MychaelBlack TheDukesHusband

The Duke's Husband

a novel of homoerotic romance by

Mychael Black

Shayne Carmichael

Phaze
6470A Glenway Avenue, #109

Cincinnati, OH 45211-5222

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are

either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and
any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations,
events or locales is entirely coincidental.

eBook ISBN-10 1-59426-762-6
eBook ISBN-13 978-1-59426-762-8

All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright
Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Cover art © 2007 by Debi Lewis
Edited by Kathryn Lively

Phaze is an imprint of Mundania Press, LLC.

www.Phaze.com

Also by Mychael Black and

Shayne Carmichael

The Power of Two

Kitten

Onyx

The Cowboy and the Thief

by Shayne Carmichael

Tombstone Ranch

CHAPTER ONE

The party bored Jay to tears. Everyone who was anyone had shown

up and people absolutely swarmed the mansion. Nobles were

everywhere, though Jay would have used the term very lightly with this
crowd. He knew most of them, and noble wasn't the first on his list of
words for the lot of them. Stifling a yawn, he hung back, more content to

simply observe.

Not too far away, Mary Price, a well-known socialite, attempted to

woo Jay's nephew—a handsome young man of eighteen. Jay chuckled to
himself, quite happy to watch the older woman seduce a man who would
make horrendous faces behind her back while Jay watched.

If he had to choose the life of the party, it would be William. Jay's

nephew was a brilliant, strapping young man with his head in politics—
precisely the reason, among others, that Jay was simply holding the lands

and titles for him. For himself, Jay just wanted a normal life.

As he scanned the room once more, Jay spotted one lone, young

man hovering near the open balcony doors. From the indecisive look on

the man's face, it was clear he might be attempting an escape. He also
seemed to be the only one in the entire room wearing jeans. Short, curly
blond hair caught the light from the chandeliers above, and silver flicks

of light danced in his hair with the movement of his head.

To say that Jay was intrigued would have been an understatement.

He wasn't sure if it was the look of sheer boredom on the man's face, or

the almost sinfully tight jeans. Whatever it was, he moved toward the
man before he'd even realized it.

"Good evening," he said, offering his hand.
For a brief moment, the stranger appeared startled, as though caught

doing something he shouldn't. The look faded as a bit of a smile took its

place. Taking hold of Jay's hand, he shook it firmly before releasing it.
"Hello. Would it be rude to ask who you are?"

Jay smiled in earnest for the first time all day. "Jay Alistair. And

you?"

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

"Devon Brooks. I can't remember any of the names I heard today.

But my mother thinks these people are important enough for me to exert
myself."

Cocking his head to the side, Jay asked, "Do you drink?"
"Well, where I come from, I'm not of legal drinking age, but I guess

I am here."

"How old are you?" Jay asked pointedly.
"Nineteen. Why?" Giving him a quizzical look, Devon shrugged

slightly.

"Excellent." Setting his wine glass on a nearby table, Jay turned

back to Devon and leaned close, whispering conspiratorially in his ear.
"There's a pub just outside of town. Join me? I'll buy you a pint or two.

You look about as out of place here as I feel."

Dev glanced quickly over his shoulder. He nodded, looking a great

deal relieved. "You're the only one to approach me without my mother

having to drag you. Yeah, I'm really out of place and could use a drink or
two."

Taking a quick look around, Jay spotted his mother. She was

thoroughly engrossed in a five-way conversation. Smirking, he looked
back at Devon. "Follow me. We'll use the cook's entrance; otherwise,

we're likely to be spotted."

He headed for a door off to the side, almost hidden by an ornate,

white marble column. With a quick glance around, he opened the door

and held it for Dev.

Following silently behind this new but far more interesting

gentleman, Dev slipped through the doorway. The whole time his eyes

had been on his mother, hoping she wouldn't notice him taking off.

Closing the door, Jay let out what sounded like a sigh of relief.

"We'll go through the kitchen. The cooks won't say anything."

He led the way down the short hall to the kitchen, which was

bustling and hectic. People were everywhere, scrambling to get the food
and drinks out to the guests in the main ballroom. Sneaking silently into

the kitchen, Jay stayed near the far right wall, nodding here and there
before tugging open a heavy wooden door.

"After you," he said with a grin.

"I'll probably pay for this later, you know?" Dev headed outside. A

part of him felt a bit guilty about it, but he was having fun.

"So will I," Jay said as he closed the door behind them, "especially

if my mum finds out."

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

They were outside, just behind the mansion, in a parking lot. Most

were servants' cars, Dev assumed, though a few looked a bit too
expensive to be anything other than guest cars. Jay took a quick look

around and crooked a finger at Dev, beckoning him along. When he
reached a motorcycle, he grinned.

"Lucky I keep a spare helmet," he said as he handed one to Dev

before sliding the other over his own head.

"Awesome bike." Putting the helmet on, Dev strapped it under his

chin. "Any place to take this out and let her go?"

"Thanks," Jay said. He settled on the bike and waited until Dev was

snug up behind him before starting it. "If you want, we can take the long
way out of town. There are several roads that way where I can open it

up."

Snaking his arms around Jay, Dev held on. "Do it then."
Jay pulled out of the car park and onto the back driveway Dev

figured the mansion's staff used. Once on one of the less-traveled roads,
Jay gunned the engine. The bike purred loudly, the vibrations soothing

and sweet, as they hit 128 kilometers-per-hour. Dev had a sneaking
suspicion it was well over double the speed limit in town.

Hugging tightly to Jay, Dev started laughing. "This was the only

time since I've arrived in England that I've had any fun at all."

Pulling up in front of a small pub, Jay finally felt free. He'd gotten

ungodly tired of the pomp and circumstance of the life he was expected

to lead. This was much better, in his opinion.

Hanging his helmet on one of the handlebars, he slid off of the bike.

"They know me here," he said. "They won't say a word."

Taking Devon's helmet, Jay set it on the other bar then led the way

into the pub. The atmosphere was filled with smoke and quiet
conversation. Several of the locals glanced over at them and gave Jay a

nod before they turned back to their pints.

"You find us a table, and I'll get our pints. You like Guinness?"
"I'll find out when I taste it," Devon answered Jay before he quickly

glanced around, looking for an empty table. Spotting one near the back
wall, he walked over to it and settled in a seat.

Jay just laughed and went up to the bar. After a few minutes, he had

two pints in his hands: one Guinness, and one a mild German beer. He
sat down across from Devon and put the beer in front of him.

"Now, I will tell you this: Guinness is an acquired taste." He held

out the pint of Guinness. "Try it. If you like it, you're welcome to it. If

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

not, there's a beer for you."

"I'll take your word for it since I've never had one." Taking the pint,

Dev swallowed a small bit. Instantly he made a face and shook his head

as he handed it back to Jay. "I think I'll try the other one."

Jay laughed and took a slow sip from the Guinness, eyes closing in

appreciation. "It's good if you're used to it—nice and thick and smooth."

Taking a swallow of the other beer, Dev found it wasn't as hard to

drink. "Let's leave that one to you right now. I've never had a drink in my
life."

An eyebrow rose as Jay took another drink, peering at Dev over his

glass. "So, how did you come to be a fellow wallflower back at Wharton
Manor?"

"My mother. She works for the government, and she's been dragging

me around. I'm starting to wonder why I agreed to stay here for six
months with her." Shrugging slightly, he added, "But, I agreed to it."

"I'm assuming you are not English, then?"
"Lived in the United States most of my life. I was born here, but my

parents divorced when I was two. My dad took me to the States, and this
is the first time I've been back here." Taking several small drinks of the
beer, Dev was careful not to drink too much too fast.

"I see." Jay finished off his Guinness and set the glass down. "Have

you seen or done nothing in England to make your stay worthwhile?
Nothing fun or exciting?"

"Other than ride on your bike, nope. It's mostly been a stuffy bunch

of Lords this, that, and the other. My mother enjoys it, but I think it's
boring."

"Where are you staying?" Jay asked. "If you'd like, I could show

you some of the sights, from the back of a motorbike, of course."

"We're staying at the Wharton Manor for a week. Some house party

thing or other for all the bigwigs. Then we're going back to London, I
guess."

"Then it is settled. I will steal you away from the nobles—and I use

that term loosely, mind you—and we'll get some take-away from one of
the town pubs."

"Maybe you can show me some of the fun things to do around here.

My mom isn't exactly a fountain of fun." Dev grinned at him. "I love the
woman, but damn."

"I can do that. You dance?"
"I can dance, and a hell of a lot more than just ballroom."

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

"I know a few good places to go then," Jay said. "Though I hope

you can overlook the fact that most of the patrons are men…dancing
with other men."

"Well, I was going to mention the fact that I don't have a thing for

women. So it shouldn't bother me." Dev didn't even bat a lash as he
talked. He had absolutely no problem with people knowing his

preference.

"Well, then." Jay sat back in his chair, looking easy in his skin.

"That makes two of us."

Dev eyed him, vaguely surprised, his gaze drifting over Jay. "Are

things as easygoing here as they are in New York? Or are people more
uptight about that sort of thing?"

Jay shrugged. "Depends on where you are. I'm out, for the most

part, though my mum hates the fact. She wants grandchildren, but knows
she'll never get them from me."

"It doesn't bother my mom or dad, but then they were always the

progressive sort. For the most part, anyway." By now, his beer was only

about a quarter empty, and Dev wasn't in any hurry to finish it.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, when did you realize you liked

men?"

"When I started noticing them more than girls. I never liked being

around girls that much. Not even when I was little. What about you?"

"About sixteen years ago," Jay said. "I was thirteen when I first

discovered there were other things I could do with my dick than piss. I
never thought about girls, though. I always thought about the guys at
school."

"So you're twenty-nine? Not a bad age," Dev teased. "I know my

dad noticed things, and it never seemed to bother him. And we made it
plain to Mom so she wouldn't run around and try to set me up in hopes of

grandkids."

"Mum never could handle it," Jay said. "Dad and my brother never

thought twice about it."

"Hard on you, I imagine. I've had friends whose parents disowned

them over it. My cousin's mom kicked him out when she found out. He
stayed with me and my dad." Frowning slightly, Dev reached for his

beer. It wasn't something he liked to think about if he could help it.

"So, why are you here instead of with your dad, then? You seem like

you'd be much happier with him."

"When I graduated from high school, my mom wanted me to stay

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

with her. I agreed. I've only been here a week, and I'm willing to give it a
bit of time. I just hope things get less boring."

"I'll do my best to make certain that it does," Jay said. "How about

we go out tomorrow? We can stop by one of the pubs, grab some take-
away, and head out to see the sights."

"I can handle that." Glancing down, Dev caught sight of the time.

"Shit, I better get back before my mother notices I'm not there at all."

"Then it's a date."

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

CHAPTER TWO

Jay got off of the bike and waited for Dev. They'd spent the entire

day riding around the countryside, with him showing Dev some of the

older nearby villages and several castles. Now they were outside a small,
out-of-the-way pub called Darkness. It was run by an American, but the
clientele came from all over the British Isles. Jay trusted the men who

frequented the place to keep his identity to themselves. He only wanted
fun when he came here, not some tourist or another fawning over him

after learning that he was a duke.

"I think you will like this place very much," he said as he opened

the door for Dev.

The first thing Dev noticed after seeing the huge circular black bar

in the center of the room was that there were no women anywhere. A
dance floor, lit by low, sultry red lights from the wall, was crowded with

dancing couples. The ceiling was a black, billowing fabric that undulated
above their heads. Already he liked the place.

"Want a drink," Jay asked him, "or did you have something else in

mind first?" The look he gave Dev was positively wicked.

"Drink, I guess, then maybe dancing."
As Jay passed by him, Dev's gaze followed the form clad in tight

black clothing. He also noticed he wasn't the only one staring at Jay.

