Page 125 of Their Master

He knew her parents had warped all their children almost beyond saving, but Sandrine had been in a similar position and yet she’d come to him and confessed, throwing herself on his mercy.

And hewasmerciful. To those who deserved it.

He was still stunned—infuriated and, yes, hurt—that Moira had never believed he was worth trusting.

That night, when he drank her drugged wine and submitted to being bound, he—stupidly—had continued to hope that she would not follow through with what she’d set in motion.

But she had.

Smith’s heart—not the reliable organ that continued to beat and pump blood through his body, but the far more fragile part of a person that carried hopes, dreams, and yes, love—had taken a vicious beating that night.

So had his pride.

And yet here he was, not ill or dying from the blunt trauma of that night but lying beside a different lover.

Perhaps it wasonlyhis pride that had been damaged? After all, he’d moved so easily from one body to the next—perhaps he was, as Charles had always accused, not capable of deeper feeling?

Ah, Charles.

Smith laughed softly—and a little ruefully—to himself.

Seeing Charles today had reminded him of why it had taken so very long to extricate himself from that affair. He was a vibrant, funny, clever, and passionate man.

He’d gained polish during his year on the Continent and was even more attractive. Intellectually, Smith knew that Charles was trouble waiting to happen.

Unfortunately, his cock took a much more earthy view of matters and didn’t care what sort of problems Charles might bring to his life.

For all his faults, Charles had been an insatiable and creative lover.

Whether Smith allowed Charles back into his life at this point—or at least into his bed—would have no effect on his arrangement with Luke. The one benefit of losing Moira had been realizing that Luke was important to him—far more important than he ever would have imagined possible—and he wouldn’t risk losing him for anyone.

He might take a night or two of physical pleasure with Charles, but he would never again neglect Luke for any other lover.

He looked at Luke and leaned over, placing a feather-light kiss on his brow. Luke had remained steadfast, even when Smith had wandered, and he’d never betrayed Smith’s trust in him.

In Smith’s experience trust was something just as precious and even more rare than love.

Chapter 29

Six Weeks Later

Moira stared out the rain-spattered window. “I don’t think it’s going to get any better,” she said. “We should go now.”

Luke, who’d been cleaning her already spotless dressing room, came to stand beside her. She couldfeelhis frown.

“It’s cold. You know Doctor—”

She flopped back against the cushions that made the window seat such a pleasurable reading nook and glared up at him.

His mouth snapped shut and he lowered his eyes.

Sometimes—more than sometimes—she wanted to do something to get a reaction out of him—to get him to snap or snarl. He was such a tightly laced, self-contained, unreadable man.

Every time she thought about prodding him until he reacted, she felt contrite about having such aggressive thoughts toward such a kind person.

“You are restless,” he said quietly. “It’s been four days inside. I don’t blame you.”

“Iamrestless.” She loved her walks and went half-mad without them. “But I shouldn’t take it out on you.” She held out a hand and he took it in his own far more quickly than he had the first twenty times she’d done it.

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