Chapter Two—A Matter of Honor

 

Moonlight filtered through the thin clouds overhead. The glow produced enough illumination for Curran to determine that the gleam in the hunt master’s eye came from desire rather than the suggestion of a contest.

Could he really be that lucky?

Though his seed had been spilled once already this night, his cock hardened anew at the possibility of pleasuring someone other than himself. Curran enjoyed the challenge of learning his partner’s sexual preferences. To push his lover into release by finding that one special touch he couldn’t resist. But did Tanis share his love of adventure?

Curran decided to find out. He again arched his body so that it floated to the surface, belly up. “You have only to look at me to see what I am made of,” he said softly.

He heard the other man’s sharp intake of breath and knew he’d assumed correctly. The question now became whether or not the hunter would act on his interest.

“Muscle and bone, same as any other man,” Tanis muttered gruffly.

“Are you sure? Should you not investigate more thoroughly before you pass judgment on me?”

Curran could scarcely believe the brazen words he heard spilling out of his own mouth. Words that would surely ruin his chances of being accepted into the Duke’s House as a Master at Arms if repeated in the right ears. Yet he had said them to this solitary man, betting his future that Tanis had the courage to let himself be ruled by his desire rather than his fear.

A tentative touch at Curran’s brow brought the reassurance he sought. He wasn’t going to be betrayed. Thank the Lord.

Curran nuzzled against the large, rough hand. “There is more of me to discover, if you wish it.”

“You are no man,” Tanis replied. His voice came from somewhere deep inside him, a dark and lonely place.

“What am I then?”

“A puckish sprite come to tempt me beyond all reason.”

Curran smiled in the darkness. Given the position he was in—flat on his back, floating on top of the water—there was no way he could conceal his visceral reaction to the man’s words. Nor did he want to. His cock pulsed against the night, ready for whatever his companion had in mind.

“I want you to touch me, hunt master.”

“I must be mad.”

But Tanis complied, running his calloused palm over Curran’s smooth chest as steam billowed up around them, closing them off from the rest of the world. The hunter explored not only the bands of muscle ringing Curran’s rib cage, but traced them to his back in a firm caress.

“Come closer,” Curran encouraged him.

Tanis pulled Curran’s torso against his own. From this close distance, Curran could see the dark locks curling over the tall man’s shoulders. A bushy beard impeded his perusal of chin and lips and cheek. No matter. Everything he needed to see—desire and acceptance—was reflected in Tanis’ brown eyes.

After several heartbeats where happy surprise deepened into sharp need, a pair of large, strong hands were under him, lifting him to the level of Tanis’ mouth so that his nipple could be properly licked.

Curran shuddered at first contact of tongue to sensitive skin. There was little difference in temperature between the hot water and the hot mouth brushing over his skin. But, oh, the difference in texture! His nipple contracted, producing a hard nub that the hunter greedily sucked. Curran wound his arm around Tanis’ shoulders and clung to reflect his approval.

Tanis raised his head and glanced at Curran’s thickening shaft. “I never suspected you were interested in men before I saw you here tonight.”

“Nor did I.”

“Perhaps both of us are better at concealment than we knew.”

Curran nodded, then nipped the skin below the hunter’s ear. Tanis trembled for a second, as if restraining himself from returning the gesture. At a time when those with enough coin could buy and sell pleasures of the flesh as if they were no more precious than a serving of sweetmeats, it angered Curran that he had to break through barriers forged by the same people to snatch a bit of pleasure for himself.

“I ask for everything you can freely give me this night,” Curran said, knowing Tanis would hear his frustration, his anger that something so right between two men could be equally complex. “It is no less than I am willing to offer in return.”

The hunt master announced his response through a shudder of his large frame. His hands tightened on Curran’s ribs as if to push him away. For a second, Curran feared the man would reject him after all. That he had asked for too much, too soon.

But then the grip relaxed, shifted, and Curran found himself standing toe-to-toe with Tanis on the tiny ledge. “The next move is yours,” Tanis informed him. “I vow to go no further than you.”

Curran didn’t hesitate. He leaned in and took the hunt master’s mouth in a rough kiss. Too long denied the taste of a man, Curran couldn’t marshal his need into civilized behavior. He poured his passion into Tanis’ mouth, demanding that his challenge be met.

The hunt master did, pushing back with more control than Curran had, which kept their mutual hunger from spilling over into pain.

“You will be the very death of me,” Tanis said when they broke for air.

“Many times over, I pray.”

Curran reached beneath the water and took his own cock in hand. The hardening length approached its stoutest capacity. He brought the plump head in contact with the hunter’s belly. He caressed the man’s taut muscles with the tip of his cock, paying extra attention to the cleft of his bellybutton.

Because he was watching Tanis’ face rather than the point of contact, Curran caught the look of surprise. The hunt master quickly doused it, and Curran wondered why. Suddenly uncertain, he pulled back. “Is it not to your liking?”

