But now he found himself blurting out all sorts of truths. What was the matter with him?
But then…“Shall we go to my room?” Binder asked very quietly. “You could keep an eye on me there.”
Reese gave an involuntary huff of surprise. “Hey? What?”
The smile. “My room. To…talk…in private.” His slight yet obvious hesitation made the message clear. Reese suspected the man had noticed his arousal and was taking advantage of it, toying with him.
“What makes you think I wish to talk to you?”
“As you wish. We needn"t talk at all.” Binder stressed the word
talk
, and that teasing smile lingered on his lips.
Reese rarely lost his temper. He knew better than to demand to know why his former enemy was torturing him. Perhaps the man merely probed to discover if he had any abnormal desires, but Reese couldn"t stay quiet and calm. “Are you in the The Nobleman and the Spy
21
habit of taking strangers you believe are dangerous to your suite? You say you"ve a good instinct for survival, but I can"t see it myself. I have your gun, you fool.”
The laughter. “But you see, I feel as if I"ve known you for years. And really, if you wish to kill me, you would have done so by now. You"ve been following me for more than twenty-four hours.”
Reese had already regained his composure. “No. I will not go to your room with you. I don"t like the odds. You have at least eight men in your pay during this visit.”
“Ten,” Binder said, amused. “Perhaps you are not so good at your job after all.”
“Two directly report to Herr Cohen. I didn"t count them as part of your retinue.” There was also the obviously Russian gentleman he"d seen speaking to Cohen the previous day, but he hadn"t managed to discover that man"s name or if he even belonged with the entourage.
Binder"s face glowed with delight. “I withdraw my criticism.”
“You should have your bodyguards on duty even when you are in the hotel.”
“Bah. They
are
on duty. They watch the doors. I don"t want anyone stalking down the halls after me. Except you, perhaps.”
Reese was about to protest that Binder shouldn"t tell him, a spying stranger, the details of his protection, when he realized the erbgraf could well be lying. The man could play sincerity better than any spy or liar Reese had ever met.
With that glowing smile, Binder added, “If you"re in my suite, you can relax your guard. You won"t need to lurk in corridors or lobbies. I"ll make myself easy to locate.”
When Reese looked into those amused eyes, he knew Binder wasn"t simply sounding him out but was quite certain of Reese"s sexual inclinations. God above, how sick he was of games. Even more than that, he loathed having his desires used against him as the captain had once done. He rose to his feet.
“Come on.” He turned and left, not looking to see if Binder followed, but a moment later he felt the man"s presence behind him.
22
Bonnie Dee & Summer Devon
They walked side by side in silence from the foyer down a side corridor away from the busy front entrance. Reese knew the hotel, of course. Had examined the halls and closets. And there was a small room used for storage not far away. That would do.
As they approached the storeroom, he seized Binder"s hand in a hard grip and forced his arm up behind his back. He propelled the man into the dusty room.
“Here, now,” Binder protested, although he didn"t sound alarmed. “You might just tell me where we"re going.”
Reese pushed him all the way into the room cluttered with a jumble of extra wooden chairs and tables from the dining room. A small, smeary window was the only source of light.
Binder stumbled as Reese shoved the door closed with his foot. He pushed the larger man up against the door, face pressed to the wood. There was a satisfying thud and
oof
as Binder"s solid body met the more solid door. Reese leaned close and breathed in the exotic scent of cloves and smoke. He wanted to know how the other man had guessed his secret, but knew better than to ask.
“You bastard,” he whispered. His breath stirred the other"s blond hair.
“Jonathan.” His name uttered in that quiet, deep voice melted his bones. With most of his body pressed to Binder"s back, Reese felt the vibration of the word.
Binder wiggled as if to make himself comfortable, not to get away. At once Reese shifted his hips so his erection wouldn"t press against the other man"s backside.
“I suppose I must apologize.” Binder turned his face to the side and eyed Reese over his shoulder. He sounded calm though muffled with his cheek pressed against the door. “I"m an arrogant chap because I consider myself a good judge of these matters. Evidently I was wrong, and your inclinations aren"t as I thought. Please forgive me. I assure you I meant no insult.” He closed his eyes. “Look at it this way.
