A Gentleman Revealed by Cooper Davis

Author:Cooper Davis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2018-04-17T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

The day of the opera arrived, and despite the earlier hullabaloo with his family, Marcus was seen off with much back-slapping by all. His heart had soared like a bird all the way here to Alistair’s town house, and it was a wonder he hadn’t taken flight himself whilst being shown to a lavishly appointed guest bedroom. The room was filled with fragrant flowers and with double hearths that blazed with roaring fires. Clearly, every courtly detail had been considered—even upon the bed, a small bouquet of lilacs lay, tied together with a silk ribbon.

Marcus stepped closer, beginning to laugh joyously. He fingered the bouquet, and the ribbon—pale blue silk. It was the silk tie from Alistair’s drawers, the ones he’d worn the first time they’d made love! He pressed the bouquet to his nose, inhaling the delicate scent and drinking in the seductive gesture wrapped up by one silk ribbon.

A rap sounded on the closed door, and Marcus spun, still clutching the bouquet to his chest as he moved to open the door. The man who greeted him on the other side was handsome, dressed in a crisp black tailcoat, and stole Marcus’s breath. Finley lingered in the entry, and for a solid moment or two it almost seemed like the gentleman was stunned as speechless as he.

With a dazed shake of his head, Alistair finally murmured, “You look so very handsome, my lord.” He inclined a genteel bow. “I daresay you’ll outshine all the performers on stage, so stunning are you tonight.”

“Well, that would be poorly done of me.”

Alistair smiled. “I will hide you away in King Arend’s box, where I alone may bask in your glow. That should meet the standards of operatic propriety.”

“But what of you? Good God, Finley, you’re striking tonight, as well. You should wear a tailcoat more often.”

Alistair smiled shyly and straightened one cuff, so that the perfect measure of linen peeked from beneath the inky black coat sleeve. “Perhaps,” he said after a moment, glancing circumspectly into the hall behind him, “our weeks apart allowed your imagination to reach epic heights of fantasy.”

“I don’t think so, no.” Marcus narrowed his eyes. The gentleman before him had never appeared quite so stunning, perfectly outfitted in his formal finery. Even if that rosy hue on Alistair’s cheeks betrayed what Marcus suspected, that he’d begun imbibing before Marcus’s arrival at half-four. “In fact, I fear my memory of you was not quite generous enough.”

“Ah, then I may not be the only one in need of spectacles.” Alistair laughed huskily, leaning against Marcus’s doorjamb with luxuriant grace.

Posed there so confidently, Finley had the mien of a prince. A subtle air of extreme nobility, in his look, his grace. The realization all but robbed Marcus of his very breath; it caused his cock to harden and pulse.

He inclined a quick bow in a desperate bid to compose himself. “I see you perfectly fine, thank you, Mr. Finley.”

Alistair gave him a dimpled, sideways grin—one that was looser than usual.

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