The Professor and the Smuggler Read online

  “Nor should she,” Phillip chimed in. “A woman with a good head for business should be given free rein.” He hardly knew what he said, for inside his heart was leaping about like a lamb in a meadow. Frolicking, actually, at the knowledge that Carne and Bea would no longer be sharing a bed. At least, good God, he hoped that was the case. He couldn’t imagine Carne would be the type to carry on an affair under the nose of a woman’s new husband.

  It occurred to him that Carne might be heartbroken, though he hardly acted so. Phillip studied his face, the black-bearded jaw moving as Carne ate. “Were you sad to hear the news?”

  “Perhaps. A little. But ’tis a small cut and quickly healed. I believe I was leading Bea on for quite a while now. Didn’t mean to but”—he shrugged—“there it is. She’s asked me to stay away from the inn for a while. A good plan. ’Twill be good for us both to move on to something new.”

  Me. You may move on to me, Phillip clamored silently. Aloud, he said, “I’m sorry. I know the sort of affair you’re referring to. I’ve had my share of particular friends who came and went. As you say, a small cut, but a cut nevertheless.”

  “Talking of cuts, is that blood on the table?”

  Phillip lifted his hand to take a look at the cut on his palm that he’d washed but never bandaged.

  Carne craned his neck, straining to see. “You’re hurt?”

  Phillip held up his hand to show him. “Hardly. Though those rocks are sharp.”

  “Let me bandage that.”

  The man left his meal half-finished and leaped up to get a bandage. He returned to take Phillip’s hand in his and wrap the clean cloth around it. The gentle contact of those large, work-roughened fingers made Phillip lose his appetite for anything except more of Carne’s touch.

  Carne had finished bandaging but stood holding Phillip’s hand, thumb moving restlessly over each knuckle above the bandage. Then he interlaced his fingers with Phillip’s, and they remained that way for several seconds. A small, simple touch, but powerful. Phillip was afraid to speak or move lest he break the spell and drive Carne away again.

  “I was…” Carne began, dark eyes glowing as he stared at their joined hands above the tabletop.

  “Yes?” Phillip whispered.

  “I was worried when you weren’t here. Unreasonably so. Afraid you’d gotten into some sort of trouble along the way. This part of the country can be unfriendly.”

  Phillip swallowed down his story once more and nodded slightly. “So you came looking for me. I’m touched.”

  “Wanted you safe. Here. With me.” Carne punctuated each thought with a pause. “I wanted you here with me,” he repeated. “And it frightens me I come to worry about you so much in mere days. To feel so…”

  Yes? Yes? Go on.

  Big shoulders shrugged, and he let Phillip’s hand slip away.

  Phillip nearly whimpered in disappointment. He rose to face Carne. “Are you ashamed about what happened last night? You mustn’t be. I promised you I wouldn’t push you to do anything you don’t want—”

  Carne lunged forward, grabbing him, crushing their mouths together, muffling the words and bruising Phillip’s lips. A good bruise. The sort of bruise he’d happily have inflicted on him many times a day.

  Phillip gripped Carne’s upper arms, hot beneath the fabric of his shirt, and held on. He opened his mouth, let Carne’s tongue plunder his mouth like the pirate the man probably was. Take and steal and have all of me that you want. The soft scrape of the other man’s beard and moustache made Phillip’s upper lip and chin tingle. The sensation drove him mad. He imagined that beard between his thighs or brushing his staff when Carne took Phillip into his mouth. Oh, there were many places he’d love to feel that facial hair, tickling the crack of his arse or light as feathers against his sac.

  Raging heat devoured Phillip as he clung to Carne and returned his kiss with a ferocity that shocked him. He hadn’t been this ravenous for a man since the stableman of his youth. Not even Ian, the professor he’d loved, had aroused this sort of sheer, animal lust. Phillip hardly recognized himself as he wrapped a leg around the back of Carne’s to bind them together and rubbed his erection against the bulge in the other man’s trousers.

  He clutched Carne’s shirt in back, but he needed to feel the muscles under sleek skin. Would Carne allow it? Full nudity and more than the exploration of hand to cock they’d indulged in last night? Phillip was almost afraid to break off the kiss in order to find out.