“I will be clear if your attentions offend me, warrior.”

“Then why shield your enjoyment from me?”

“Sharing your body is enough to ask.”

Curran thought he understood what had gone unspoken. People who rarely came into contact with others often assumed that feelings were like defective possessions. To be given sparsely, as if they were a weighty responsibility rather than a precious gift.

With time, maybe he could teach the hunter otherwise. But that would have to come later. It was not a lesson that could be learned in the space of a single sigh.

Curran continued rubbing his tall shaft against Tanis’ belly as he sought more of the man’s hard, hungry kisses. Since the hunter had taken on the task of keeping both their heads above water, Curran was free to use his other hand to explore.

There were ridges of scar tissue along Tanis’ left shoulder. Four parallel lines, perhaps from a wolf or a large cat. An oddly shaped pattern just over his left hip indicated a wound from a puncture. Not a bladed weapon, but something that would pierce the skin and leave a hole. A broken branch perhaps, or a walking stick that had been sharpened at one end. Most troubling of all, however, was the web of knife wounds Curran discovered high and inside on both thighs.

“Stop,” Tanis ordered as Curran became distracted by thoughts of what might have caused such extensive scarring. “Do not concern yourself with those.”

“Are you revoking the rights you granted me?”

The hunter’s eyes glittered darkly. Once or twice Curran had looked into the face of a sparring partner and known that battle lust surged in his veins, turning friend to foe in a flash of a lightning bolt. The look Tanis wore now was not dissimilar.

“One word about them, warrior, and you will not have a chance to speak of them again.”

“Then perhaps I should find something better for my mouth to do,” Curran replied, forcing a trickle of amusement back into his tone.

The pain endured to earn those scars weighed on Curran’s mind for a total of three rapid heartbeats. Not because he ceased to care, but because after that short time Tanis suddenly released him.

Before his head submerged, Curran sucked in a lungful of air. He used the hunt master’s body as a guide, following it down into the dark, steamy water. When he reached waist level, he wrapped his arms around Tanis’ legs and heaved upward with as much force as he could muster. Curran came to rest on the rocky ledge where they’d started but Tanis ended up in the hottest part of the pool.

He plowed through the water and met Curran with a hard, fast kiss. “I was wrong. You are not a sprite. ‘Tis the black soul of a devil that lives inside you.”

Curran chuckled, which only increased the tempo of his own breathing. “I am flattered you think so highly of my tricks.”

“You are fast on your feet, I grant you.” Tanis tweaked Curran’s nipple with his strong fingers. “I will have to teach you that being fast and bold is not always the best way to capture your prey.”

Again the water provided a helping hand as Tanis lifted Curran onto the grassy bank. Curran’s legs bracketed his torso. The hunter glanced at the rigid arrow of flesh rising upward, and then met Curran’s eyes. “Impressive. Will it taste as good as it looks?”

“Decide for yourself.” The words were supposed to be tossed off carelessly, but they had a certain desperate edge to them. Curran had a question of his own he wanted answered. Would Tanis suck his cock with the same strength and skill he’d demonstrated in his kisses?

The hunter’s mouth descended in agonizingly slow increments. Curran closed his eyes, waiting for the first erotic touch.

But it didn’t come…

And it didn’t come…

Finally he opened his eyes, irritated at the game the hunter was playing with him. “What the hell are you waiting for?”

“I thought you were napping. I did not wish to disturb you.”

Curran kicked water up with his feet. A heavy rain of droplets smacked Tanis’ face. He bent forward and rubbed his whiskered cheek against Curran’s thigh to wipe the wetness away. The abrasive feeling was so arousing that his cock nearly burst without further encouragement.

Gritting his teeth against the rising tide of climax, Curran growled, “Put your mouth on me, you insufferable bastard.”

This time the hunter’s rough laugh disturbed the night creatures. His hawk companion took to the air, landing on one of the boulders where Curran had left his clothes. She cocked her head toward her human friend, but Tanis didn’t glance away from Curran’s face as he lowered his lips to the twin sacs, licking and sucking the soft skin he found there.

Curran tried to press his body closer to the hunter’s mouth. He pulled back and waited for Curran to resume his original position. Then that talented mouth would descend again, Curran would arch into it, and Tanis would withdraw. Over and over, neither man willing to give up, give in. Finally, frustrated beyond his ability to reason, Curran pushed too far and sent himself over the pool’s edge.

“Ready to settle down, are you?” Tanis asked, after he caught Curran in his arms.

“I will not be held accountable for my actions if you delay much longer,” Curran muttered. The threat was punctuated with a tongue-dueling kiss.

“Better set you up so you do not sink yourself in the process.” Tanis picked out a rocky shelf near the surface and guided Curran onto it.

Once his hips rested on the small rocky ledge, Curran found two natural handholds he could use to anchor himself in place. He dug his fingers into the pliable earth and said, “Now, hunt master. I beg you.”