Rose-Colored Boy (Whitecrest) Octavia

Jensen
Visit to download the full and correct content document:
https://ebookmass.com/product/rose-colored-boy-whitecrest-octavia-jensen/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

Xander Octavia Jensen

https://ebookmass.com/product/xander-octavia-jensen/

Jagger Octavia Jensen

https://ebookmass.com/product/jagger-octavia-jensen/

Handle Me (Eleven Book 6) Octavia Jensen

https://ebookmass.com/product/handle-me-eleven-book-6-octavia-
jensen/

Time for a Wedding (Whitecrest) Octavia Jensen

https://ebookmass.com/product/time-for-a-wedding-whitecrest-
octavia-jensen/
Onside Kiss (Domingo Book 1) Octavia Jensen

https://ebookmass.com/product/onside-kiss-domingo-book-1-octavia-
jensen/

Invite Only (Eleven Book 5) Octavia Jensen

https://ebookmass.com/product/invite-only-eleven-book-5-octavia-
jensen/

Shelf Life Kelly Jensen

https://ebookmass.com/product/shelf-life-kelly-jensen/

New Adult (Boy Meets Boy 3) 1st Edition Timothy

Janovsky

https://ebookmass.com/product/new-adult-boy-meets-boy-3-1st-
edition-timothy-janovsky/

Never Been Kissed (Boy Meets Boy 1) Timothy Janovsky

https://ebookmass.com/product/never-been-kissed-boy-meets-
boy-1-timothy-janovsky/
Rose-Colored Boy
Octavia Jensen

Published by CeliKetch Publishing, 2023.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
ROSE-COLORED BOY
First edition. February 6, 2023.
Copyright © 2023 Octavia Jensen.
Written by Octavia Jensen.
Table of Contents
Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

CONTENT DISCLAIMER

One The Only One Brennan Never Wanted to Strangle

Two A Messy Empath

Three The Auction

Four Things I Love

Five Pulling Me In

Six Tell Me How You Like It

Seven Brim Bowens

Eight First Date

Nine He Sees Me

Ten Proud Uncle

Eleven Ruined

Twelve Dr. Daddy

Thirteen Looking For A Home

Fourteen Sexting

Fifteen Pizza Talk

Sixteen Rattled

Seventeen Rose-Colored Boy

Eighteen Safe

Nineteen Loki
Twenty The Truth

Twenty-One Det är en Flicka

THE ARCHAM MIX

Also By Octavia Jensen

About the Author

"It's so amazing when someone comes into your life and you expect nothing out of it, but suddenly,
there, right in front of you is everything you've ever needed."

- Unknown
 CONTENT DISCLAIMER
This book is the sixth in the Whitecrest romance series. While they can be read as stand-alones for their individual romances, some
familial themes stretch from one book to the next.
This is an m/m romance that contains explicit sex, explicit language, and a whole lot of kinks including Daddy/boy, bondage, public play,
and lots of anal play. Above all, Bram is a pleasure Dom determined to spoil Archer in every way imaginable, and this is arguably the
sweetest of all the Novak books.
There are also references to pregnancy and adoption in this involving side characters. Please take care of yourselves.
 One
The Only One Brennan
Never Wanted to Strangle
The funniest thing about all five of my brothers finding love before I did was the fact that every single
one of them said it would be me first. Even both of my parents used to say I would settle down before
anyone else because I was a lover. They weren’t wrong, I was. I loved love, whether I was
experiencing or just witnessing, it didn’t matter for me, because I felt both. It was why I loved
romcoms, why I loved hearing all about my brothers’ and friends’ relationships, why I never had a
‘sleeping around’ phase.
It was also why I was the most devastated when my parents divorced. I used to ask them to tell me
about their beginning all the time, how they met in high school and made it through thick and thin
together. They never once told me about Fader’s infidelity before I was born, and it took finding out
the truth to know the reason they made it so long was because of Mor.
Our mother Molly was the rock of our family, not him. Not me, even though Kale would say
otherwise. Her.
The second the truth about our half-sister Genesis came out, Fader ran, leaving the Novak family
in pieces that every single one of us worked hard to put back together. Still, I checked in on him
whenever I could. I was the only one who did, but I was never one to hold a grudge — I just wasn’t
made that way.
Love changed my brothers though, and although they were holding their stance on our father, I
knew one day they’d be able to open their hearts to him again. One day.
For now, Brennan was firmly filling our Fader’s shoes and rocking them better than anyone
anticipated, and all of us anticipated he’d do it flawlessly. It looked effortless the way he juggled
Novak International, all of us, and his immediate family. Having three young kids had to be hard, but
he and Phoenix made it look easy... minus his new gray hairs.
I didn’t have a clue why he called all of us to his house on a random Tuesday evening, but I
wasn’t one to complain. I loved it when all of my brothers were together. The twins were laughing
about something I missed while lost in thought, Sage was eating the kid’s snacks without a care in the
world while Toby and Brennan went back and forth about something that had Toby’s eyebrows
furrowed. It was that I tried to hone in on more than anything, but before I could put any of their words
together, they were parting and Brennan was calling our attention to him.
“Uh... yeah. You’re all going to hate me for this but it isn’t up for debate, and I’ll gladly fight any
one of you who tries to say no. Two weeks from today, we’re being auctioned off for charity,” he said
firmly.
“Hell fucking yes,” Sage said, clapping and looking like that was the best news he’d ever heard.
“Rosey might not be too thrilled, but it’s about time I get to sell my body for Novak International the
way the rest of you do.”
Brennan frowned deeply, then walked over and smacked the side of Sage’s head. “I’m not
pimping you out, idiot. It’s a charity event, not a porn casting. We’ll each be putting two hours of our
time up for sale to the highest bidder.”
“Porn?” Kale repeated, seemingly just then tuning in to the conversation. “I’m not fucking for
money again.”
“Fucking Hel, Kale.” Toby ran a hand down his face, and whispered something sharply up to the
gods. “He specifically said it isn’t that.”
“How would he know? He gonna chaperone all of them? What if they grab the Kaleoconda?”
Kai wrinkled his nose. “You cannot seriously mean you named your dick that.”
“I didn’t, Zack did. He’s adorable, huh?” He looked way too proud of his husband. It made
laughing easy, but I bit it back and Brennan frowned at me.
“Precious,” Brenn deadpanned. “So everyone understands, then? I need you all in the auditorium
of N.I. next Saturday at 4 pm, and I need you all to email me headshots and a brief bio for the teaser
by Tuesday.”
I raised my hand like I was in class and got immediately teased for it, but I was used to my
brothers and I knew their teasing came from love. “What kind of things for a bio? Like a list of
hobbies or like a dating one?”
“See, even Archie thinks this is for dating. Way to go, Brenn. Thought we kept Archie away from
being sold on purpose.”
I could tell Kale wasn’t going to let up on Brennan, so I cut in before they could get into an
argument. “I don’t mind it. It’ll probably be fun.”
“Just a little bit about yourself and what you like to do,” Brenn explained gently. “It’s not a dating
profile, but you have to keep in mind that most of the people who participate in auctions like this are
lonely, old and too rich for their own good. They’re just looking for companionship, and maybe a
pretty face to have on their arm during a golf outing or a nice dinner. I wouldn’t have agreed to this at
all, but Nix has not-so-gently reminded me that N.I. took a hit when Fader left and though my
reputation stands on its own, it never hurts to give a little back.”
“I’m in,” I agreed quickly. “It could be fun, not everything is about sex.”
Kale’s jaw tensed as he eyed me, but I knew that was just him being protective. “And you, Brenn?
You getting rented too?”
He nodded once. “I may enjoy pissing most of you off, but I’d never subject you to something like
this unless I was willing to do it too. It also wouldn’t do much good for me to taut this as something to
be proud of if I wasn’t taking part, so yes. I’m getting auctioned too.”
Sage cleared his throat quietly. “Anyone care for a friendly Novak family wager on who pulls in
the most dough?”
Toby snorted. “Yeah, sure. But it’s not really a fair bet.”
He was right. At the moment, only two of us were desired models, but that didn’t stop me from
joining in on the fun. “Never know. Some rich person could want me more than anyone wants the
twins.”
“What he said.” Sage pointed at me and cocked a finger gun. “Smart money’s on him. People are
scared of Kale now since he collared his husband.”
Kale looked far too proud as he gently touched the key hanging from his neck. “My Pojke loves
his collar. They can stay scared. Keeps them all away.”
“What about me?” Kai asked. “I didn’t collar anyone.”
“Yeah, but now the world knows you’re gay, and sorry. Between the two of you, they’re picking
Archie,” Sage said.
“The world knows I’m bi,” I argued. “But the idea of beating the twins at anything sounds like a
fun time. How many want to bet on me?”
Toby raised a finger, making the twins both look offended at the idea of anyone wanting anyone
above them, but Kai seemed to think about it more and shrugged, ultimately deciding to place his
money on me too.
“Fucking rude. I was going to bet on Kai, but now I’m not. My money’s on me.” Kale crossed his
arms as all of our eyes moved to Brennan.
“My money’s still on Kale,” he said simply. “Lonely old people with money? One of them is
bound to be brave and kinky, too.”
Kai scoffed. “You just promised us this wasn’t about sex.”
“Doesn’t mean they won’t try. You don’t have to do a damned thing you’re not comfortable with,
or that your partners wouldn’t be comfortable with. So make sure you tell them what’s going on
before an angry mob shows up at my house.”
Kale beamed like an asshole knowing someone else was betting on him. “Of all of them, I bet
Nila kicks your ass though, Brenn. Might want to relocate.”
“Tobias wouldn’t dare step out on her, so I’m not worried. None of you would.” He stood, fixing
his tie. “Now, enough about the damned auction. Go home, all of you. Except Archer.”
Everyone gave hugs and shoves as usual, but I could hear them bickering about how much money
they were all betting before the front door shut. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just wanted to talk to you one-on-one about this without all of... that.” He gestured toward
the door. “I know what I said, but the truth is... yeah. There will be a fair few people betting in this
auction that might want something a little more than just hanging out. You don’t have to do this.”
“I know,” I frowned. “I want to, all of you are. Plus, it’s for charity and I love that. It’s a good
idea, Bror.”
“The rest of us have airtight reasons why we can’t do shit like that. You’re the only single one, so
at the end of the day... you’re the only one really at risk here. It’s not the same thing.”
“It is the same. I’m a big boy, Brennan. And if some creep pushed, I’d just kick his ass and then
five other grown men would kick his ass. I’ll be fine.”
“Seven if you count Zack and Hendrick, and don’t forget Nila, Eliza, Phoenix, and all three of my
sons. They may be young, but I pity anyone who crosses them or their Uncle Archie.” Brennan smiled,
pulling me into a hug. “I’m proud of you, kid. You know that?”
I couldn’t help it, I curled into him like I was the same little boy he’d always looked after.
“Thanks. What for, exactly?”
“For helping all of us see the light, for being the only one I never want to strangle... and for having
a big enough heart to keep tabs on Fader.” He eyed me with a slight smile as I pulled back in surprise.
“I’m the oldest, I know everything.”
My eyes dropped before I tried to play it off. It was my tell. “I hardly ever check in, really. I just
wanted to know he was alive.”
“Hey. I’m not scolding you. I wish I had it in me to check on him, I really do. Like I said, I’m
proud of you for it.” He hugged me again, squeezing gently. “You’re the best of us, Arch. I’ve always
said it.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, my eyes dropping again, but this time at the praise. “I should get going. Tell
Phoenix and the boys I said bye?”
“Course. Drive safe, Bror. I’ll see you in two weeks, and don’t forget to send that bio.”
“You got it. Long walks on the beach and frisky women? Wait, that’s Dean Winchester’s. I’ll have
to think of my own.” I smiled widely as he rolled his eyes, then slipped out of the house.
I hopped in my Charger Hellcat with a smile, not worried about the auction in the slightest. I had a
feeling none of my other brothers were worried either. They just liked giving Brennan a hard time and
couldn’t miss out on an opportunity to do so.
Leaving my family was always hard though, because it meant I’d be going home to my big, empty
house all alone. There were times I considered moving back with Mor so neither of us would be
alone, but I knew I couldn’t. I didn’t want any of them to worry about me, and running home to
mommy was a sure-fire way to make all of my big brothers stress. I said I was a big boy now, and I
meant it. I’d be fine.
I’d find my person one day.
 Two
A Messy Empath
“I’m fine, really,” I assured my only sister. She always called to check on me and make sure I was
okay, but ever since my breakup with Dakota, she’d been calling or texting almost every day. I didn’t
mind it, I loved talking to my siblings, but I didn’t want her to feel like she had to walk on eggshells
for me. “She just didn’t end up being who I needed. She didn’t understand why my family is so close
and I couldn’t deal with that. You know how I am.”
“Yeah. So wait, did you break up with her? You never said that part.” The shock in her tone made
me roll my eyes, but it wasn’t so far outside the norm to think that I was too nice to break up with
someone. Before Dakota, I was.
“Yes, I had to. She basically told me to choose on the spot and I chose. Mor was having a hard
week, she really wanted all of us home for Sunday dinners like old times and Dakota didn’t want me
to go because she wasn’t comfortable going.”
Genesis snorted. “Why the hell not? You guys are fun as hell.”
“Cause Mor told me she wasn’t allowed to go to Sweden with us yet and she took it personally.
We had only been dating for a couple months at the time, so I get why Mor said it. She didn’t want to
meet a girl that would potentially break my heart, and she was right about it. It wasn’t my worst
breakup ever, but we dated for a year. I mean, I thought it was going somewhere.”
“Of course you did, and you had every right to think it would and she wouldn’t end up being a
cold-hearted bitch about it. Her loss.”
“I feel like everyone who gets dumped says that,” I joked, but Genesis was quick.
“No, no. You dumped her, remember? This situation is different. Besides, it’s true. The Novaks
are fucking awesome, and I knew that before I was ever allowed to claim I was related to any of
you.”
I grimaced at the memory. There were so many things Fader did that I looked past because he was
my father, but that was something even I couldn’t forget. “You ever talk to him?”
Genesis chuckled, but there wasn’t any humor behind it. “Nope. Hardly did before he bailed
either, but he still puts money on my books every month like I’m in prison.”
“That’s probably guilt. He cut the rest of us off financially when we turned eighteen, but since we
were in the family business, we still got ours. We all get more now honestly, I think he was holding
out on us.”
“Probably to feed another random daughter somewhere,” she mumbled bitterly. “Kidding. You
talk to him?”
“I did last week. He’s... fine, I guess. He doesn’t say much, and honestly, I don’t even think he
likes that I call. He’s always rushing off. I thought he’d at least be happy one of us kept in contact, I
just think he wished it was Brenn or Tobes. I don’t talk about the right things. He’d rather just know
how the business is doing.”
“I repeat, his loss. It’s the world’s loss if they don’t want one of us, and he’s included. I don’t
care if we came from his nuts.”
“That’s a gross visual I didn’t ask for, thanks.”
Genesis laughed. “I miss you guys. I’m going to come out soon, okay? I’m sure one of you has a
birthday coming up, and if not, whatever. I’m still coming. I’ll crash at a different one of your houses
every night and end my Tour de Novak at Mors. She wants to go to the spa with me.”
I couldn’t help but smile. I loved the idea of Mor doing things like that with Gen. She always
wanted a girl to go get her nails done with, and now she had multiple people to do it with. Phoenix
was busy with all the kids so she didn’t get away often, but she’d gone with Eliza a few weeks ago
and Nila the time before that. Mor went from six sons who always said they didn’t want to go to four
daughters who loved going with her, and that made me happy. “I should call her. Wait, how are you
doing?”
“Great. My friend and I are going to Cancun this weekend, so I’m excited. I love the beach. If you
ever need to talk I’m here, ‘kay?”
“I know. I do call when I need to talk. You were the second person I called after Dakota. I just
like to also call when I don’t need to talk; it’s nice to be there for you too. Did that make any sense?”
“It did in an adorable, messy, empath kind of way. I’m honored you called me second, but your
options are slim,” she joked. “Who was first? And how would our brothers even respond to you
calling after a breakup?”
I chuckled. I’d already been there with all of them. “It was Kai, but let me go down the list by age.
Brennan would tell me it’s their loss like you did and also tell me there’s more fish in the sea. Toby
would call them a bitch and invite me over to distract me. Sage would bring me food. Kai came over
with ice cream to play video games with me and just be there, and Kale would tell me tell me to fuck
someone else, and then actually call someone for me to fuck. Those answers might be a little different
now that they’re all settled down, but those are things they’ve said or done in the past.”
Genesis didn’t seem surprised in the slightest. “I don’t think Kale would have someone on speed
dial these days, but he’d absolutely tell you to fuck someone else and forget about them.”
“One time, he told me we were going for milkshakes because I was sad, and he took me to the
strip club.” When Genesis laughed, I had to cut her off instantly. “It wasn’t funny at all, I was in
sweats.”
She only laughed harder. “That’s amazing. Gods, he’s lucky he has his looks.”
I smiled lightly at that, because I felt like I’d heard people say that about Kale my whole life. He
didn’t let most people see how smart he was, and now that I was getting older, I was beginning to
think he did that on purpose. The world expected less when they put you in a box like that.
We said our goodbyes after a few more stories and I hung up the phone feeling better than I had
when I answered. I loved having a sister just as much as I loved having all my brothers.
Family was everything.