  But at last he had to pull away to breathe. “May I?” Phillip’s voice was as gravely as the stony seashore.

  “What?” Carne’s eyes fluttered open. They were a darker brown than ever, almost as black as a midnight sparkling with stars. “May…what?”

  Phillip tugged at the hem of Carne’s shirt. “May I?” He slowly began to raise it, grasping the under vest along with it.

  Carne lifted his arms above his head, allowing Phillip to pull off both shirts. Oh God, the sight of that powerful chest, those bulging biceps, and the thick cords of muscle in the man’s neck and banding his flat stomach. The hair! The dark pelt that covered his chest and trailed down to disappear into his waistband. Phillip could only gape at the man’s gorgeous body for several long moments.

  But Carne seemed nervous, his arms beginning to fold across his chest as if he’d like to hide himself from Phillip’s avid gaze. Phillip must demonstrate his admiration. He stopped those arms rising and rested his palm on Carne’s chest, holding his rapidly beating heart in one hand.

  “Your body is hot as a stove, almost too hot to touch, and so…beautiful,” Phillip murmured. “Please, allow me to see all of you. And then…” he chuckled, “I’ll show you mine, though I promise it won’t be as fine a specimen as this.”

  Carne frowned, nodded, and took Phillip’s hand to follow him into the bedroom. Once there, he lost his submissive demeanor and took charge. Rather than remove his trousers and reveal himself for Phillip’s inspection, Carne began to undress Phillip, who was happy to hold very still and relish each layer the other man removed from him.

  Jacket, waistcoat, shirt, braces, trousers, vest, and drawers… What a lot of silly layers a civilized man must wear. But it was a pleasure feeling Carne’s hands moving all over him, unfastening buttons and hooks, loosening fabric, revealing naked flesh. How Phillip shivered when the air touched him and Carne’s fingertips grazed him. Every inch of his skin glowed with energy; every tiny touch was magnified beyond bearing. He literally trembled, his knees ready to buckle by the time he stood completely nude in the center of the room.

  Carne stepped back, gaze traveling slowly from crown to foot, a slight frown drawing his heavy brows together. Phillip had never felt so exposed, despite the many times he’d been naked with men before. This was different. He was Carne’s “first,” and he was very aware of the fact. Would the sight of Phillip’s scrawny form remind Carne of why he found women attractive? Where were the soft curves? Phillip had none. He was all angles and sharp bones—though he awarded himself points for a nice flat stomach and sinewy arms from carrying his camera equipment around all the time.

  He held his palms open and to the sides in a humble gesture. “Here I am. Will I do?”

  The look in Carne’s eyes changed from coolly assessing to hot as molten metal. “Oh aye. You’ll do very well indeed. Now show me what happens next.”

  *

  Carne could barely form words when Phillip so shyly asked if his naked body was sufficiently attractive. A few short days ago, Carne would have viewed a man’s bare body, perhaps as they swam in the ocean, and hardly registered it. He would never have imagined he’d find long limbs and a spare frame so very attractive, but now, Phillip’s every asset excited him as his gaze traveled over the other man’s body.

  Phillip trembled slightly, and Carne realized he was perhaps nervous. Carne quickly reassured him that he wholeheartedly craved whatever came next.

  “If you like, I could…” Phillip moved toward him, reached
for the front of his trousers, and quickly had them opened and peeled down his hips. He knelt before Carne, assisting him out of shoes, socks, and the rest.

  As Carne set a bare foot on the cool floor of what had once been his parents’ room, he couldn’t help imagining their horror if they knew what was about to take place in their bed. Rather than turn his stomach, it perversely encouraged his already galloping desire. He would do what he liked with whom he liked, and no one would know or judge him.

  He stood utterly naked and exposed to Phillip’s hungry gaze. The man knelt at his feet, staring at every bit of him, and far from making Carne cringe in embarrassment, it set him on fire. Phillip’s shining eyes might have been fingertips brushing all over his body. His cock felt larger than it ever had, swelled beyond bearing and eager to be touched.

  Phillip did not leave him wanting for long. He met Carne’s gaze while taking his cock in hand and guiding it to his mouth. Carne caught his breath as Phillip pressed his lips to the tip, a small, warm kiss that set off a wild explosion of sensations.

