It was Winter who reached down and grabbed the handle, opening it and then clinging to Rupert as he carried his husband through to the bedchamber.
Rupert could sense the difference in the room immediately. Winter had redecorated since he’d moved in, clearly having bought some things from home. There were soft cushions on the window seat and a chaise lounge along another wall. Rupert could imagine Winter reclining on there in next-to-no clothes.He suddenly wished he could paint so he could capture what his imagination had carved out for him.
Setting Winter on his feet, Rupert went back to the door, closed and locked it. “Will your team, Sigmund and that Pippin of yours, respect a locked door? Will your brother?”
“August isn’t even in the castle at the moment.” Winter winked as he pulled his robe off and chucked it on the nearby chair. Rupert had seen Winter’s chest before, but it was so much more enticing when it wasn’t covered in shetherin rash and the marks left by a gryphon.
Winter wasn’t stopping at his robe, however. He bent down, kicked off his boots, and then slid his pants down his thighs. “I am getting close to naked,” he said, “because I want what might happen between us to occur naturally. I fear that fumbling with clothes, buttons, fasteners, and all that other carry-on tends to ruin the mood, don’t you agree?”
“I’ve never been naked with someone in an intimate setting before, but I can see the appeal,” Rupert agreed. Taking his cue from Winter, he quickly shucked off his robe and then bent and got rid of his pants and boots, just as Winter had done.
He was wearing an undergarment, just a small set of briefs. He found that it was more comfortable if his private parts were contained rather than chaffing against the material of pants or tights. Those briefs were now tight, though, and there was no hiding his arousal.
“You look as handsome and sexy as I thought you would,” Winter said, holding out his hand. “Leave your briefs on if they make you feel more comfortable. I will, too, for our first night.”
Although if Winter thought for a moment his briefs were actually covering his private bits, Rupert felt his husband was being optimistic. The material that was cupped around Winter’s skinlooked silky and even sheer in places. If Winter was looking to preserve his modesty, he hadn’t succeeded. Rupert felt a twitch in his nether regions as if his length was looking for a way out.
“Join me on the bed,” Winter suggested as he climbed onto the mattress and lay down. “I don’t know about you, but I love the feel of skin on skin. I believe, if we start there, we can see what else might come up between us.”
“I don’t think anything coming up is going to be an issue," Rupert said with a nervous laugh. Climbing on the bed, he sprawled out next to Winter, not touching – not yet – but close enough he imagined he could feel the heat of Winter’s skin.
“I’m just not quite sure how we’re going to go about getting these appendages to go down. Put bluntly, I don’t know how it is between men when webothhave the same bits.” Rupert flicked downward, indicating their groins.
“I’m aware, Rupert dear. Don’t worry. We’re not in a rush.” Winter’s eyes were twinkling. Rupert had no idea what his husband thought was so amusing. He was telling his truth. He had no idea what was going to happen. No man had ever touched his shaft before. Although the state Rupert was in, he wasn’t likely to care if the hand touching his genitals was male, female, or a furry glove over a mechanical hand.
“Roll toward me and put your arm around me.” Winter’s voice deepened. “That’s it,” he added as Rupert did what Winter said. Winter’s arms curled around Rupert’s neck, his fingers getting entangled in Rupert’s hair. “Now, if you felt inclined, you should probably kiss me, and this time our bodies will be pressed together completely.”
Couldn’t you just play with my dick?Honestly, it felt like forever since Rupert had someone handling him the way he liked. Rupert had never shared penetrative intimacies with a female.After a particularly graphic tutorial from his tutor when he was fourteen, who taught him about the possibility of pregnancy and the social ramifications of something like that happening – that was enough to give him a droop for life.
Winter couldn’t get pregnant. But then Winter didn’t have an orifice designed specifically for royal members to push into either. So that wasn’t going to happen. But if that was the case…
“Rupert dear, you’re overthinking this.”
Rupert would’ve replied, wanting to defend himself because thinking about a situation thoroughly didn’t sound like a bad idea, or even chatting about a few ideas. But the moment he opened his mouth, Winter’s lips were on his, fingers tugging at strands of his hair, and Winter’s body was moving against his in a way that could only be described as…incredible. That’s what it was. Incredible.
His brain shut down. Winter was demanding his attention, and Rupert couldn’t refuse. Thinking wasn’t an option when Rupert was feeling so much. It wasn’t just the way Winter’s lips were dominating his mouth – Winter’s body was warm and smooth against his own, teasing his skin, sending Rupert’s arousal to new heights.
Instinct kicked in. He needed to thrust, so he did, his covered cock rubbing against Winter’s crotch bump, but it wasn’t enough. Unwilling to stop kissing his husband, Rupert’s hands slid down Winter’s back, grabbing hold of his pert butt cheeks, using that pressure to press Winter’s hips against his own.
Rupert heard a groan.By the goddess, that was me.But it was impossible for Rupert to remain aloof, to have that slight disconnect he’d always had with previous partners. Winter wasn’t giggling, flirting, or patting his cock. His arousal seemed as intense as Rupert’s. His kisses had moved on from lips, andRupert’s whole face was being kissed and licked, as Winter’s fingers were massaging his scalp – and his body never stopped moving.
It was more than physical sensations, too – and there were plenty of those. It was as if Winter was projecting his arousal, his desire, his need for Rupert into the air around him. His body was reacting instinctively to Winter’s need and before Rupert was aware of what was happening, he felt the heavy sensation in his lower gut, and his balls tightened. “My gods,” he yelled as he pulled Winter toward him even tighter.
Winter nipped his neck, and then he froze, and let out a long groan, his breath skating across Rupert’s skin. “Oooh, yes.” Winter’s body went limp. It was clear he had reached his release as well.
“How…? What…? You didn’t even touch my cock.” Rupert felt like an idiot the moment the words left his mouth, especially when Winter chuckled.
“We’ll do that next time,” he said with a contented sigh. “Believe me, Rupert dear, there is still so much more we can explore together. In the meantime, we may have to get rid of these briefs. I don’t know about yours, but mine are sticky.”
Rupert looked down. There was a definite mess – not the sort of thing he could call a footman to come and tend to. “I’ll go and get a washcloth.” He made to move, but Winter was still holding onto him.
“Kiss me first. The mess can wait.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“My gods, is that a gryphon? They don’t look anything like the picture books I remember.”
Winter grinned at Rupert’s hushed whisper. It was almost lunch time the next day, and they’d been out since first light. It had taken hours to find the creatures, and as soon as they had, Winter ordered his party to dismount and crouch behind a bunch of convenient bushes. The gryphon adults, unlike the youngster Winter had found easily, were more inclined to hide when groups of people were around, and Winter’s party was made up of six people and an equal number of horses.
