Thief of Hearts Read online

  He struggled up onto one elbow and peered around. David closed the book and laid it on his chest.

  “Wha…what time is it?” he asked, rubbing at his eyes.

  “After seven.”

  “Lord, I’ve been asleep hours.” Jeremy felt guilty at sleeping so long, and in the daytime, too. He wriggled to sit up and winced.

  “I got you some remedies for the bruising. I am assured by the apothecary that they will do the trick.” He held up a brown paper package tied up with string.

  “What is it?”

  David was undoing the wrapping. “A draught to help with the bruising and pain, and a salve to apply. I think it is probably arnica or something along those lines. The chap seemed to know what he was about.”

  Jeremy watched him. Dark head bent, grey green eyes intent on his task. “Thank you.”

  David looked up at him as he discarded the wrapper. “Here.” He put the bottle and pot of salve on the bedside. “I suggest we avail ourselves of supper, they do a splendid looking mutton pie here, and then I will anoint you before we retire.”

  Jeremy huffed a laugh.

  David swung his legs off the bed and stood up. He arched his back and stretched with a loud groan as his bones popped and then shook himself.

  “Come on. Get yourself brushed up. I’m starving.”

  Jeremy rolled off the bed with effort and went to the washstand to splash his face with water and run a comb through his hair. He straightened his cravat and the put his stockings and boots back on. David had a quick wash, and after a few moments moving about each other in the small space, then they were ready. Just as they were about to leave David threw another small package on the bed.

  “Here.” His voice was gruff.

  “What is it?”

  “Sewing things. In case you need…repairs.” He gestured to Jeremy’s bag and Jeremy’s heart almost stopped. He went to pick up the package, but David opened the door.

  “Not now. Eat first.”

  “But…”

  “Eat.”

  * * * *

  Jeremy watched David apply himself to his pie with gusto. He was good to the servants; polite and respectful, like a true gentleman. In fact, it was almost impossible to believe he wasn’t the respectable man he thought he’d met, but someone who made a living out of thieving.

  They ate in companionable silence, David occasionally topping up their wine glasses, until they both sat back with a sigh.

  “Delicious,” David murmured, wiping his mouth with his napkin.

  “Definitely.” Jeremy laid his napkin on the table and took another sip of his wine.

  David eyed him from across the table. “What will you do now?”

  “Go to bed?”

  “I mean in general. What will you do? Would you like to try and secure another post as a footman?”

  Jeremy actually shuddered. “Not if I can help it. There must be something else I can do which would earn me an honest living. I feel badly, because Elliot thought it would be just the thing, but…”

  David chuckled. “Service not to your liking?”

  “I can’t bear the clothes,” Jeremy admitted with a smile. “That uniform and wig drove me demented.” He shuddered simply recalling them.

  “You’d prefer a job where you could wear silk?”

  “If such a post existed I would apply. Sadly, I suspect it does not.” Jeremy sighed and fiddled with his knife. “In fairness, I was incredibly lucky to get a post as a footman. I feel badly that it will reflect on Elliot. I feel dreadful I didn’t like it because it was a good position. Respectable and with good prospects.” Jeremy shook his head. “He will be so disappointed. He promised my mother he would look after me just before she died. I think I’ve been something of a trial to him.”

  David looked as though he might say something, but then took another drink.

  “Would you help me pen a note to him as you said? I’d like to at least let him have my side of the story. I can’t bear the thought of what kind of rumours might get to him.”

  “Of course. We can do it tonight. Where is he?”

  Jeremy thought for a moment. “I don’t know. He might be with Lord Fane at his country house, or he might be in London.”

  David thought for a moment. “I’d imagine London, if Fane involves himself in politics.”

  “I think he does.”

  David nodded. “Then send it to his London address. If he is in town, you will be able to speak to him, too. Much tidier.”

  Jeremy nodded. His head ached at the thought of having to talk to Elliot and come up with some kind of explanation.

  “Are you worried about what he will say?”