  When Phillip opened his mouth and fed himself Carne’s length, oh so slowly and delicately, Carne couldn’t suppress a low groan of pleasure. He couldn’t deny the illicit nature of this act was part of the excitement, but there was more to it than that, for he knew of no other man with whom he would care to do such a thing. The professor from London ignited all sorts of unexpected thoughts, feelings, and urges in Carne. He was a sea-change, a strong wind blowing from a new direction and scouring away Carne’s layers until a new man emerged.

  The strong grip of Phillip’s hand, the hard, wet suction of his mouth, nearly had him swooning. His legs trembled. He put out a hand to touch the head bobbing up and down on his cock. Phillip’s hair was fine and soft between his fingers, his head hard underneath. Carne stroked him gently, and warm feelings swelled in his chest. Apart from the attraction and animal lust, he quite simply liked this amiable, intelligent, creative, rather awkward man. He enjoyed spending time with him and listening to all the amazing things the man knew or wondered about. The professor was an endless tide of knowledge and ideas and daydreams. Carne wished Phillip didn’t have to go when his project was finished.

  But no need to think of that now. He allowed his eyes to close and gave himself over fully to sensation. The powerful, insistent suction on his cock made him whimper in delight. He relished it but wanted more. What would it be like to be buried in a man’s body? He’d never suggested or thought of buggery with Bea. But now, with Phillip, he could learn why sodomy was an act some men craved.

  He tugged gently on Phillip’s head to stop him. “Wait. Might we…?”

  Phillip pulled off, leaving Carne’s shining wet cock feeling cold and abandoned. “What?”

  Carne’s face burned as he tried to frame the question. “There are other things men do together. I thought”—he gestured at the bed—“we might try… But only if you wish to.”

  A sunshine smile flashed across Phillip’s face as he climbed to his feet. “You want to have me. I don’t mind. I enjoy being the bottom.” His grin widened. “Although if you’re feeling truly adventurous and want to switch, I could…” He winked and weighed his hefty erection in one hand.

  Carne blanched at the thought of that long staff probing him. The muscles of his rear entrance clenched. “No. I don’t believe I could. Though I want to give you satisfaction too. Turnabout is fair play. I should at least, um, suck your…”

  Phillip clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Calm yourself. I was only teasing. I wouldn’t expect to bugger you. You’ve come a long way very quickly. Nor would I expect you to suck me, not until you actually desire it.”

  He might. He could desire it, Carne realized. All this felt less foreign than he’d expected and more like something he’d been waiting for without knowing it.

  Phillip took his hand and led him to the bed. “Have you any sort of lubrication? Oil, grease?”

  “Lanolin. A fisherman’s hands are chapped and cracked most of the time.” He went to retrieve the jar from his nightstand and offered it to Phillip.

  “You haven’t been fishing since I’ve arrived.” Phillip climbed onto the bed and beckoned Carne to him so he might smear the ointment along the length of his cock. He kept talking, perhaps to relax Carne, or more likely because he was nervous. The professor had said he jabbered when ill at ease. Phillip’s words washed over him now.

  “Might you take me out on your boat and show me how it’s done? I’d be very interested in being on the sea rather than merely looking at it. The full experience, you see.”

  “Mm,” Carne grunted, but he was too enraptured by the sight of Phillip reclining against the pillows, parting and lifting his legs and reaching down to slick more lanolin over his arsehole. Carne swallowed, and his cock vibrated like a hard-tied line ready to snap.

  “Don’t you need to…?” Carne made a turning motion with his finger, suggesting flipping over.

  Phillip shook his head. “Works face-to-face too. Come here and see.” He held open his arms.

  Carne cautiously moved over him, their cocks bumping together and thrilling him. The heat of Phillip’s body burned him as Phillip reached between to guide Carne to his backside. He slid his cockhead along the groove until it reached…ah God, he was there, at Phillip’s entrance, probing, pushing, entering the forbidden spot. So tight. Impossibly tight and no, he couldn’t squeeze into such a narrow channel. Except he could, and he was, and it was—Carne sobbed softly—glorious!

