earnest meant because this seemed like information an Earl should know.Shouldn’t he?
“Lord Horden, you possess a magnificent cock.One of the best examples I’ve seen in my life.”
His skin was too hot.Prickly.“Have you seen many?”Even his voice was tight.
“Some.None like yours.I could write poetry about it.”Earnest chuckled softly.“I have written poetry about it.”
Hugo couldn’t breathe.He wanted to know but he really, really, didn’t.“You’ve...”
“Written poetry about your penis, your cockstand, your glorious johnson?By gosh, I have written so much.”
“Has anyone read it?”
Earnest blew out a loud breath.“Hell no.Some things aren’t meant to be shared.”
Hugo swallowed.Maybe it wasn’t so bad.Maybe he could be incredibly brave.Or curious.“Would you share it with me?”
“You want to read the poems I wrote about you?”
Hugo stiffened, unable to help it.“They are written down?”