Reese willed himself to ignore the weight and the heat of the hand resting on his leg for a second. He began again. “Karl, then.” He cleared his throat. “I"m not at all certain that incident with the carriage was an accident.”
“Yes.” Binder shrugged and leaned back in his armchair. “I wondered that myself. But I have learned that suspicion is almost as dangerous as fear. One starts down that path, and soon one can barely set foot out of doors. I leave it to my staff to protect me.”
“Do you ever suspect any of them?”
50
Bonnie Dee & Summer Devon
“I have suspected nearly everyone all of my life,” Binder said softly. “I think the only time I ever felt safe was here in England, when I was a student. No one bothered with me then.”
He drank, then carefully returned the teacup and saucer to the tray. As he picked up another gingersnap, he paused and grinned at Reese. “I think I know why I trust you. You"ve never attempted to hide behind polite smiles or flattering speech.
You simply stole my weapon, then grabbed me and pulled me into a room.” His smile widened, finishing the rest of his unspoken thought:
where you had your way
with me, and I had mine with you.
Reese would not be distracted. “Do you mistrust any of your servants in particular?”
“Are you going to act as my investigator?”
“I want to know if someone would hurt you.”
“Does your employer want to know? Or do you, personally?” He delivered the last word on a lazy drawl.
Would the man
never
stop? Reese reached for his tea to regain his calm. He wasn"t sure he knew the answer to the question. After all, following standard procedure, he was to contact Toole if he detected danger to Binder. Throwing himself into the situation was more than “minimal protection.” But he could no more have let that carriage mow down Karl than he would have stood in front of the vehicle himself and let it run him over. Except that"s almost precisely what he
had
done—stepped into the path of danger for the sake of this near stranger.
He asked, “What difference does it make?”
“A great deal, but I shan"t pester you about the matter.”
“The incident with the carriage—” Reese began.
Binder held up a hand. “I think it was an accident caused by a careless driver.
What does it matter to us? He is dead, poor fool. Even if he had set out to kill me—
The Nobleman and the Spy
51
and I"m not sure how he could have known where I would take my stroll—he succeeded only in killing himself. Accident or murder attempt, the matter is closed.”
Reese put down his empty cup with an audible
clink
and shifted in his chair, irritated. “There are ways to stage events like that one even if you"re not certain of your victim"s destination. Signals from accomplices, for instance. Or a way to—”
“The man is dead,” Binder said again. He pulled out his watch, an elaborate gold thing. “And we have one hour, forty minutes.” He tucked it back in his waistcoat pocket.
Reese folded his arms over his chest. “You have lost interest in the topic of your own safety?”
“I haven"t lost interest. Later I"m sure I will ponder the matter. But now I prefer to live in the moment with you. I would rather not wallow in the worries of what might have been.” His half smile was hopeful, not a knowing smirk.
Reese understood then. After his brush with death, Karl didn"t slink away as Reese might have. He wanted to move quickly in the opposite direction, toward life.
Even his form of fear was joyful.
It had only been a matter of hours since their strange interlude, but Reese"s body hungered for Binder"s touch again. The thought of Binder"s glowing face, twisted in ecstasy, made his stomach lurch with a sudden, surprising lust.
Reese picked up his brandy and swallowed it down. “Karl.” The name was coming more easily to his mouth, but the rest of what he wanted to say clogged in his throat, histrionic words he"d never in a thousand years speak aloud.
I want you,
but it’s too dangerous. You’re too dangerous. I refuse to feel things that are more
perilous than a runaway carriage bearing down on me. I want your warmth, but stop
trying to get inside me.
Inside him. He realized the meaning that could have with men like them. “I think I should go,” he said without conviction, looking toward the door. What if one of those servants should walk in?
52
Bonnie Dee & Summer Devon
Binder seemed to read his mind. “No one will even knock on the door. They are well trained from the moment they enter our service. My father would never tolerate disobedience to such a basic order as „keep out for two hours." Now one hour and thirty-nine minutes. Cohen is a very exact man.”
