Indiscretions by Madelynne Ellis Page B

unlikely to be pretty.
    But Lucerne alone, with no observers was a different matter. For Lucerne he’d willingly prostrate himself. Particularly if it got him exactly what he wanted.
    Lust really was an intolerable thing. He tried hard not to let it rule him. A smile stretched the corners of his mouth. But sometimes giving in to it was life’s biggest reward.
    “Vaughan.” Lucerne’s teeth were pressed tight to his lower lip. His gaze continued to dance about as though any moment he expected them to be seized and their relationship made public.
    “Would you like to fuck me tonight, Lucerne?”
    He actually heard Lucerne gulp. “Don’t do this now.”
    Vaughan looked deep into Lucerne’s eyes, binding their thoughts together. He wished he could reach up and offer even a touch of reassurance. A simple caress was all it would take to seal the pact, but maintaining a certain distance was absolutely essential to the rouse. “Do it now. Here. While she’s still warbling. It’ll mask the cries.”
    Lucerne’s tongue flicked once over his lips. He tugged at the edge of his collar. “As if you’re genuinely game. I know when I’m being teased.”
    “Do you? I’m not teasing. I want you inside me. I want you to fuck me.”
    “No, you don’t. You’ve never wanted it like that before.”
    “Haven’t I? Ever considered that something…someone kept getting in the way?”
    “This is not about Bella.”
    “It’s absolutely about Bella. Don’t you think it’s a little unfair that the pair of you get all the fun all of the time?”
    “Wha—No.” Lucerne shook his head. “There’s no way you’re going to let me do that. Besides, what makes you think that being sandwiched between you and Bella is fun?”
    Vaughan lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “Something about how hard you come. Not that we’re involving Bella. This is purely about you and me.”
    Another shake of the head followed. Lucerne hid behind the fringe of his hair. “Listen to the recital,” he rasped after another minute or so.
    “Wouldn’t you rather hear me sing?” Vaughan cocked an eyebrow in the direction of a carved oaken screen. “Conservatory.”
    “No.”
    “Now. Right now. Go, or I’m going to kiss you in full view of the room.” He wasn’t, or leastways not in any way that could be construed as anything other than acceptable behaviour, but Lucerne didn’t need to know that.
    Lucerne’s shoulders lifted as his back straightened, then he passed quickly behind Vaughan and headed for the conservatory.
    Good man . Vaughan folded his arms and waited a minute or so. He doubted anyone was paying them any attention, the audience’s focus remained on the girl, but it never hurt to take precautions.
    * * * * *
     
    Someone had thoughtfully left the key in the lock. Vaughan turned it, isolating him and Lucerne in the conservatory. Thankfully the Wincombes were fond of foliage, so that the glass space was filled with vines and big leafy bushes, rather than rows of orchids or strawberry plants. He found Lucerne near the centre of the room, in a small secluded arbour, shielded on three sides by greenery. The fourth provided a view out over the twilit lake. Unless someone pressed their face to the glass they’d remain unseen.
    “You know this is folly. There are too many people about.”
    The very thrill of the crowd’s presence vibrated beneath Vaughan’s skin, lending a sense of urgency to the proceedings. He tossed the key into an empty jardinière. “All I see are stars, quarry tiles and you.”
    “It’s too damn risky.” Lucerne back-stepped as Vaughan walked towards him.
    “It’s too good an opportunity to miss. Live a little, Lucerne. What’s life without risk?” He caught hold of Lucerne’s lapels and forced their bodies into contact. Ah, the pleasure of hard muscle pressed tight to his torso. Their mouths met as he girdled Lucerne’s hips. Tentative only for the first second, then turning greedy and demanding.