After a few minutes the bartender made it to Jay. In the meantime,

several men approached Jay, leaning toward him to whisper in his ear.

Jay just laughed them off, shaking his head. When he turned back around
to Dev, he handed him a bottle.

"So you dance, then?" he asked, sipping on his Guinness.
Realizing Jay seemed to be a popular man, Dev stayed quiet, simply

watching. As he took the bottle, he nodded. "I enjoy dancing. Though

you don't have to stick by me the entire evening, you know."

Jay raised an eyebrow. "And if I said that I wanted to? If I said that

I'm hoping you will dance with me?"

Blinking in surprise, Dev eyed Jay for a long moment before he

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

said, "I'd be more than willing to dance with you." He managed to get it
out without blushing, though he did lower his gaze to Jay's chest. The
material of the man's shirt smoothed perfectly over the taut muscles

beneath, as if it had been painted on him.

Slipping a finger under his chin, Jay tilted Dev's head up. "Good.

Then finish your beer. I want to get you out there on the floor."

For a moment, Jay's eyes temporarily mesmerized Dev, the beer in

Dev's hand long forgotten. "Oh, yeah." Hastily, he took a few swallows,
drinking nearly half the beer without thinking about it. Setting the glass

down on the bar counter, he looked expectantly toward Jay.

Jay finished off his Guinness and without another word, took Dev's

hand, and led him out onto the packed dance floor. Once he found a

small pocket within the throng of sweat-slick, gyrating bodies, he snaked
an arm around Dev's waist, pulling him right up close, their bodies
pressing together. The beat of the music was a bizarre techno rhythm, but

it was danceable. Jay quickly proved he knew what he was doing; his
hips, indeed his whole body, worked to the music, sliding across Dev's.

Relaxing within the rhythm of the dance, Dev matched every one of

Jay's movements. The reddish light surrounding them faded with the beat
of music, leaving them in the shadows.

Lowering his head, Jay whispered in Dev's ear, "Would it be in bad

form if I were to ask for a kiss?"

Not even thinking twice, Dev whispered back, "No." Turning his

head slightly, his gaze sought Jay's as his lips parted slightly, almost
inviting the touch.

The first meeting was no more than a brush of Jay's lips across

Dev's. Then Jay slipped his tongue out, taking a fleeting taste of Dev
before dipping into his mouth. His hold tightened around Dev's waist,
pressing them together as he began to sway absently, not quite moving to

the music and not appearing to care in the least.

The bar around them completely faded to Dev as Jay kissed him.

Near to taking his breath away, a tingle ran down his spine as his fingers

tightened slightly on Jay's arms. His tongue slowly flit beneath Jay's, and
he lost awareness of everything else around him. He'd been kissed
before, but Dev had never been so totally drawn into it like this, and it

floored him.

Nothing else existed. Not the rigors of his life, not his mother, not

the snooty socialites Jay was expected to be like. No. The only thing that
existed at that moment was the body pressed tightly to his, the fingers

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

digging into his biceps, the tongue exploring his mouth as thoroughly as
he was exploring Dev's.

Breathing deep, Jay pulled away, the room spinning as he simply

stared into Dev's eyes. "Wow."

Blinking rapidly, Dev looked bemused as he opened his eyes. "I…"
Without breaking the contact between their bodies, Jay backed up,

moving through the crowd until he felt the wall behind him. Relaxing
back against it, he spread his legs and pulled Dev to stand between them.
Sliding a hand through Dev's hair, he reeled the young man in for another

kiss, this one more thorough, more certain.

Without even token resistance, Dev found himself in Jay's arms,

answering his kiss, arms around the man's neck. This time the tingling

made him shiver. There was something mesmerizing to the current as it
traced through him. Again, it drew Dev in totally, leaving him blissfully
unaware of anything else around them.

"God, I wish you were staying here longer," Jay murmured over

Dev's lips.

"Don't you ever come to London?"
Bloody Hell. Jay wondered how far this would go, if he should just

outright tell Dev who he was. In London there were many who would

know him, but not well enough to keep their mouths shut. Sighing, he
looked into Dev's eyes and finally made up his mind.

"There's something I need to explain first."

As Dev eyed Jay questioningly, they were interrupted when a couple

of Jay's "friends" grabbed hold of both of them.

Dragging them back to the dance floor, Neil teased Jay, "Now, none

of that 'til later, old man."

Jay grumbled under his breath, but instead of worrying, he simply

pulled Dev close again, relying on the friction between them to scrub

away any troubling thoughts. Neil bumped into them repeatedly,
wiggling his eyebrows as he looked from Jay to Dev. Jay just rolled his
eyes and ignored him.

"Don't mind him," he said. "He really has no sense of tact."
Dev's cheeks flushed and he simply nodded as he closed his eyes.
"As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted…" Jay took a

deep breath and continued. "My last name is Wharton, Dev."

"Wharton?" Dev's voice was muffled against Jay's shirt.

Jay raised Dev's head to see his face. "My full name is Jayson

Alistair George Wharton, Duke of Wharton."

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

"Is that important or something?"
"That house you're staying in? It's mine."
"Oh." Blinking in clear confusion, Dev stared at Jay before looking

away. "You're like all those other guys mom keeps introducing me to."

"Am I?" Jay asked. "The catch is: I don't want to be. I'm not cut out

for the life my mother seems intent on force-feeding me, even at nearly

thirty years old. I'm holding the title and lands for my nephew."

"Yeah, you're all important and that sort of stuff." Dev wasn't at all

sure what his mother would think about him being with a Duke. Or even

what anybody else would think. Finally looking back at him, Dev felt
lost for a moment. His gaze slowly lowered to Jay's lips before lifting
back to his eyes. All he really wanted was another kiss, to see if he'd

been right about how it had felt.

"Please," Jay whispered, his lips moving softly over Dev's, "let me

try to change your mind."

Dev melted. His lips parted with a small sound and all he wanted

was for Jay to keep kissing him. Dev wasn't certain how a kiss could be

so dizzying, but it was.

Jay held him close, tongue stroking Dev's as his hands slid down

Dev's spine to rest just at the top of his buttocks. Hooking his thumbs in

two of the belt loops, he pulled Dev up against him, moaning softly into
Dev's mouth.

Breaking away for a breath, Dev opened his eyes and pulled slightly

away from Jay. "I think I could use another beer."

"I could, too." Fingers linked with Dev's, Jay led the way off the

dance floor and back to the bar. After getting them both another beer, he

nodded toward one of the high tables along the wall. "Want to sit down?"

"I don't know what the hell to say right now."
Jay looked down at his own beer, fiddling with the label on the dark

bottle. "I'm not entirely sure myself," he said quietly. "It wasn't my intent
to make you uneasy, Dev."

"Not uneasy. It's just… I'm not sure how to explain. Or even if you'd

care to hang around long enough for me to figure anything out." With a
slight shrug, Dev sipped his beer.

"Why would I not want to hang around?" Reaching out, Jay touched

Dev's face softly. "Do you honestly think I'm as superficial as they all
are?"

Dev stilled with Jay's touch, neither pressing toward it nor moving

away from it. "You seem to belong to a rather exclusive club, Jay." Dev's

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

tone was a touch dry. "At least, that's the impression I've gotten at all of
those parties."

Jay let his hand drop as he schooled his features into something

more neutral. "A club I was born into. I assure you: it was not by choice.
I can't change who I am, Dev, but that doesn't mean I have to act like
them."

"No, and you don't act like that. Not that I've noticed, anyway. But it

still doesn't stop you from being considered important." Shaking his
head, Dev smiled ruefully. "And I'm not entirely sure of what I'm trying

to convince myself."

"Look, I'm just going to flat out ask you," Jay said. "Do you want to

see me? Because I'll be completely honest: I've never met anyone I

connect with like I do with you. I want to see you more."

"I asked you that earlier, and you side tracked me." Grinning at him,

Dev made an attempt to lighten things up a little. "Yeah, I would like to

continue…" He waved his hand a little. "…this."

"Actually, I wanted to tell you who I was, just in case you found out

later and changed your mind," Jay said, eyebrow lifting. "However, we
were rudely interrupted by a friend of mine." Looking down at his bottle,
he peeled more of the paper label off. "So...does that mean we're

officially dating?"

Blinking, Dev thought about it for a moment. "I suppose if you want

to consider us to be. Is it an exclusive thing or what?" By way of

explanation, Dev added, "I dated a guy once who expected exclusive but
forgot to tell me. That's why I'm asking."

"I'd like it to be." Looking up at him, Jay smiled warily. "Is that a

problem? I just can't handle more than one person. I like to devote myself
and more than one is too many."

"No, it doesn't bother me. I was never much for juggling different

guys for different nights. I figured I better know what you expect. And
you probably should know what I expect, too."

"Completely understandable. Is safe sex an issue, because I won't

bareback unless we've both been tested."

Dev opened his mouth to say something then ended up closing it

quickly. Shaking his head, he cleared his throat. "We can try: sex isn't an

issue at all. I'm a virgin, Jay, believe it or not. And I'm going to stay that
way until I'm with somebody for the rest of my life."

"I can respect that. As long as I can have a kiss every now and

then." Jay gave Dev a slightly teasing smile. "Your kisses make me

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

breathless."

Dev reached for Jay's hand, curling his fingers around it. "You seem

to have the same effect on me. I just want to make it plain, Jay. No

blowjobs and no hand jobs. Yes, I've taken care of myself, and no, it's not
the same."

Jay chuckled and squeezed his hand. "No need to explain, though it

sounds like you've had to do it one too many times. I'd be lying if I said
that I'm not hard as a rock just from kissing you, but I can take care of
that in private. Besides..." He gave Dev a quick wink. "...I have a great

imagination and a photographic memory."

"I've had to explain it more than once. You'd think the word virgin

was a red flag meaning fuck me." Dev laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Though admittedly, it weeds out some of the guys the minute they
realize I'm serious."

"It can be frustrating on both sides of the coin," Jay said with a grin.

"However, that doesn't change the fact that I want to spend time with
you, get to know you."

"It can be, but I deal with it. My cousin, the one that lived with us,

he had different notions. He was murdered by his lover after Dylan found
out he was HIV positive. That's a side of the coin I'll live without."

Gazing steadily at Jay, Dev smiled. "I want to get to know you better,
too. Spend more time with you."

"I'm really sorry about your cousin." Jay leaned over the table and

kissed Dev's lips in a soft but chaste kiss. "But I'm glad you're not
screaming and running in the other direction."

It felt nice to Dev for someone to simply kiss him without further

expectation. "No, not quite that. I just believe there's one person out there
for me. Not a whole lot of people, and I don't want a whole lot anyway.
Only one."

Smiling, Jay sat back down in his seat. "There is, and I have faith

that you'll find him."

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

CHAPTER THREE

"Is there a reason you can't sit still, Dev?"
Sighing, Dev glanced over at his mom. "I wanted to talk to you

about something. Just don't know where to start."

"At the beginning would be a good place." She settled back in her

chair, giving Dev her full attention.

"I'm dating this guy. He's really great, but, well, he's the Duke of

Wharton." Dev got the last part out in a rush of words. He figured he

better give his mother the heads up before she found out some other way.
Uncertain of what she would think, he watched her reaction carefully.

"The Duke of Wharton?" One brow rose as she eyed him steadily.

"I'm not sure what to say, Dev. Ever since the young man came out, he's
been a media darling. Are you prepared for that?"

Giving her a rueful look, he said, "Not really, but he's a hell of a

kisser."

Laying her hand on his, stilling the nervous twirling of the pen

between his fingers, she smiled at him. "You know I'll support whatever

choices you make, Dev. I just hope you're prepared for the attention
you're likely to get. And you also need to know the Duchess of Wharton
is very vocal about her son. She has been after him for years to choose

the next Duchess."

