“A wise man suggested I fill this week with something called ‘fun’,” Donovan replied.
“It sounds decadent and dangerous,” Geoffrey said.“We should have as much of it as possible.”
Chapter6
Donovan held up the key.“Shall we freshen up before heading out-of-doors?”
“Let’s.”Geoffrey gestured to indicate he would follow the duke.
Donovan strode toward their shared room with a mix of excitement and foreboding.Sharing sleeping quarters with the man he desired and could not have was going to be even more torment than he’d been forced to withstand thus far.
He unlocked the door.They stepped inside the apartment together.The entrance led to a small, but pretty parlor.Its cozy interior boasted a sofa, a pair of armchairs, and a tea table.That was innocuous enough.There was nothing at all untoward about two individuals enjoying a spot of tea.
The parlor connected to the other room.The bedchamber.
“Shall we?”his valet asked.
Donovan forced himself to lead the way.He nearly came to a dead stop in the doorway.
There was just one bed, exactly as he’d feared.And hoped.And feared.And hoped.And feared.
The bed was gratifying large, at least.Plenty of mattress space even for men the size of Donovan and Geoffrey to sleep in comfort without risk of bumping against each other in the night.
Sleep in comfort.Ha.Donovan had wanted to end the agony of emotions he could not act on, and instead the stakes were even higher.Willing his cock not to rise whilst being bathed was difficult enough.Hiding a morning erection would be all but impossible.Hiding an all-night-long cockstand…
“Well, this is awkward,” Donovan muttered.
Geoffrey did not respond.If only Donovan knew what his valet was feeling!Revulsion?Interest?Dread?
“The sofa is too small for either of us to lie upon,” Donovan said carefully.“We’ll have to share the bed.”
Geoffrey’s expression was frustratingly blank.“Which side do you want?”
The bottomwas unquestionably the wrong answer, so Donovan said, “I’ll take the left.”
“Then I’ll take the right.”Geoffrey sat on the edge of the mattress as though to test its thickness, then ran a hand over his pillow.“There’s only one armoire, but there should be plenty of room for both our things.”
Leave it to a valet to be more concerned about where to store the cravats than how to share the bed.Donovan didn’t know whether to be relieved that the status quo between them had not been threatened, or if he should scream into a pillow.
That was his answer, then.Mahogany furniture interested Geoffrey more than any wood Donovan might provide.Good.That made things easier.Dismissing his valet had been the right move all along.Donovan had always known there was no future between them, but now there was no doubt.He could move on, just as he’d planned.
After he’d survived one last week of tortuous proximity.
No.He couldn’t do it.He could not possibly share a bed with this man and be dressed by this man and be bathed by this man and still somehow manage to hide how he felt.Not when they were sharing a bedchamber.
There was nothing to do about the sleeping arrangements, but as to the rest…
“As far as anyone knows, you’re here as my friend, not my servant,” he began.
Geoffrey inclined his head.“I am both.Or at least I was, until you dismissed me.”
That was the answer!Donovan’s tight shoulders relaxed a fraction in relief.“Just so.Therefore, while we are here in Marrywell, you are to act as my friend, and not my valet.I shall attend to my own needs—”
Oh, God,needswas the wrong word.It made Donovan think of all the nights he’d wrapped his hand around his cock in furtive desperation to relieve the painful pressure building in his balls every time he thought of Geoffrey.
“By which I mean my attire,” Donovan blurted out.“And… and all related concerns.While we are here, you are not my valet.I shall manage myself.”
He hoped.How hard could it be?It didn’t matter.When they returned from Marrywell, Geoffrey would only be in Donovan’s employ for a few days more.The duke would have to get on without his valet soon enough.He might as well start now.The experiment might even make him all the more appreciative of the new, hideous-but-capable valet he’d be hiring to replace the current one.