I’d gone an entire week not giving the auction another thought, but two nights before the event, I
couldn’t sleep to save my life. I was pretty sure it was because Brennan had surprised us all with a
text letting us know we’d be dressing up as Chippendales, only making me a million times more
nervous.
Of all of us, the world had seen my body the least. It wasn’t because I was embarrassed of it or
anything, I was just skinnier than I wanted to be and no matter how many times I tried to lift weights to
get some more muscle definition, I just stayed skinny.
To distract myself, I pulled out my phone and Googled how charity auctions normally went, but all
I found was a bunch of links explaining how to throw an auction or whether you want a traditional
auction or a silent one. Silent sounded better to me, but I was almost positive that wasn’t the kind
Brennan was having put together.
Me: Is this a silent auction?
Toby: No. The twins would be kicked out if it was, they don’t know what silent means.
I chuckled, but before I could even set my phone aside, it vibrated again in my hand.
Kai: very funny, grandpa.
Kale: I’m not about to be sold off to some old person and be quiet about it, the fuck?
Even I knew that wasn’t what a silent auction was, but something told me Kale didn’t, and that
alone was enough to have me relaxing. I wasn’t alone in this, my siblings were right by my side and it
was for a good cause.
I spent a lot of my money on charities every year, and it was probably the only thing that helped
me sleep some nights. I wanted to be a good person, to put good out in the world, and I had more than
enough money to give. I could give some more of my time too. I traveled all over the world spending
weeks, sometimes months in other countries trying to give to those who needed more. What was a
couple hours with some rich person?
I went back to my brothers’ text thread to see the twins’ next two messages:
Kai: I think the “fuck” is the point, actually.
Kale: Just finished that actually, can’t even keep my eyes open. Night, fuckers. Only two more
nights of freedom before we’re sold to the wolves.
It was just like Kale to overshare and ruin the conversation, but when Brennan clapped back, I
couldn’t stop myself from laughing out loud.
Brennan: Now who’s the grandpa?
Kale: Still you. Don’t you have a kid or twelve to tend to?
“Ouch.” I mumbled, quickly sending one of my own.
Me: You’re grouchy when you’re tired. Go to bed.
Brennan: I have three children and I can still fuck my wife without needing a nap after. Sleep
tight, old man.
I laughed again, wondering where Sage was in this ridiculous conversation, but I assumed he was
either busy or staying as far away from this mess as he could. It was common for Toby to toss in a
random message to stir the pot and disappear, but it wasn’t like Sage to not chime in. I wasn’t
worried though, because when I thought about the crazy lives he and Eliza lived, I figured they were
probably skydiving or something.
The rest of my brothers’ argument went on for a while and only ended when another one of their
wrestling matches was scheduled, and I managed to get a whopping five hours of sleep that night.
In the morning, I tried to Google charity auctions once again over a bowl of cereal, getting
absolutely nowhere in the process — but I managed to find a breakdown of a schedule I had a feeling
would be useless. Brennan would let us know how it was happening when we were there, and I was
sure he wouldn’t make us stand up there like a statue for ten minutes.
Everything was going to be fine. I just hoped no one told Mor about it.
 Three
The Auction
All my brothers stood around me fixing their bowties, watching me closely for any sign I didn’t want
to do this. All it would take was one word and they would all swoop in to rescue me like the baby
brother I was, and I wouldn’t have to experience even five seconds of displeasure. They were all
good for that, protecting me from anything and everything... and in that, keeping me from experiencing
some things I needed to experience.
I loved them for it, but I wasn’t going to let them do it this time. I wanted to do this.
I decided to get the conversation moving instead of arguing my case any longer, needing them all
to see for themselves that I was fine. No backing out now. “How long will we be going on stage for,
Brenn? Also, who’s first?”
“We’ll all be up there together. One by one, we’ll step forward, and Kale’s friend Winston has
agreed to call for us so he’ll start the bidding. We stay forward until the bidding is over, then
immediately after the last one, we’ll meet our benefactors up on the ninth-floor conference room. If
you notice anything suspicious then about your person, say something. This is charity, not mandatory.
Everyone got that?”
Kai and Sage both nodded, and Toby hastily followed but all of their eyes were still on me. “We
got it. Stop looking so damn worried. You all know I have Viking blood too, right?”
“Are you sure?” Kai asked, lifting one of my arms and smiling playfully. “You’re tiny as hell,
Arch. And you never lost that baby face.”
“I’m six feet tall!” I argued, reaching up to mess up his hair playfully. “See, I can even touch your
dumb head, and you’re just jealous of my baby face.”
“Zack still has a baby face too,” Kale interjected, not really helping at all, but I decided not to
point that out.
Toby chuckled. “We get it, you love your Pojke. Hope some old dude wants me to clean his
gutters or some shit. Nila might slap an old lady if she had to.”
“Fuck that, I hope some insanely hot somebody buys me. Hendrick’s more fun when he’s all riled
up,” Kai said, grinning from ear to ear at the prospect.
“Oh is he?” Kale pushed. “You like when he’s all riled up a—”
“Someone please stop him before he makes this real fucking weird,” Toby pleaded, and it seemed
to do the trick because Kale shut his mouth and went back to failing at his bowtie. “Come here,
spoiled. So used to having someone tie your ties for you, huh?”
“Fuck off, this one is weird.”
It wasn’t, it was just like every other bowtie I’d ever worn, but I wasn’t in a place to bust Kale’s
balls. I just wanted to get it over with. Not all of us were cut out for this kind of attention.
When it was time to go, we lined up shortest to tallest, which meant I’d be the one walking out
first — which also meant I wasn’t really breathing as my feet moved me onto the stage and the lights
blinded me from the crowd. “Will I ever be able to see the people?” I asked Toby behind me, needing
my eyes to adjust as quickly as possible so I could really read the room.
“Give it a few minutes, and once Winston says his piece, the lights will dim a little bit. But be
careful what you wish for... you may not be crazy about what you see.”
“Great.”
 Winston introduced us all as lively as he could, obviously enjoying all the attention he was getting
as host. He spat off a couple random facts about us all and then turned toward Brennan. “First up we
have Novak International’s lord and savior Brennan Novak.” He awaited the applause and then
continued on. “He may be the oldest one in this lot but he can still kick all of their asses. What do you
say we start the bidding at... five dollars? Kidding, kidding, don’t kill me, B. Five thousand dollars.”
I couldn’t really see what was happening yet, but I saw movement out in the crowd and someone
yelled, “Five!”
“Six thousand,” someone else countered, and on and on it went. Brennan looked almost too at
ease as he stepped up next to Winston to show off a little bit and up the bids, and in the end, two hours
of his time sold for twenty-three thousand dollars.
Toby was next, and after Winston rattled off a few more random facts about him from his
notecard, he stood up there confidently as his bid went slower than Brennan’s. It wasn’t surprising,
Toby kept to the media shadows for a reason, and yet he still managed to pull in eighteen thousand for
this event.
When it was Sage’s turn, people started bidding before Winston said a word about him. He was
notoriously fun, easy-going, and had a lot of talents, making him maybe the most useful of us.
I really wasn’t all that shocked when he raised almost fifty.
It was the twins’ turn now, and after Kai brought in another twenty-five thousand dollars, Kale
brought in another fifty, beating Sage by less than two grand. I knew Sage would bring up how close
they were as soon as we got backstage, but Kale would just say “horseshoes and hand-grenades” and
take the win with all the grace of a newborn giraffe.
But I couldn’t focus on them right now.
It was my turn.
The crowd cheered for me as they did my brothers, but I couldn’t make out the words Winston
was even saying about me as I looked at the bidders straightening in their seats. Some were younger
than I expected, some not so much, but there was one in particular that caught my eye when he raised
his hand instantly to bid. He was probably around Brennan’s age, give or take a couple of years, with
a buzz cut, short beard, and dark skin disappearing under a light grey suit. I couldn’t make out how
tall he was since he was sitting down, but every inch of him commanded respect.
And I instantly wanted him to win.
He was probably the most handsome man I’d ever seen before, and I hated the way I blushed
when he jumped the bid up by 10k. He wanted me. For what, I wasn’t sure, but I was pretty positive
I’d have done anything he asked.
He had me so distracted that it took me a minute to realize Zack was bidding on me too — he had
his eyes locked on the handsome stranger and matched him every step of the way, until the price for
two hours of my time was higher than everyone else’s.
I could see Kale shift nervously from the corner of my eye, but everyone else in the room seemed
to love the building tension.
As did I.
“Seventy,” the man said. He didn’t yell, he didn’t even raise his hand. His deep, gravelly voice
spread throughout that auditorium. “I could do this all day.”
Zack huffed. “Seventy-five.”
Shocked, I turned pleading eyes to Kale — I wanted the stranger to win, not Zack — who glared
at me from across the stage, but gave Zack some sort of hand signal that had him standing down.
But now, the handsome stranger wasn’t the only other one in the game.
 A heavier-set older man matched Handsome’s eighty-thousand-dollar bid, and I was suddenly
desperate for the mysterious man to win. This time, I turned my pleading eyes on him, and he nodded
so slightly I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined it or not.
“One hundred thousand,” he said coolly, barely flinching when the other man raised him another
five. I could see he wasn’t going to give up, and my chest tightened a little when he laughed. “Let’s
not play games here. One hundred and fifty.”
Everyone in the auditorium went silent except for Sage. “Fucking Hel,” he said loudly.
“Seriously?”
Handsome glanced over at his opponent and smirked. “Well?”
The man flushed, shaking his head in defeat before he tossed back his drink. I didn’t know what
either of them would have had planned for me, but I had a good feeling about my highest bidder...
even if my brothers didn’t. “Holy shit, I won,” I whispered, and something told me Kale’s
disappointment had less to do with losing the bet and more to do with losing the bid for me.
Sage clapped my shoulder as everyone started applauding, but I didn’t have a lot of time to be
worried or excited about what would happen next, because Brennan almost instantly ushered us all
upstairs to the conference room while Winston met with the victors.
“Not a bad haul, and N.I. will be matching the bids for the donation. Everyone good?”
“Yup,” I said cheerfully. Looking around to see if Handsome was coming yet, but Kale stepped in
front of my wandering eyes.
“Do you know him?”
I shook my head, suddenly worried my tallest brother was about to challenge my bidder and ruin
the whole evening. “No, but it’s for charity, Kale. He just bid on me in a public setting, what the hell
do you think can go wrong?”
“I don’t know, a fucking lot. No one else will be there. You could have played video games with
Zack or something for two hours, now you’re going to be with some unknown hot guy in an unknown
location.”
“So you think he’s hot too?” I grinned, but Kale’s eyes only narrowed.
“That wasn’t the point. You think he’s hot?”
“Obviously. I—”
“They’re here,” Kai said quickly. “Shut up and finish the damn thing. Meet your people, set your
terms, and let’s go home.”
My heart pounded in my chest as I spun around to see all the people walking in. I spotted him
instantly, his strut was just as demanding as everything else about him, and I found myself wanting to
know how he smelled.
“Archer Novak,” he said smoothly, holding out a hand as he reached me. “I’m Bram Owens.
C.E.O. and founder of Owens Enterprises. I’ve been dying to meet you.”
“Have you?” I asked, much flirtier than even I expected of myself, but I took his hand and fought
the urge to melt into his touch. “You sure I’m the right Novak to die for?”
His eyes darkened and swam with the kind of promise that made me wonder if he’d gotten the
memo this wasn’t supposed to be about sex. “Positive. Already, you don’t disappoint.”
He made me want to forget all about that memo too, especially when I got that whiff of his
cologne. I wasn’t sure what brand it was but I was sure it was expensive, and the way it mixed with
his natural cedarwood scent made me weak. There was a small dash of coconut in there somewhere
as well, but I didn’t have the time to lean in and sniff my highest bidder. I’d already been standing
there and staring at him for long enough. “Neither do you.”
 “So. If I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t expecting to win. I’m not sure exactly how I want to
spend my time if I only get two hours with you, so would it be okay if I got your phone number? We
can pick something together,” he suggested.
I liked that plan. It had me relaxing and holding out my hand for his phone. I had a pretty good
idea of what I wanted to do with those two hours, but this wasn’t the time nor place to say it. Whether
we had dinner or I got what I wanted, I had a feeling it’d still be a really good day.
A good day I couldn’t fucking wait for.
We spent the rest of our meet and greet getting to know the basics about each other and picking a
date for our actual date. Something told me he didn’t want to wait for the weekend either, but all good
things came to those who waited... or at least I hoped they did.
 Four
Things I Love
I loved being at my mom’s house. Her cat was almost as clingy as Kale’s, so the second I sat down on
her couch, she was in my lap. Kai was supposed to meet me there but he was late, and my stomach
was pretty pissed at him. “Can we eat without him? Why is it my fault he’s late?”
She sighed, glancing from me to the door. “It’s not your fault,” she rattled off in Swedish. “We can
eat. He’ll get here when he gets here.”
I jumped up from the couch excitedly, startling poor Kattung so much she meowed at me. My
phone vibrated in the middle of my apology to her and I couldn’t stop smiling when I saw Bram’s
name. We’d texted only briefly since the auction, so I still got butterflies every time he reached out.
Bram: Thinking about you. Tell me three things you love.
I blushed, I couldn’t help it. No one had ever asked me such a personal question before and I’d
been asked some very personal shit. This just felt so much more... intimate.
Me: Gnocchi Sorrento, my mom’s Köttbullar which you probably know as Swedish meatballs,
and Christmas. Sorry I mostly picked food, I’m starving if you couldn’t tell.
Bram: I can, and it’s making it hard not to come cook you food right now.
“What is making you smile so wide?” my mother asked. “Or should I say who?”
Shit. Busted already. “Um, just a friend. I was complaining about how hungry I was. Smells good,
Mamma.”
Me: I’m at my mom’s and she cooked, we were just waiting on Kai who’s late. I appreciate that
though ;)
Bram: I’m glad to hear it. Spend time with your family. Text me when you’re home?
I already didn’t want to stop texting him, but I chalked that up to the fact that I’d been pretty damn
lonely as of late.
Me: Will do. Hope you’re having a good day.
I sat down in the kitchen to eat a moment later and still couldn’t seem to stop smiling, but I needed
to keep Mor distracted before she asked more about Bram. “So did you end up finding a better dating
app than Tinder?”
“Yes, but I was told my sons probably don’t want to hear about it. I do have a third date this
weekend, though. Just don’t tell Kale.”
The door opened a moment later and Kai walked in, frowning with bright blue hair. “Window’s
open. What are we not telling my nosey, over-sharing twin?”
My mother gasped at the state of him, and if he thought we’d ignore the Smurf hair, he was
mistaken. “Bror, whoa,” I giggled. “Did Sage say this was necessary for a shoot?”
“No, my Idiot decided to put blue dye in my conditioner again on a day he knew I was doing a
mask. It’s fine, it’ll wash out in a couple of days,” he assured us as he walked over to make himself a
plate. “I also deserved it because I... well, never mind what I did.”
“Tell us,” I nearly begged. “I swear if they had a reality show following you two, it’d be amazing.
Tell us what you did, please.”
He flicked his eyes toward Mom and shook his head, mumbling, “No.”
“Like there’s anything you can tell me that will surprise me?” she asked. “I raised six boys.”
 “Fine. I swapped out our regular lube for the kind that numbs the shit out of you, and slipped him a
Viagra to boot. Almost had to take him to the hospital.”
Mor took a deep breath. “That’s a very rude thing to do to your boyfriend, Kairo.”
I, on the other hand, was dying. “Y-You absolutely deserved the blue hair for his blue balls. Oh
my god.” I felt bad for Hendrick, I did, I just couldn’t stop laughing. “Did Kale give you that idea or
was it all you?”
“It was me. Kale wanted me to swap his body wash for Nair. Setting aside the fact that it takes
time to work, I like him the way he is. Hairless is his thing, not mine.” The string of Swedish
profanity my mother let out made me giggle even harder, but Kai apologized quickly and sat down
with a deep blush. “Sorry, Mor. Food is delicious.”
I snapped a photo of Kai when he was looking away and sent it to our group chat, then kept on
eating like nothing happened. “So, Mor. Why don’t you want Kale to know about date number three?
Has he been protective with you too?” I knew that answer, Kale was overprotective with all of us,
especially me and Kai, but I had hoped he’d be more understanding for our mother. No way she dated
another asshole after what happened with Fader.
“It’s less about the protectiveness and more about the fact that he wants details,” she explained,
cheeks now nearly as red as Kai’s. “He seems convinced no one will ever treat me right. I’d like to
think Don will prove him wrong.”
“Just tell him to go away,” Kai suggested. “Always works for me.”
My phone buzzed several times in a row — most of them were from my brothers and their
partners laughing at Kai’s hair, but I had another text from Bram that I couldn’t scroll past.
Bram: My day has been fine. Best part of it was hearing from you. When you get a minute, tell
me three topics or causes you’re passionate about. I’m dying to know more about you.
I tuned out my mother’s response on accident, but I really did want to give his question some true
thought. It just wasn’t the time.
“... he’s texting again. Do you know about the boy he’s talking to?”
I snapped my head up quickly with a blush of my own. “It’s the group text. Everyone likes Kai’s
hair.”
“If that’s true, hand your phone over without touching the screen. Prove it.”
Kai looked serious yet playful enough that I wasn’t worried, but that didn’t mean I wanted him
reading the messages so I swiped up as nonchalantly as I could and handed it over. “I was already
exited out of the thread. You’re in the chat too, you don’t need to read it on mine.”
The little ass opened my messages anyway, and I grimaced as he went right to the thread with
Bram — but to my surprise, he smiled and slid it back to me. “I approve already.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, shoving a meatball into my mouth to hide how embarrassed I was. “Since