"Yeah, Jay told me. He's more than happy to let his nephew take

over, but his mom doesn't see things his way." Ever since they'd returned

to London, Dev had only talked to Jay over the phone. He didn't want to
take the chance of anybody seeing them together until he'd worked up the

nerve to talk to his mom.

She gave him a knowing look as she asked, "Are you going with me

to Lady Bessel's reception tonight? I believe His Grace will be in

attendance."

It took Dev a moment to realize his mother was talking about Jay.

"Oh yeah, I'm going. I haven't seen Jay since we got back to London."

"At least I know you'll happily attend the parties he'll be at. No

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

matter how boring they are." Chuckling, she patted his hand. "Since
you're going, you'd better get ready. We'll be leaving in less than an
hour."

"It won't take me that long to get ready." Dev tried to suppress his

excitement over the thought of seeing Jay again as he stood up.

"And no leaving the party early, young man. Don't think I didn't

notice you'd been sneaking off while we were at the Wharton estate."

"Mom." Though the one word was more of a protest, he couldn't

help grinning.

"At least put in an hour, will you?"
"I will. If he doesn't drag me off sooner." Laughing, Dev made it out

the door before his mother could say anything else.

After a shower and dithering over what he should wear, Dev made it

back downstairs just as his mother and stepfather were getting ready to
leave.

During the drive, his mother kept looking back at him, as if

reminding Dev she wanted him by her side. Though she didn't say

anything, it was a long ten minutes later before they were standing in the
reception line, waiting to be greeted by their host and hostess. Try as he
might, Dev couldn't help constantly looking around for Jay.

As everybody exchanged polite greetings, Dev stifled his own

restlessness. Thankfully shortly after, they made their way into the
ballroom. As usual, the sedate crowd was scattered in groups, talking

quietly amongst themselves, as a small orchestra played in the
background. Dev hadn't yet spotted Jay. His stepfather had taken off with
his cronies to avoid the boring gathering, and his mother was

comfortably ensconced with her friends. Dev politely smiled at the
women, but his thoughts were elsewhere. The latest crop of lovely young
English debutantes was on full display not too far off from their mothers.

Completely bored out of his mind, Dev wasn't expecting the soft voice in
his ear.

"I can think of much better things to do."

Dev's eyes widened slightly and his mother looked up toward them.

An amused smile graced her lips as she raised her brow.

Turning his head slightly, Dev whispered back, "Mom wanted me to

stay at least an hour." On his best behavior, Dev didn't lean back against
Jay like he wanted to.

"Now that's a shame," Jay whispered, kissing Dev's ear. "Because

I'm so bloody desperate for a kiss."

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Unable to resist, Dev did lean back. The look he shot his mom had

just an edge of pleading to let him out of his agreement with her. She
shook her head and pursed her lips, trying not to laugh. Raising her hand,

she shooed both of them away before she returned to her own discussion
with her friends.

It quickly became apparent to the room at large who Jay's

companion was. A few titters sounded behind a number of hands, and a
number more were thoroughly disgusted, yet didn't have to the nerve to
criticize someone in Jay's position.

"Ignore them," Jay murmured, "and come with me." Giving

everyone else in the room a cursory glance, he brazenly took Dev's hand
and led him right out of the room.

"Popular fellow, aren't you?"
Jay just chuckled, leading Dev through a small throng of people

milling about in the halls. He finally pushed open a door at the far end of

the hall, just under the grand staircase, and tugged Dev inside the small
sitting room, closing the door behind them.

"You know what I want right now?"
"Jay, we are in somebody else's house." It didn't stop him from

moving closer to Jay, though, did it? He lifted his face for the kiss he

wanted as well.

Jay turned them both and leaned back against the door, pulling Dev

close. He licked at Dev's lips, tracing them with the tip of his tongue

before sliding inside. One hand went around Dev's waist and the other
cupped the back of his head, holding him tight. Dev's breath escaped him
in a quiet sigh as he nestled in against Jay, arms around the duke's neck.

The tingling started with the simple touch of Jay's lip, and everything
faded as Dev returned the kiss.

Be good. It had become a chant since meeting Dev. Jay wanted him

desperately, but the boundaries were set and he was determined to
respect them. But...that didn't stop him from needing, from growing hard
within seconds of feeling Dev's lips on his.

Finally drawing back, Dev rested his forehead to Jay's shoulder,

dragging in a deep breath. "I think I'm glad to see you."

"You think?" Jay laughed. "I've done nothing but think about you,

Dev."

"Okay, I'm damn sure I am." Dev lifted his head and grinned. "I did

talk to my mom about you. She doesn't seem to mind. Took me a bit to
come out and say who you were, though."

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

Jay chose to ignore the gnawing inside him when he thought of his

own mother. "I'm glad she's accepting of it," he said, lowering his head to
nuzzle Dev's neck. He breathed in deep, drawing Dev's scent into him.

"God, you smell good."

"You know, I didn't want to take the chance of her finding out before

I said anything." Tilting his head, Dev shivered slightly. His fingers

played with the short brown hair at the nape of Jay's neck. "At least I can
go out with you now."

Humming against Dev's skin, Jay nodded. "Dinner, dancing, movie?

What would you like? As long as I'm with you, I don't care what we do."
But Lord, he'd need to disappear for a few minutes first. Already he felt
like he was going to explode, but then, Dev sparked something in him

he'd never felt before.

"Dinner and a movie sound good tonight. And if you're free

Wednesday, I'll invite you to the house for a special dinner." Pulling back

slightly, Dev gave Jay a mischievous grin.

Jay laughed and reeled Dev in for another kiss, whispering on Dev's

lips, "Now that I can do."

Instantly Dev responded to him, and the press of his lips molded

tightly to Jay's. Jay opened for him, letting Dev take control of the kiss.

He settled his hands at Dev's waist, but went no lower. He rocked his
hips slightly, if only to know that he had the same effect on Dev that Dev
had on him.

"I think we better go eat, Jay. We going to the theater or renting a

movie tonight?"

Thinking on that for a minute, Jay wasn't sure which was better: a

dark theatre or sitting alone in a room together. At least if he needed to,
he could slip off to the bathroom if they rented in. "How about renting?"

"Your house, I'm gonna assume, unless you want my mom and

stepdad around." Reaching behind him, Dev opened the door and pulled
Jay with him toward the front door. If Dev was aware of the sound of
whispering from the two women nearby, he didn't act like it.

"Definitely my place." Jay ignored everyone but Dev. Then again,

how could he even begin to ignore the sight walking in front of him?
Shaking his head, he took over, all but dragging Dev toward the

motorcycle. "My mum is infuriated because I drove the motorbike
instead of riding with her." He handed Dev a helmet before putting on his

own.

"I came with my parents, so it's a good thing you did. Otherwise the

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Duke would have to ride in a cab." After putting the helmet on, Dev
strapped it beneath his chin, straddled the bike, and settled behind Jay,
arms around Jay's waist.

Jay shivered, but it had absolutely nothing to do with the idea of a

taxi. He started the bike and pulled out onto the long driveway. He took it
slow and easy until they turned onto the main road leading back to town,

then he gunned the bike, opening it up as they raced down the road.

Resting his chin on Jay's shoulder, Dev tightened his hold slightly as

they gained speed. The blur of scenery didn't interest him at all, just

being close again to Jay did. His soft chuckle was taken by the wind, and
as the miles sped by, Dev clung to Jay.

Slowing down as they entered town, Jay finally pulled into the

parking lot of a movie store. "Let's see what we can find." He took off his
helmet and hung it on the handlebar.

Dev set his own helmet on the other handlebar. "How about old and

scary?" Once inside the store, Dev made a beeline for the horror section.
"Oh yeah, they got Dr. Phibes." He picked up the box and read the back.

"You ever see this movie, Jay?"

"You can't watch the first one and not watch the second one right

after."

"I was gonna suggest that." Grinning, Dev tugged Jay toward the

clerk. "Now what's for dinner? Or should we just stop for some snacks
on the way to your place?"

"How hungry are you?" Jay gave the clerk a credit card, then put it

back into his wallet when she handed it back a moment later. She put a
slip on the counter and he signed it before grabbing the movies.

"I'm more in the mood for snacks than a full dinner. But I could still

eat, so it really doesn't matter to me. If we go get dinner, though, we'll be
stopping at the store for snacks anyway."

"Snacks it is then." Jay took Dev's hand and gave the clerk a wave

before they walked out. He secured the movies in one of the saddlebags
and put his helmet on. "We have a ton of snacks in the kitchen pantry.

You still want to stop at the store?"

"Nah. If you're well supplied, I'll be fine." After buckling his helmet

back on, Dev straddled the bike behind Jay. "I'd rather get to the movies."

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

CHAPTER FOUR

Once their helmets were off, Dev got a bit sneaky. As he turned to

face Jay, his arms snaked around his neck. The light press of his lips

touched to Jay's before traveling slowly downward to his throat. A series
of kisses brushed to Jay's skin as Dev did a little nuzzling of his own.

Jay shuddered, eyes closing as he caught his breath. "Tease," he

whispered, fingers sliding through Dev's hair.

"Just wanted my own taste, Jay. You had one earlier." The light nip

of his teeth tugged gently at Jay's earlobe before he released it. "Now I
get a proper kiss as well." Not giving Jay time to answer, Dev's mouth
covered his, and his tongue slid between Jay's lips. The intensity between

them flared.

Jay answered every bit of that hunger, knowing it well. God, he

wanted this man so bad it made him ache. Pulling slowly from the kiss,

he said, "Movies. Snacks. Snuggling. More kissing."

"In that order?" Dev winked at him as he stepped back from Jay. His

hand slid down Jay's arm to take his hand. "Lead the way, Duke

McDuff."

"Okay," Jay laughed, getting the movies. "How about snacks,

kissing, movies, kissing, snuggling, and kissing? Oh, did I mention

kissing?"

"Yeah, I think you mentioned it in passing." Dev broke out laughing

as he followed along with Jay into the house. Once inside, he spent just a

moment noticing the luxurious décor and antiques that littered the place.
If anything, Jay certainly lived well.

"First things first..." Jay pulled Dev toward the servants' hallway

and into the enormous kitchen. "Snacks." He led the way over to a door
and opened it, revealing a pantry bigger than a normal-sized bedroom.

"Anything you want. There's more in the refrigerator, too. Sodas, milk,
juice, water...you name it."

"Oh, jeeze, Jay. Party much?" Astonished, Dev looked over the wide

array of choices on the shelves. "There's more here than my dad gets on

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his poker nights."

Jay chuckled and kissed him on the cheek, leaving Dev to peruse the

pantry as he took out several sodas from the refrigerator. "I have a small

refrigerator in my bedroom as well. So cold stuff stays cold up there."

When Dev made his decision, he snagged three bags of the chips

and a bag of chocolate. "If I need more I can always send you on a

special mission."

"Sounds good to me." Jay grinned and led the way out of the kitchen

and upstairs, stopping at the end of the hall in front of a door. Fumbling

for a moment to dig his keys out of his pocket, he finally got the door
unlocked and pushed it open, stepping to the side for Dev.

As he stepped inside, Dev looked around in total amazement.

"You're so not going to tell me this is your bedroom..." He stood in what
would be considered in most places as a full-sized apartment. Eyeing Jay,
he couldn't quite believe the guy had his own apartment in his own

house.

Grinning, Jay closed the door with his foot and carried the movies

into the sitting area, complete with a full entertainment system and big
screen television. "You want the grand tour?"

"You mean of your place or the entire house?" Following behind

him, Dev laid the bags of snacks on the end table near the couch. "Which
will take longer?"

Jay glanced over his shoulder as he put the sodas into the mini-

fridge. "Just my space."

