Griffin stared. Aaron was walking away? So determined to escape that he’d stride from the room in the middle of breakfast?
It seemed so, for Aaron tipped his head at the table at large and then walked from the room without a backward glance or acknowledgment for Griffin.
“Odd fellow, isn’t it?” said one of the gentlemen on Griffin’s other side.
Griffin cleared his throat and pushed his hurt aside. “I wouldn’t say that,” he said, his voice strained. “I have never been much for parties myself—having a moment alone is sometimes refreshing.”
“Suppose,” Griffin’s companion grunted, and went back to shoveling eggs into his mouth.
Griffin leaned back in his chair and gazed at the door where Aaron had just departed. He tried to keep his mind off Aaron, but he couldn’t. He wanted to know what had changed him from Griffin’s passionate lover to a man who couldn’t even look Griffin in the face.
He got up and glanced at Letty and Jack. “I find I have a bit of a headache. I think I’ll retire for a while if you don’t mind.”
Letty arched a brow. “Certainly, if you aren’t well. We’ll be playing pall-mall on the lawn at the big house later. Perhaps you’ll join us.”
Griffin nodded absentmindedly and then made his way out of the room. But he didn’t go to his chamber. Instead, he walked out of the house and down the path that led to the lake. He had a feeling he would find Aaron there, just as they had found each other there the day they had arrived for the party.
He weaved his way over the rolling hills, trying to calm himself. The last thing he wanted to do was let his emotions take over and make whatever was happening here worse than it already was.
He came over the last hill and stopped. Aaron was sitting on the grass beside the water, his legs drawn up, his arms draped over them. He was staring off into the distance, his expression dark and pensive.
“Why did you leave?” Griffin called out as he came down the hill.
Aaron tensed before he looked over his shoulder. “Bloody hell, Griffin, why are you following me?”
“Because I thought everything was fine and then you…you…you just wouldn’t even look at me at breakfast.” Griffin folded his arms. “And you left the room rather than even exchange pleasantries with me.”
Slowly Aaron pushed to his feet and Griffin tensed. Even was he was upset, he appreciated the slow unfolding of Aaron’s lean body. A body he now knew very well.
“What did you want me to do, Griffin, put my arms around you in the middle of the breakfast room?” Aaron’s tone was harsh, and Griffin flinched.
“Of course not. But neither did I expect you to hardly look at me. Did I do something wrong? Is that why you snuck out of my bed this morning like a thief?”
Aaron took a step toward him. “Of course not. Look, you and I had a bit of fun last night. That was all. It’s over now.”
Griffin caught his breath at the sharp, dismissive words. He stared at Aaron, whose face was drawn and cold, hardly an expression on it. He seemed entirely disinterested, despite everything they had shared.
“Why?” Griffin asked. This time he was the one whose teeth were clenched.
Aaron shifted slightly. “I-I don’t want you.”
“I don’t believe that.”
Griffin moved toward him and caught Aaron’s arms, dragging him forward. He slammed his mouth to Aaron’s, driving his tongue inside and eliciting a needy moan from him. Aaron’s arms came around him, molding their bodies together. He felt Aaron’s cock harden, but more telling, he felt his pulse quicken. It fluttered beneath his skin, setting a hard rhythm that proved he was lying.
Griffin drew away, releasing Aaron, who spun away, staggering toward the lake a few steps as he drew in harsh breaths.
“You and I have been dancing around each other for months,” Griffin growled. “Maybe even years. Every time I saw you at a club and our eyes met, we both recognized what we wanted in each other. Only here have we been unable to deny it, because it goes deeper than a fuck, andyouknow it. So what are you afraid of? And don’t tell me Letty, because I know it’s more than that.”
Aaron lifted his chin. “I’m not afraid of anything.”
Griffin shook his head. “Bollocks. If you won’t say it, then I will. You’re afraid of connecting again. Afraid of risking something more than your pleasure. And I understand that.”
Aaron moved on him, his eyes flashing with anger and pain. “No, you don’t. You’re young, you don’t have a clue what it’s like to lose what you could never fully claim.”
“I’dloveto know,” Griffin whispered, his pain pulsing through him in a dull, constant thud. “I’ve been alone my whole life and it’s horrible. Never caring for anyone or having anyone care for you in return is an empty life. I don’t want it anymore.”
“Don’t do this,” Aaron said, scrubbing a hand over his face.