you’re so nosey... um... how should I answer that question? I don’t want to say food again but... he
makes me nervous.”
“Question?” Mor asked. “What question?”
“Some vampire wants to know what our little babe is passionate about, and apparently all he can
think about is food. Not the... you know... five hundred hobbies he has or the causes he donates to, the
nerd shit he knows too much about, or—”
“Kairo, du var snäll,” she hissed. “Be nice.”
“I am! He’s selling himself short if all he does is talk about food. He’s not Sage.”
None of that helped my embarrassment, but he was right. I was thinking so hard about things that I
didn’t need to think about. I just needed to be me. “Got it. Thanks, Kai.”
 “See? The blue hair makes me wise. Maybe I’ll keep it,” he teased. “You wanna talk about him or
should we shut up and eat like we mean it? I feel like a starved animal now that I’m not surviving off
rabbit food anymore.”
My chest swelled — Hendrick had been good for Kai in so many ways, but helping him overcome
lingering habits from his battle with anorexia had to have been one of the best. Kai truly loved himself
and no longer stressed about every single thing he ate, and he’d never looked happier.
Even with blue hair.
“Eat like you mean it,” I responded with a smile, and my mother wholeheartedly agreed. We both
pretended to ignore how emotional she got watching him eat her food and scarfed it all down like we
were teenagers. “Thanks, Mamma. It was delicious as always.”
“Hush. Just happy to see my boys.” The joy on her face told me it went a little deeper than that, so
I got up to hug her fiercely as Kai started cleaning up.
“So when’s your auction date thing?” Kai asked. “Mine’s tomorrow.”
“Auction? What do you mean?” my mother asked, and I turned to give Kai a disapproving look.
“Nothing, Mor. Just something for charity, mine is this weekend. Back to your date—”
“No. I want to know what this is. What are you auctioning?”
“Time, Ma.” Kai dried his hands. “You know... volunteering for charities and stuff. No big deal
and nothing we haven’t done before.”
“Oh, that’s good. And the auction is this weekend?” she asked. “I want to come.”
“Sorry, it was last week. We just had to schedule the... time. Mine is this weekend.”
“Separately or will one of your brothers be with you?”
She always had too many questions to the things we didn’t want to elaborate on, it was like
mother’s intuition. “Individual time. That’s how we raised so much money. Are you going to tell us
more about Don before I fall into a food coma or what?”
She opened her mouth like she was going to keep grilling me, but deflated quickly and shook her
head. “It’s too soon. He’s a good man, but I’m not really trying to settle down.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that. “You hear that? Mor’s a player now, Kai.”
“She raised enough of us, I’m not surprised. But we all settled down in the end,” he pointed out.
“You will too, Mamma.”
“We’ll see.”
The playful glint in her eyes told me she was already considering it, but I also understood her
apprehension. “No more siblings though okay? I’m the baby, and I’m very happy with my position. No
promotions necessary.”
“He doesn’t have children and I’m too old,” she said, swatting me gently on the arm. “You’ll
always be my baby anyway.”
“I’m getting a complex all over again,” Kai quipped.
I stuck my tongue out at him like I was five and leaned in to hug her again. “Just come join in,
Blue.”
A little reluctantly, he joined us until his phone rang, then stepped back to check it. “Gotta go.
Sorry I can’t stay longer, but I promised Hendrick I’d go help his dad paint. Love you, Mor. Arch,
behave yourself. See you guys!”
“Kairo, you—”
She didn’t get the rest of it out before he shut the door, and I hated that part of me wanted to
follow him.
Mor always hated seeing us go, so I distracted her with something I knew would make her smile.
“Can I take leftovers?”
“Absolutely! Take some to Brennan, too. He needs them. I know he doesn’t eat enough with how
busy he is.” She got to work filling a few containers for me as I pulled out my phone again, and
chewed my lip as I contemplated my response.
Me: I’m passionate about charity. I feel like most people say that because they feel they’re
supposed to, but I actually really love it. I had a fortunate life, it’s good to remember not everyone
has. I really love going out of the country to help even though I’m not much of a builder. I’ve
helped in a lot of animal shelters as well because I love pets, I just haven’t had the time to get one
for myself but I want to. I can also get lost in the Marvel verse if you wanted to hear about my
nerdy side, but that might just make me sound like a kid. Another thing that’s really important to
me is family. How about you?
It took him a couple of minutes to respond, giving Mor just enough time to load up my arms with
food. “Do you need anything else? Bottled water, toilet paper, money?”
“No thanks, Mamma. See you soon.” I kissed her cheek and headed out, stashing the food in the
trunk before getting in and hastily checking my phone again.
Bram: I can’t wait to hear more about all of that. And Archer, you could never seem like a kid
to me. You’re a grown man who is allowed to love whatever you want to love. Please tell me you
understand that.
The feelings that had rising in my chest made me rub it. Dakota was so huge on changing me I
thought it felt like no one would ever see me as anything but the youngest Novak. It felt good to be
seen.
Me: Thank you.
Bram: You don’t have to thank me for that. You just have to show up this weekend and let me
spoil you for a couple of hours. Think you can handle that?
Me: Definitely. Can’t wait.
And I really couldn’t. I didn’t understand why I was so damn taken with him already, but after the
flowers he sent to me at work this week and the way he spoke when we texted, I found myself really
excited to see where this went.
No matter where that ended up being.
 Five
Pulling Me In
I was nervous as I walked up to Bram’s house. I knew if my brothers knew about where our date was,
they’d flip, so I simply... didn’t tell them. I’d tell them after, but I wanted this, and I didn’t want one of
my brothers showing up and ruining it. I didn’t need protection.
When I knocked though, I had a few moments of doubt as I waited for him to open the door, but the
second I saw his face, that doubt washed away. I wasn’t sure why, I was just glad it did. “Hi.”
“Hi.” A soft smile spread across his face as he stepped aside to let me in, and his house might’ve
smelled even better than he did. “Dinner’s ready, so I hope you brought your appetite.”
“I did, thank you.” I stepped inside and looked around, taking in the interesting artifacts he’d
collected over the years and kicked off my shoes to be polite. “Is that Gnocchi Sorrento?” I asked, my
tone going up in excitement at the end.
Bram nodded with a soft smile. “You said it was your favorite. I aim to please.”
He gestured for me to follow him to the kitchen, placing his hand on the small of my back to guide
me. It was hard not to smile at the small touch, and I walked as slow as I could so he’d hold it until
we got there. “You live alone?”
“I do. Sometimes I regret that, but I do have a particular style. It’s nice that no one messes with
that,” he explained, rubbing his thumb over my shirt gently before stepping back and letting me take in
the kitchen.
It was warm and welcoming, with candles everywhere and an immaculately set table, but it was
hard to look at anything but him and the way he filled out his shirt. “I live alone too,” I offered. “I see
my family enough but... sometimes it’s lonely.”
“It must be interesting having so many siblings. Do you ever feel... how do I want to say this. Lost
in the shuffle?”
He started dishing up the food, and I gave his question a considerable amount of thought before I
answered. “Yes. I’m the youngest and the smallest, so if they’re not protecting me, it’s easy to be
forgotten. Not like they don’t care or anything, they’re just busy. It’s nice though, if I ever need
someone to talk to there’s usually someone available.”
“I can understand that. And I’m sure things have changed now that they’re all in relationships,” he
commented, pulling out a chair for me to sit.
I nodded slowly as I sat, sad at that reminder because that really had changed. I didn’t hold it
against any of my brothers for finding love, I was happy for them. But I’d meant what I’d said, things
had been really lonely. “Do you have any siblings?”
“Nope. And I’m single, which I suppose means I have a vacancy when it comes to having
someone to love and protect and spoil.” His fingertips brushed the back of my neck as he walked
around to sit across from me. “Though, I don’t imagine you find that surprising.”
I tried not to get butterflies at the prospect of being loved, protected, and spoiled, but I did, and I
was pretty sure that showed on my face. “Why wouldn’t I? Everything about you pulls people in.” Or
maybe you’re just pulling me in.
I blushed, making him reach over to gently squeeze my hand.
“I spent a hundred and fifty thousand dollars for a chance to spend two hours with you, Archer.
You don’t need to be the one embarrassed here, okay? Tell me you understand that.”
 “Okay,” I whispered, moving my hand slightly so I could hold his too. Every time he full-named
me I felt myself gravitating closer and closer to him, I didn’t care to fight it. “I’ll hang out with you
for free next time.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’m rich, but I’m afraid that’s not something I could sustain for very long,”
he laughed, relaxing me almost instantly. “Not that I wouldn’t try.”
I smiled so wide I almost blushed again, but Bram didn’t want me to be shy or hold back, and I
wanted to see who I was with him if I didn’t. “Well maybe not free. I might want more food.” I took a
huge bite and moaned at how good it was, not missing the way it made Bram twitch.
Even if he didn’t bring me here for sex, I had no doubt that he wanted it.
“Food it is, especially if you sound like that every time you eat my cooking. It’s a wasted talent
otherwise since I have no one to cook for.”
“You can cook for me any time.” I dug in some more, wanting him to know how good it was and
how much I appreciated the effort he put in for me. “I don’t cook well at all, but I’d try for you.”
“If you don’t enjoy it, you’d never have to do it.” He licked his lips, taking a slow bite without
looking away from me. “I happen to love it.”
“And I love to eat. I don’t really gain weight, I think that will change when I get older maybe but
for now I’m a bottomless pit bottom.” My eyes widened when I realized what I just said, my gaze
dropping to my meal quickly, and my mind shifted to Dr. Strange as a coping mechanism. If I could
find him, maybe I had enough money to make him go into Bram’s mind and erase that line from his
memory.
“Archer,” Bram said, slowly and firmly. “Look at me.”
I shook my head no as my eyes moved toward him like his voice was some sort of magnet.
“Sorry.”
“For what? For being so unbearably fucking adorable that it makes me ache? Or for being
forthcoming about who you are? Because neither of those things is something to be sorry for.” He sat
back, tilting his head slightly. “This... dinner put a lot of pressure on you, didn’t it.”
“No,” I rushed out, not wanting him to think I didn’t want to be here. “I was happy, especially
when I saw you. You just—” I licked my lips as I tried to find the words. “I want to impress you and
all I’ve done is sound like a kid or something.”
“That’s what I meant when I said pressure,” he explained gently. “If it helps at all, you’ve already
impressed me. Just seeing you blush was worth the money I spent to get you here.”
I chuckled. “Good... it was kind of a lot. You helped me win a bet, y’know? My siblings bet
which of us would pull in the most money and I won by a landslide.”
“Really? Then I’m glad I could help. Truth be told, I almost gave up,” he admitted. “I recognized
your brother-in-law and assumed you didn’t want to be bid on by anyone else, but I couldn’t stop. The
look in your eyes helped.”
My smile only grew wider. “I wasn’t in on that, that was Kale’s doing. I’m surprised he didn’t
corner you when you came upstairs.”
“He eyed me like he wanted to, but I think he trusts you. Besides, I’m not so scary.” He grinned,
reaching over to brush his knuckle over my cheek. “I think he understood quickly that I’d never hurt
you.”
The things that did to me... words couldn’t explain. I felt it from the point of contact all the way
down to my toes so strongly I almost told him he could. Almost. I could tell that wasn’t what either of
us wanted though. He wanted me to feel nothing but good things, I just knew it. “He is a pretty good
judge of character, believe it or not. Also not every day he sees someone his size.”
 My eyes traveled along Bram’s toned arms without my permission, drawing a deep hum from his
chest.
“And what about you, Archer? How are you judging my character?”
“I feel like you’re a good man... one I’d like to get to know a lot more about, if I’m being honest.”
Gently, he took my hand and kissed my knuckles. “I hope you mean that. Admittedly, I put a lot of
pressure on myself with this dinner, too. I only had two hours to impress you enough to convince you
to come back.”
The urge to kiss him was stronger than ever, especially now that I felt how soft his lips were.
“Consider me impressed, Bram. I already want to come back.”
“Good. There’s nothing I’d like more.”
I relaxed, watching his face closely and feeling the truth behind his words. “Can we kiss?”
Bram shifted slightly. “I need you to tell me that you understand you don’t have to. I didn’t buy
you, Archer. As long as you understand that and the fact that I’m eleven years older than you, yes.
I’d... like that very much.”
“I understand. I know you didn’t buy me. We both donated here, you money and me time. You say
your money was well spent? I say my time was well spent. I just also really want to kiss you.”
He was on his feet and lifting me to mine in an instant, brushing his thumb over my bottom lip as
he tipped my head back. “All you ever need to do is say no, Archer. Okay?”
“Yes,” I rushed out, meeting his lips halfway in a desperate attempt to feel more of him, as much
as he’d give me, and it felt so damn good I never wanted it to end. Those plush lips consumed me as
strong hands lifted me off my feet, holding my weight easily. Bram didn’t break that kiss for a second,
not until I rutted against him in an attempt for some friction and let him know I already wanted more.
He gently parted my flannel shirt and slipped his fingers under my white tee, then expertly flicked
the button of my jeans open. “So beautiful,” he whispered. “You’re so... small.”
The growl in his voice made me shiver. “Y-You like that?”
“Yes.” He slid my zipper down and brushed his fingertips over the bulge in my black jockstrap.
“Is that okay?”
“Mmhm,” I moaned, lifting up his dress shirt to run my fingers along his skin. “I like how big you
are. I like that you’re older. You can have me.”
“Good boy.” He kissed me again, shifting between my legs and tugging my pants down to get
better access. “Lay back.”
The praise felt so good I melted onto the table and lifted my hips to help him, loving how his
hands felt as he slid them up my torso and tweaked my nipple. “Bram,” I gasped. “Please don’t stop,
there’s a condom in my pocket.”
He fished it out and tore it open with his teeth, then kissed over my jockstrap and tugged at it with
his teeth, too. “Seeing you spread out on my dinner table is better than I dreamed.”
“I was hoping I would be. You’re so hot,” I rutted against his face a little impatiently, moaning
when my cock twitched in search of more. “Please.”
“Breathe for me, Archer. I want you to enjoy this.” Carefully, he freed my cock and put the
condom on me, then held it down as he sucked me in.
I couldn’t stop watching him. Knowing that this rich, powerful man wanted to suck me off was
enough to have me leaking in that rubber and humping his face much faster than I intended until his
strong hands pinned me down and he pulled off.
“Breathe, Archer.”
“Yeah, okay, okay.” I took a breath, forcing myself to calm down before I ruined this, and when I
watched the way his chest rose and fell, I only calmed when I matched his breathing. “I’m breathing.”
“Good boy.” He sucked me in again, going slowly this time, lifting my thighs and bending me in
half as he took me deep.
It was already the best blowjob of my life and it had just started. “Thank you. Oh, that feels
good.”
Bram hummed, locking eyes with me as those lips slid up and down my shaft and he kept me
pinned.
I was in heaven, and if I wasn’t, then I’d choose this over the former. His molten brown eyes kept
me rooted to the spot, made me want to take whatever he’d give me and then beg for more. It had me
hurtling toward the edge within minutes. “I— oh, god!”
This time, he didn’t stop me. He sucked harder, swallowing me whole each time he bobbed his
head, and I lost myself to that feeling, eyes slamming shut as I tried to last longer than a virgin, but it
was so good I caved quickly. My body shook as I flooded that condom, and he didn’t stop until I
finally slumped against the table.
“Good boy,” he whispered again, carefully removing the condom for me and rubbing his fingers
through the mess it left behind on my cock. “Do you like the way you taste, Archer?”
I nodded, licking at my lips messily as I looked up at him with hooded eyes. “Wanna taste you.”
“Soon, baby boy.” He held his fingers to my lips. “For now, tell me how you taste.”
I leaned in hungrily and sucked his fingers, moaning and keeping my eyes on his as I slid my
tongue underneath and showed off my skills.
“Beautiful, Archer. That’s good... one day, I’ll taste for myself. In the meantime, our food is
getting cold. Will you eat now?”
I frowned, wanting to get him off too, but I could tell he wanted to do this a specific way, and I
could be good for him. “Promise there will be a next time?”
“There will be many next times,” he assured me. “Now eat. We’re unfortunately almost out of
time.”
I relaxed, trusting that he wanted so much more like I did. If there would be many next times, then
I had time to show him I could be a good boy for him, and maybe... just maybe... it was finally my
turn. Don’t get ahead of yourself Archie. Not again.
 Six
Tell Me How You Like It
Bram
Archer Novak was everything I imagined he would be and more. Though tall, he was still three inches
shorter than me and so slender it made me weak. His smooth skin and wide eyes made him look
younger than his twenty-six years, and I was already addicted to the way he begged.
But now I didn’t want him to leave.
I cleaned up from dinner and side-eyed him as he fixed his dark green flannel and fidgeted with
the buttons. “Everything okay?” I asked, drying my hands.
“Yeah,” he responded quickly, eagerly. “Are you sure you don’t want to get off too? I feel guilty
that was all about me.”
I stepped forward slowly and set the hand towel on the island. “It’s a little early for this
conversation, but let’s just say that your pleasure is my pleasure. Making you feel good does more for
me than getting off, and besides... when you finally do touch me, I don’t want it to be through a
condom. I’ll wait.” As gently as I could, I cupped his chin and tipped his head back to look at him
better. “I have a feeling it’ll be worth it.”
My words and touch seemed to relax him. “I’ll get tested Monday.” His hands gripped my shirt to
keep me there. “Can I text you sometimes?”
“Whenever you’d like. If I don’t respond, I’m probably in a meeting, so please don’t take it
personal.” I kissed him again, dying for those soft lips and the softer moans he let out when I slid my
tongue into his mouth. It was a constant struggle to remind myself that I needed to take this slow —
that there were conversations we needed to have first and things we needed to learn about each other.
“How soon can I see you again?”
“Whenever. All I really do is work, so just whenever you’re free, I’ll come back.”
He kissed me again, and I knew if I didn’t make him leave, I’d end up keeping him all night.