  Jeremy nodded. “I don’t want to disappoint him.” It was true. The thought that Elliot might be shamed by him was something he couldn’t bear to think about. “I need to find another post quickly.”

  David sighed. “You can stay with me until you find something.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I have a lot of connections. Just tell me what you want to do.”

  Jeremy bit his lip.

  “You don’t have to decide immediately.” David folded his napkin. “We should retire. You look exhausted.”

  Jeremy looked over the table at David. So handsome, so…“Are you coming?”

  The tension between them shifted and David’s greenish eyes went from concerned to unreadable. “Would you like me to?”

  “I might need help with the salve.”

  They stared at each other, and Jeremy’s mouth went dry. David was the first to move. He dropped his napkin on the table and stood.

  They trooped out of the bar and up the stairs. The room was small, but comfortable and infinitely better than his sleeping quarters at the house.

  There was a glass beside the bed, so David poured some of the draught he had purchased earlier and sniffed at it. “Here, drink this, and then get undressed and lay face down on the bed.”

  Jeremy eyed it cautiously and sipped. It was vile. He pulled a face and held it away from himself.

  “Come on, or I’ll hold your nose and tip it down.”

  Jeremy grimaced. “Brute.” He threw the vile concoction down this throat and shuddered.

  “Baby,” David said, holding out a hand for the empty glass with a smile and somehow the word sounded like an endearment and not an insult. “Come on, clothes off.” He turned and threw some logs onto the fire and poked it, making it roar comfortably without creating too much smoke.

  Jeremy stripped down to his smalls and hesitated. He wasn’t sure why, David had seen him naked and just about kissed every available inch of him, but he still hesitated for a moment before stripping them off and lying face down on the coverlet. He shivered and looked sideways at David who had stripped off his coat and waistcoat, rolled up his shirtsleeves and was dipping his fingers into the large pot of salve and sniffing it.

  “Right. He said to rub it gently onto the bruising.” He sat on the bed, his hips beside Jeremy’s and started with the bruises across his back. The salve was cold, but David’s fingers were incredibly gentle. Jeremy closed his eyes at the sensation. It felt so good, it made him feel lightheaded. He lay perfectly still whilst David smoothed his fingers over almost all his back, working his way down. When he got to the top of his buttocks he hesitated.

  “I need to do your backside now.”

  Jeremy’s assent was muffled but unmistakable.

  “Tell me if I hurt you.”

  “Mmm hmmph.” It was all he could manage.

  There was a pause, and every part of Jeremy’s body tingled in anticipation. David spread the salve gently over his buttocks and Jeremy stifled a moan as he squirmed beneath his touch.

  “Am I hurting you?”

  “No.”

  “Do you want me to carry on?”

  “Yes.”

  David’s fingers gave way to his whole hands and he was massaging the salve into his buttocks, down the backs of his thighs, and up again. Gentle over the bruis
ed areas, but his thumbs dug into the muscle and massaged where it was safe.

  Jeremy was boneless again. He groaned softly, he couldn’t help it. David’s hands moved up his back again to his shoulders. He pressed into the knotted muscles there and then rubbed his arms right down to his fingers and back again.

  “You’re awfully good at that,” Jeremy managed.

  “I’m a very talented man.”

  His hands moved to his shoulders, down his spine to his backside with light touches which were more arousing than soothing, and Jeremy’s breath shortened. He waited to see what David would do next.

  He slapped him gently on the bottom and stood up. “There you go. See how that helps.”

  Jeremy lay unmoving. That was it? He wasn’t going to…He pushed up on one arm and looked back at David who was unbuttoning his shirt. He stripped it off and lay it over the back of a chair and then unbuttoned the falls of his breeches and stepped out of them and his drawers. Unselfconscious and beautiful. Muscle and that light dusting of hair made Jeremy’s heart thump. He hesitated, and then rummaged in his bag and pulled out a nightshirt and pulled it over his head. He went to Jeremy’s bag and pulled out his nightshirt and tossed it to him.