A chunk of coal slipped on the fire, sending up a spray of sparks. Reese, once the steadiest of men, jerked slightly.
“You are nervous. I won"t harm you,” Karl said.
Reese laughed at the absurd notion that Binder could overpower him. “You could try. It would be good exercise for us both if you came at me with a knife.”
“Sarcasm?”
Reese shrugged.
“It would actually be an enjoyable exercise. After all, we came together during a struggle last time.”
Reese"s already semierect cock went hard as iron when he recalled pushing Binder against the door, and then all they did…
“How long has it been since you"ve been with a man? Prior to this morning, I mean.”
Three years
. “Awhile,” Reese replied. “I suppose it"s only been a matter of days or weeks for you?”
“I am not promiscuous, but I enjoy sexual expression,” Karl said. “You won"t manage to offend me with the accusation that I am too loose with my affections.
Haven"t you figured out yet that I"m shockingly difficult to offend? But I suppose you think such things between men is a horrible sin.
Pfah
. That may be, but if you and I are going to hell, it won"t be because we want each other. We"ve done worse than give other men pleasure, wouldn"t you agree?”
There was no denying the truth of that statement, so Reese remained silent.
The Nobleman and the Spy
53
“When I said I wouldn"t harm you, I also meant here.” Karl tapped himself on the forehead. “I will abandon all weapons, Jonathan. I want nothing but pleasure for us both.”
He"d learned already that feeling nothing was good. Perhaps pleasure was better. Reese ignored the inner voice telling him no good could come of prolonging their association. The oh-so-wise inner voice went on to remind him what had happened last time he"d had an affair with a man. But damn it, he didn"t want to think about the captain right now. His body wanted what it wanted, and right now he would give in to it.
Karl rose from his seat and held out his hand, as if he"d seen Reese"s mental struggle and knew the very moment he"d reached a decision. “Come,
mein freund
.”
Reese took the strong, warm hand and rose to his feet. He looked into Karl"s cool blue eyes and knew he was in serious trouble. He would do anything for more of what they"d shared earlier, even if it put his life, his sanity—or his soul—in jeopardy. “Don"t…” he began, but left the sentence dangling.
“I won"t. I have already promised.” Karl smiled and led him from the sitting room into the bedchamber.
Reese noted the heavy cherrywood furnishings—a tall four-poster bed and an armoire. There were several large traveling trunks containing Binder"s clothing.
The fact that they still occupied the bedroom indicated that perhaps Binder didn"t intend to stay in his hotel room long. Reese supposed Binder would move into his uncle"s home for the duration of his visit. Then Reese"s gaze lit on the counterpane and the five plump pillows piled invitingly against the headboard. He swallowed as he stared at the luxurious bed. He"d never lain with another man, decadent and leisurely as if they had every right to be together.
Karl guided him to the edge of the bed and bade him sit, and then the count"s son knelt at Reese"s feet like a servant. One of the servants had already confiscated his muddy boots, but Karl pulled off his stockings and cradled Reese"s cold feet in his hands. He sucked in a breath as he held them. “The fire hasn"t warmed you. You 54
Bonnie Dee & Summer Devon
could catch your death of cold with these feet like ice.” He glanced up with a grin. “I will personally make certain they are well heated.”
And then he did a most outrageous thing. Cupping an arch in each of his large hands, he drew one foot, then the other, to his mouth and kissed the tops. Reese caught his breath at the shocking intimacy.
Binder set his feet down and reached for his fly. “Take your shirt off, please.”
While the other man unfastened his trousers, Reese obeyed his command, unbuttoning his shirt and wincing as he pulled the sleeve off his hurt shoulder. He removed his undershirt as well, then lifted his hips from the bed so Karl could pull his clothing off his legs. Reese"s heart pounded like a big fist trying to punch its way out of his chest. Naked. He"d never been completely naked in front of anyone, even while in the cramped quarters of an army camp. Bits and pieces of him, yes, but not his entire body. And certainly not with another man studying every inch of him with a devouring gaze.