"Yeah, I'd like to see your space, Jay." Straightening, Dev waited for

Jay to show him around. He took a couple seconds to look around and

spotted a few pictures near another door. Family, maybe? Ancestors? Dev
felt small compared to Jay. Unlike the duke, he didn't know much of
anything about his own family history, though he remembered something

about some distant relative being instrumental in a tiny little town in the
States. He shook the feeling when Jay returned to him.

"I'd show you around the whole damn mansion, but then we'd never

get to the movies." Jay winked and took his hand, leading him through
another doorway. He flipped the switch on the wall. "This is my office,
complete with a computer filled to the brim with games and porn."

"Games and porn? Part of the ducal duty, I take it."
"Of course!" Jay flashed him a wicked grin before turning off the

light. "And over here…" He pulled Dev to the other side of the main
sitting room and into another room. "This is my bedroom." He flipped a

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

switch and track lighting poured down from the ceiling, illuminating the
four-poster, canopied bed. Matching dark wood furniture—a dresser, an
armoire, and a chest of drawers—stood along the walls.

"You realize this is bigger than the apartment I share with my dad

back home, don't you?" Dev slowly looked around, noting the
immaculate state of the room. "It's cleaner, too."

"It's cozy," Jay said with a shrug. "The rest of the mansion is a bit

much for me, to be honest. I tend to cloister myself in my apartment and
leave the rest of the world to the house proper." He grinned over at Dev

before turning off the light. "The bathroom's just beside my office, by the
way. Nothing special. Ready for those movies?"

"Cozy?" Stepping out of the room, Dev followed Jay. He couldn't

even begin to explain why this place was bigger than just cozy. "Yeah,
we can watch the movies."

Jay put their drinks on the coffee table and picked up one of the

movies. After putting it into the DVD player, he grabbed the remote and
dropped down onto the couch, patting the cushion beside him. "Have a

seat, babe."

Sitting beside Jay, Dev grabbed one of the sodas and sat back,

relaxing against him. The atmosphere seemed so natural and comfortable

to Dev. Glancing at Jay, he smiled. "I don't think I've ever felt so relaxed
so quickly with someone I'm dating."

"Same here," Jay said, dropping a kiss to Dev's hair. He turned on

the movie and settled, slipping an arm around Dev's shoulders. When the
movie began, both of them fell into a comfortable silence as they avidly
watched Dr. Phibes.

* * * *

Nearly every night, Dev looked eagerly forward to being with Jay.

Whether it was a formal fancy-to-do or just a night with them, Dev spent

the time in between with thoughts of Jay on his brain.

Tonight, Jay had promised to take him to one of the prolific

underground clubs in London. Choosing his clothes with care, Dev

settled on a pair of black leather pants and a shirt and boots with a
similar look to them. After laying out his clothes, Dev padded to the
bathroom to get his shower.

Turning on the water, he waited for it to heat up before he stepped

into the tub. Hit with the hot spray, he tipped up the shower head up a bit

as he leaned against the back wall. With the thoughts of Jay very close to
the surface, his hand lowered to his cock, beginning a lazy tug on the

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length. There were times he wanted Jay so bad, he could taste it.
Imagining what it would be like to feel Jay inside him, the hand on his
cock sped up slightly in rhythm to his thoughts.

The only way to relieve his own tension and keep some control on

himself had been the near nightly session with his own hand. Tonight
was no different. With every stroke of his hand, he brought himself

closer to the edge, fueling his fantasy of being with Jay.

* * * *

Jay knocked on the door, then shoved his hands into his pockets.

He'd never been nervous about a date, but every date with Dev twisted
his insides into knots—good knots. Granted, he'd become overly familiar
with his right hand and a few toys here and there, but it wasn't anything

he couldn't handle. Somehow, he just knew: Dev was different, worth the
wait.

The butler opened the door and bowed politely to Jay. "Good

evening, your Grace."

Behind him Dev raced down the staircase and skidded to a halt near

them. Sounding breathless, Dev said, "I got it, Davis. Hey, Jay. Where we
going tonight?"

Davis' brow rose as he eyed Dev before he bowed once more to Jay

and withdrew to the back quarters of the house.

Jay chuckled and reached for Dev's hand. "The Pipeline. You'll love

it, I promise." He gave Dev a wink and pulled him closer. "Hi, babe," he

whispered, smiling.

Okay, Dev couldn't help his eagerness to see Jay, and it showed way

too obviously. With the tug forward, Dev moved in close enough to lean

against Jay and give him a proper kiss. The overt move surprised a sound
out of Jay, but he quickly recovered, arm sliding around Dev's waist as
he coaxed Dev's lips apart with his tongue.

Dev responded, uncaring of where they were at that moment. It

wasn't until a full minute later that he pulled slowly away from Jay. "We
better get going before I get into trouble for that."

"Certainly wouldn't be from me." Jay grinned at Dev before leading

the way toward his bike. "You have identification on you, right?" He
straddled the bike and slipped his helmet on, glancing over his shoulder

as he waited for Dev.

"I've got my drivers' license. That should count." Sliding in behind

Jay, Dev put the other helmet on, fastening it under his chin. His arms
went around Jay, holding to him as he started the bike.

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

"That works."
Jay started the bike and pulled out into the street, heading for

downtown London. He wove in and out of traffic, following the speed

limit as he switched from one lane to another, darting around cars. It took
about twenty minutes to get to the club and Jay pulled into the small
parking lot to the left of the building. The lot was already quite full, and

if the line outside the door was any indication, most of the people were
waiting to get into the club.

"Here we are, babe, The Pipeline." Jay waited until Dev was off

before he took off his helmet and stood. With a grin, he took Dev's hand
and was able to bypass the wait immediately with a simple flash of his
ID.

After showing his card as well, Dev followed Jay down the nearby

stairs that led to a basement area club. Several enormous arches held up
the wooden ceiling, giving the club an old world feel of an ancient wine

cellar. The first level of the club was well lit from the bar that lined the
back wall to the dance floor and strategically placed tables. Already the

place was packed with wall-to-wall bodies dancing to the live band that
played on the elevated stage.

Dev looked around with a great deal of interest. "I've heard about

this place. What about the other levels?"

"Well, this," Jay said with a sweeping motion of his hand, "is The

Mainframe. Down one level is The Core—it's basically the same: live

band, bar, dance floor, but the music is harder. Then there's The Source,
where the really hardcore stuff happens: mosh pit, death metal, black
metal, stuff like that. What are you in the mood for?"

"I think this will do since death metal isn't my thing." Glancing over

at the bar, Dev noticed several people were waving madly at them, trying
to get Jay's attention. "I think some of your friends are here."

Jay simply waved at them. "I didn't come here to spend time with

them," he said with a grin. He tugged on Dev's hand, pulling him toward
the dance floor.

Following behind him, Dev laughed. "I'll be nice and share you for a

short time."

Easily Dev picked up the rhythm of the music and began dancing

with Jay. The other bodies around them moved with a wild abandon and
occasionally jostled against him or Jay. Just being near, Jay shielded Dev

from most of the reckless dancing around them. The music was
something industrial—hard and driving, but still danceable. Strobe lights

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flashed in time to the music, drowning them in intermittent flickers of
blue, red, white, and purple. With a grin, Dev gave himself over to the
dancing as Jay led him in several sets. The heavy beat thrummed through

the club and Dev. A smoky haze and the flash of colored lights, timed to
the music, added to the atmosphere surrounding them.

Toward the end of their third dance, Dev grabbed Jay's hand and

started to tug him toward the bar. "Need a drink. How about you?"

Panting and just barely sweating, Jay nodded. "Oh, yeah."
Leaning up against the counter, Dev waited for the bartender to get

to them. "Thanks for bringing me here, Jay. Never thought I would get
into the place."

"Anytime," Jay said, smiling. "What do you want to drink?"

"I think I'll go daring and have rum and Coke. Anything but beer."

Making a face, it became clear Dev wasn't a big fan of the stuff.

Jay chuckled and when the bartender got to them, he ordered their

drinks. Then he turned his back to the bar, leaned up against it, and
pulled Dev to stand between his legs. "Are you having fun?" he

whispered in Dev's ear before kissing it.

"I always have fun with you, Jay." Threading his fingers through the

belt loops of Jay's pants, Dev tilted his head slightly. "As long as it's not

one of those pain in the ass affairs our moms keep dragging us to."

Jay's soft laugh warmed Dev's ear, tickled over his neck. "That I

would most certainly agree with, babe." His arms draped around Dev's

waist, holding him close.

"I have another special dinner planned for you on Sunday. So no

making plans. The cook is letting me take over the kitchen once again."

"Hey, Jay, where you been hiding?" A man straddled a bar stool near

them as several others took up residence against the counter.

Jay nodded before looking over to him. "Pleasantly occupied," he

said, pulling Dev closer. "What have you all been up to?"

Laughing, the man clapped him on the back. "I can see that. Easy on

the eye and definitely better than the last one you took up with." Holding

out his hand to Dev, he grinned. "I'm Richard Hamilton. Old friend of
Jay's."

"Hi, I'm Dev." Dev took his hand, giving it a firm shake.

Jay just rolled his eyes. "That was a long time ago, Rich," he

grumbled, giving Richard a cursory glare. "But yes, this is the man who's

captured my…" He trailed off, almost sticking his foot in his mouth. "My
time," he said finally, quietly. Richard met his gaze, those brown eyes

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

staring straight into Jay, knowing.

"Good to hear that, Jay. You coming to Bertie's house on Friday?

He's going all out to entertain us. You should come and bring Dev along

with you. Bertie was asking about you the other day." After ordering a
beer, Richard turned his attention back to both of them.

Dev didn't say anything as he looked between them. Reaching

around Jay, he grabbed his own glass from the counter and took a drink.

Jay ignored his drink, content with closing his eyes and breathing in

Dev's scent. "You up for that, baby? Little party with some friends?"

"Yeah, we can." Dev nodded his agreement, more curious about

Jay's friends than he let on.

"Great. I'll tell Bertie you'll be showing up with Dev. Everybody'll

be there around six or so. Swimsuits are optional and we'll be enjoying
Bertie's pool."

"We'll be there." Jay didn't bother to look up, just continued

nuzzling Dev, wanting so much to brush his hair back, to kiss his neck,
his shoulders.

"Now, I don't suppose you'd share him long enough for me to have a

dance with him, would you, old fellow?" Richard seemed extremely
aware of Jay's inattention.

Looking over at him, Dev opened his mouth, not sure what to say

and partially distracted by the press of Jay's lips on his skin.

"Not a bloody chance," Jay half-muttered, half-growled. He took a

chance and kissed Dev's neck, tongue slipping out just to taste his skin. A
soft, almost inaudible moan escaped him and he shivered.

"Guess not." Dev didn't look the least bit sorry and his focus was

taken up by Jay. One hand slid up against Jay's chest, fingers rubbing
into his shirt.

Chuckling, Richard grabbed his beer and slid off the seat. "You're no

fun at all any more, old man. See you at Bertie's."

* * * *

By the time Jay had dropped Dev back home and returned to his

own, he ended up falling onto his bed, body aching from dancing, cock
aching for release. He wasted no time in getting undressed, tossing his
clothes wherever. Then he stretched out, legs spread, one hand cupping

his balls. His other hand he wrapped tight around his cock, fisting it
quickly up and down. There was no playing this time, just the urgent

need.

"Dev…" Jay hissed, hips jerking, breathing turning to bursts. "Oh,

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sweet fuck…" With a deep groan, he came, cock pulsing in his hand,
pouring heat over his fingers. Jay's body simply went limp, his breath
labored. Not even bothering to wipe up, Jay rolled to his stomach and

promptly fell deeply asleep.

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

CHAPTER FIVE

Most nights, both of them were more than happy to hole up in Jay's

apartment. Dev wasn't much for any wild rounds of partying and

socializing. Occasionally, one of their mothers would demand attendance
at a particularly important event, but for the majority of the summer they
made their time their own.