  “Do you mind sharing?” David asked, gesturing to the bed.

  “Of course not.” Jeremy wriggled into the garment and pulled it down.

  David climbed in and pulled the sheet and coverlet up so it covered them both, and then lay with a sigh on his back, one arm beneath his head.

  “Thank you,” Jeremy whispered.

  David turned his head on the pillow to look at him.

  “It’s the least I can do.” He blinked a couple of times. “We can have a leisurely morning and you can do any running repairs to your garments. I’ll get them pressed for you.”

  Jeremy’s breath left him.

  “Of course, you don’t have to, I just recall you mentioning you like sewing.”

  “I…thank you. I love sewing. I made the dress.”

  “Really?” David turned his head on the pillow again to look at him.

  Jeremy nodded, certain he was flushing all over his body.

  “It’s very good. It looked professionally made.”

  Jeremy was certain he was scarlet from head to foot. “Thank you.” He was sure David was only being kind, but hearing the words made him sing inside.

  David settled himself more comfortably and closed his eyes. “Perhaps you should be a tailor.”

  Jeremy listened as David’s breathing changed and he was sure he was asleep. He inched closer until their bodies touched lightly. David Lambert, or whatever he was called, might be a thief, but he was a good man, unlike the upstanding, respectable Christian men of Sir Granville’s household, the ones who had accused him without proof, beat him, and humiliated him. He held his breath when David moved, but it was only to roll him on his side and fold around him. David tucked his knees behind Jeremy’s and wrapped an arm around his middle. Jeremy relaxed into the hold, savouring the heat of David’s body and wondered about what made a man respectable.

  Chapter 12

  David woke early and buried his nose in the softness of Jeremy’s hair. What the hell was he going to do with him? He needed to make sure he was set up and out of harm’s way. He knew he had a protective streak, but this, for some reason, was driving him surprisingly hard. He could only presume it was because when it came down to it, Jeremy was in such a mess because of what he had done. Guilt was a powerful motivator.

  Jeremy sighed and turned, then burrowed into his chest. David stroked his head. He needed to learn a trade. Needed to be able to take care of himself. Tailoring would be a good option. It was something he could set up easily and then his conscience would be salved, and he could get on with his life.

  Jeremy fidgeted, and then pushed back, blinking sleepily.

  “Morning,” David murmured as Jeremy peeled open his eyes and went still.

  He swallowed and edged away. “Morning. Sorry, was I squashing you?”

  “Not at all.”

  Desire flooded David, surprising him with its intensity. He recalled the kisses they had shared and the feelings they evoked surprised him even more. He hated kissing. Hated it with a passion, but with Jeremy…He sighed.

  “What?” Jeremy shifted so that he could look at him.

  David pushed away the uncomfortable feelings and reached under the bedclothes to put a hand on Jeremy’s hip. His skin was warm. He caressed him and then pushed further so his hand covered part of his backside. Jeremy’s breathing changed and the air between them shifted.

  “I still want you,” David whispered. The words sounded faintly accusatory.

  Jeremy swallowed and after a moment, nodded. David groaned. He moved so he could cover him, but when Jeremy winced he cursed himself and stopped. He rolled onto his back and tugged at Jeremy. “You can’t take my weight with all that bruising. Come here.”

  Jeremy seemed to melt at that and slid over David, so he was laying on top of him. They pushed and pulled until nightshirts were out of the way and Jeremy lined their cocks together. He leaned down and for a moment, David thought he was going to kiss him, but he stopped short, leaving their mouths but inches apart. He could feel the warmth of his breath and for once, the intimacy of it didn’t terrify him. Jeremy moved again and pressed the ghost of a kiss to his cheek and then kissed his neck with wide, open-mouthed kisses which made David gasp and push up against him, aching for the kiss on the mouth that never came. He kissed and sucked all the way down to his shoulder all the while thrusting against him and David was utterly lost. He lifted a leg and immediately Jeremy grabbed it, then ran his hand down the back of his thigh and slid his fingers down his crease, making David buck uncontrollably. He was going to come. For God’s sake, he was going to come from just a kiss on the neck, a little frottage, and a finger near his arse. He convulsed and cried out, trying not to clutch Jeremy too tightly and hurt him, but it was hard. Jeremy sat up, took himself in hand, and finished, painting stripes over David’s chest and making him feel guilty that he hadn’t even so much as touched Jeremy’s gorgeous cock for him. The sight of his spending almost turned David inside out.