The moment those two hours were officially over, I kissed the top of his head and escorted him to the
door, then watched from the porch as he drove away. Part of me regretted giving in at all tonight —
my original plan was to take things slow, get him to open up on his own, and to absolutely not assume
he wanted me to suck him off. I didn’t want him to think that was why I bid on him even though that
was exactly why I bid on him.
I’d been a little obsessed with Archer Novak since he’d spoken out in defense of his older brother
and his sub, Zack. He’d been eviscerated in tabloids for being collared and a full-time sub, but Kale
had stood up for him... and so had Archie. While I wasn’t looking for a full-time sub nor did I have a
single ounce of interest in collaring someone, that fierceness had drawn me to him.
Those hips hadn’t hurt, and I’d have been lying if I said his soft features and innocent eyes hadn’t
sealed the deal for me. So when I’d heard that he was putting two hours of his time up for auction, I
considered that to be kismet. Divine intervention. A sign from on high that we were meant to meet,
meant to do this. I’d never put much stock in fate before, but now? One evening with him confirmed
my suspicions.
 He was perfect for me, and I him.
As soon as he let me know he was home, I went upstairs to shower and made quick work of the
boner I’d had all night. It wasn’t hard with the ghost of those lips still on my skin, the sight of that
smooth, perfect stomach at the forefront of my mind and the memory of his moans still fresh in my ear.
I fucked my fist and pictured his cute little ass, that young, gorgeous body bent over and spread out for
me like a fucking five-course meal. I imagined coming not down the drain, but in his mouth, deep in
his ass, all over that porcelain skin that stuck out so contrasting against my own.
God, I wanted to take him apart.
Patience. I didn’t get where I am today by not having patience.
I cleaned up after myself and tried to return to business as usual... but Archer Novak never left my
mind for more than a few minutes. To my surprise, he did text me regularly, asking questions about
me, about sex, outright asking me if I was a Dom. I’d avoided broaching that subject myself since so
many people – most subs included – thought of all Doms as being bossy, powerful, harsh, and more
concerned with themselves than their subs, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Especially for me.
Without an elegant way to describe a pleasure Dom to someone who hadn’t ever been with one
before, I settled for sending Archer articles and videos that would help him understand exactly why
I’d been fine with not getting off during our first date. When I’d told him his pleasure came first, I
meant it. I was looking forward to wasting days between his thighs, worshiping his ass, his cock, his
balls, his thighs with my tongue, dancing my fingertips over his skin until I’d mapped every inch and
he was breathless from it all. I wanted to spoil him, to cook him his favorite foods and massage his
muscles in the bath and help him stretch before bed so he slept better. He was arguably as rich if not
richer than I was, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to take him on trips and buy him things and do
whatever I could to make him smile.
Barely two weeks in, I was already so fucking hooked on that smile I’d have killed someone for
making it disappear.
I asked for pictures daily. Not of his body, but of that smile. Once we’d shared our negative STI
panels and gone over the things we liked and didn’t like in the bedroom, I’d felt more comfortable
with asking a question like that. As innocent as it sounded on the surface, I was just as turned on by
that boyish grin as I was anything else.
And I really would’ve killed someone for making him frown, so... it doubled as a chance to make
sure my boy was happy.
Even with all of that, I still hadn’t seen him again. Business took me overseas, and though Archer
had offered to come, it was too soon. If I didn’t take at least some care to keep him at arms’ length, I’d
be moving him in by the end of the month. It was just who I was, and from what I could tell... he
wouldn’t have put up much of a fight.
But those weeks with just pictures of his smile and text messages working out our future sex life
had me fucking dying for him. I needed to hear his voice, to hear him say please, to come for me even
if I wasn’t there to touch him myself.
So I called him.
“Are you alone?” I asked, tracing my finger over the bulge in my sweats. “Please tell me you’re
alone.”
I could hear the smile in his voice. “Yep. Just got home from my mom’s dinner. Did you miss
me?”
“More than you know.” I teased myself a little more then pulled my cock out, licking my palm and
stroking lightly. “God, just your voice makes me hard.”
“Y-You’re hard for me right now?” he asked, his tone changing slightly as he realized what kind
of call this was. “Just knowing that has me getting harder. Watching my jeans grow right now...
wearing a purple jockstrap today.”
I hissed, squeezing myself at the visual. “I’m always hard for you, Archer. Not being around to
make you come for me has been torture. Will you come for me right now?”
“Hell yeah.” I could hear him shuffling around on the other end as he got undressed, then my
phone vibrated with a photo of him bulging out that jockstrap.
“So fucking beautiful, Archer. God, the way those straps hug your hips... makes me insane.” I sent
him a picture of my own, cock hard with popping veins and a shiny tip, trapped between my tight fist.
“That’s what you do to me.”
“Fuck, you’re big,” he gasped. “Want that inside of me so much.”
My perfect, needy little bottom. God, I couldn’t wait to bury myself inside of him. “Imagine it
then. Right now. Imagine my hands all over your skin, my tongue sliding up the back of your neck as I
slide deeper... deeper than you’ve ever felt. Imagine staying right there, I’m not moving at all, just
stroking you as you sit speared on my cock, stuffed full and so fucking beautiful when you shake.”
“Oh, god!” Archer groaned, then the sound of lube on his cock reached my ears as he started
stroking. “How would you stroke me?”
“However my boy likes it best. Tight? Loose fist? Tell me,” I whispered, staring down at my own
length in anticipation. “Tell me how you like it, baby boy.”
He moaned, slowing his stroke slightly. “Like this... tight fist... twisting. Feels so good.”
“Then that’s exactly how I’d touch you. Tight fist, twisting my hand while I kept you pinned down
and split open on my lap. I’d whisper to you what a good boy you are, how good you feel, how
gorgeous you look.” I stroked myself again, moaning quietly and stifling it quickly — I wanted to hear
him, not myself.
And he didn’t disappoint. Archie was a moaner, someone who wore his heart on his sleeve and
let you know exactly how he was feeling. “Thank you. I want it. Want it right now.”
“Then clench for me, baby boy. Squeeze that ass around my cock and come for me. I’ll be home
soon.” I pressed the phone so hard against my head it almost hurt, but I was addicted. “C’mon, baby.”
“Bram!” he moaned, and the unmistakable sound of him coming and jacking himself through it was
so beautiful I’d have drowned in it before pulling away.
“Good boy. So good, Archer. Did that feel good?”
“So fucking good. Can I hear you come? Please?”
There was no world in which I could deny him. “Yes, but just talk to me. Tell me about your day...
I love your voice.”
“My day?” He sounded nervous. “I just hung out with my family but I kept thinking about you.
Every time I did, my cock would want to wake up.”
I asked him more about it, asked him to tell me details about what he wore and who he saw and
where he went. It wasn’t like those trivial things mattered, he wasn’t my property — but hearing his
voice, the excitement, the eagerness, the wonder... I was stroking faster and moaning into the phone
before I even registered I was making a sound at all. “Archer. Archer, tell me you want this. Tell me
you want me to make you feel good.”
“Oh god. I want it so much. Need you to make me feel good.”
And that was it. I was gone, lost to the thought of pleasing him and giving him everything he
deserved and more, and I let him listen as I ruined my shirt and kept stroking my cock with my own
come.
Thank god my trip was almost over. If I didn’t get him in person again soon... well, I wasn’t going
to allow myself to consider that possibility. I needed him too damn much.
 Seven
Brim Bowens
The second I shut off my car, I was nervous. All of my brothers’ cars were there, which meant I was
last, and all of them were about to bombard me with questions about Bram and our date. We’d all
avoided the topic at Mor’s for obvious reasons, but now that it was just us, I knew what was to come.
I just didn’t have a clue how I’d respond.
Me: Just got to Sage’s house. What if they ask about us? Is there a certain way you want me to
respond?
I chewed my thumbnail as I watched those three dots dance around, and when he texted back, I
smiled down as I read it.
Bram: Tell them as much or as little as you’re comfortable with. It’s your story to tell.
It only made me want to scream from the rooftops about how amazing he was, but I knew I wasn’t
ready to share too much about him with my brothers. They were too protective, and given how Bram
and I met, I had a feeling they’d have some thoughts about our new relationship. I wasn’t ready for
that, or anything negative where Bram was concerned, so I decided not to say much and went inside.

