“I cannot.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, go away, Aleksey.”
“I cannot show you them for they are not here. They are at our new house.” He laughed outright at my expression and came as close as he dared, given we were in the main thoroughfare and many men milled around. “I have taken a house.For us. Your face! Youarefun to tease, Niko. Tell me again how much you hate me, go on, for it always amuses me.” He swung up onto his horse and passed me a piece of paper. “Here is the address. Finish here when you can. If my presence is not enough to tempt you to overcome your bad temper, then perhaps the fact that it has indoor tubs of hot water big enough to submerge a man—ortwo—will make you hasten your duties. Good day, Doctor.”
I watched him ride off, the little piece of paper held loosely in my fingers. The poor man with the amputated leg had died. I gave it little mind. I had a tub large enough to submerge two men to think about. I was warm at just the thought.
CHAPTER 22
MYBELIEFthat Aleksey should stay and accommodate himself with his army only lasted until I discovered I was included in his new accommodation plans. I was more than happy for us both to see nothing more of tents or soldiers. My hypocrisy occasionally dismayed me, but not so much that I was bothered to change.
I did not, however, become such a reprobate as to drop my instruments there and then and follow him. I stayed on all day helping the men who needed me, and only then left Jules to his shift and consulted the piece of paper once more.
The villa was on a bluff overlooking the ocean. It was built in the grand European style. These people were a great deal wealthier than their neighbors in Hesse-Davia. Aleksey had won his country a very great victory indeed. It made me wonder why Saxefalia had gone to war at all, given their spoils, had they won, would have been so paltry, but I suppose men lead their countries to war with very little justification sometimes. It was all about the glory.
I entered the courtyard and handed my reins to a man who assured me that Xavier would be taken care of as well as I. I had to suppress a smile at this and wished Xavier well in that endeavor. He had never, to my knowledge, expressed such preferences, but should he find a suitable young stallion, he was welcome to try.
I made my way into the house. It was well lit by candles, which I then noted led in a winding trail through the hallways. I followed like a moth to their flame, quite unable to stop myself, such was my desire.
He was submerged in a pit in the floor from which aromatic steam arose. I had never seen anything more welcome or more beautiful. His wet hair stuck up at odd angles, and he grinned with delight at my expression, but still he was only perfection in my eyes. “Take off your uniform, Nikolai. Let me watch.”
His voice held that level of command that made me realize that these last few days had had a profound effect upon Aleksey. He was twenty-three, a soldier, and had gone through the usual rituals that mark the passage from boyhood to manhood many years ago. But now he had led a victorious army in war. He had captured a kingdom. He was aconqueror.
None of this alarmed me in the slightest. I suspected that now I had someone who could share more than just his body. We met more as equals, and the anticipation was the greater for it.
I did as he requested. I stripped and let my filthy clothing fall away from me at last. I stood entirely naked for his inspection. We had been naked together before, but this was quite different. All before had been hurried and fumbled, pleasure snatched from times and from places we should not have. Now I believed time actually slowed down for us. I stood with all my height and muscle, my wounds and scars—and my manhood rose and sought him out. He held out his hand, and I descended into the water….
“Christ’s cock!” I jerked out again. “How pissing hot is this?”
He laughed and kept his hand out for me. “Curse again. I love to hear you do so. It is because you are cold, Niko, that is all. Come, give it a chance and descend more slowly. I cannot think why you would be so eager….”
I gave him a sour look but did as he asked. I had lived cold as ice for so many weeks now I had genuinely forgotten how warmth felt. It was… sublime; that was the only way I could describe it. I sank to my shoulders alongside him, feeling more than cold seep from my body and leave it for good. I was no longer angry and bitter at Aleksey.
We barely took time to smile before we were kissing, and our kisses had such urgency that we both knew what was to come. I found him, he found me, and we gasped as longed-for release took us both. It was such a long and drawn out spill for me that it took me some time to recover. He murmured that he would have to make me angry with him again, if such was to be his reward. This did nothing to lessen my desire. I do not know if it was the low, seductive timbre of his voice or the idea of my seed being his prize, but I released again to words alone. He was delighted that I shot once more, this time with less ferocity but just as much pleasure.
After that we resumed kissing until he pulled away and showed me that he had prepared (had prepared by a servant, of course; he was Aleksey still) some food and a superb local wine. We indulged, feeding each other, sloshing and stirring the water. He particularly liked it when I took wine and passed it to him from my mouth, his tongue lapping around, seeking it. When we were sated from the food and very relaxed from the wine—it was very encouraging to drink to excess when the wine was coming from Aleksey’s mouth—he began to inspect my wounds. I let him. He could put his hands wherever he wanted as far as I was concerned. He seemed a little troubled now, and I assumed it was on seeing the scars, but he denied this when asked. I debated allowing him to keep his worries to himself, for I did not want to ruin the atmosphere, but his sudden change of mood had slightly ruined it anyway. I asked him simply, running my fingers though his hair, kissing his neck, “What’s wrong?”
He held me off, staring into the corner of the room, not catching my eye. “I do not know what we are to do next.”
I frowned. I was a little distracted, having him warm, slippery, and naked alongside me in the tub. “We go back to Hesse-Davia?”
“I do not mean that.” He turned to me at last, stilling my kissing and my roving hands. “After this… the kissing. I am unsure….” Suddenly he blurted out, “I have been thinking and thinking about you and the things you make me want to do when I look at you, but what I do not understand is whatyoudo then. Oh God, I am explaining this badly.” He suddenly sank right under the water, holding his breath, then rising with a shake and flick of his head. “No, that did not help.”
I laughed at him, my hands returning to their interesting games. “Just tell me, Aleksey. You said that to me once, remember?”
He nodded. For some reason I did not think my reminder of this incident had helped. I discovered why when he said hesitantly, “I get that when I enter you, it will be pleasurable for me, for I have thought of little else since I first met you, but how will this be good for you? Given… what you told me….”
He looked down, that flush I had come to know so well high upon his face. I laughed, then wished I had not. But it was the surprise. I had no idea he had thought he would—I quickly disabused him. “Aleksey, you do not have to worry about this. You will not be the one doing the entering. I will.”
He turned his head very slowly, his gaze steely. “That, obviously, is not going to happen.”
“What are you talking about?” I had stopped petting him now. I felt the first stirring of real alarm. This had not even occurred to me—that he would assume he would take the manly role in our joining.
He was still trying to stare me down, and when he saw my confusion, he added, “I am aroyal prince, Nikolai, andyourcommanding officer. I am not going to be… whatever you might call it.”
“Fucked?”
He clenched his jaw. He did not like my crudity when applied to him, I noticed. He took a swallow of wine and commented haughtily, “We are only here at all because of me.”