You have something interesting to add to your report about me.” His voice shook a little. What emotion—or feigned emotion—was this? Not fear.
The Nobleman and the Spy
23
Reese made a guess at what he heard in the other"s tone. “What right do you have to be angry?”
“I told you, I misjudged your proclivities. I am annoyed with myself and with you too. Are you satisfied now that you"ve trapped me?”
Satisfied? He"d only be satisfied if he could give in to the temptation he pressed against, if he could strip off Binder"s clothes and see for himself if that fine golden hair covered the strong body under his.
Binder pushed back from the door with a grunt, not escaping Reese"s hold but coming up against the obvious evidence of arousal. He slid his free arm between their bodies and ran his palm over Reese"s erection.
Twisting away, Reese was mortified by the fact he actually wanted to press into that hand. Hoping the other man hadn"t noticed what he"d touched, Reese said,
“You say I"ve trapped you. What do you mean? This?” He squeezed the man"s wrist.
“It"s no physical threat I"m referring to, as you well know. But tell me, are you always aroused by violence, or did I guess your inclinations correctly?” There was a smirk in Binder"s tone.
Reese yanked up his arm slightly just to remind him who was in charge.
Binder grunted. “No need to break my arm. I am not struggling, am I? Under other circumstances, I assure you I"d be entirely cooperative. I might add that it would help if I knew what you wanted from me.”
“You do like to talk.” Reese"s breath was coming fast. He had self-discipline and could still think, even when aroused. Though he couldn"t recall being this aroused in years.
“So I"ve been told. But truly, why are you so furious? I would think you"d be glad to have the rumors about me confirmed.”
“Rumors,” Reese repeated.
Think. Think, damn it
. But his mind was too aware of useless details: the wide, bony wrist he gripped hard in one hand; his other hand 24
Bonnie Dee & Summer Devon
resting flat on the man"s lower back, keeping their bodies separate; the heat of another body so close to his. Hunger pulsed through him.
Binder sighed and slumped slightly. That woke Reese from the lust-induced trance. He knew how an opponent could feign weariness only to rise up in attack.
But Binder didn"t move.
Reese flexed his hand against the man"s back, feeling the tension of the muscles under the layers of wool and broadcloth and linen. They both breathed hard, the only sound in the small, airless room. Reese"s whole body hummed. He loosened his grip on Binder"s wrist, then released it and quickly stepped away.
Binder leaned against the door for a heartbeat or two before twisting to face him, eyes open, and rub his wrist absently. “Well now. I wasn"t wrong about you, was I? Now what shall we do?”
God, he was magnificent. Blond hair rumpled on the high forehead; darker eyebrows, a dramatic contrast to the pale hair; a straight nose; slightly cleft chin.
Almost boyish features, except when he smiled and showed the lines around his eyes. He smiled now.
Reese"s gaze moved over his enemy"s body. Broad shoulders, narrow hips. The dark suit showed off his fine build. He must know how attractive he was. And then Reese saw the bulge under the blue wool trousers. The obvious erection made Reese understand the man"s comment about rumors. The invitation to his room hadn"t been meant as a trap for Reese. Binder wanted him.
Reese"s gaze flicked back to his face.
Binder raised his hand slowly. Reese tensed when the man brushed a finger over his cheek gently, as if removing a bit of dust. Then Binder did it again, and this touch lingered.
“You want me,” he said in German, using the familiar
du
for
you.
Reese didn"t answer. He couldn"t.
“I wonder if you have even been with a man before.”
The Nobleman and the Spy
25
Reese realized the man didn"t know he spoke German, so he made no sign that he understood. He was as still as a statue—and as hard.