  “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” David whispered, as the flush of completion subsided.

  Jeremy knelt, panting heavily. “I’ve made a mess…I’ll get a cloth.” He scrambled off the bed and cleaned himself, then wiped David carefully and dried him.

  David watched. “Did I hurt you?”

  Jeremy climbed back into the bed, flopped over him, and pressed a kiss to David’s chest. “No.”

  They lay quietly, David traced an idle pattern over Jeremy’s arm. “When you feel better, will you dress up for me again?”

  Jeremy seemed to stop breathing completely, and David could have bitten out his tongue. The words had sprung from nowhere.

  Jeremy lifted his head and propped up on one elbow bring his face on a level with David’s, and David’s breath caught at his expression.

  “Really?” The word was laced with so much fragile hope that David hurt.

  “Really.” His voice was low and husky. It was hard to speak.

  “You don’t think I’m a disgusting freak?”

  David touched his face. “Ignore what they said. They are narrow minded arseholes.

  “You’d actually…want me like…”

  “I can’t stop thinking about you like…”

  The smile that lit Jeremy’s face was too much. David swallowed and pulled him close. Had nobody ever told him he was beautiful, desirable? He doubted it. The world they lived in was so horribly twisted and ugly. A world where someone as kind, brave, and beautiful as Jeremy was reviled, ridiculed, and made to feel ugly and ashamed was just so many shades of wrong.

  Jeremy flung his arms around David and buried his face in his neck.

  “Thank you,” he said, his voice muffled.

  “Pleasure is all mine, I assure you.”

  Jeremy emerged, eyes wet.r />
  “I think I might like you,” he said and sniffed loudly.

  David smiled. “No, you don’t. I’m dirty rotten thief.”

  “I never called you that!”

  “No, but I’ll wager you thought it and you’d be right.”

  Jeremy ran a finger down David’s cheek. “How long have you been doing it? Stealing things, I mean?” Jeremy rested his arms on David’s chest and propped his chin on his hands.

  “Well, a long time really.”

  “May I ask why?”

  David swallowed and tried to find a suitable lie but couldn’t. Perhaps it was the warmth and intimacy of laying with Jeremy, perhaps it was something else, but David opened his mouth and the words tumbled forth.

  “My father was a peer of the realm. My mother was an under parlour maid. Oldest story.”

  Jeremy’s eyes widened. “You’re a bastard?”

  “Of the highest calibre.”

  Jeremy rubbed a hand over his chest. “I’m sorry.”

  My early years were uneventful. He paid a little for my upkeep, or so I thought. My mother was terribly young, but she loved me and cared for me as best she could, and though we never had anything, she always had a smile for me.” His lips curved, remembering her. “But then…” he paused, surprised at the depth of emotion talking about it evoked. He’d never told this to anyone before, never talked about it at all.

  Jeremy stroked his chest and dropped a soft kiss there. “Do you have brothers and sisters?”

  David nodded. “Brother. Well, half-brother. He’s now the Viscount.” He cleared his throat. “And a few fellow bastards, I’ll wager. The old man was nothing if not indiscriminate.”

  “Then?” Jeremy said gently.

  “My father’s wife died.”

  Jeremy rubbed his chest again.

  The words just kept coming. David lay there, and they spewed forth. All that was vile and despicable in his life. “She was the one who paid for my upkeep, not my father. When she died, we were thrown out of the home we had on his land. Anyone who tried to help us or give us work was threatened with being turned off.” David could still feel the pain of hunger in his belly. “She took me to see him. Went to the big house.”