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It was noon by the time they stopped.
By then, the sheets and blankets both had been kicked to the foot of the bed, golden trinkets winking from their folds like baubles on a Christmas tree. Both he and Sebastian were nude, as they so often were when they were in bed together, although Perry was saved from total nudity by all of his favorite finery. Beautiful golden bangles climbed the length of his arms and a diamond-studded golden anklet adorned his ankle. The body chains he liked to wear did not agree with his pregnant belly, so Sebastian had crowned him with a sapphire circlet and clasped necklace after necklace around his neck until Perry was so weighed down with riches that sitting upright proved to be a challenge.
Now that he and Sebastian had finished making love, he removed each of the necklaces carefully, pooling them on Sebastian’s chest.
“We should eat,” Perry said as he placed another necklace on his mate. “We shan’t have any strength for the journey ahead should we lounge about in bed all day.”
“Is that so?” Sebastian rolled onto his hands and knees, a sea of jewelry sliding from his chest in the process. It clinked prettily as it landed on the bed, then again as Sebastian rolled Perry onto his stomach and crawled into position between his legs. Perry, pleased with what was happening, allowed Sebastian to lift him by the hips until he was elevated enough he could get his knees beneath him. Which he did. It gave Sebastian the freedom to part his legs and trail kisses up the inside of his thigh. “Must we get out of bed to eat?”
“Mm, no, I suppose not.” A shiver of pleasure worked itself up Perry’s spine. “You do know I love it when you touch me there. How could I ever tell you no?”
Sebastian growled in appreciation and kissed his way to the spot Perry was talking about—the mate mark on his cheek, their private proof that Sebastian had claimed him forever—then beyond it to places far more intimate. Perry gasped and moaned and writhed, but Sebastian was insistent, and while he’d never been much for words, his tongue was skilled in things unspoken. Delights only his mate would know.
“Oh, Sebastian,” Perry cried. “Sebastian.”
It was near one by the time they stopped.
Lunch would be served cold, but it was not without its merits. Perry felt much improved, and the sly little looks Sebastian shot him across the dinner table promised this was only the beginning.
* * *
It was agreed, sometime between a hurried blowjob behind one of the bookcases in the library and their retreat into their hoard and the bed therein, that they would leave in the morning before the workers arrived. Perry escaped distraction long enough that evening to check in with a harried Geoffrey and the children, then called it a night. Early the next morning, he collected the last few golden trinkets he simply couldn’t bear to part with and tiptoed across the hoard room to stow them in his travel bag. In it was enough clothing to see him through the week, several gold pieces he’d already packed for fear he’d forget them, and a few of his favorite personal care items. Presumably, Sebastian would take him to one of the other American properties he owned, where Perry would already have a store of everyday essentials and loose, billowy clothing even his pregnant self could wear, but it wasn’t a sure thing, so packing felt necessary.
But no matter how much gold Perry stowed away, he couldn’t shake the feeling he was forgetting something.
Whatever could it be?
Before he could figure it out, Sebastian sighed in his sleep and rolled over, groping the spot in their bed where Perry had last been. “Peregrine… where are you, my Peregrine?”
“I’m here, my love. I’m never far.”
Sebastian grumbled incomprehensibly and rolled over, dragging the blankets with him. Perry waited for a moment to see if he’d stir, and when he didn’t, went about his business. If he left without figuring out what it was that was bothering him, he’d regret it the entire time they were gone, and he had precious few hours to figure it out.
It couldn’t be clothing, which could be easily purchased no matter where they went, or jewelry, as he’d spirited away all of his favorites already. Could it have something to do with the children? It had been eight years since he’d last had an empty nest, and he’d grown used to packing for all the unexpected disasters that came hand in hand with having offspring.
But still, it didn’t feel right.
Perhaps it wasn’t about packing for disasters so much as it was the forces that caused them. Without the children, what was he to do for the next few months? Perry prodded at the jewelry in his bag as he considered it. Sex was wonderful, but he couldn’t depend on Sebastian to occupy his every waking hour. Besides, Perry had a feeling that with everything going on, he would be called away for business, and how long he’d be gone was anyone’s guess. If that did happen, Perry would have no one.
Unless…
He zipped his travel bag in a hurry and crept across the hoard room, hoping not to wake Sebastian, but it was too late. Sebastian was awake, and when Perry sneaked by the bed, he sat up. “Where are you off to, Perry?”
“To pack,” Perry told him. “There are a few more things I must see to before we leave.”
“Come to bed first.”
Perry eyed Sebastian’s erection, which was tenting the bedding. As tempting as it was, he shook his head. “I’m afraid what I must see to will take some time. I’ll make it up to you this evening, after we’ve arrived.”
Sebastian grumbled, but didn’t otherwise object. It was a good thing, as the longer Perry spent looking at what fun he could be having, the weaker his will became.
“I’ll meet you in the garage in a few hours, Sebastian,” he said, turning away to block out temptation. “And please, feel free to take your time. I’m not sure exactly how long I’ll be, but I can assure you it won’t be quick.”
* * *
Sebastian Drake’s primary garage was modest in comparison to the mammoth constructs owned by some of his brothers—Geoffrey in particular—but there had once been a time in Perry’s life where he would have considered such a place immense. From one wall to another it could fit seven cars with enough room between them that even Sebastian could walk between them with their doors open, and it was wide enough to fit five such rows with enough room to drive between them. In years past it had homed its fair share of luxury sports cars, but these days they were outranked by safe, sensible, and roomy models purchased after the laying of their clutch. It was, after all, impractical to fit eight nestlers into a Jaguar. And eight children? It simply could not be done.
Luckily, the Jaguar had been taken off their hands by Alistair and the older children had stepped in to relieve them of one vehicle each, leaving plenty of room for new purchases. One of them—a boxy black van with seating for twelve—was parked in a space near the front of the garage, near the leftmost door. Perry made a beeline for it. There was something he needed to see.
