Page 6 of Yellow Belly

Stefano made a small, delighted sound as if surprised at Henry’s arousal. He began to stroke with the exact amount of firmness that he knew Henry preferred.

“There are many things I love about you,” Henry whispered. “One is that although we’ve had sex hundreds of times, you treat every time like a wonderful discovery. As if the act were a shiny new beetle you’d found, or a bird with particularly interesting coloration.”

Stefano stopped caressing him long enough to tickle his ribs. “You are not a beetle or a bird. You are a man”—he emphasized this by returning his attention to Henry’s cock—“and a magnificent one at that. But now that I have discovered you yet again, what will I do with you?”

Henry had many suggestions. But since he wanted to heal quickly, he chose one that would be gentler on his back. “You will taste me.”

Immediately Stefano licked his lips. Although his face was tanned from all his time spent in the gardens, still his flush showed beautifully. “I think I will.”

He started far north of where Henry had expected him, nibbling on Henry’s earlobe and along his jawline. Henry stretched his head back, baring his neck as if offering himself in sacrifice, and Stefano mouthed the tender skin.

Henry managed to work one arm under Stefano’s body so that he could clutch both of Stefano’s shoulders. He pressed hard with his fingers, both to anchor himself and to remind Stefano that their connection was mutual. Besides, Stefano preferred a bit of not-quite-pain when they lay together. Sometimes he begged for it.

Now, however, his mouth was too busy for speech. While Henry arched and moaned, Stefano worked his way to Henry’s chest to suck his nipples and lick the spot where his heart pounded beneath his skin. Just as that was becoming almost too much for Henry, Stefano continued his journey southward, down the sternum and abdomen, veering slightly to the side to tongue at the point of Henry’s hip. He seemed to be taking his orders quite seriously, tasting every inch of skin, sending Henry into a deliciously maddening frenzy of want. Although Henry felt as hot as a smith’s forge, he shivered, and although he loved to watch his lover, he closed his eyes to prevent himself from being overcome.

Then Stefano slid his mouth over Henry’s cock, and Henry was overcome anyway. Lava coursed through his veins, just as in the volcanoes that Stefano had told him about. His skin was too small to hold him, to contain all of the sensations buffeting him like mighty waves. His mind could find only a few words: Stef and Yes and My prince. And he laughed because all the beatings he’d endured, every deprivation he’d ever faced, every look of scorn he’d experienced—all of these together were such a small price to pay for the great privilege of belonging to Stefano. And having Stefano belong to him.

Stefano pulled back, but only so he could say a few hoarse words. “Let me taste you, my beloved.” He returned to his task… and Henry fell apart almost at once, shouting in completion and triumph and elation.

By the time Henry’s breathing was almost back to normal, Stefano had scooted back up the mattress and tucked himself into Henry’s embrace. They kissed deeply this time. If Henry hadn’t still been recovering, the taste of himself on Stefano’s tongue might have spurred him to a second round. But as it was, he took Stefano’s erection in hand, kissed the crook of his neck, and said, “Now.”

That was all it took for Stefano to gasp and climax with a shudder.

“I ought to clean us up,” Stefano said sleepily a few moments later, but he didn’t move away. “And change our bedclothes.”

“That can wait.”

Stefano yawned loudly. “I suppose it can. I am the most selfish man in the world, I’m afraid.”

“I’ve always found you quite generous.”

“But I’m too selfish to make you leave. Even when I know this can’t end well for us.”

Henry knew this too. “But we are well now, and that is enough for me.” That was an untruth. In his heart, Henry yearned for forever with Stefano, for a life together and free. But even princes didn’t always get what they wanted, and Henry was no prince. If he couldn’t have the entire feast, he’d be grateful for a few bites of one exquisite dish.

Stefano kissed him again, gently this time, and then they fell silent.

Chapter Four

Five weeks later

Henry swept the tile floor slowly. Although the motion pulled a bit at his mostly healed wounds, his mind drifted to pleasant thoughts of what he and Stefano might do that night.

Warned by the slamming of the doors, he wasn’t surprised as Stefano stomped into the bedroom, red-faced with anger. “The devil take him!” Stefano growled. “The devil take all of them.” As he passed the iron-banded trunk that stored their winter bedding, he gave it a kick. It undoubtedly hurt, but Henry knew better than to offer his sympathies. Stefano clearly didn’t want them right now.

“His Majesty refused an audience with you?”

“No, he met me. He and my brothers. And they—” Stefano noticed the broom, hurried over, and tried to grab it out of Henry’s hands. “Damn it all, Henry, you don’t need to do that. The palace is crawling with servants.”

But Henry held fast. “And I am one of those servants. The only one you don’t mind having in your rooms.”

Stefano continued to tug on the wooden handle. “You’re not a chambermaid.”

“Yet I’m capable of tidying up and I don’t find it beneath my dignity.” Henry honestly didn’t mind. Cleaning kept him busy when there was little else to do, and he found something inherently satisfying in restoring order and cleanliness. Stefano, left to his own devices, would have left twigs, feathers, dead beetles, stones, and other bits and pieces everywhere.

Although Stefano continued to scowl, he released his grip on the broom and stamped over to one of the glass doors, where he stood looking out at the garden, his back so rigid that it almost hurt to look at him. Henry decided it was best to allow him to cool down a bit. Perhaps he’d be soothed by the gentle whisper of the broom bristles against the floor.

After a time, Stefano’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “I tried to explain that there might be methods of mining in Innisbar without damaging the waterways and destroying the local flora and fauna. I’ve been doing some reading on the subject, you know. I believe it’s possible.”