Once all the greetings were done, I could tell they were all waiting for me to freely give them the
information they wanted, but I went with a diversion instead. “Where’s Eliza?”
“She went to have dinner with her mom,” Sage said. “Pretty sure she’ll come back annoyed too so
we’ll have to do something to make her smile.”
“She always smiles with us,” Kale added, and part of me was happy to have a few hours with just
my brothers.
“‘Cause we’re awesome. So how were everyone’s dates?” Toby asked, beating me to my next
attempt to deflect. “Kale, you first.”
“Fucking Hel, alright.” He sat up straighter in his chair before he started. “Alright, well the dude
you guys saw wasn’t my date. It was for his daughter. She was like... I don’t know, twenty-two
maybe? And he was legit hoping we’d hit it off because guess why. Go ahead, guess.”
“Because gay is sin or something lame?” Toby asked.
“Nope. I don’t think he knew or cared that I was married, honestly. He wanted us to breed. He
told me he’d pay for my seed and I could sign something that would make it so I wouldn't have to do
anything beyond giving her my jizz—” he did a jack-off motion— “no child support or dad stuff or
anything. Just my seed. You know how awkward that shit was for the next hour and a half after I said
no?”
None of us could fight our laughter, probably because it wasn’t the first time nor would it be the
last time someone offered money for a Novak to procreate with them. “Wow,” I said once I could
breathe again. “I swear, you tell the best stories. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s just how animated you
are.”
Kale shrugged. He didn’t have an argument for that, but that was because there wasn’t one. He had
one of those personalities that filled a room, he couldn’t help it. “You guys know Zack and I are trying
to adopt. That’s the only kid I wanna father.”
 Toby decided to go next without prompting. “I thankfully can’t top that story, but mine really was
someone just wanting to donate to charity. We watched some old football game he saved on his DVR.
How about you, Sage?”
“The couple that bought me own a fucking tabloid. They fed me a few drinks and kept asking
about Rosey and the other models I’ve worked with. Didn’t tell them shit that isn’t already public
knowledge, so they’re probably a little disappointed. I don’t think they know just how well we’ve
learned to handle our liquor over the years,” he laughed.
“These people are fucking wild,” Kale said. “Brenn, your turn.”
I was getting the vibe they were saving me for last, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it.
Brennan grimaced. “Somebody else go,” he muttered. “I’m never telling any of you what
happened.”
“Thought someone would have made you play the piano or something. I’ll go,” I cut in, wanting to
get it over with. “Bram just cooked for us and surprised me with a dish I love and rarely ever get. It
was... relaxing. Your turn, Kai.”
He shrugged. “He wanted to meet Hendrick. He’s apparently a big motocross fan, so I had
Hendrick come with me and basically fucked off while they talked. Easiest thing I’ve ever done for
money.”
Everyone turned to look at Brennan then, who sighed deeply. “She wanted to braid my hair.”
I’d never laughed that hard in my life. All of us seemed to be imagining Brennan with braided
hair, and not one of us could breath for about five minutes.
Toby pulled it together first. “Did it hurt? Tell me I’m not the only tender-headed one here.”
“Just my pride, maybe. She was baby-talking me the entire time,” he grumbled. “I don’t think she
had all the hens at home, if you know what I mean.”
That was enough to make me grimace. “Now it’s just creepy. Did we miss anyone, there’s too
many of us.”
“That was everyone. And now it’s over and we never have to see any of them again,” Brenn
commented. “Told you it wouldn’t be that bad.”
“You did, Braids.”
Something told me Kale would hang onto that one for a while.
“Is there food here, Sage? I was told there would be food,” I asked, trying to keep Brennan and
Kale from bickering.
“Spaghetti sammies, salad and pizza. It’s all in the kitchen, so have at it.”
I got up and raced Kale there, beating him by so little, I was sure he let me win. Sage was right
behind us there and the rest followed like normal humans.
Once we were settled around his table and Sage’s giant Leonberger named Heimdall was
awaiting crumbs from anyone who would give one, I felt myself relax. It didn’t seem like they were
going to push about Bram and I was thankful for it, but I was already missing him again.
Me: They didn’t grill too hard about it so far. When will you be back in town?
Bram: Three days. Not soon enough. Can I see you then?
Me: Absolutely! Can I stay the night?
I hit send before I could back out and forgot about my food entirely as I waited for his reply.
Bram: I’d prefer it, yes.
Kai cleared his throat loudly. “Who you talking to, baby Bror?”
“Huh?” I looked up abruptly to find five sets of curious eyes watching me closely. “Um, no one.” I
pocketed my phone and thought of a way to deflect from his betrayal. He knew who I was talking to.
“How are you and Hendrick after the blue hair?”
“Fine. I haven’t retaliated yet. We’ve found much healthier outlets for our aggression,” he
explained, then nodded to my pocket. “No, really, though. Who? You got this weird look on your
face.”
“What kind of weird look?” I asked, feeling slightly cornered, but I wasn’t someone who could
lie. I never was.
Kai looked around then pointed at Sage. “See the way he’s looking at that fucking monstrosity of a
sandwich?”
“Mmhm,” I hummed, not trusting my mouth to open.
“Like that.”
“Well it’s not food. Just a friend.” That I would love to eat and let eat me. “Do you want a
name?”
Sage looked up from his plate. “Uh... yeah. Last time someone looked at someone the way I look
at spaghetti sammies, they got engaged. What’s their name?”
“You don’t know them,” I rushed out. “His name is Br—” Shit! “Brim.”
“Brim,” Brennan deadpanned. “Brim Bowens, by chance?”
I could feel my face getting hotter by the second. “Yes?”
“Bram Owens?” he asked, a little sterner. “You’re talking to the man who paid an unreasonable
amount of money to spend time with you? Your obligation is over, Archie.”
“I know. It isn’t obligation, Brennan. I like him.” I hated how small my voice sounded, but I never
did well with Brennan’s stern voice.
He watched me closely, then deflated slightly. “Can we have the room, please?”
“It’s my kitchen,” Sage mumbled, mouth full. “Go to the living room or something.”
I stood up and walked over to the living room with my head higher than it felt, but I knew my
eldest brother was watching me closely and I couldn’t act like the little boy I’d been. I just couldn’t.
When we were alone, he dropped his voice to make sure we weren’t overheard. “I really, truly
wish I could say with a straight face that this isn’t any of my business, but I put you in that position, so
it is. Did he take advantage of you in any way?”
“No!” I whispered sharply. “You know I’m twenty-six right? I’m not a kid. He didn’t touch me or
anything in any way I didn’t ask for.”
“Age has nothing to do with it, Archie. And I’m sorry for even asking, but if it makes you feel any
better, I’d be having this exact conversation with absolutely any of our other brothers if they’d hinted
something happened.” He sat on the arm of the couch and huffed. “So this was just some outrageously
convenient meet-cute?”
I nodded. “I like him, he’s charming and he cooks great and he made me feel like myself for the
first time in a while. You’re right, age has nothing to do with it, he’s perfect for me and I don’t even
know how to explain it but... he treats me how I always treated my partners and we haven’t even had
sex. It’s nice to feel that in return.”
“Okay, then. I trust you Archie, whether you believe that or not. But I’ll never stop being your
brother. Will you promise me that you’ll let me know when you’re going over there alone the first few
times?”
“Okay. I’m going in three days and I want to stay the night.” I moved in to hug him out of nowhere,
but I couldn’t help it. “I’ll be okay. I’ll text you and check in, ‘kay?”
“Good. That’s all I can really ask.” He squeezed and rubbed my back, then let me go. “I know
you’re not a baby anymore, by the way. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to protect you.”
 “I know. I appreciate it, I do. It’s nice having five protectors sometimes, but other times... I just
need to live for myself. I need to feel it all: happiness, sadness, anger... pain. It’s all part of life. I’ve
watched all of you go through those things and as hard as it was to see, I also knew it was a part of
living. I have a good feeling about Bram, and if I’m wrong, I’ll make it through that too.”
He ruffled my hair affectionately. “I’ll do my best to remember that.”
I believed him.
We went back to the dining room, and to my surprise, Brennan didn’t answer any of their
questions about Bram and me. He let me answer them, and that alone solidified my trust in him. He
was going to let me experience this, even if standing aside would be harder than anything for him, and
when I left Sage’s house and said my goodbyes, I knew the rest of them would too.
This was my journey, and it was time to travel it.
 Eight
First Date
“Come on!” I exclaimed, frustrated at my reflection in the mirror. Bram was on his way for our first
official date, and for some reason I was struggling with a tie. I’d put on a million ties in my life, and
yet as I waited for Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome, I couldn’t get the damn loop right. I forced myself to
take a breath and start over, finally getting it right three minutes before he arrived. I had a feeling he’d
be punctual, which was probably why I felt so scrambled as I took in my outfit of choice.
He’d said we’d be going to dinner which was why I opted for a tie, but he also told me to dress
however I wanted to, so the rest of my outfit wasn’t as dressy as I imagined he’d be. Plaid dress shirt,
black jeans and some black vans. I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about it, but I had a feeling he’d like it.
When he knocked on my door, those butterflies had made a permanent home in my upper stomach,
and when I opened it, he took my breath away. He was wearing a dark green suit that shouldn’t have
looked good on anyone, but the way it looked against his rich umber skin made me shiver.
“Archer,” he said, all sultry and hungry. “Those pants are going to kill me.”
I smiled, leaning in so he could kiss my cheek, and I had to admit, I loved it when he called me by
my full name. “That’s what I was hoping for. I’m wearing a jockstrap for you.”
I whispered the last bit and stepped around him, gasping quietly as he caught me and pulled me
back to him. “Are you trying to give me a hard-on before we’re even in the car, Archer?”
Being this close to him took my breath away, and I curled my fingers into his suit to keep myself
from falling to my knees. “Yes. I want you so badly I need to see you want me too.”
“Going to kill me,” he growled quietly. “But you’ll get your wish, this suit hides nothing. Come
on.”
He led me to the car and opened the back door for me, then walked around to get in the other side.
Our driver waited for instructions then took off as Bram’s hand found my leg, and I couldn’t help but
smile down at it. I felt like I was his, even if just for tonight, but I was already hoping he’d keep me
around for a while. “Have you been to this restaurant before?”
“A few times. Have you?”
“No. I mean, maybe, but I don’t remember it. Went to a lot of restaurants with family where I
didn’t really pay attention to the name. I’ll know when I see it.”
He squeezed my thigh gently. “You’ll love it either way. It’s got all the perks of fine dining
without any of the drawbacks.”
Sounded good to me. “How much longer is the drive?” I asked, leaning in more and sliding my
hand down his torso slowly.
“Just a couple of minutes.”
“Can I have a taste of you before we get there?”
I reached my prize and groaned, my eyes fluttering closed when I felt how thick he really was and
I imagined it inside of me.
Bram reached to stop me, but didn’t push me away. “Yeah, but only a taste. I don’t want to come
until I’m buried in you later.”
My body tensed at his words, making me wish we could skip dinner completely and go home for
dessert. I pulled him out as I kissed his jaw and then stared down at it, my mouth watering at the sight
of it. “Only a taste,” I whispered, then bent down into his lap to lick up his shaft and suck him in.
 “Archer,” he breathed, placing his hand on the back of my head. “Good boy, just go slow. Tease
me.”
I needed to stay his good boy, so as much as I wanted to blow his mind with my tongue, I took it
slow. He stretched my mouth in ways I’d never felt before, making me rock hard in my jeans as he
found a home in my throat.
“So good. Can you count in your head for me? Show me what you can do for ten seconds, then
cockwarm for me. Please, Archer.”
He pet my head as I started counting, bobbing at a speed I knew would make him weak, my tongue
swiping up the underside of his delicious cock.
He twitched and moaned, keeping still and letting me move, then exhaled hard when I hit ten and
quit moving. “Fuck, baby boy. Who taught you how to suck a cock like that?”
I couldn’t help but smile around his girth, settling myself there like it was a warm bed as I relaxed
more than I had in a long time. Feeling a warm cock in my mouth without the taste of latex felt better
than I ever imagined it could, and I was suddenly glad we waited.
The car came to a stop, but Bram didn’t let me up right away. He slid his hand into my jeans to
grip my jockstrap, tugging slightly as he rocked deeper into my throat. “My beautiful boy. Already
take me so well.”
I hummed, still so hard I could hardly think about dinner or anything else that wasn’t him.
“Up. Take a breath, then tell me if my good boy wants to come now or later.”
I licked my lips as I sat up straight, then looked around to see where we were and if me saying
now would be inconvenient. “What about... both? I’m so hard, but if I have to choose, then later. I
want to come with you inside of me.”
“You will never have to choose. Lay back for me, baby boy.” He cleared his throat and asked our
driver to get out, then tugged my pants down the moment we were alone. “You’ll come now and
later.”
“Thank fuck,” I gasped, rutting into the air as my cock sprang free. “Thank you thank you thank
you,” I whispered over and over like it would make him see exactly how much this meant to me, and
the way he peppered kisses along my thigh told me he knew.
“Come for me, Archer. Whenever you’re ready.” He sucked me in, and the difference without a
condom was unbelievable.
I’d never gone without one before, never felt like I could, but after Bram took all those steps to
ensure we were both safe I knew I could trust him. His mouth was so warm that heat spread
throughout my body and consumed me, had me throbbing and leaking in seconds on his tongue.
The way he rolled my balls between his fingers and pressed at my hole reminded me of all the
things I had to look forward to, and just the thought had me coming in under three minutes. I was
embarrassed, but one look at him as he tucked me away told me not to be. He didn’t judge me.
“Now, let’s go have dinner. I want to eat with the taste of your come on my tongue.”
“Bram,” I whispered, smiling a little with flushed cheeks as we got out of the car and he put a
hand on the small of my back.
We were seated in a private corner near a faux fireplace, his molten irises locked on me in a way
that made looking away impossible.
“Breathe, Archer. I want you to talk to me. Tell me more about you,” Bram said softly. “What do
you do for Novak International?”
I took a breath and went into my job, calming more as I explained how I was really no more than a
glorified agent. “I don’t really travel and recruit as much as I used to because Brennan hired someone
for traveling, but I like what I do. I get to talk to a lot of the models a lot and check in with them. I like
knowing they’re happy. What about you?”
“Well, I founded Owens Enterprises to bridge gaps in certain markets. It’s all incredibly boring
and we have too many divisions at this point for me to tell you all of them in one sitting, but suffice it
to say that we dabble in almost everything. It helps keep me on my toes,” he admitted.
“So you like being on your toes?” I took a sip of water and eyed him over the glass as he nodded.
“Most of the time,” he explained. “Occasionally, it can get a little overwhelming. Like that trip I
was just on, for example. I was settling a multidivisional dispute that could’ve crippled the entire
company had it been allowed to go on.”
“Sounds stressful and... chaotic. Is that why you’re a Dom?” I didn’t mean for it to come out as
forward as it did, but he took it in stride.
“Yes, but I still feel weird about referring to myself as a Dom. I’m not ever going to punish you
for breaking rules or anything like that. I’m bossy sometimes, but mostly... I just want to take my own
stress away by making you feel good.”
I smiled. “I like that. I like you.” It felt lame to toss out there after a response like his, but I
couldn’t help it. He’d asked me not to hold back who I was. “Was it difficult when you were still
figuring out your preferences? Like when you were younger.”
“Yes, because I’m definitely not a sub, nor am I a switch. But I wasn’t quite commanding enough
to fit in with other Doms that I knew, and back then... pleasure Doms weren’t really taken seriously. I
hated making rules and doling out punishments because it did the exact opposite of what I wanted,
which was to please my partner,” he said simply. “I don’t mind rules if they’re positively reinforced
instead of negatively, but for the most part... I hate the way the typical Dom/sub dynamic dictates that
in certain situations, the sub has to act a certain way. I want my partners to always say what they feel
and do what they want.”
I nodded, understanding that more than I could say. “Two of my brothers are Doms, so watching
them figure it out was an experience all on its own. Brennan knew what he was quicker than Kale did,
Kale spiraled out of control until he learned how to take it and how badly he needed it. Seeing them
like that made me kind of feel like I had to be one or the other but my other brothers found their way.
None of them are like me though, I’m more of a sub than anything but I just... don’t want the control. I
don’t do well with punishments though, and I don’t do well with disappointment.”
Bram’s eyes darkened as he slid his hand up my leg under the table. “I’ll never punish you,
Archer. I’ll never do anything you don’t want me to, and if I’m ever disappointing you, all you need to
do is tell me. I’d rather fix it than let you suffer.”
I nodded, trusting him more than I’d ever trusted anyone before, and with how fast that was
happening, it was scary. I was scared. “I don’t want to disappoint you either, Sir. Will you tell me
too? If I ever do.”
“Of course. You don’t have to call me Sir, either. I like it well enough, but it’s not necessary. The
only thing I’ll ever require of you is to come as much as you can before your body begs you to stop.”
His lips met mine and he didn’t let me up until our waitress came to take our order, and when I
glanced down to hide the blush in my cheeks, I noticed how hard he was in those dark green slacks.
He wanted me, probably as much as I wanted him, and throughout our meal, we shared touches
and kisses like we couldn’t get enough of each other.
The food was delicious, but I still couldn’t wait to leave that restaurant and get back to his house.
I wanted — no, needed — what he said, needed to come so much my body begged for mercy. I didn’t
need to be scared... Bram would take care of me.
 Nine
He Sees Me
The second we walked into Bram’s house, I was tugging on his shirt and trying to get to his skin. I
was eager, desperate even, and I wasn’t embarrassed to show it. “I know you probably want to do
this a certain way, but is it okay if I just keep touching you?” I just need to feel you, all of you.
“I’ll keep reminding you that my goal is to give you exactly what you want, whatever that is.” He
picked me up, all six feet of me, and carried me to his bedroom. I barely glanced around us as he laid
me down on the bed and stripped that suit off until he was in nothing but dark grey boxer briefs. “Get
down to your jockstrap and you can touch me all you want.”
I sat up after watching him in a daze and did as told, my cock already hard and bulging out my red
jockstrap for him. “You like these, Bram?”
I rolled over onto my belly so he could see my exposed ass, grinning to myself when he climbed
up and traced the straps. “You have no idea how much, baby boy. They make you look even smaller...
so smooth and mine.”
“Yours. There’s been no one else for a long time. Your touch feels perfect.”
I pushed back for more, groaning happily when he bent down to kiss my skin. “Do you want me to
keep touching you, or would you rather I lay down and let you touch me as much as you need to?”
“Can you keep touching me? I... I want to touch you too, but I really want you to own me.”
He hummed, dragging his tongue down my spine and flicking it over my hole as he spread me
open, and I gasped. That wasn’t something the younger guys were into doing, and the visual alone was
enough to have me squirming below him. “Bram...”
“Beautiful, Archer. My baby boy’s ass is all mine, isn’t it?” he asked, gently biting me and slowly
swirling his tongue around my rim. “All mine.”
“Yours. Fuck, that feels good. I didn’t think it would,” I admitted.
He pulled back just a little. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I whispered, wiggling just a little so he could see that I meant it.
“Good. Then touch yourself, baby. Get yourself off with my tongue in your ass.”
I was still mid-gasp when he followed through with that hot, wet tongue, and I felt a little floaty as
I pulled my cock out and started twisting the head. “Thank you.”
He let me go for a few minutes, just tasting me and keeping me spread open, but his hand found
mine before long and took over. With his tongue inside of me and his expert hand working my cock, I
hung onto his sheets with a white-knuckled grip. “I’m gonna —”
But I didn’t finish that sentence, I came so hard I felt myself clench around his tongue, but he
didn’t stop until I was empty and squirming.
“Feel better, baby boy?”
“Yes. I’m ready for you, please.” I knew he wouldn’t judge me for begging. “I need you.”
Bram hummed, gently rolling me onto my back and touching my hips. “This is our first, Archer. I
want to savor this.”
He slicked his fingers and slid two inside of me, making me moan and fight the next plea
threatening to spill from my lips. “Feels so good.”
I started rocking, dying at the way he stretched me open and kissed my ankles. I knew he needed
this too, needed me, but he made sure I could comfortably take all of him before squirting a line of
lube on his cock and stroking to get himself wet. “Does my boy have a favorite position?”
“Yeah, I like being on all fours. Love this one too, but I was hoping you’d pull my hair while you
slide in? I want to feel you everywhere.”
I could feel my skin buzzing as I awaited his cock, but Bram made me wait just a little longer.
He flipped me just like I wanted, raising me up on all fours and fisting one hand in my hair.
“Rough or gentle, Archer?”
“Both. Gentle, then rough, then gentle. Is that too much? Am I asking for too much?” I asked,
worried he would be like every other lay, but he clicked his tongue and loosened his grip a little.
“Of course not. You’ll never ask me for too much, Archer.” He slid in slowly, moaning low and
long as he bottomed out and sat there to let me adjust. “Ass is so tight, baby. You ever have a cock
like mine before?”
“No,” I rushed out, taking a breath as I stretched to his size. It was all-consuming in the best of
ways, and I already knew I was hooked. “Never been so full.”
“Mmhm.” Short, clipped nails found my hip as he tightened his grip in my hair, but didn’t tug yet.
“Gonna get addicted to this ass.”
“Good. You can have it anytime you want, Bram. I want you to want me.”
He groaned, yanking my head back and snapping his hips as he slapped my ass. “I do, baby boy. I
do.”
“Oh god,” I moaned, loving every single movement that man made. It was as if he could read my
mind and knew exactly what I needed when I needed it. “I’m yours.” Harder, faster, he shoved my
face in the pillow and railed me until I was fully hard again and having to grip the base. “So good.