By special command, both of them were in attendance at the

unveiling of an exhibit for the Earl of Merin's private museum. Dev

stood on the sidelines, watching as a group of reporters surrounded Jay.
Dev's mother sat across the room, occasionally looking over at him.

Each time Dev met her look of concern with a smile. The reporters

were annoying to say the least, but Jay did seem to be a media darling.
The duchess sat, with her cronies, busily gossiping not too far from Dev's
mother. Dev sipped at his champagne, leaning against the nearby

column.

"Are there prospects for a future Duchess of Wharton?" one of the

reporters asked before thrusting his microphone in Jay's face.

Jay took the question in stride, smiled, and shook his head. "I'm

afraid not. I'm…not in the market."

Several other reporters started laughing as one said, "Now there's a

stupid question."

"Your Grace, who's the new man in your life?" With a nod of his

head, the reporter indicated Dev. "We've seen you two together quite a

few times. Is it serious?"

Dev looked away from Jay and caught the Duchess' dark, scowling

gaze pinned on him. Getting it from both sides was not fun. Another lady
near the Duchess tittered behind her fan before she lazily continued
fanning herself.

"This is Dev," Jay said with a proud, happy smile. He slipped an

arm around Dev's shoulders and pulled him close. "And yes, it's serious.
Now if you all will excuse us…"

Dev looked up to find reporters with cameras surrounding him.

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Blinking in surprise, he didn't really have time to react before the flashes
nearly blinded him.

"How long have you been seeing his Grace, Dev?" Another reporter,

with pen in hand, fired the quick questions at Dev. "What does your
mother think about the relationship?"

Another reporter piped in with a grin, "We know what the Duchess

thinks, but does she know about you yet?"

"Well, she probably will when she reads the paper you guys put

out." His dry retort made the group laugh.

Jay steered Dev away from the reporters who'd flocked toward him.

When he looked up, Jay met his mother's steel gaze. He knew she hated
the very notion of his sexuality, and seeing him blatantly with Dev must

have been a slap in the face to her.

Dev made an awkward waving gesture to the reporters as he tried to

regain his composure. He wasn't used to either the baleful glare or the

intent interest of the reporters who had all turned to look him.

Muttering under his breath, he slipped his arm around Jay. "Okay,

now that was…" He trailed off, not certain what word to use in the
circumstance.

"Bloody annoying," Jay finished for him. Giving his mother a last

stern glance, Jay steered Dev toward the doors leading out into the
gardens.

"I'll agree to that." Chuckling, Dev felt relieved to get out of the

room and drew a deep breath of the fresh air outside. "I just didn't think
you'd tell them all we're getting serious."

Jay stopped him just as the door closed, leaving the sharks inside.

Turning Dev to face him, he asked, "You wish I hadn't?"

Shaking his head, Dev answered him quickly. "No, I don't wish that

at all. You know how I feel about you, Jay. I don't care who knows,

though I wish your mother and the reporters would leave us alone."

Jay sighed and pulled Dev close, resting his cheek on Dev's hair. "I

know, babe. I know." Pressing a soft kiss to Dev's head, Jay pulled back

slightly to look at him. "Want to take a walk? Just to get out of the shark-
infested waters for a bit?"

"Yeah, anywhere but back in there." Dev's arms tightened around

him, reluctant to let him go as he leaned against Jay's body, relaxing.
When they were close together, nothing else seemed to matter.

Jay hugged Dev tight and nodded. "Come on, let's go for a stroll in

the gardens."

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

Shifting to rest his head against Jay's shoulder, Dev walked down

the path flanked on both sides by blue and white flowers. "You don't ever
regret this, do you, Jay?"

"Not on your life. Can't imagine this without you, Dev. You?"
"It's the same for me. You've grown under my skin. I didn't expect it,

but I don't regret it." His hand clung tightly to Jay's.

A sudden flash temporarily blinded Dev. The camera woman

beamed at both of them and checked the shot she'd gotten. "Thanks for
the picture. Nice to catch young love in its natural state." Walking away,

the reporter headed out of the garden through the gate.

"Umm, yeah." Blinking, Dev shook his head. "Not used to people

popping up all of a sudden, though."

Jay growled under his breath. "I wish I wasn't used to it. Bloody

press doesn't comprehend the concept of privacy. To them, when it comes
to nobility or celebrity status, there is no such thing." Arm tightening

around Dev, Jay led the way into the small hedge maze. "Maybe we can
find peace somewhere in here."

"Oh, I'm fairly sure someone will be industrious enough to figure

out how to hide in one of those thick hedges." Grinning, Dev wrapped
his arm around Jay, hugging tightly to him. "It's all kind of silly, really.

But then you are a very hard man to resist. So it's no wonder they keep
wanting pictures of you."

Jay stopped when he reached a dead end, gave a good look around

the corner, and pulled Dev up against him. "Only one I want to tempt is
you."

"Now why do I enjoy that thought so much?" More of a rhetorical

question, Dev didn't wait for the answer as his arms snaked around Jay's
neck. Lifting his face, he practically begged Jay for a kiss.

Jay gave him a smile before capturing Dev's lips, tongue coaxing

them apart. He moaned softly, tugging Dev up against him. Despite
knowing he couldn't do anything else, Jay couldn't begin to stop the
effect Dev had on him.

Opening instantly to him, Dev drew Jay's tongue into his mouth,

tightening around it. He loved the pull Jay had on him, and it took very
little to leave Dev breathless. His lips brushed slowly to Jay's as he

whispered, "You always do this to me. Ever since we met."

"Do what?" Jay rested his forehead to Dev's as he worked to slow

his heartbeat down, to will away the inevitable erection that always
occurred around Dev.

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"All you have to do is kiss me and I can't think anymore. I just want

to be with you, and that's all that matters to me."

Jay nodded. "God, this isn't easy," he whispered. "Not when I want

to touch you, to feel you…"

Solemnly, Dev studied Jay. "I know." Dev's fingers caressed slowly

to the line of Jay's face, his own internal struggle apparent.

"Do what feels right, Dev. I won't ever pressure you into anything.

You know that." Jay turned his head and kissed Dev's fingertips, resisting
the urge to draw them into his mouth.

"What feels right." Dev sighed, trying to sort through his own

tangled feelings. They cared about each other, he knew that, but they
weren't bound to each other in any way. Nothing gave them a

commitment to the other. It only troubled Dev and reflected in his eyes.
"I can't do anymore, Jay. Even as much as my body might want to, my
mind won't accept it."

"Then we wait," Jay said with a reassuring smile. "You're worth

waiting for, Dev."

Still troubled, Dev nodded to him before he gave Jay a soft kiss. He

couldn't deny what he felt for the man in his arms; he just couldn't find a
way around his own personal beliefs, either.

* * * *

Even making it through several encounters with both Jay's mom and

the media at large, Dev hadn't managed to yet find any kind of

equilibrium in dealing with them. As Dev looked around the room, he
spotted Jay's mother. She'd seen him as well and a glacial gaze followed
him everywhere he went. With an imperious gesture of her hand, she

beckoned him over to her.

Though he was tempted to ignore her, Dev thought it best if he

didn't. It simply wasn't in him to be that rude. Reluctantly he walked

toward her and sat in the chair she pointed out to him. Very clearly, the
Duchess seriously disliked him. Her chill gaze traveled over him as if
examining a bug under a microscope. She wasn't at all pleased with what

she saw.

"You are the young man my son has been making a fool of himself

over." Raising her lorgnette, she stared at him through the glass.

What could he say that? Calmly, he returned her stare without

saying a word. Beneath the gimlet gaze, Dev shifted uneasily in his chair;

he was starting to get a bit pissy about the attempt to intimidate him.

"How much?" Her voice was frosty as she gave Dev a look of pure

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

hatred.

Blinking in confusion, he had no clue what the woman was talking

about. "How much what?"

"You are stupid as well." Carefully enunciating her words, she

continued, "How much money will it take for you to leave my son
alone?"

Confusion turned to outright shock as he stared unblinkingly at her.

"You want to pay me money to stop seeing Jay?"

"I am prepared to offer you a substantial amount." Her tone

suggested she had no doubt he would take the money and run.

Okay, this was just downright fucking bizarre. As he stared at the

woman, he tried his damnedest not to laugh.

"No doubt you are nothing more than a passing fancy to Jayson, but

I haven't the patience to wait until you've outlived your usefulness to
him."

The urge to laugh fled completely at her words because they struck

at a nerve deep inside Dev. Unsure of how long Jay would be interested

in him, he found the thought made his heart drop. I'm getting in too deep.
The thought sank deep into him as the Duchess spoke again.

"If you agree to never see my son again, I will make it worth your

while."

Dev barely heard her. Something inside him had tightened and now

it hurt. Frantically, his eyes searched the room for Jay. Maybe it's just

better to let go before I can't. The insidious thought tried to find some
place inside to hold to. No, I can't. Unable to silence the internal
argument of his own mind, Dev looked back at the woman.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." At the last moment, he remembered the proper

address for her. "Your Grace, I'm not interested in your money."

Standing, he bowed politely to her before he turned on his heel and

hurriedly walked away. He needed air to clear his head; something,
anything to still the voices. As he passed by one of the waiters, he
grabbed a glass of champagne and quickly downed it. Placing the empty

glass back on the tray, Dev headed straight for the front door. As he
stepped outside, the flash of a camera caught him at the wrong moment.

"It's Wharton's boyfriend!"

He heard the voice before he saw the group of men and women

hurrying toward him. As the cameras flashed at him, a volley of

questions followed. The clamoring of voices made Dev's head hurt.

"Not now." He tried to push his way past the group as they

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surrounded him.

Dev had a pounding headache as he frantically began walking away.

Everything seemed to be going downhill. The Duchess had become more

openly vitriolic against him and the media shadowed almost every
function he and Jay showed up at. Something was going to crack
somewhere, and Dev was starting to think it would be him.

Every damn time they were out in public, whispers followed in their

wake. Several deliberately designed to be overheard, and the disapproval
factor weighed heavily on Dev. The Duchess and her cronies had taken it

upon themselves to cut Dev at every turn. Nothing was ever done in front
of Jay, but behind the Duke's back, it was a far different story. One side
slighted him every chance they got, and the other side homed in on him

like sharks, constantly taking his picture and throwing questions at him.
Hearing and reading the speculation about his private life, from both the
private and public sector, was more than Dev could really handle.

Not slowing his stride, Dev didn't even know where his footsteps

were leading him until he looked up and thankfully saw his mother's

house. Knowing he was close to breaking down, he entered the house
and went straight up to his bedroom. As he sat on the edge of the bed, a
longing for his own home and to see his father hit him.

Feeling way in over his head, he couldn't have imagined how rough

all of this would turn out to be. Curling up on his side, Dev stared toward
the open window. His thoughts tumbled in on themselves and gave him

no peace. It wasn't until he heard his mother and stepfather coming in
downstairs that Dev realized he'd been laying there for several hours.

"Dev, its dinner time. Are you coming down?"

Dev didn't even lift his head from the pillow as he answered her.

"Nah, mom, I'm not really hungry."

"Jay's on the phone. He wants to talk to you."

Not up to facing any conversation with Jay, he said, "Tell him I'll

call later."

After a moment's hesitation, Sheila opened the door and looked in

on her son. "Dev, are you all right?"

Closing his eyes, Dev couldn't answer right away. Uncertainty had

gained a heavy foothold on him. All he really wanted to do was go back

to New York, back to a far more peaceful life. "I don't know. I really
don't know. I want to go home."

Feeling the shift of the bed as his mom sat down on the edge of it,

Dev opened his eyes, looking into her worried face. "I know it's hard on

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you, Dev."