  He thrust with more passion than grace, as uncontrolled as a boat spun about in rough seas and a strong wind. Phillip let out a small cry of alarm, and Carne instantly stilled. He came back to himself, looked down at his partner’s face, and became aware of him.

  “Sorry. I’m so eager, ’tis like holdin’ back the tide.”

  “It’s all right. Just a tiny bit slower, please. Give me time to adjust to your, ah, prodigious girth.” Phillip bit his lower lip until it went white under the pressure of his teeth.

  Carne had always prided himself on being a thoughtful lover. He knew how to move slowly and give pleasure to a woman—not only Bea but a couple of others before her. Surely it was no different with a man, a matter of being aware of the other person’s reactions and providing what he needed. He reached between their bodies and grasped Phillip’s cock, determined to give as much pleasure as he received.

  Phillip took his wrist, stopping him. “Afterward. Now we think of you.”

  Carne was glad to be given permission, for it was quite enough to concentrate on moving his hips, thrusting very carefully until Phillip had encompassed all of him, then withdrawing just as slowly. He wondered what it felt like to Phillip. Did he actually enjoy it, or was he being polite? Did it hurt in a good way, and might Carne enjoy it too if he gave it a try?

  Too many thoughts. He put them away and concentrated on the sensation of tightness and heat—such overwhelming heat, and Phillip’s hard, wiry body under his. He angled his body lower so they were groin to groin, chest to chest, and dipped his head to nuzzle and lick Phillip’s neck. Light stubble scratched his lips. How odd it felt, and yet pleasant.

  Carne gripped Phillip’s muscular forearm in one hand and pressed it against the pillow. Phillip gave a muffled whimper. He liked being held down. Carne filed that information away for future use. Phillip’s other hand roamed down Carne’s back, gripped his buttocks, and encouraged his thrusting.

  “Move faster now,” he whispered. “Now!”

  Carne didn’t need a second invitation. He’d reached the limit of patience, and his body was ready to be released. He pushed and withdrew. Pushed again and groaned against Phillip’s neck. His hips pumped hard and tension gathered in his groin, his balls drawing tight. Then it exploded through him in one great rush, a climax such as he’d never experienced before. His mind dissolved, and he became pure ecstasy and bliss as he spent inside Phillip’s body.

  When Carne came back to himself, tears wet his cheeks, a
nd his face pressed hard into the crook of Phillip’s neck. He inhaled the man’s scent and flicked out his tongue to taste salt. They were here. Like this. Wrapped around each other and pressed so close together, they could be one. He’d never been more content or satisfied.

  And he’d never been more afraid, the realization struck him. Carne may have embarked on this as a harmless experimentation, but he’d been a fool to think it would be so easy. For he’d fundamentally changed and could never return to being ignorant of what he now knew. His wants and needs were different. And they included Phillip Singleton.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Phillip was pinned to the bed by a large sweaty man. His arm had somehow gotten wedged under Carne’s leg and prickled with pins and needles, and his neck had developed a crick. His arse and balls ached. He’d never felt better in his life.

  And then he felt a drop of water, a tear, land on his neck. Carne was crying? Oh damn and blast, Phillip didn’t know what he could do if his new friend had retreated and traded pleasure for guilt. How could he comfort someone if Phillip formed the reason for the sorrow?

  “Are you well?” he whispered.

  Carne nodded, his hair brushing Phillip’s cheek and neck. He pushed himself up. Almost at once, Phillip missed the bulky weight of the man.

  “Now you,” Carne said. His eyes might have been a bit red, but he looked cheerful, and his smile held interest. “We’ll take care of you.”

  Hallelujah, Phillip wouldn’t be abandoned by the big man after all.

  Carne brushed his hand down Phillip’s side and across his belly, damp with sweat and spending.

  “Um. No need.” Phillip blushed. From the mere pressure of Carne’s belly sliding over his cock, he had orgasmed as fast and hard as a boy just discovering pleasure.

  Carne bent and kissed him, a sweet lazy kiss that deepened slowly. When Carne pulled away, they both breathed hard.

  Phillip pulled him down, and Carne landed with a grunt of surprise. “You’re strong for such a skinny lad.”