What made his body burn even hotter was the fact that Karl was still completely clothed. It made Reese feel exposed, vulnerable, and utterly aroused. His cock stood out from his body, reaching toward the other man.
Karl stood towering over him, adding to that subjugated feeling. “Look at you.
So beautiful.”
Reese glanced down at himself, surprised. He"d never considered his body as more than a conveyance to move him from point A to point B. Beautiful? What an odd compliment for one man to give another. But he supposed he was fit, his muscles compact and hard edged, his body still young though a bit worse for wear with several ugly scars. If he were a stranger examining this body with the gaze of a man who was attracted to other men, he would find himself appealing. Reese smiled at the unexpected thought.
Karl caressed his cheek, letting his hand linger there. “And a smile at last.
This tryst agrees with you, I think.”
The Nobleman and the Spy
55
“You talk too much,” Reese growled. “It"s your turn to take your clothes off and let me gawk.”
Karl bobbed his head, that curt, Germanic acknowledgment usually accompanied by a click of the heels. He stepped back from Reese and began to unbutton his shirt and waistcoat. He"d long since removed his necktie and jacket, and oh, how handsome he looked wearing only a white shirt with a dark waistcoat over it.
Watching each bit of flesh emerge, Reese longed to jump up and help strip his body. But he forced himself to sit and watch, letting the tension inside him build.
With casual nonchalance, as though alone in his chamber, Karl stripped off his shirt, waistcoat, trousers, and underclothing, then stood straight and gazed at Reese, inviting him to look his fill.
Blood pounded in Reese"s temples, and he felt he might go blind from staring so hard. The count was a perfect specimen of manhood. With Karl"s mixed lineage, no doubt he had some Nordic forebears, and their blond beauty was evident. He was built big and blocky, with broad shoulders, a solid chest, and the arms of some Viking warrior carrying a battle-ax. His torso tapered to a narrower waist and hips and then a pair of legs as sturdy as tree trunks. Rather than European nobility, with that hard body Karl could be a laborer of the land. And his cock was a long, thick club jutting from a thatch of light brown hair. Reese"s entire body clenched just from looking at it.
Reese wasn"t short or slight by any means, but Karl"s body made him feel that way. Weak and tender and, Christ, was this a womanly feeling, this desire to submit to anything this man demanded of him?
Karl reached past him to pull down the covers. “Move up,” he ordered, and Reese scooted toward the pile of pillows as pure white as snow. His feet were no longer cold. Not one particle of his body was. He burned as he waited to see what His Excellency would command next.
56
Bonnie Dee & Summer Devon
Karl slipped into the bed beside him and drew the covers over both of them, up to their chests. He smiled at Reese again. “So…here we are, with plenty of time to do exactly as we wish. What do
you
wish, Mr. Reed?”
Reese couldn"t speak. He believed he"d literally lost the ability to push words from his tight throat. He wanted. He needed. He desired.
The other man placed his palm flat against his chest, feeling for his heartbeat.
“Go ahead. Say it. For once in your life, admit to what you want.”
Reese took a deep breath and exhaled. “Everything.”
Karl"s smile grew wider. “That, I can do.” He pulled Reese into his arms so they lay chest to chest, groin to groin, their legs entwined. He stroked his hand down Reese"s spine and cupped his buttocks, cradling his body close. His cock pressed hard into Reese"s stomach, and Reese"s did the same, nestling into the other man"s flesh. Fire crackled on the hearth, and heat built between them as, for long moments, they simply lay facing each other. Then Karl lowered his eyelids over those astonishing blue eyes and leaned in to kiss Reese.
His mouth plucked lightly at Reese"s lips, playing before settling into a deeper kiss. Reese opened his mouth to meet Karl"s tongue with his and moaned softly as he gave in to the pleasure of simply kissing. It was heavenly. He moved his hand up Karl"s broad back, over his muscular neck, and into the soft strands of his straight, fine hair, relishing the contrast of hard, masculine muscles with that oh-so-silken hair.