"She tried to pay me off and when I went outside the reporters were

waiting there. I don't think I can handle it anymore, mom. Everywhere I

go, his mother and her friends…"

Sheila laid her hand on his shoulder when he trailed off. "I wish I

could make it easier on you, but I don't believe it will get any easier. Jay's

mother will not change her mind or her tactics, and the reporters aren't
going to let go of a juicy bone. You're the one who has to decide if you
can live with all of this, Dev."

"I don't get any peace here." Dev just wanted to get away from

everything. "Can you make arrangements for a flight back home?"

Sighing heavily, Sheila agreed with a nod of her head as she stood

up. "I'll take care of that for you, Dev." With one last worried look at her
son, she moved toward the door and quietly shut it behind her as she left.

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

CHAPTER SIX

Everything hinged on this moment. There was no backing down

now—he'd left England for this...for Dev. The question was: would Dev

still want him? Jay looked down at the scrap of notebook paper in his
hand, still crumpled from where it had been tucked into his jeans pocket.
He'd been to New York many times in the past, but it wasn't the city that

made him nervous. It was seeing Dev again, after nearly three months
since Dev left England.

Clearing his throat, Jay reached up and knocked on the apartment

door. For all he bloody knew, Dev would laugh in his face, though that
was more his own fear talking than anything else. As he waited for

someone to answer, he forced all thoughts from his mind and absently
fingered the small box in his jacket pocket—the small box he'd
brought...just in case.

A man opened the door and looked at him questioningly. Behind

him, the sound of the stereo played quietly in the background. "Can I
help you?"

Dev's voice came from the direction of the back hall. "Hey, Dad,

you forgot to get your clothes out of the dryer, and I'm not folding them
this time."

"Um..." For a moment, Jay lost any semblance of speech. Quickly

recovering, he said, "Hi. I'm...a friend...of Dev's. My name is Jay
Wharton."

Ignoring his son, he nodded to Jay. By his expression, Jay could tell

the man recognized his name. "Come on in." Stepping back, he let Jay

into the apartment. "Dev should be out in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Mr. Brooks." Jay walked into the small but neatly

furnished apartment. "You have a very nice home."

"Thanks, and you can call me James. I don't believe Dev is

expecting you. So I'm sure your visit is going to be a big surprise. Go
ahead and have a seat."

After walking across the room, Jay sat down and nodded. "Thank

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you and I imagine it will be."

James walked to the back hall, yelling, "Dev, you got a guest, and

I'm getting ready for work."

"Your work clothes are in the dryer where you left them, Dad. I'll be

out in a minute." The tone of Dev's voice held a hint of impatience as if
he were tired of his father's procrastination on the laundry.

When Dev finally emerged from his bedroom, his hair was still

damp, and he was wearing a pair of gray sweats and no shirt. Walking
into the living room, he staggered slightly backward when he saw Jay.

Staring at him in disbelief, he whispered, "Jay?"

Jay stood up and bit at his lip for a moment. "Hello, Dev. I know

this must be a shock..."

Recovering somewhat, Dev nodded. "Yeah, it is. What are you

doing here?"

"I needed to see you, Dev. I..." Jay sighed and slid a hand through

his hair, the length a bit more than his usual cut. "I swore to myself that I
wouldn't choke," he laughed, "but that's exactly what I'm doing." He

walked up to Dev, eyes searching, though he made no further move. "I
can't live without you."

"Jay…" Dev fell silent, unable to explain precisely why he had fled

England when he did. Jay didn't know a quarter of what had happened,
and it really had become too much for Dev. He just couldn't help himself
from staring at his ex-boyfriend, and wishing he could be back in Jay's

arms. Lifting his hand, he wanted to touch, and his fingers touched
gently to Jay's face.

"I think I fell in love with you soon after we met," Jay said quietly.

"Because God knows I'm in deep now."

Dropping his hand, the look of shock returned to Dev's features. The

only thing he could do was admit to the truth himself. "It's been so hard

without you. I'm already in love with you."

Jay smiled slowly and stepped just a little bit closer. "Is there any

chance of...us? Of us being together for good?"

Everything was just a bit hard for him to take in. Dev eyed him

uncertainly. "Together for good?"

Here it was: the one moment that Jay had been simultaneously

dreading and looking forward to. Eyes never leaving Dev's, he knelt
down right there in the hallway, literally on bended knee. He reached into

his coat pocket and pulled out the small box he'd kept close for the past
month. Opening it, he took out the claddagh ring and held it up to Dev.

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

"I love you, Devon Brooks. Will you marry me?"
Completely speechless, Dev stared at the ring then Jay. Part of him

was near tears, the other part wanted to start yelling wildly in joy.

Reaching for his other hand, Dev pulled him up and whispered, "Yes."

Taking Dev's left hand, he slid the ring on Dev's ring finger, crown

and heart pointed toward Dev's hand, showing him as engaged. Then Jay

slid his fingers between Dev's and pulled him close, the kiss deep, Jay
pouring everything of himself into it.

Dev was only given a moment to stare at the ring on his hand. With

the touch of Jay's lips, Dev's arms slid around his neck and he leaned in
against him. He opened eagerly to Jay and the heady taste left Dev's
mind reeling. There was no doubt in his heart and mind how much he

loved Jay.

Turning slightly, Jay leaned back against the wall, pulling Dev to

stand between his legs. He broke the kiss slowly and rested his forehead

to Dev's, eyes closed.

"I was so scared you'd say no," he whispered. "Terrified that you'd

turn me away."

"I had hoped you would stay away, and I prayed you wouldn't."

He'd been left in one hell of a state of confusion since he'd returned to the

States. Resting against him, Dev turned his head enough to press soft
kisses to Jay's cheek.

They both glanced at James when he cleared his throat then

chuckled. Giving them an amused look, James stood with his arms
folded over his chest. "So I'm assuming all's right with the world now?"

Jay chuckled softly. "You want to tell him? Or should I have asked

for his permission first?"

"My permission?" James' brow rose questioningly and he glanced

between Jay and his son.

Grinning, Dev held out his hand, showing his father the ring. "We're

getting married, Dad."

To say Dev looked near ecstatic would be an understatement.

His father appeared undisturbed, though he did give Jay a long,

measuring look. "Congratulations to both of you. We'll celebrate after I
get home from work."

"Thank you," Jay said, though whether it was to Dev or Dev's father

was anyone's guess. Turning back to Dev, he stroked the backs of his

fingers down Dev's cheek. "I mean it: thank you," he whispered. "I'm not
sure what I would have done if you'd turned me away."

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

Leaving them to their moment of privacy, James went out the front

door to head to work.

Looking back at Jay, Dev's expression softened and he pressed a

kiss to the back of Jay's fingers. "There's no way in hell I could turn you
away. It's just not in me. I love you too much."

"Love you, too." Cupping Dev's face, Jay pulled him in for another

kiss, tongue sliding across Dev's lips before parting them slowly. He slid
his arms around Dev, holding him close.

Dev couldn't think at all when Jay kissed him. His arms tightened

back around him, and a soft whimper rose in his throat, wanting a richer
taste of him. The flick of Dev's tongue lured the touch of Jay's and he
relaxed completely against him.

Jay slid his hands up and down Dev's back, tracing his spine with

his fingertips. He finally had to pull away from the kiss, breathless. "If
we keep that up, I can't be responsible for my actions," he laughed.

The touch made him shiver and, with a half groan, Dev reluctantly

released him from the kiss. Laying his head on Jay's shoulder, he closed

his eyes simply, holding on. Dev needed to have contact, and it had been
too long since he'd been with Jay. It took a few moments for some of his
memories to surface. When they did, Dev's head jerked up. In a horrified

tone, he whispered, "Your mother."

A wry grin creased Jay's mouth. "She's bloody pissed that I left

England, but there's nothing she can do."

"She'll try to make us miserable, Jay." Dev had already had a large

enough dose of Jay's mother's nastiness to last him a lifetime. It had been
enough to make him flee England.

"She's an ocean away. Aside from the phone, there's no other way

she'll mess with us. She hates airplanes."

Blinking at him, confused, whatever Jay meant didn't dawn on him

immediately. When it did, Dev gave him a shocked look. "You want to
live here? You can't do that, can you?"

Jay raised an eyebrow at that. "I can," he said, nodding. Pressing

Dev close, he kissed Dev's jaw, mouth moving to his ear. "I left England
for you, praying you'd want me still. This is where I belong, by your
side."

Stunned, he couldn't believe Jay could and would do that. "I thought

you would want to live there." He gently took a hold of Jay's face,

making him look at him. "Are you sure that's what you want to do?"

"Absolutely," Jay said without hesitation. "Though it might be

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prudent to find a different place to live besides your father's apartment,
unless he needs you here."

"No, he doesn't need me here at all. I'd been thinking about moving

into my grandfather's house." It finally started to sink more fully into
Dev that he would have Jay with him for the rest of his life. He pressed a
series of quick kisses to Jay's face and started laughing.

Jay sighed happily and tugged Dev up against him. "We've got some

planning to do, love. What kind of ceremony do you want?"

"It's not legal here, but we can have a ceremony, Jay. And I want

something very romantic. Do you think your sister can fly in for it? I
know my mother will want to, and Dad will want to be there. Damn, we
have so much to plan." Looking up at him, the smile on his lips

transformed his face. Dev was incredibly happy and it showed.

"You kidding? My sister helped me find our rings," Jay laughed.
"We could go to Canada. They do perform marriage ceremonies,

though the States won't recognize it." It would take a ton of planning, but
he was willing to bet with his father's and sister's help, they'd be able to

get it done in a couple of weeks.

"We could do that. My sister is only waiting on a phone call at this

point: a yay or nay." Jay grinned and hooked his thumbs just beneath the

waistband of Dev's sweats.

"Is there anybody else in England that will want to attend, besides

your sister? And I probably should let you go so you can call her." Dev

seemed exceedingly reluctant to do it since he was quite relaxed in his
position, lounging against Jay.

"A few close friends will probably have my head if they aren't

invited." He let go of Dev with one hand and reached into his coat
pocket, pulling out his wallet. "Mind if I use your phone?"

Chuckling softly, he said, "Go ahead, Jay. I can let you go for that

long."

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

CHAPTER SEVEN

Of course Dev felt ungodly nervous. He'd tried to attend to every

last minute detail of the wedding. Minor disasters were around every

corner, from his suit not fitting him to the driver not arriving to pick up
Jay's sister. Jay had hurriedly left to get her from the hotel, and more
headaches followed from the caterer to the blasted newspaper and TV

reporters who wanted front seats at the wedding.

"Relax, honey, everything will be fine." His mother chuckled,

smoothing down the back of his jacket with the palm of her hand.

"I know, mom, I know." When he glanced at the clock, he started to

panic again. "Shit, only ten minutes left. Has Jay gotten back yet?"

Whirling around, he eyed his mom wildly.
"Dev, he'll be here." Dev could tell she was trying not to laugh, but

she couldn't help it. "You look like you're about to fall apart. Listen to

your mother. Everything will be fine. So calm down."

"You ready, love?"
Sheila winked when she saw Jay come into the room. From the

besotted expression on Jay's face, it was doubtful he even noticed.

Jay's sudden presence was the only reason Dev relaxed. Closing his

eyes, he hugged to Jay's arms, drawing in a deep breath. "I'm past ready."

Simply shaking her head, Sheila silently left the room.
The music started up then and Jay stood to Dev's right, giving him a

soft smile and a kiss. "Love you, baby."

"Love you, too, or I wouldn't be doing this." Grinning over at him,

he took hold of Jay's hand. Outside the room, they crossed the small

hallway and entered the center of the hall. Their family and friends were
seated on both sides of the aisle. A sea of smiles and a few teary eyes
greeted them during their procession to the small dais where Reverend

Theson, Dev's mother, and Jay's sister waited for them. Dev had chosen
his mother for his best man, and Jay had chosen his sister.