Feels so good. I’m close. Y-right there.”
“Stroke, baby. Need to feel you strangle my cock when you come.” He slapped my ass again and
rolled his hips deep, then set a relentless, brutal pace as he pulled my hair a little harder.
I was in heaven. This was what I was missing, someone who knew how to fuck me hard and
slow, someone who cared about my pleasure more than anything else and knew exactly how to make
me feel that pleasure above everything else. When I came with a moan, I made a mess of his satin
sheets and squeezed his cock so tightly he stopped moving almost entirely to feel it.
“God damn, boy.” He lifted me up and bit my earlobe as he played with my spent cock and
slowed down, just grinding against my ass. “So good. My good boy, huh, Archer? I’ve got you. Gonna
fill this perfect ass up now, okay?”
He sped up just a little as I closed my eyes and enjoyed the ride, loving how he felt as he got
closer and closer and eventually lost all resolve. Feeling that rush of come for the first time in my life
had me moaning and clinging to him like he would disappear if I didn’t. But deep down I knew he
wouldn’t, I knew I was safe. “Thank you.”
Bram’s lips traced my jaw and down my neck as he rolled his hips, fucking his come a little
deeper. “No, Archer. Thank you... I’ve never felt anything as good as your ass.”
“Good,” I said with a little wiggle. “You can have it as many times as you want it tonight, Bram. I
like being full of you.”
He growled happily in my ear and flipped me onto my back to kiss down my body. “If you change
your mind about that at any point, just tell me. I have a feeling I might get a little carried away.”
“I will, but I’m already hooked so I don’t see any complaining in the near future.” I tugged on him
to come up and kiss me properly, those kisses grounding me in a way I didn’t realize I needed.
“True, but if you’ve never had a cock like mine, you may not be ready for that. All I’m offering is
a way out if you need it.” He slid his hand down my body and lifted my hip, rutting his soft cock
against mine until it started to harden again.
I wasn’t sure if I could come again after two in a row, but the idea of pleasing him this much was
enough to have my sore cock twitching. Coming wouldn’t be a problem with Bram.
When he slid inside me again, I clung to him, eyes wide at the sound of him sliding in and out with
his own come as lube, and the fact that I could see his face now made me feel even closer to him.
“Have you ever topped, baby?” he asked, biting his bottom lip and pulling out just to ease back in.
“With a guy, I mean.”
“Yes,” I whispered. “Few times. Have you ever bottomed?”
“Twice, just so I’d understand what it was like from your side of things. It’s not my favorite, but I
have to ask... have you ever fucked your own come before?” He rolled deeper and held there, hips
pressed to my ass. “Do you know how hot and fucking amazing it feels? Better than any lube.”
The full-body shiver was completely involuntary. “No. It sounds so hot... no one’s ever come
inside of me either, Bram. Only you.”
He froze, kissing me much softer. “With any luck, I’ll also be the last. I know that’s forward, but...
fuck. I’ve never seen anyone as perfect as you.”
I couldn’t help but beam up at him and lean in for another kiss. “Thank you. I’m happy you like
what you see, my body doesn’t seem to want to change or grow up.”
That giant cock throbbed so violently inside of me I thought he came again, but the fire in his eyes
told me he wasn’t nearly done with me. “God, that’s so hot, baby. Love how fucking smooth and tiny
your hips are... your body is incredible.”
I mumbled a thank you again, my own cock fully hard between us just feeling how turned on he
was for me.
Suddenly, he pulled out and sucked my cock into his mouth like he was trying to suck my soul out,
but stopped the second I arched and moaned like a whore to slam back inside of me.
Cool, calm, collected Bram lost all rhythm, making me forget how to breathe as he took what he
needed from me and bred me once again. All it took was that first jerk of his cock to have me coming
with him and covering my belly, and when he kissed me that time, I thought I might drift off to sleep
right then and there. I’d never been more sated.
“Baby, don’t go to sleep. We need to get you cleaned up and you have to drink some water, okay?
I’ll carry you.” He pulled out slowly, then pushed my legs forward to lick me clean before lifting me
off the bed and carrying me to the bathroom.
The fact that he even cared spoke volumes. I’d had hookups and even dated people who didn’t
give a shit if I needed help cleaning up after, but he did. He took care of me like I was precious
porcelain, washing my body and wrapping me up in a towel I was sure he snuck off to toss in the
dryer. I’d never felt safer. “You’re amazing, Bram. Thank you.”
“Again, don’t thank me. You’re the one giving me the gift, Archer.” He kissed my forehead and
turned me around so I could see our reflections in the mirror, then trailed his fingers down my
stomach toward that towel. “You’re a work of art.”
I believed him.
In a family full of washboard abs and models, I never felt like I was the work of art in the bunch,
but with how Bram was looking at me, admiring me like I looked better than all of them combined... I
didn’t have a doubt in my mind that he meant it.
He saw me for me.
 Ten
Proud Uncle
I tried to go by Brennan’s as much as I could to spend time with my nephews, so after a huge dinner
with Mor, I stopped by there on the way home. The youngest was already in bed after a park day with
Uncle Kale and Uncle Zack, but the other two were still hanging on by a thread and bouncing off the
walls. My poor eldest brother looked exhausted, but that was nothing compared to Phoenix as she got
the kids upstairs to wash up for bed.
“Sorry I haven’t stopped by in a week. You two want me to come by and babysit soon so you can
nap?”
“Yes,” they said in unison, and Phoenix added, “You’re a lifesaver, Archie. Always.”
“I know, I know. I’m awesome,” I joked. “Did Kale and Zack give them a lot of sugar?”
“It’s Kale,” Brennan muttered, rubbing his eyes. “Of course he did.”
“Zack probably helped a little, but he doesn’t like to say no to the kids. How are you guys doing?
Mor made Pyttipanna by the way. I brought you some.”
Brenn grinned, taking the container of leftovers eagerly and heading for the kitchen, and I noticed
the way Phoenix touched her stomach absentmindedly. I’d been around her while pregnant enough to
have some strong suspicions, but I didn’t want to ask if they weren’t ready to tell — but when
Phoenix went upstairs to check on the boys and I found myself in front of Brennan again, he looked
like he was fighting himself about something.
“You okay, Bror? You’re eating out of the container in a daze,” I said gently, moving over to pour
him some scotch as he contemplated whatever it was he needed to say.
“About your offer to babysit ... does that still stand if it’s four screaming children instead of
three?” he asked, smiling sheepishly.
I couldn’t fight the grin. I knew four children would be a lot of work for them, but Mor did just
fine with all of us, and if anyone could handle that, it’d be Brennan. “Absolutely, yes. New one will
love me just as much as Apollo, Thoren, and Asher do. I’m so happy.” I hugged him before he could
say anything, startling him a little.
“At least this will be the last. I should probably let her tell you this, but we’re finally getting our
girl.”
“Really?” I yelled, more of a borderline screech really, but I couldn’t contain my excitement. “A
girl? We’re going to have a baby girl in the family?”
He chuckled, exhaustion written all over his face as he pulled back. “Yes, finally. We just found
out this morning.”
“That’s amazing. Have you told Mor? She’s going to flip. She’s always said none of us would
have girls. Wait, did you tell Kale and Zack or am I special?”
“You’re special. We haven’t told anyone else yet. I had a feeling you’d want to be the first to
know.” He ruffled my hair and sat down, then nodded to the chair next to him. “We should talk now
that I’ve buttered you up with good news.”
“Buttered up, huh?” I sat, squirming slightly under his intense gaze. He’d always had a gaze that
could stop you in your tracks. “Everything okay?”
He nodded slowly. “I was going to ask you that, actually. How are things going?”
“Great for me.” I averted my gaze, not sure if I should go full Kale and overshare how great Bram
was in and out of bed, or if I should keep the information to a minimum. “I’ve been seeing Bram a
lot.”
“Mhm. I have to admit, I didn’t expect you to end up with someone my age,” he said gently. “He’s
good to you? I’m sorry if I’ve asked that before, but I’ll probably never stop.”
“That’s okay, Brenn. I know you’re just protective. Yeah, he’s good to me. Better than anyone else
I’ve ever dated. I like that he’s your age, he’s ... experienced.”
Unsurprisingly, Brennan cringed a little at that, but he took it mostly in stride. “I know better than
most that you’re not exactly inexperienced when it comes to sex, so I’m just going to say this. I don’t
want details and I don’t even want you to confirm or deny it, but if there’s a power exchange
happening at all, please make sure you both know what you’re doing. And yes, I’ve had this
conversation with exactly all of your siblings, Genesis included.”
“Well I feel less special now,” I joked. “Kidding. He definitely knows what he’s doing, Bror. Can
I ask a really personal question?”
He nodded again. “Of course.”
“Or not personal, actually. I don’t want to know if it is and I’m pretty sure I know the answer but
—” I took a breath. “Have you heard of a pleasure Dom?”
Every part of him relaxed. “Is that what he is? Yes, I’ve ... heard of them,” he said slowly, trying
not to smile.
“Yes.” I blushed, but I was happy to see him like this. “I’m... really happy, Brenn.”
He snorted, then tried to hide it. “I’m not surprised to hear that. Good for you, Arch. I don’t
pretend to understand how this happened, but I’m also not in a place to throw stones. It’s not as though
Nix and I had a conventional beginning. Kale and Zack either ... or Sage and Eliza or Kai and
Hendrick.” He frowned suddenly, meeting my eyes. “Is Tobias the only fucking normal one around
here?”
“I guess he is,” I laughed. “I didn’t even think about that. I thought I’d have some conventional
beginning for sure.”
“So did I, so you’ll understand why I was confused and a little concerned when you told me you’d
struck up a relationship with a man who purchased you at an auction,” he said gently. “But it sounds
like his concern will be your happiness, and I’d be a pretty shit brother if I tried to argue about it.”
“It really is. Not just with sex either, everything. I’ve never felt more seen or safe.”
“Good. Then as long as it stays that way, he’s got a seat at our table, and talk to Sage if you have
questions about pleasure Doms. He’s the closest of all of us.” Brennan stood, getting himself a glass
of water and offering me one too. “Bring Bram around sometime.”
“I will. I’d like it if he met all of you properly. You think Kale will play nice?” I asked nervously.
He took a slow sip. “I’m sure he will. All any of us have ever wanted for you is to find someone
who respects you and gives you what you deserve.”
I smiled, feeling a warmth spread throughout my body. “So far that’s exactly him. So when are you
telling Mor about our baby girl?”
“Well, if she reacts the way she did to our first three ... never. I don’t have the energy for a baby
shower right now, and I’m almost positive it’s considered rude after the first one, anyway.”
“Not if it’s a girl. Come on, all of us have walked past the little girl’s section and died at the
clothes right? We’d all love to spoil the hell out of her, Brenn.”
He hummed, nearly growling it was so low. “The one comfort I take out of having a daughter is
that she’ll have a family full of people not afraid to go to jail to protect her. But fine, baby shower.
You’re planning it though so thank you for volunteering.”
 “Fine. But we’re doing all of it: chocolate diapers, balloon waddles, baby food tasting, all of it.
You’ll regret this.”
I chuckled at his expression, unsurprised in the slightest when he shook his head. “I’m busy that
day.”
“Phoenix?” I called, grinning as I heard her feet coming down the stairs. “When is Brennan free
on a Saturday?”
“Almost all of them, unless one of the boys has a game. Why?”
“Damnit, Nix,” Brennan groaned. “Why? Why do you hate me?”
“I love you,” she grinned, then seemed to read the room. “He told you, huh?”
“Yup.” I got up to hug her and properly congratulate her. “And he said I get to throw the pinkest
baby shower ever.”
“I absolutely did not say that,” he argued, keeping his voice low. “I have half a mind to tell you no
shower at all since being female doesn’t mean they’re a girl, but I only have it in me to have one fight
tonight and luckily for you, Apollo beat you to it.”
“Hey, I know that. And she, he or they will let us know when they’re ready. I’ll take it easy on the
gendered stuff once they’re born, promise.”
Brennan seemed happy enough with that, because he turned the conversation back to me. “Nix, ask
Archie how his love life is.”
“Ooo. Love life?” she asked, her tone light and playful.
“I’m not single anymore. He’s Brennan’s age and he’s amazing. Kinda miss him so I’ll see you
guys soon.”
He chuckled, hugging me and escorting me toward the door. “Be careful, Arch. Bring him by
soon.”
“I will. Congratulations again. I love you both.”
I waved goodbye and left with a grin, then drove home thinking of Bram and how happy he’d
made me in such a short period of time. The second I got in my house, I decided to call him, because
for some reason I knew he was missing me too. “Hi.”
“Archer. It’s late, are you alright?” he asked, and I could practically see his dark brows pinching.
It made me chuckle. “Yeah, I just got home from a family day. My brother Brennan is going to
have a daughter.”
“He’s the one with three boys, right?”
“Yeah. They said they’d stop after they got their girl, but we’ll see. I’m excited, especially for my
mom to find out. I was telling them how happy I am with you though ... they want to meet you.”
A sultry, deep laugh helped me relax. “Good. I’m sure that won’t be dangerous or anything,” he
quipped. “Where do I sign up?”
I bit back a laugh. “No sign up necessary. They’ll all be nice. Kale might ask some big bro type
questions, but they all just want me to be happy.”
“Are you?”
“Yes. You always make sure I am. Are you?” I asked nervously.
“I’d be better if I were sharing a bubble bath with you instead of sleeping alone, but yes. You
make me happy, Archer.”
“Come over,” I rushed out before I could stop myself. “I want a bubble bath with you too.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, all background noise now quieted. “I will, Archer. I want to.”
“Positive. My tub is big enough for both of us and I have everything here. Maybe you could stay
the night?”
 “I honestly can’t think of a single thing I’d rather do tonight. I’ll see you soon, sweetheart.”
The pet name had me walking on fucking air as I rushed off the phone to straighten up my house,
and as I cleaned up my living room, I found myself dancing.
I hated sleeping alone and tonight... I wouldn’t be.
 Eleven
Ruined
Bram
The moment I hung up the phone, I grabbed my overnight bag and drove over. Maybe I’d had the bag
packed for days hoping he’d invite me to stay, maybe I hadn’t — but now, with the prospect of not
being rushed or taking Archer from his comfort zone, I was glad I was prepared.
However, nothing could prepare me for how adorable he looked when he opened the door to let
me in. His hair was wet like he’d tried to tame it and his smile lit up the whole room as he melted
into my arms for a tight hug.
He was perfect.
“Hi.”
“Missed you, baby boy. Come here.” I picked him up, kissing him as I kicked the door shut, then
set him down and kept him close. “Is it concerning that I already hate being away from you?”
“Nope, not to me.” He chewed his lip as he slid his hand up the front of my shirt. “I hate it too.”
“Good.” I tugged his head back by his hair and kissed those soft lips, loving how it felt almost too
much. I came here for a reason, and unfortunately, that wasn’t to fuck him on his living room floor.
“Where’s this bathtub I’ve heard so much about?”
“It’s all the way upstairs, but my legs don’t seem to work anymore, Bram.” He smiled cheekily
and jumped up into my arms like I wasn’t planning on carrying him anyway.
“Can’t have that, now can we?” I secured my grip on him and started up the stairs, chuckling a
little breathlessly. He didn’t weigh much at all, but him being so tall in his own right meant I had to be
careful with him. Already, I understood exactly how precious he was. “Which door, sweetheart?”
He nodded toward the left and leaned in to kiss along my neck once we reached the top, his
tongue tracing a line up to my jaw and making it hard to think.
“Archer,” I moaned, squeezing him as I nudged the door open wide enough to pass through.
“You’re ruining me.”
“Yeah?” I could feel him smile. “Ruining you for anyone else?”
“Yes, and also my astonishing level of patience.” I set him down, keeping him close as I kissed
his forehead and took a second to breathe. “I came here to spoil you, yet one touch threatens to derail
me.”
“I won’t complain,” he whispered, reaching in to grip me through my pants. “You can still spoil
me after... or I’ll be a patient good boy, but I want you. I prepped for you.”
No man on planet Earth had enough patience to resist that. Not when I knew he’d enjoy a bath so
much more if he were sated instead of desperate for release, so I picked him up once more and had
him guide me to his bedroom.
From there, I had no patience. I stripped him like his clothes meant nothing, like I didn’t care if
they ripped, and I had his cock in my mouth before I managed to get him completely on the bed.
“Oh god,” he moaned, bracing himself as he stared down at me with his jaw slack. “Bram, you
make me feel so good.”
That’s my only goal, baby boy.
I flicked my eyes up to watch his face as I started working the plug out of him, needing it out of my
way as quickly as possible. My cock was achingly hard already and searching for that perfect hole,
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
upon the face of the earth. If I had not had a good mother, and she
had not had a good son, I might have unloaded those fish-blooded
burgesses so easily as I drink sherris.”
Whereupon Sir Richard Pendragon sighed profoundly.
We made many leagues that first day of our journey, although we
rested at noon in a small hamlet from the heat of the sun. It may
have been that we had entered upon our adventure not too
propitiously, and that the humours of the Englishman made but an
odd sort of companionship—notwithstanding a liberal rebate for the
qualities of kings’ blood—for one who boasted the sangre azul of a
true hidalgo; yet the wisdom and politeness of the humane and ever-
delightful Count of Nullepart kept us all three to the road, and
brought us in a state of toleration one of another to a wayside venta
at the end of the long day.
In this rustic place we enjoyed a good supper and a peaceful night’s
repose. We had journeyed long that day, and seldom have I known
an honest sleep taste more delicious. But by now we were well in the
King of Castile’s country, and the next morning, as we took our way,
the vigilance of the Englishman grew double. The Count of Nullepart
and myself were tolerably easy that none would guess our mission.
Not so Sir Richard Pendragon. He declared his experience of Castile
to be such that walls had ears, blind men saw, and dead men told
tales.
Indeed, it was clear from the lively concern that Sir Richard
displayed that his former passages with the King of Castile had not
been pleasant ones. Precisely what they were we could not learn
from him who had suffered them, yet that they had been grievous
and considerable we had the authority of his demeanour.
On the second day, as we came into the road to Madrid, we saw
high up in the distant hills one of the noblest castles of this infamous
king. At the sight of it, with the westering sun touching the embowery
of its trees with gold, Sir Richard Pendragon reined in his horse, took
off his hat, and spat on the earth; and then, in what must have been
the roundest London English, for it sounded very rude and
barbarous, he cursed the King of Castile, he cursed his mother and
his female relations, even unto his wet nurse and his most distant
kinsfolk.
“The first trick is yours, Spanish John,” he said. “I allow it; I admit it;
my early nurture has been too gentle to cope with low deceit. But
harkee, John Spaniard, the next trick will go to t’other player, or my
gracious sire was not the King of England.”
“Do I gather, most worthy Sir Richard Pendragon,” said the Count of
Nullepart in a melodious voice, “that your former passages with King
John of Castile have been of a grievous character?”
“Yes, good mounseer,” said Sir Richard Pendragon, giving his tall
horse such a kick in the ribs as astonished that extraordinary
quadruped; “you may gather it. If my good mind walks not abroad in
bad dreams, I have been mishandled, mounseer, I have been
mishandled. And let me tell thee, good mounseer, English Dick hath
never been mishandled previously, except once at the instance of
virtue, which was upon the knee of the sainted lady who is now in
heaven.”
As we pursued our way towards the capital of the King’s dominion, a
profound silence overtook the Englishman. His dark and lowering
looks were the palpable fruit of a former bitterness; and as we came
into Madrid at nightfall, the numerous soldiers we passed in the
streets wearing the Castilian’s livery seemed to inflame his humour.
Indeed, as we entered the first venta we came to within the gates of
the city, and as we were disposing of our horses in comfort for the
night, he was moved to say that “if his humour did not lift after
supper, he was minded to go out in the streets and cut a few throats,
as the sight of so many jackbooted rascals twirling their moustachios
was as sore to him as the presence of holy water was to the Author
of Deceit.”
The stabling of this venta was divided from the great kitchen of the
inn by a short arched passage-way. Upon crossing this we found to
our good pleasure that the hearth was entirely at our disposal, as
there was no other company in the inn. Over the fire was suspended
a cauldron, and this we regarded with favour. After we had supped
worthily, we prepared ourselves for the repose we so much desired;
but it was written that there should be no sleep for us that night.
Scarce had we disposed ourselves about the chimney-place for the
slumber for which we yearned, when the first of the passages that
were to ensue came upon us. A number of soldiers wearing the
livery of the King came into the inn kitchen, bawling for wine and
victual. These men, in their high boots and long cloaks and great
hats, and with their long moustachios, were extremely formidable to
look upon; and the Count of Nullepart and myself, conscious as we
were of the strange mood of our companion, no sooner beheld these
fellows than we regretted their intrusion exceedingly.
Sir Richard Pendragon, as became an old campaigner, had his eyes
already sealed in slumber, and was beginning to snore loudly as he
reclined with his enormous legs stretched out to the hearth, when
these soldiers entered so unseasonably. As they came swaggering
up to the cooking-pot, abusing the landlord loudly that no food was
ready, one of them had the misfortune to trip over the Englishman’s
far-extended limbs. As he measured his length he swore a horrid
oath in rude Spanish.
The Englishman gave a grunt and opened his eyes sleepily, and
seeing the soldier sprawling on all fours, he said to the innkeeper,
who was about to add a fowl to the pot, “Landlord, ye should not
admit bears and dromedaries and beasts with four feet among the
nobility. The nobility do not like it.”
The Englishman’s insolent tone was heard by the comrades of the
fallen one, who numbered eight or nine. They looked at him as
though they could not believe what their ears had told them, and
then their hands flew to the hilts of their swords. By this, however,
the fallen one had risen to his feet. He pulled his moustachios and
rolled his eyes with fury.
“By the devil’s life!” he cried, “you foreign dog, I will cut out your
liver!”
And as he spoke he drew his sword with a flourish.
 CHAPTER XXI
OF OUR FIRST PASSAGES WITH THE CASTILIAN

