“Shame is for peasants,” said Wesley. “There’s no point in being flattered by my words. I despise beautiful people. You’re all terribly spoilt because when you want something, everyone’s too besotted to tell you no.”
Sebastian lifted the goggles up to rest on his forehead, under his flat cap. Then he leaned back against the hood of the car, and his eyes had an edge of mischief that made Wesley’s stomach flip. “So if I say that what I very much want is to drive your Bentley, does that mean you will say yes?”
Was—was Wesley being flirted with?
Wesley might have just been flirted with.
But no. No, Wesley would consider how interesting that was at another time. A little flirting was not enough to see him wrapped around the pinky of a handsome man, no matter how sweet.
“Do you even know how to drive on our side of the road?”
Sebastian shrugged innocently. “Maybe a magnanimous lord could teach me?”
Wesley narrowed his eyes.
Sebastian smiled hopefully.
With a loud sigh, Wesley gestured for him to take the driver’s seat.
You can’t flirt with the British Army captain. No puedes hacerlo, you can’t do it.
Sebastian repeated the lecture to himself as he cautiously navigated the Yorkshire country roads. He hadn’tmeantto flirt with Lord Fine. Yes, Lord Fine was strong, and smart, and witty, and he spoke his mind, and he was exactly the kind of man Sebastian sometimes liked, the way he liked some women.
And there had been the moments, last night, and then in the garage, when Lord Fine’s eyes were on him with what Sebastian could have sworn was desire—
But even if Lord Fine were interested in men, Sebastian would mess it up. Other men could keep things simple. Transactional, an exchange of pleasure. Not him. Sebastian felt things too hard, wanted things that were too soft. He was here to protect Lord Fine and that was all he would do. There would be no complicating it with attraction.
Lord Fine was gesturing to a stretch of forest. “This land here belongs to Lord Ryland. He had ten children with Lady Ryland, they’re basically titled rabbits.”
He was turning out to be a surprisingly good passenger. He sat comfortably in his seat and kept up a steady if grumpy narration about the countryside and its history. He wasn’t critical of Sebastian’s driving, not even when Sebastian had misjudged what a right turn required in England and gone straight into the oncoming lane. Maybe a viscount was used to being driven around, which would suit Sebastian perfectly. He liked to drive, and as it turned out, he also liked listening to Lord Fine in the passenger seat.
It didn’t make the man less attractive, though.
The city center of York was surrounded by a thick stone wall and the roads were especially narrow, like horse paths only grudgingly now allowing cars. The rows of shops were interspersed with stone churches, and despite the chilly fall air, pedestrians were everywhere.
Sebastian carefully brought the Bentley down a cobbled street as tight as the oldest parts of San Juan. Lord Fine continued his dialogue as Sebastian looked for a place to park.
“—and don’t let yourself get taken in by the buskers, they like to tell the tourists that more misery and suffering happened here than anywhere else, and while in fairness that might be an unembellished truth, they want to regale you with gruesome details in exchange for your money.”
Sebastian shuddered. No gracias. “It looks like a very charming city. Listen to those church bells.”
Lord Fine rolled his eyes. “I’m sure the streets are full of strays you can feed.”
“Ooh, can we—”
“No.”
They drove past the towering cathedral with the beautiful bells. Up close it was even more massive, spanning what looked like a block, its carved stone and graceful arches stretching up into the sky.
“Look at that.” Sebastian craned his head to look up at the two rectangular towers that rose up from the church. “Maybe we will have time to stop in.”
“What are we, tourists?” Lord Fine said derisively.
“No, but life is uncertain, isn’t it? You must take your chances to enjoy beauty when you can, don’t you think?”
“Oh.” Lord Fine glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, his gaze lingering. “I suppose I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
Sebastian found a spot not far from the stunning cathedral. As they walked along cobblestones, he reached into his coat pocket and retrieved theYorkshire Evening Pressclipping that Jade and Zhang had mailed him.