When Dev caught sight of his dad, James grinned at him and gave

him a thumbs up.

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As they stopped just at the foot of the dais, the reverend smiled at

them. Jay squeezed Dev's hand gently, fighting the urge to bounce.
Beside him, Mary, his sister, looked almost ecstatic, her smile wide and

bright.

"Friends and family, we are gathered here this day to witness the

union of Jayson Alistair George Wharton and Devon James Brooks.

They've written their own vows and will now share them with each
other." Looking to Jay, he continued, "Jayson, please turn toward Dev
and take his hands in yours."

Jay turned and laced his fingers in Dev's, his eyes watery and

steadily holding Dev's. "Dev, I love you more than life itself, and I
promise to love and honor and cherish you through the end of time. I

crossed an entire ocean for you, and to see you here, with me and
smiling, just reminds me how special you are to me."

Dev could barely contain his smile, and his hand clung tightly to

Jay's. "Jay, with a free and unconstrained soul, I give you all I am and all
I am to become. I join my life to yours, not merely as your husband, but

as your friend, your lover, and your confidant. Let me be the shoulder
you lean on, the rock on which you rest, the companion of your life. With
you I will walk my path from this day forward. I love you."

Jay smiled and lifted Dev's hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to each

one. "I love you," he whispered.

Nodding first to Mary and then to Sheila, Reverend Theson said, "If

I may have the rings." Both women placed the matching gold claddaghs
on the reverend's open book, then stepped back into place.

"Jay, as you place this ring on Dev's finger, please repeat after me:

with this ring, I thee wed."

Taking the smaller of the rings, Jay lifted Dev's left hand and slid

the ring over the fourth finger, saying, "With this ring, I thee wed."

Drawing a slow breath, Dev stared at Jay mesmerized. The feel of

the ring on his finger solidified the reality to him.

Quietly, the reverend addressed him, "Dev, as you place this ring of

Jay's fingers, please repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed."

At first Dev didn't seem to hear him. When the reverend quietly

cleared his throat to get Dev's attention, Dev blinked then looked quickly

at him. A small rustle of laughter ran through the assembled crowd
before he reached for the ring and placed it on Jay's finger. "With this

ring, I thee wed."

"Before this time you both journeyed through life alone. From this

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day forward you will walk as one through life's joys and sorrows. May
your path by a long one blessed by God's grace. By the power vested in
me, by God and the province of Nova Scotia, I now pronounce you as

married. You may kiss."

Jay pulled Dev close then, the kiss soft and light, but full of a world

of promises and words he simply didn't know how to say. "I love you so

much," he murmured.

Dev returned the soft kiss. They were married. Truly and

irrevocably married, and he could barely take it all in. "I love you, Jay."

Beaming, the Reverend watched both of them as they turned and

walked back down the aisle to the cheers of their family and friends.
There was barely a dry eye in the room. They led the way to the

reception room further down the hall so everybody could celebrate their
union.

Arms wrapped around Dev's waist, Jay lifted him up and spun him

around the middle of the reception hall, laughing as everyone came in.

"We're official, baby!"

Laughing, he clung to Jay and the others crowded around them. The

room filled with the sound of laughter and shouts of 'Congratulations'.
When the hired band began to play, Dev whispered to Jay, "It's our first

official married dance."

All of the tables were already set with place settings, and some of

the people moved off to sit down while others hovered near the edge of

the dance area.

"It is..." Jay set him on his feet and started dancing, the tempo of the

band's rendition of Live's "Forever May Not Be Long Enough" just a tiny

bit slower than the original. Forehead resting to Dev's, Jay sang the
words to him, his eyes never leaving Dev's.

Dev couldn't look away from Jay. The depth of love they had for

each other was apparent in both of their faces the whole time they danced
slowly together. For Dev, all he could see was his husband, and he could
only feel the heat of emotions holding them both together. Lifting his

face, he pressed a soft, reverent kiss to Jay's lips.

Without stopping the dance, Jay opened to him. The rest of the

world faded away to only them in the kiss. His tongue slid over Dev's,

drinking in the warmth and love flowing between them.

Dev's lips parted to the loving kiss, the slow dance of their tongues

stroked over each other's. Needing a breath, he drew back slightly,
whispering, "I feel like shouting to the whole world. My husband, my

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love."

Jay chuckled. "Me, too. I'd cross a thousand oceans for you, Dev."
The waiters began to pour the glasses of champagne and Dev's dad

stood up, shouting, "A toast to the newly married couple. May love reign
in their home and keep them together to the end of their days."

One of the waiters approached Dev and Jay and held a tray with two

special glasses of champagne.

Grinning, Jay took the glasses and handed one to Dev. "To Dev: my

husband, my lover, my best friend."

Taking the glass, Dev raised it to Jay. "To Jay: my husband and one

day companion of my old age."

He couldn't resist saying that. It brought an image to his mind of

them as old men rocking in their rocking chairs on a porch and holding
hands.

A round of cheers rose from their well wishers before everybody

drained their glasses. Finishing his champagne, Jay took Dev's hand and
led him to the small round table with the two-tier, chocolate cake. He

picked up the knife and as they held it together, they made the first cut
into the cake amid claps and more cheers.

Under his lashes, he watched Jay. A soft smile curved his lips and

his fingers curled tighter to Jay's. After they'd cut two small portions
from the cake, Dev picked a piece with Jay. He enticingly offered the
cake to Jay and his lips parted to take a bite of the other piece Jay offered

him. The intermittent flash of cameras accompanied their actions, and the
wedding photographers got several close ups both in video and on film.

"Mmm," Jay hummed, nibbling the offered cake. Feeding Dev's

piece to him, he licked and sucked on Dev's fingers, grinning wickedly,
cleaning the frosting off.

Dev's eyes widened slightly, feeling the erotic effect of Jay's tongue.

He knew his husband was doing it deliberately, especially from the wide
grin on Jay's lips. With his mouth full of cake, he couldn't say anything
right away. But he did wink at him teasingly.

Grinning, Jay let Dev's fingers slip out of his mouth. A moment

later, Mary dropped her arms over each of their shoulders.

"You know, I've never seen my brother look this happy in all his

life," she said, smile wide and bright. She leaned over and kissed Dev's
cheek. "You're perfect for him. Really. And he might be stubborn, but

he's utterly devoted to you."

Giving her a grateful smile, it meant a lot to Dev that Jay's sister

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

supported them. He wasn't sure how bothered Jay was by his mother's
behavior. Dev wasn't even really sure if Jay and his mother were close or
not. Letting go of Jay, he enveloped her in a tight hug. "Thanks, Mary."

Warmly, she returned the hug before she pulled slightly away.

Grinning at her brother, she had a mischievous look on her face. "There's
a special ring I need to give you, Dev. It's a special piece of jewelry

given to all of the spouses of the Duke of Wharton."

Opening her small purse, she pulled out a black velvet jewelry box

and handed it to Dev. "It's been tradition in my family since the first duke

married."

Surprised, Dev looked quickly between them before he took the

box. Opening it, a lone ruby, encased in platinum, rested on the black

velvet.

Whispering softly, Mary said, "It has 'The chosen of the sixteenth

Duke of Wharton' engraved inside the band."

Jay's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Mary..."
"Mother is a vindictive banshee, Jay." Mary muttered to him under

her breath. "It's Dev's right as your husband to have one of the Wharton
rubies."

Taking it from the box, Dev studied the inside of the band. A wide

smile crossed his lips and he slipped it on the finger of his right hand. It
was made all the more special for Jay's sister bucking all the tradition to
give him a tradition. "I don't know what to say, Mary. Thank you really

isn't enough."

"He does deserve it," Jay said. Turning to Dev, he slipped a finger

under Dev's chin and tilted his head up for a kiss. "You deserve

everything in this world," he whispered over Dev's lips.

"That's why I have you, Jay." Dev whispered back against the press

of Jay's lips. The day had indeed been magical for him.

Laughing, Mary took hold of them both and tugged them toward

their table. Pieces of the wedding cake were passed out to the wedding
guests along with the chosen menu for everyone. "You two need to eat

before you disappear on all of us."

Jay looked like food was the last thing on his mind, but he just

laughed and nodded, letting his sister herd them to the main banquet

table set out in front of all the others. Sitting down, he took Dev's hand
and looked at the Wharton ring, sliding his thumb over the stone. Then

he lifted Dev's left hand and did the same to the gold surface of the
claddagh.

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

"Both look good on you," he said, "especially this one..." He kissed

the claddagh before releasing Dev's hand to pick up the menu.

Giving Jay a knowing look, Dev knew exactly what was on his

mind. When Jay released his hand, he rested it on Jay's thigh with his
own sly smile. Looking up at the waiter near him, he said, "I'll have the
roast beef selection. Thanks."

"I'll have the same please." Leaning over, Jay made it appear he was

whispering into Dev's ear. Brushing Dev's hair back slightly, he licked
his ear, then nipped at it gently.

Unable to subdue his shivering reaction, Dev glanced over at Jay,

whispering, "It will be a while before we can disappear, love."

"I know, but that doesn't mean that I can't play." He sat back in his

chair and gave Dev a quick wink before sliding his hand up Dev's thigh,
fingers resting close to his crotch.

"Oh." The one word came out in a small squeak and Dev squirmed

slightly beneath Jay's hand. "You're allowed to now."

The waiters moved around, taking the orders of everybody at their

table before they went back to the kitchen area. A few moments later, the
buzz of activity increased in the room as the waiters brought out trays
with plates of food for everybody.

Jay chuckled softly, watching a waiter put their food before them

both. "I promise I'll take everything slow and gentle." He glanced over at
Dev and squeezed his thigh, letting his fingers graze Dev's crotch with

the barest touch. Leaning toward Dev, he whispered, "I can't wait to taste
you, love."

Dev shifted helplessly beneath the drifting pressure of Jay's hand.

He knew Jay was teasing him, and he was doing a damn good job of it.
The words and simple touch caused a slow tightening across the fabric of
his pants. His words came out breathlessly, "I can't wait either."

Dev's mom called out. "A toast to Dev and Jay. May the grace of

God bless their union and guide them in their lives." She raised her glass
to them and the others joined her in the toast.

Laughing, Jay raised his glass. "Thank you!" His other hand never

moved from its position.

Grinning at Jay, James chuckled before he set his glass down. A

series of toasts, all for the well-being of Jay and Dev, followed.

Risking a glance toward Jay, Dev gave him a bit of a smile before

he began eating. Jay just shook his head and started on his meal,
laughing and talking to others around them. Most of them were Dev's

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

friends and family. Neil, unfortunately, had not made it; but at least Mary
was there. Out of all the people he knew aside from Dev, she was the one
Jay was closest to.

To Dev, time seemed to drag, though he acted naturally enough

amidst the well wishes of their family and friends. The gaiety of the party
was infectious. As he ate, his one hand remained on Jay's. Occasionally,

he looked over at him, mouthing, "I love you."

Hand tightening on Dev's, Jay smiled over, returning the sentiment

every time. After two hours of chatting and toasting and eating, he was

ready to get out of there.

Sensing Jay's impatience, Dev leaned toward him, pressing a soft

kiss to his cheek, "Shall we sneak away as quick as we can?"

"I want you out of that suit and into my arms," Jay said under his

breath.

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

CHAPTER EIGHT

Something in his gaze made it clear that Dev wanted the same thing.

Signaling to the one of the waiters, Dev waited for a moment. When the

back doors opened, two waiters came in, carrying a huge tray decorated
with a sugar sculpture of a magnificent castle. Flanking the sculpture
were two brandy-soaked five tier cakes set alight. When everybody's

attention was diverted to the display, Dev quickly stood and tugged Jay
with him toward the side door behind them.

