Page 39 of The Lord of Whispers

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I arrived at the manor and sought out Jay in his private study, where I knew I would find him going over his reports from the day. I opened the solid wood door to Jay’s study, stepped in, and closed the door silently behind me.

“Lord Preston was of some use today,” I said, smiling wryly.

I walked to the back of the large brown mahogany desk where he sat and leaned against it, crossing my ankles. Looking up from his papers, Jay raised an eyebrow at me, then a one-sided devilish smile slid across his handsome face.

“I have no doubt he was. Based on how close I saw you standing next to him, he never really had a chance. He probably breathed you in and breathed out his life’s deepest secrets.”

I told Jay about the delayed shipment of bourbon to the High Court.

“Anything else?” he probed.

I knew he was looking for the kind of information that wasn’t related to the market, the kind of information that people only whispered about behind closed doors.

“Grant and Jamie seem perfectly open to…” I paused, choosing my words carefully,“Being open. But I think Luke would fare better in that regard than I would. Grant seems willing enough, but Jamie only had eyes for Luke,” I finished, pretending that I was the slightest bit disappointed by this last statement.

This was the game we played.

As liaison, I often met with other lords. It was my duty to attend all social court functions and be the face of House Vitruvian. I had a few guys who could be considered friends—Luke and Rhett. But I never allowed any of the lords to advance past the flirtatious smiles and casual touches that were exchanged during my social calls. I knew how to toe the line of showing just enough interest to keep their attention but not so much interest that they felt rebuffed when things did not go further. This was the game many at the High Court played, and it assisted me in gathering the tidbits of information I would later share with Jay.

I knew this, and Jay did too. Only my wishful courters were out of the loop. We’d decided to keep our relationship private for the time being. At the High Court, all forms of relationships could be found and were accepted. Mistresses and lovers were often seen at the High Court. Some were even selected as consorts, an official position within the House recognized at the High Court. But I did not want my initiation into the High Court tied to my initiation into Jay’s bed.

By all appearances, I’d not yet picked a suitor, which only made me that much more appealing to the other lords. After all, I was new to Court, and no one hadhadme—that they knew of.

So, I would flirt and tease the other lords and come home to Jay with my pockets full of secrets. He would graciously accept the fruits of my labor as high lord and then, in the next breath, use those very same efforts as the reason to remind me that I was his alone. I was sore for two days the first time Jay saw me dance with another man who was not Luke.

“I’ll just have to see if I can’t do a better job catching Jamie’s eye next week when we grab drinks,” I said teasingly.

“Alarie,” he said in a warning growl.

“Hmm?” I hummed innocently, running a fingertip playfully across my bottom lip.

Jay set the pen in his hand down. Still seated, he slid me toward him until I was standing between him and his desk. Due to our height difference, this move put my breasts and neck within reach of his mouth.

“You want to play with the young lords?” he questioned darkly, deliberately unbuttoning the top buttons of my shirt to reveal the tops of my breasts pushed up like a shelf supported by a white silk bra.

Jay called everyone a young lord, even if they were hundreds of years old, because almost everyone at the High Court was younger than him.

“That’s fine,” he said as he bit the top of my right breast lightly, grazing his teeth along my skin while he firmly handled my left breast, his roughness indicating it was anything but fine.

I leaned into his attention, pushing more of myself into his mouth, enjoying this bit of roughness, as an ache grew between my thighs.

He stood and lifted me onto the desk so that my feet dangled. Then he continued to run his hand up my body, pressing me down until I lay on my back on the desk. His hand ended its journey, lightly resting around my throat.

“You can play with the young lords all you want, Alarie, but remember, when you do, youwillcome home to me andIwilltake what’s mine and mine alone,” he warned, his fingers tightening ever so slightly around my throat to emphasize his point.

I swallowed under the feel of his grip. “Yes, Jay.”

Then he sat back in his chair and wrapped my legs around his shoulders. He lowered his head under my skirt, inhaling before he grabbed my white panties and began to pull them to the side.

He let out a growl, his lips so close that I could feel it rumbling inside of me. And then he began his relentless licking. He started at my opening, licking the pool of desire that had already gathered, sticking his tongue into me slightly before firmly rolling his tongue to the top of me. When he reached the top of me, my back began to arch off the table. He placed a firm hand on my lower stomach, stilling me, keeping me from moving.

“Let me hear you say it, Alarie,” he demanded, his mouth hovering over me, leaving me drenched and aching.

“I’m yours, Jay,” I almost pleaded, knowing exactly what I was supposed to say.

“And?” he demanded, running his tongue down my middle and stopping again.

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