Knowing the temper of our companion towards all of this

complexion, we expected no less of him than that he would spring to
his feet at once and have at this ruffler. But, to our surprise, he
remained just as he was, not stirring a hand, yet abating his speech
into a curious kind of softness, which seemed to me, who knew his
prowess, to render him the more formidable.
“Do you hear, you Bavarian dog?” the infuriated soldier cried in his
ear as he brandished his sword. “I say I will cut off your head!”
The Englishman yawned a little, and then said in a tone of such
humility as to render it surprising, “May I ask your excellency to
accord English Dickon a brief space for his prayers? His was a nice
mother, she had a nice son, and her last charge to her first-born was,
‘Richard, when Heaven requires you, let a life of integrity be your
passport to the Holy Stool.’”
The soldiers seemed inclined to accept this whimsical mildness for
pusillanimity.
“By the devil’s life,” said the soldier, whose valour appeared to wax
higher before the Englishman’s forbearance, “you shall have a
minute for your orisons, you red-coloured, beer-swilling snuffler!”
“No more?” said the English giant. “Consider it, your excellency—a
minute is a little space. There will be no time for a priest. And then
the Host ought to be sent for.”
“Not an instant more, by the devil’s life!” cried the furious soldier.
“Alack!” said Sir Richard Pendragon, “I would have liked the clergy,
but I suppose it is not to be. Yet it will be a sad meeting in heaven, all
the same, with my sainted dam.”
The soldier cast a reflection upon the mother of Sir Richard
Pendragon that no man of my nation would have found possible to
overpass. Instead of heeding it, however, the English giant called to
the innkeeper, “Landlord, I would have you bring me a cup of sherris
in order that I may perish gracefully.”
Here it was, however, before the landlord was able to obey this
order, or the Castilian bravo had the opportunity to lay his own
design into execution, that the affair took a new turn. At this moment
another soldier, whose moustachios were fiercer and whose plume
was longer than those of any of his comrades, and who, to judge by
the deference that was paid him, appeared to be their captain,
entered the inn. Swearing an oath, he strode through the angry
group, and in the fashion of one who was preparing to devour us,
approached us three who sat peacefully about the hearth.
“What is this?” he cried. “Who are these that dare to wear cloaks and
sit by the fire in the presence of the King’s soldiers?”
“These are Bavarian brawlers, gracious Don Nicholas,” said a
greybeard among the soldiers.
“Bavarian brawlers, are they?” said Don Nicholas. “By Our Lady,
they shall be taken to the King’s dungeon. At them and seize them
and take them away!”
At this command the soldiers made as if they would lay hands upon
us; and as the Count of Nullepart seemed little inclined to deny them,
and Sir Richard Pendragon appeared to have grown so sleepy that
he could hardly keep awake, I took upon myself to declare our true
quality.
As became a Spanish gentleman, I rose from my seat and offered it
to Don Nicholas. Also I uncloaked myself as I said, “You err in this,
most worshipful. I am a hidalgo of Spain, the Count of Nullepart is a
member of the French nobility, and Sir Richard Pendragon, although
the fruit of a barbarous nation, is spoken of as one of its chief
ornaments.”
“So I am, good Don,” said the English giant, opening his eyes
somnolently as I mentioned his name; “they think of me well in
London.”
Yet here it was that our passages took a turn which was both
unexpected and to be regretted. For no sooner had Don Nicholas
heard the name of Sir Richard Pendragon, and had learned the
barbarous sound of his voice, then he gave back a pace and cried
out joyfully, “Body of Jesus! this is the captain of the English thieves
who robbed the church of San Maria, and who broke out of his
Majesty’s prison the night before his execution.”
“Surely it is!” cried the grey-bearded soldier. “It is that infamous
foreign robber.”
Sir Richard Pendragon rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and into
them there entered a kind of furtive humour.
“Rob a church!” he said, with that softness that was so surprising.
“English Richard rob a church! Why, you poor, good souls, I was
bred in a monastery; I have a kinsman a bishop; ’a was the brother
of my sainted mother.”
“Yes, it is the English robber,” said Don Nicholas grimly. “The sight of
him will be very pleasant to the King’s majesty. He hath placed a
thousand crowns on his head.”
“Yon fellow might well want to cut it off,” said Sir Richard Pendragon.
“But rob a church—I with my integrity! Oh, these poor Spaniards! I
fear their minds are as disorderly as those of the poor Dutch.”
Yet now our situation was undoubtedly grave. The odds were ten
against three. I cannot answer for the Count of Nullepart, but to
judge by his air, his feelings in this pass must have been similar to
my own. Whatever were the crimes of our companion, for the time
being at least our fortunes were his. The King of Castile was our
common enemy. We must defend our mistress’s good servant, even
if it cost us our lives.
Howbeit, he, confronted with such grave peril, still seemed not to
heed the instancy of his case.
“Rob a church!” he said in that soft voice that was so sinister. “I, with
the blood of kings under my coat; I, the veritable son of a prince of a
true propinquity—I despoil the good clergy! Why, you poor souls, you
must have been drinking sherris.”
“Have done, you rogue with a red face!” said Don Nicholas. “Bring a
cord, one of you, that we may bind his hands.”
“A cord, you good, honest Spaniard!” said the English giant.
“Wherefore a cord, when gentle English Dickon would not outface a
small she child in the arms of its kind female nurse?”
In despite of Sir Richard Pendragon’s innocent protestations one of
the soldiers produced a long stout cord, and under the direction of
Don Nicholas prepared somewhat warily to pinion the hands of the
English giant.
“Nay, come forward, good soldier,” said Sir Richard Pendragon,
stretching forth his wrists and crossing one over the other. “And if it is
your humour, coil the rude cord around poor Dick. Come forward, I
pray you; I have no defence but my virtue.”
Upon this invitation, which was given with a courtesy which I, at
least, had never heard before upon the lips of this formidable
foreigner, the soldier stepped forward with his noose. And it was to
be observed he was none other than that swaggerer who a few
moments since had promised to cut off the head of the Englishman.
“This is a good honest cord,” said Sir Richard Pendragon as it was
about to be slipped upon him, “and you, honest Spaniard, appear to
be a good mother’s son.”
And then in a flash, in a flash of incredible quickness, with the same
sleek and courteous smile upon his lips, the English giant had
plucked a dagger from under the folds of his mantle, and had
stabbed the wretched soldier to the heart.
 CHAPTER XXII
WE ARE HARD BESET

I cannot say what happened next. I only know that the three of us
sprang to our feet fighting for our lives.
I had never seen blood drawn before in a quarrel; but now I had no
time to speculate upon this ghastly proceeding. The sharp and cruel
noise of steel was in our ears; the hot breaths of our foes were on
our cheeks; and horrid cries, writhing forms, and devilish faces were
all about us.
So soon as the man with the cord was stretched on the floor, the first
thing of which I was truly sensible was that Don Nicholas himself
was down. He fell almost in the same instant and by the same hand,
and he lay horridly in a huddle, with the blood staining him in his
mortal anguish.
The Englishman was now on his feet with his back to the wall and
his sword free. All the soldiers in the venta, and they were not less
than eight in number, infuriated by the sudden murder of their
captain and their comrade, were springing upon him like a pack of
wolves.
Howbeit, it was a wonderful blade that the Englishman bore. He
resisted their first onset so ably that they fell back before him. Only
the most superb address could have saved him, but this was at his
command. Yet no sooner had they been repulsed than they came at
him again. They began to press him severely, but in the moment of
his need the Count of Nullepart made an intervention. Knocking up
one of their swords with his own blade, he drew the man off and
engaged him brilliantly.
I followed the Count of Nullepart’s example, engaging a second
fellow. And although my skill was as nothing beside that of my two
comrades, my attack grew the more furious that it might supply its
lack of science. At least, I know that hardly had I engaged the man I
had chosen—a fellow who had crept forward to take the Englishman
underneath while he dealt with the others—than I felt my father’s
good blade pass right through his body, and he sank with a groan to
his knees.
Scarce had I freed the weapon than I heard the voice of Sir Richard
Pendragon in my ears.
“Forth, good Don! Do you creep through to the horses and get them
into the street.”
Without waiting to look what happened further to my friends—for I
knew their address to be great, and the only hope of saving their
lives lay in getting out the horses at once—I contrived to force my
way through the press of our foes, who paid me little attention.
Running across the open passage-way to where our beasts were
stabled, I proceeded to saddle them in the greatest haste. And this
was not rendered less by the knowledge that the landlord had run
out into the street and was bawling lustily. All too soon we should
have half the city upon us.
Thirty yards away, within the precincts of the inn kitchen, the steel
rang ever louder and louder, and it seemed that I should never be
able to get the saddles and bridles on to the three horses. But at last
they were furnished, and one by one I led them through the narrow
doorway into the street.
Hardly had I done this than I encountered on the threshold of the
tavern a number of citizens and soldiers whom the cries of the
landlord had summoned.
“The robber is within,” I had the presence of mind to gasp
breathlessly.
Thereupon they pressed forward into the inn without heeding the
three horses.
Just as I was about to follow on their heels to see what aid I could
render to my friends, the English giant fought his way out of the
reeking interior. His chest was heaving, his sword was broken, and
his face was dripping with blood and sweat. His great red eyes were
as luminous as those of a tiger.
“The Count of Nullepart!” I cried. “Where is the Count of Nullepart?”
Before the Englishman could answer my question, the nimble form of
our comrade had also emerged from the interior, which now was like
a shambles. He too was covered in blood, and his face was as pale
as a corpse.
It was an instant’s work to spring into our saddles. Yet quick as we
were, we were hardly sharp enough. Soldiers and citizens were
already thronging around us; their outstretched hands were striving
to pull us down; and a most perilous hue and cry was arising in the
streets of the city.
“In the name of the Virgin, let them not escape!” was a cry that was
raised all about us.
For the moment, happily for us, none of this mob was mounted.
Putting our horses at the press we clove a way through, still dealing
fierce blows and receiving them; and at last, getting clear, we set off
pell-mell down the street and through the narrow purlieus of the city.
Under the cover of the darkness it began to seem that we had a
reasonable prospect of escape.
Our fleet horses, a little recovered from the fatigues of the day,
began to outstrip our pursuers; yet our danger was still very real,
since in the labyrinth of ways and byways we were likely to be
entrapped.
By a stroke of fortune Sir Richard Pendragon and the Count of
Nullepart were familiar with Madrid, and were able to point a fair
course to the southern gate of the city. However, no sooner had we
come before it, with our pursuers well in the rear, than we had to
encounter a new peril. The gate was locked for the night.
The urgency of our cries, and loud bawling of “In the name of the
King!” drew the porter out of his hut. In one hand he bore a lanthorn
and in the other a key, which was strapped to his girdle. He was an
old man, very querulous and apparently very sleepy.
“Who are ye that ride forth at this hour?” he demanded. “Where are
your passports signed by the constable of the city?”
“It is here, father,” said Sir Richard Pendragon, leaning a little
forward from the saddle and knocking the old man senseless with
the hilt of his sword.
Leaping down from his horse, Sir Richard tore the key from the
porter’s girdle. In the next instant he had thrown back the gate, and
our horses were through. Yet brief as this delay was, it was almost
too much. Hardly had we crossed the boundary of the city ere the
hue and cry was upon us.
The Englishman, however, was in nowise daunted by the necessity
for haste. With that self mastery and high instinct for action which a
little time before had saved his life, he pulled the gate after him, and
turned the key almost against the very noses of our pursuers.
While some of them screamed oaths and shouted curses and
administered to the senseless porter, and others attacked the
staunch iron barrier, we rode into the darkness at a pace which was
calculated not unduly to distress our already fatigued horses.
When we had made a league and the shouts of our foes were no
longer in our ears, my excitement, which I confess had been very
great, abated sufficiently to enable me to remember that my friends
had suffered scathe in the inn. To my inquiry they returned the
answer that they had never felt happier in any situation; and further, I
received their commendation upon the part I had played.
“My young companion,” said the Englishman, “I make you my
service. Your behaviour was so worthy in the hour of trial that I regret
that I abused your nation. I never ask to see a young springald bear
his sword better; and as for your five wits, they are those of a good
boy. You have pleased me well, good Don; and I allow that your
mother was an excellent person. And the same applies to your
father.”
A speech of this flattering civility, which I was happy to feel was my
desert, gave me such pleasure that for the time I forgot that he who
made it was undoubtedly a desperate and bloodthirsty character.
Yet, in serving one to whom I was under the pledge of loyalty, I was
committed to the interest of this bold and ruthless foreigner; besides
the events of the night had given me a taste for the life of a soldier,
which had bred a high intoxication in my veins. And the effect of this
delightful madness was singular. At this hour I seemed to care little
for the righteousness of my cause or the integrity of my company. My
soul was possessed with the knowledge that I had killed a fellow
creature in an open quarrel; and now, riding in the summer darkness,
it asked no more than the opportunity to kill another.
The Count of Nullepart also paid me a very civil compliment in his
charming manner. But, as we rode knee to knee through the
darkness, a strange silence fell upon our delightful friend. The path
grew broken and uncertain, so that we were thrown about in our
saddles; and the gay wisdom and laughter of our companion, which
had done so much to lighten our journey, was no longer to be heard.
Never had I known this gentle maker of harmony addict himself to so
much silence.
And then, quite suddenly, without sign or word or exclamation, the
Count of Nullepart fell from his horse.
 CHAPTER XXIII
OF THE COUNT OF NULLEPART’S EXTREMITY