“You are so remote, my friend. You with those dark, fierce eyes. I"d suck you and watch you slowly lose that iron control. I long to see your eyes soften and your cock grow huge.” He didn"t as much as glance down as he spoke softly. “Although your already large erection has betrayed you. My God, I want it and you, your whole body. Would you be willing to fuck, I wonder? I have thought of that some nights, imagining you in my bed—a man I"d met but once on a bloody field. You have been my fantasy. An avenging angel who would forgive me and make me come until I was wrung dry. I had no notion I"d ever see you again in this life, let alone that you"d want me. It makes me glad to be alive, I tell you.”
It took all of Reese"s willpower not to moan or turn his head to kiss the hand that still cradled his cheek.
“I"m going to kiss you,” Karl whispered, speaking English again, that upper-class voice without a trace of a foreign accent.
Reese closed his eyes.
“Coward.” There was laughter in Karl"s voice.
So he opened them again and watched, still unmoving, as Binder kissed his cheek, his chin, the soft, full lips touching him, marking him before moving to his mouth.
For however long the kiss lasted—seconds, minutes—Reese lived for that caress on his lips. Another person, so close. The smell of him, the taste of his mouth.
Reese"s mouth tingled. His lips were tight, tense.
Binder pulled back. “You kiss like a virgin.”
His heart pounded so hard, Reese had trouble finding his voice. The truth was he"d rarely kissed anyone. He and the captain had not had that kind of closeness.
“Kissed many virgins, have you?” he asked coolly.
26
Bonnie Dee & Summer Devon
“Several.” Karl smiled into his eyes, sharing a joke, but Reese was damned if he knew what or who he laughed at.
Reese had seen men and women kiss with their mouths open, as if they would eat each other. He wanted to taste one of those kisses. He was ravenously hungry for it, and suddenly he lunged at Binder, his mouth mashing against the other man"s with such force that his teeth cut into his own lip.
Reese pressed against him, stiff all over, trembling with excitement but unsure of what to do next. He"d never been the aggressor. The captain had taken charge of their encounters. He"d had a couple of bad teeth, so there"d been no kisses other than an affectionate buss on the cheek on occasion. He"d shove his hand into Reese"s trousers and bring him off fast. It had been rough to the point of painful, but absolutely arousing. Then Reese would return the favor. Those exchanges had been exciting, but the word
sensual
would have made the captain laugh. Nothing like this exploration, with Binder"s hand traveling over his back and spine and his tongue twining around Reese"s.
Binder pulled away to mutter, “Easy. Slow down a little. It"s good to take some time.”
Reese growled and pulled closer. He ran his hands over the other man"s arms, body, everywhere he could reach. He yanked at Binder"s shirt and burrowed under the cloth until he felt his hand slide against skin and fine, downy hair.
His cock was painfully hard, as if he"d been engorged for hours. He pushed against Binder. The excitement and the friction would be enough to bring him to orgasm. But he craved more, and he wanted to force the other man to spend too.
He backed away and fumbled with Binder"s buttons—first the waistcoat, the braces, then his fly. Within seconds, his trousers were undone, and his cock jutted out dark red from the folds of his linens—a shocking, lovely sight that made Reese swallow hard.
A couple of times, in the middle of nowhere and in the night, he and the captain had indulged in more stealthy doings—they"d brought each other off with The Nobleman and the Spy
27
their mouths. He wanted to do that now. In the light—or in as much of it as there was in this dim room—with the other man fully aware and watching.
Reese dropped to his knees as if he"d worship Binder"s penis. He licked the tip of his cock and watched the man"s whole body shiver under that tiny touch. He licked him again and tasted musk and salt, and he grew hungry for the flavor as well as the moans the other man gave.
Reese needed to see more flesh. He pushed aside Binder"s waistcoat and shirt to explore his taut, lean belly with hands and tongue, tasting the skin and hair, and for a moment, laying his cheek against the hard, muscular groin. But the thrusting cock demanded attention again. Reese opened his mouth and engulfed the head.
Binder tangled his fingers in his hair, and he moved against Reese"s tongue.
Reese opened wider, letting the large cock slide farther. He brought up his fist and wrapped it around the base of the man"s cock.