Acceptable Lies by CM Corett

Author:CM Corett [Corett, CM]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay romance
ISBN: 978-1-63476-818-4
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2016-02-03T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

RAINDROPS RAPPED sharply against the window like pebbles striking the glass. In the study, the light dimmed as gray clouds rolled in from the sea, blocking the sun. William placed the blackmail letters upon his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose. What had he done? What madness drove him to take such risks?

William sighed and dropped his hand. Madness? Really? Did he seek to explain his own actions, his responses, with a decree of madness, as if he had no control over the events of the previous evening? He was not a helpless victim. He could have stopped Daniel at any time with a word or a sign—but he hadn’t. If it were purely desire he felt for Daniel, perhaps he could have turned Daniel away. Perhaps. But it was more—much more. In Daniel’s presence he was… whole? That seemed a strange way to describe it, but no other word came to mind. Add in a desire such as he had never experienced before and….

Daniel. Daniel’s hands, his warm body pressed against his, Daniel’s hot, wet mouth engulfing his—

Stop. The blackmail letter crumpled in his grip. He needed to deal with the task at hand. There must be some clue to the author’s identity, something he had missed during his previous inspections of the letters. The trouble lay in the quantity of enemies he had accumulated over the years. It could be any number of known foes from his espionage days, or even a person of whom he was unaware. Like the casting of stones into a pond, his actions were sure to have created a ripple effect.

Ripple. Like his stomach muscles as Daniel trailed gentle fingers—

God damn it! He scraped his fingers through his hair. Concentrate!

A loud knocking upon the study door startled him.

“Enter.”

Mrs. Pritchet appeared. “My lord, Mr. Carstairs and Mr. Langley are here to speak with you.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Pritchet. Please send them in immediately.”

The housekeeper nodded and disappeared through the open doorway.

William shifted in his chair to ease the suddenly too-tight trousers. He smiled as two gentlemen dressed in riding attire entered the study. One fair and lean, the other dark and broad—they were both tall and imposing.

Good. A distraction. “Carstairs. Langley. Good morning to you both. I trust you have come with information for me.”

As they settled into chairs facing him, Carstairs responded. “Good morning. I’m sorry for the delay. We were… otherwise engaged when your request arrived. Certain matters for ‘The Foreign Office’ that couldn’t wait.”

“Ah, yes. Not to worry. I trust the other matter was dealt with, without too much trouble?”

A slow smile crept across Langley’s mouth. “Not at all. I ‘dispatched the matter’ with a quick slash of my blade before it could become too troublesome.”

William nodded. During their years of espionage together, or as they referred to it, “The Foreign Office,” there were many instances where the situation called for a matter to be resolved by death. Langley had always relished the chance to “dispatch the matter” with a sharp blade or a pistol.

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