It was with the deepest concern, for we had both come to love our
companion, that Sir Richard Pendragon and I dismounted and lifted
up the prostrate form in our arms. In the heavy darkness of the night,
which was rendered more extreme by the shadows from the
overhanging trees, we were at first at a loss to know what was the
cause of this calamity.
Our fear that the Count of Nullepart was dead was dispelled
immediately. He could be heard to breathe. Passing our hands over
him, however, we discovered that his doublet was soaked with blood.
Yet for some time we were not able to discover the seat of what was
evidently a grievous injury. Indeed it was not until we had revived our
senseless comrade by bathing his temples in some stagnant water
that we found in a rut in the middle of the road that we were able to
learn its position and extent. It was by this providential means that
our unlucky friend was himself enabled to inform us.
“It is nothing,” he said. “It is not more than a scratch. I pray you,
leave me, my friends, to my own devices, for upon my soul you have
not a moment to spare. By now a mounted company is surely upon
our heels.”
“Mounseer,” said the Englishman, with a delicacy of address of
which I should not have deemed him to be capable, “I care not if all
Spain is out and mounted on the strain Bucephalus. Do you suppose
that one who hath the blood of kings under his doublet will leave you
to the wolves. Where is your hurt, good Mounseer? We will look to it,
if it please you.”
In spite of the courage of our friend, who protested that his hurt was
nothing and that time was much, we kept to our determination to find
his injury. He then allowed that he had had several inches of steel in
his ribs. “But it is nought, my friends; the merest trifle I assure you,”
he said as he staggered towards his horse.
All the same it was clear to us that if the Count of Nullepart was to
continue his journey, means must be found to staunch the bleeding
of his wound. Unhappily, we were without the implements of surgery;
and the wound was so deep that our kerchiefs knotted together and
coiled about it could not cope with the flow of blood.
In this pass the Englishman did a strange thing. It furnished a further
proof of that genius for contrivance which above all things
distinguished this strange individual. Without more ado he
proceeded to disrobe himself. Stripping off his shirt, and all naked to
the waist as he was, he tore that garment into ribands and wove the
pieces tightly round the Count of Nullepart’s body. And so powerful
was this ready-witted surgery that the wounded man vowed
laughingly that the Englishman had checked not only his bleeding
but the source of life itself.
Hardly had this skilful operation been performed, and before Sir
Richard Pendragon could reinvest his skin with that doublet which
was wont to enclose the blood of kings, when our ears were assailed
with the sounds of armed men approaching rapidly in the darkness.
“Here comes John Castilian’s wasp nest about our ears,” said the
Englishman grimly.
It was not a season for speech, however. Lifting the Count of
Nullepart into his saddle, we tarried not an instant, but led our horses
off the track. Rising sheer on either side of the road loomed the face
of a steep mountain. It seemed well-nigh impossible to traverse it;
and we had gone but a short distance along this difficult ascent when
we stayed our progress to listen to our enemies, who passed noisily
by us in the road below. To judge by the jingling of swords and
bridles and the beating of hoofs against the stones, they formed a
considerable mounted company. And I think had they not been riding
carelessly they must have seen us, so short a distance were we from
them.
When they had passed we continued to ascend the mountain. Yet
this adventure was fraught with great peril. There was no road to go
upon; trees and rough boulders were strewn everywhere; and the
higher we rose the more imminent it became that we should step
over some steep precipice that lay concealed in the darkness. Sir
Richard Pendragon made use of his scabbard in the same way that
a blind man uses his staff. He tried every yard of the ground before
his feet passed over it, for, as he said, “he desired not to fall into the
Devil’s Kitchen, lest he met man’s Evil Adversary who was bound to
perplex a good Catholic.”
The Englishman being spared this calamity, owing to the exercise of
much skill, we came at last to a large wood. Very grateful we felt for
its promise of protection, yet its precincts looked so black that Sir
Richard Pendragon said it would not surprise him at all if a wicked
ogre dwelt in it, or a fell magician, or even a wizard or a salamander.
In spite of these forebodings which he declared to be the natural fruit
of a brain that had been nourished upon the Roman authors in its
youth, we felt ourselves to be quite safe from detection among the
thick trees and with the dark night also to cover us. We led our weary
horses within the wood and tied them up. Then, seeking out a dry
and sheltered place, we spread our own weariness upon the green
earth and folded our cloaks about us.
All through these long yet sweet hours of utter darkness my two
comrades continued to sleep—the Count of Nullepart lightly and
fitfully, Sir Richard Pendragon with the perseverance of the fabled
ones of Ephesus. And as thus I was stretched upon what I was fain
to consider my first battlefield, with this fragrant redress never farther
from my eyes, I was minded to resummon the image of the night’s
wild business; and with that natural instinct for the foibles of my
fellowmen—a habit of philosophy which I can only ascribe to my
mother—I proceeded to ruminate on the nature of those who lay by
my side.
I think I may say these reflections were not unpleasant. My
companions were strange, diverse, and foreign men; and one of
them was certainly barbarous in the comparison with the gentlemen
of our peninsula, who in matters of high civility are allowed to be the
first in the world. Yet I found that I had already come to entertain
towards them a sentiment of liberal fellowship, nay, even of love. The
dangers we had already shared together, and perhaps the thought of
those which were to come, which made my heart beat high as I lay
upon the bare ground, caused me to forget their nation and their
idiosyncrasy, and to cherish a feeling towards them which the gentle
reader will hardly think consistent in one who boasted the sangre
azul of Spain.
At the first sign of dawn Sir Richard Pendragon awoke, rose from his
couch, and shook himself like a dog. He then announced that we
must get upon our road at once, since our proximity to the King of
Castile’s chief city was highly perilous. It was with a tender concern
that we awakened the poor Count of Nullepart, who was still dozing
fitfully. His face looked ashen pale in the grey morning light, but he
gave us his assurance that he was fit to take the saddle.
Whether this was the case or not, and his looks denied him, the
Count of Nullepart was a brave man, and he disdained our aid in
mounting his horse. But never was a path so difficult and painful as
the one we took that day. We dared not descend the mountain to the
public road, lest we fell in with our foes, but were compelled to move
by stealth across an almost insurmountable country, like a company
of robbers skulking from lawful men.
In the soreness of our travail, which was such that on many
occasions we had to dismount and lead our horses along places
they could not take alone, we needed much resolution to support the
pains of our journey. I know not what were the sufferings of our
stricken companion, yet not a word of complaint escaped from his
lips. As for Sir Richard Pendragon, his demeanour had become that
of a brave man and a redoubtable leader.
The face of peril had changed him from an insolent trifler who was
prone to insult a noble country to one who had a natural love of
leadership, and who took cognisance of all the haps to which we
were like to be exposed. His prescience was indeed very great.
Doubtless it was the fruit of a long acquaintance with the arduous
business of war. And although he appeared to have been bred in the
love of danger, and admitted now and again that “he had a passion
to cut a throat,” he had also the highest respect for his own person,
and further he had a faithful servant’s regard for the errand he had
embraced.
The sun was high at noon ere our wanderings brought us to a hamlet
in which we were able to find food and rest. It was situated in a
remote part, where our enemies were not likely to trouble us. Here it
was that the Count of Nullepart had his wound dressed and artfully
bandaged, and Sir Richard Pendragon procured a shirt greatly too
small for him. In this place we lay in shelter for two hours from the
great heat of the day.
When towards evening we resumed our road in some refreshment of
mind and body, we knew it better and embraced it with more
certainty. Fortune attending on us, we came securely, a little after
night had fallen, to a wayside inn. Here a rude but welcome
hospitality was offered to us, and thus we lay in succour till the dawn.
During the next day the Count of Nullepart grew wonderfully better.
Indeed, so favourable was his state that he celebrated it upon the
flageolet as we halted in the shade at noon. Thus far, at the instance
of a wonderful vigilance, in which Sir Richard Pendragon was
accomplished beyond any person I have ever met, and by the further
kind continuance of fortune, we were spared so much as even a
trace of our enemies; and although our road was difficult and our
progress slow, we began to make a sensible incursion upon the
country of the King of Castile.
On the next night of our adventures we lay in a great wood. We
kindled a fire of faggots and cooked a turkey which Sir Richard had
conveyed from a farmyard. It made excellent eating, for hunger is of
all sauces the most delectable; yet I must confess to you, reader, I
had at first set my mind against it, being determined not to partake of
that which had not been come by in a lawful manner. But my
scruples were not proof against a dreadfully sharpened appetite,
which was also fortified by the Englishman’s plausibility.
“Why, you poor soul,” said he, “we get nothing in this world save by
enforcement. The farmer enforces the good turkey; one who is
virtuous enforces the good farmer; and then comes hunger to
enforce the one who is virtuous. And I ask you, my young son of the
Spains, who is it, bethink, that enforces this veritable passion of
hunger. Why, to be sure, it is the heavenly bodies who enforce the
passion of hunger. And who is it that enforces the heavenly bodies?
Why, you poor soul, to be sure it is Him who enforces the whole of
the world.”
I was fain to admit this was excellent philosophy, and the Count of
Nullepart also admired it; and my belly being exceeding empty, and
my resolve being weakened by this notorious subtlety, which you will
believe had great weight with a natural philosopher such as myself, I
was fain to eat of the turkey. And I cannot remember ever having
eaten of anything more choice.
It has been my hap since those distant days in my youth to sit with
men of all sorts, in many countries, in many varieties of
circumstance; but never with two more engaging in their diversity
than these with whom my lot was cast upon this enterprise. The
Count of Nullepart was so gay and graceful in address, so fortunate
in his appearance, so debonair—to use a foreign idiom I have picked
up in my travels; while Sir Richard Pendragon was all that his
comrade was not, with a humour so sinister that it was hard to know
how to receive it, one withal of barbarous ideas and a loose morality
according to the tenets of a caballero of Spain. And yet beyond all
things, and in whatever his merit might consist, this Englishman had
a peculiar genius. He was a natural leader. For in every sort of action
he discovered himself to be as wise as he was formidable; as full of
knowledge as he was of sagacity; as little in ruth as he was bold in
emprise.
Again I must confess to you, reader, that being the son of a Spanish
gentleman, it was my nature to despise one such as he; yet I must
declare to you, as I cherish an honourable name, that whenever this
sinister foreigner threw me a compliment, which he did now and
again, I was for all the world like a dog that has received a bone.
I have never been able to account for this behaviour. There can be
no doubt about my father’s pedigree, and any Asturian will inform
you that the family of my mother is beyond cavil. Yet in all our
subsequent passages with this formidable islander, who in some
ways was little better than one of the wicked, as there was too good
a reason to know, in whatever path he walked the Count of Nullepart
and myself were happy to attend him.
After our meal, as we lay under the trees in the wood, I conversed
with the worthy Count of Nullepart upon this subject. Sir Richard
Pendragon had already fallen asleep. It was his boast that he could
command this solace at any moment of the day or night.
“It is the power of the mind, my dear Don Miguel,” said the Count of
Nullepart. “This ingenious and subtle adventurer has a power of
mind that a god might envy.”
“But, worshipful Count of Nullepart,” I protested, “his manners are
ungentle; he insults a noble country; he traduces an ancient name;
he takes life without remorse and with a most practised hand. He
reveres not the truth, and he is over-familiar with the All-Wise
Creator. Wherefore, Sir Count, if his mind is as you say, doth he not
walk abroad with decency?”
“My dear Don Miguel,” said the Count of Nullepart, “it is because of
his natural force. Does the wind walk abroad with decency? It can be
soft and courteous, yet more often it is rude and violent. But
whatever its humour, all of us, Spanish hidalgo or French rapscallion,
must obey its whims. It is the same with this Englishman. He knows
no law save his natural puissance; and you and I, my dear, have not
the power to do other than respect it.”
Upon this the Count of Nullepart drew his cloak about him and went
to sleep. I was not satisfied in the least as to the ground on which I
went, but being too fatigued to confer further with my thoughts I was
fain also to do the same.
In the course of a long week’s journey we had quitted the dominion
of the King of Castile, and the perils of the road were diminished
sensibly. Thenceforward we took again to the public ways, and were
glad indeed of the additional comfort and security.
I was now permitted to observe more clearly the beauties of nature,
for all the fair provinces through which we passed were strange to
me. And this I did the more particularly, I think, since at the many
reflections I was moved to make upon the sweet qualities of the hills
and valley and the streams and meadows by which we passed, Sir
Richard Pendragon took upon himself to deride continually that
which he called “my peninsularity”; and though admitting “that the
scene was not amiss, considering that it was set in a dry climate, it
compared very poorly with the honest woodland pastures in the
vicinity of Wapping, which was near to London City.”
When we drew near to that most noble chain of mountains which in
these parts is called the Pyrenees, and whose serious magnificence,
which transcended all that my mind had ever conceived of our most
wonderful country, was spread before my gaze, I turned to my
foreign companion with a sense of triumph that I could not restrain.
“I will allow your country to be a fair place, worshipful Sir Richard
Pendragon,” I said, “but if it has aught to compare with these tall
mountains, it must be heaven itself, which is the home of the good
God.”
“Why, you poor mad soul!” said he contemptuously, “you speak of
these as mountains—mountains, you soft goose? Why, they would
speak of them as dunghills if they were near to London.”
This insolent disdain of my country—for how else could a true son of
Iberia regard such words?—gave me such an anger against the
Englishman that I declined to speak with him for some time. No
sooner did he discover the cause of my silence than his language
grew still more licentious. “Pyrenees forsooth!” he exclaimed.
“Mountains, ecod! Does the poor mad soul think I was born at
Dublin?”
Thereupon I withdrew my horse fifty paces to the rear, for I was
determined that I would not remain in the company of one who
wounded my country. Then it was that his demeanour changed. He
made quite a handsome apology to Spain, withal accompanied by
such a whimsical pleasantness that I was fain to forgive him,
although exacting the condition that whatever was the higher merit of