Jay went without hesitation, catching a wink from Mary just before

the door closed behind them. "Nice exit, love."

"I thought a diversion would come in handy if we wanted to escape

without everybody hounding after us." Chuckling, his fingers curled
tightly around Jay's hand and they headed outside toward their car.

Grinning, Jay steered them in another direction. As they rounded the

corner of the building, a man in a chauffeur's cap and a dark suit stood
beside a stretch limo, holding the back door open. Jay winked at Dev.

"You think I'm going to let either one of us drive?"

"Now why would you do that?" Dev had to laugh since he figured

Jay would be teasing him unmercifully. Sliding into the limo, he settled
in against the luxurious leather upholstery.

After whispering something to the driver, Jay got in. Once the door

was closed, he reached out and pulled Dev over and onto his lap. Fingers
sliding into Dev's hair, Jay pulled him down into a deep, heated kiss.

His body molded to Jay's, settling in his lap. During the last two

weeks, they hadn't been left alone much. The kiss had a drugging effect

on Dev, making him lose track and his fingers curled tightly to Jay's
shoulder.

"Want to see you come," Jay whispered on Dev's lips as his hands

slid down to grip Dev's hips tightly, pushing their bodies together. "Want
to hear you cry out."

Jay's words drew a low groan from him and he opened his eyes,

staring at him. Jay aroused him beyond words, and the force of it ran

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

through his body. Both of his hands cupped Jay's face, his lips capturing
Jay's and Dev's tongue slid between the folds, seeking the deeper taste of
his husband.

Sliding one hand between them, Jay popped the button on Dev's

pants. Head back against the seat, his other hand cupped the back of
Dev's head, deepening the kiss as he slid his hand inside, fingers grazing

over the hot, slick tip of Dev's cock.

The intimate touch of Jay's hand sent a slow shudder through Dev.

Unable to stop the slight jerk of his hips, the movement of his body only

encouraged Jay. Already as hard as a rock, his body begged for the
release Jay could give him. Taking care of himself had never felt
anything like this.

Breaking from the kiss, Jay's eyes locked onto Dev's and he

wrapped his hand around Dev's cock. "Come on, baby," he coaxed,
fingers and hand working up and down Dev's cock, stroking and

squeezing, thumb sliding over the tip. "Show me what I've only dreamed
about..."

Opening his eyes, he looked down at Jay's hand, playing with him.

The sight sent a trembling rush through him. His gaze locked to Jay's in a
heated daze while the sensations take over his body. A soft whimper

followed by another groan of escaped him, and the pulse of pleasure
quickly rose then erupted over him.

"Oh, God, Jay." His features tightened with the exquisite feeling and

his orgasm flooded his body as his cock coated Jay's hand with thick
ribbons of liquid.

"Yes..." The word barely made it out of Jay's mouth before he

groaned, heat spreading between them and he came, soaking the front of
his pants. Struggling to catch his breath, he eased his hand out of Dev's
pants and brought it to his lips, savoring the taste and scent of Dev on his

fingers and licking them clean.

As he clung to Jay, Dev felt the slight buck of his husband's hips,

grinding up against him. It sent its own quiver of anticipation through

him. Whispering softly to him, Dev said, "I think it's going to be a long
night for both of us."

Jay hummed, tilting his head up for another kiss. "And that's a bad

thing?"

"Well, you explain the wet stains to the hotel clerk. Okay?" Dev

couldn't help but laugh since their clothes bore the results of their over
anxiousness to play.

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

"Not stopping by the front desk." Jay grinned. "I had some things

ordered and taken up to the room when I went to get Mary."

"You did? Are you going to tell me or surprise me?" Dev eyed him

with a great deal of curiosity he couldn't hide.

"Wouldn't be any fun if I told you, now would it?" Jay winked and

shifted Dev to the side. He pushed a little button on the side of the limo

and said, "Thank you for taking the extra time. We're ready to head to the
hotel now."

"Thank you, sir," came the reply from the driver, who apparently

found the entire situation a tad bit amusing. "It's not the first time I've
taken the long way."

Yes, Dev could be easily made to blush. He shifted in his seat,

hastily zipping up his pants. Nudging up as close as he could to Jay's
side, he rested his head against his shoulder. "It's still sinking in that
we're married. Everything else is kind of hazy."

Reaching for a black bag tucked just beneath the edge of the seat,

Jay nodded. "Yes, it is. I still can't quite believe it myself." He opened the

bag and pulled out a pair of black pants. Grinning, he hurriedly stripped
from the waist down.

Not being as well prepared, Dev eyed the bag and then Jay. "You

didn't happen to bring along a pair for me, did you? I didn't know you
were planning on attacking me on the drive to the hotel."

Jay laughed and nodded toward the bag as he slid his clean pants on.

"In the bag, love."

Unzipping his pants, Dev wiggled around in the seat as he took

them off. Leaning over in the seat, he pulled his own pants out of the bag

before stuffing the other pair into it. "Good thing you think ahead, Jay."

"Always."
Just as Dev finished buttoning the clean pants, the limo stopped. A

few minutes later, the side door opened and Jay grabbed the bag before
climbing out. He held out a hand to Dev, smiling as he discreetly slipped
the driver an extra two hundred dollars.

Getting out of the limo, Dev stretched then eyed the exchange

between Jay and the driver. Shaking his head and stifling his laugh, he
waited for Jay to lead the way. He was very grateful Jay had brought

along an extra pair of pants for him since it would have been
embarrassing to stand there with a wet stain dampening the material.

Dev's hand in his, Jay went right through the lobby, not stopping

until they got to the elevators. Once inside the elevator car, he leaned up

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

against the wall and smiled.

"I'd be lying if I said that I'm not nervous."
"Nervous? Why would you be nervous?"

"Because I want your first time to be perfect," Jay said.
Dev's expression softened as he turned to face Jay. "But it's already

that, love. Didn't you realize that?"

Smiling, Jay pulled Dev close to him. "All I need is you," he

whispered. "Just you, love."

When the elevator stopped on the seventh floor, Jay kissed Dev

quickly before stepping out into the hallway. He slid his arm around
Dev's waist as they headed for Room 723.

Sighing quietly, he stayed beside Jay as he unlocked the door. Dev

still felt a little nervous, but nothing like the butterflies he'd had earlier.
Smiling at Jay, he stepped inside the room then looked around the suite
Jay had gotten. He hadn't expected something quite this luxurious.

Jay set the bag down and locked the door behind them. "Like it?"

He walked over to the small refrigerator and crouched down as he

opened it. He pulled out a tray of cheeses and fruits, with dipping sauces
in little cups in the center of the silver tray. Next he took out a bottle of
red wine and set it on the dresser beside the tray. Sitting in front of the

dresser mirror were two silver and crystal wine glasses, each one
engraved with their names and the date.

Blinking, Dev murmured, "I get the feeling you went all out."

Unknotting his tie, he slipped it over his head before he took off his
jacket. After he dropped them on a nearby chair, he moved to stand
beside Jay.

As he stood up, Jay closed the refrigerator and picked up the wine.

Popping the cork, he just winked at Dev. He poured wine into each glass,
then picked them up, handing Dev one.

"To us," he said.
"To us," Dev whispered quietly before he took a sip of the wine. As

his gaze roamed over Jay, a few of his own fantasies paraded through his

head.

Jay smiled knowingly as he finished off his wine, setting the glass

back down. Without moving toward Dev, he loosened his tie and slid it

off, simply dropping it to the floor. Unbuttoning his shirt slowly, he said,
"What are you thinking about right now?"

Dev set his own glass down. Already a bit giddy from the alcohol

he'd had at the reception, he didn't need anymore. His tongue darted out,

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

licking at his suddenly dry lips as his gaze riveted on Jay's hands.
"Touching you. Tasting you." He took a step closer to Jay, lifting his
hands to help him undress.

Letting Dev take over, Jay dropped his hands away. "I am yours,

Dev. Every inch of my body, every ounce of my soul." He shrugged out
of his shirt, letting it slide down his arms.

Dev's eyes followed the movements of his hands as they slowly

caressed over the contours of Jay's chest. Infinitely fascinated by the
sight, he lowered his head to press a soft kiss just above Jay's right

nipple. A flick of his tongue followed, taking his first taste. To know he
could do whatever he wanted to Jay was a heady feeling.

A soft catch of breath followed, Jay's fingers sliding over Dev's

cheeks. "Dev..."

Moving slightly lower, his tongue circled Jay's nipple before

covering it with his mouth. Gently, he bit into Jay's skin before his mouth

tightened. Dev's hands moved to Jay's arms, running downward to catch
at his hands. Listening to the soft sounds Jay made for him made him

shiver.

"Oh, God..." Jay shuddered, breathe quickening. "Dev..." His voice

trembled as his fingers laced through Dev's. Tremors ran through him,

sliding from his nipple to his cock. "Gonna...oh, fuck..."

One hand reached up, his fingers twisting the one nipple as his

mouth suckled at the other. Dev wanted to taste every inch of his

husband. His free hand unsnapped the front of Jay's pants then pushed
beneath the edge of them to slide them down. When Jay was naked, Dev
released the nipple in his mouth.

Dropping to his knees, he stared for a long moment at the sight of

Jay's hard cock. Lifting his gaze to Jay's, he reached up to curl his fingers
around the hard length. As he leaned slightly forward, his tongue licked

at the drops glistening on the head of Jay's cock. Riveted, his gaze held
Jay's, wanting to see his reaction.

Jay's eyes widened, his heart already thundering in his chest. He slid

his fingers through Dev's hair and waited breathlessly, one word
conveying everything: "Please."

The soft plea nearly did Dev in. He couldn't resist Jay at all. Slowly,

his mouth took in the head of Jay's cock, tasting at the slight salty-sweet
flavor. His tongue slowly swirled to the tip, gathering the drops before he

began to take Jay in. Dev was by no means an expert, but he loved the
taste and feel of Jay in his mouth. One hand reached up, gently cupping

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

under Jay's balls.

Groaning, Jay rocked his hips forward then back, sliding his cock in

and out of Dev's mouth. He stepped out of his pants and kicked them to

the side, then spread his legs more as he leaned back against the wall.

"Yes. God, Dev, that feels so good."
He needed Jay's encouragement in this. Easily, he adjusted to the

rhythm of Jay's hips. The pressure of his mouth tightened around Jay's
cock before his teeth slid lightly against him each time Jay withdrew. A
curious hand explored the rounded bottom of Jay's ass, dipping slightly

between the crack. His eyes never left Jay's, intent on the sight and sound
of his husband.

Jay spread his legs, encouraging Dev in his explorations. Every

slide into Dev's mouth drew a shudder out of Jay, the heated rush pulsing
up his spine. "Dev...keep going..." he panted, licking his lips.

With a great deal of relish, Dev's mouth repeatedly enveloped his

cock, devouring it. Momentarily, he reached back around to wet his
finger before his hand returned to its prior occupation. Nudging between

Jay's cheeks, Dev's finger circled to the rim of his hole. Dev wanted to
feel everything. Jay's cock in his mouth and the gentle push of his fingers
inside Jay's ass only excited him all the more. The feelings and

sensations washed over at him as he stared upward at Jay. Most of all he
wanted to see Jay's face when Jay gave into him and lost complete
control.

Growling out Dev's name, Jay spread his legs more as he thrust,

driving Dev's finger deeper inside him as he came. Thick, liquid heat
poured into Dev's mouth, Jay's cock throbbing on his tongue, every

tremor bolting up Jay's spine like lightning.

Quickly, Dev drank Jay in, swallowing every spurt and savoring the

intimate flavor. Mesmerized, he watched the play of pleasure and

emotion on Jay's face and the effect he had on his husband. Every little
nuance was his to enjoy, from the betraying shudders of Jay's body to the
throbbing pulse of his cock as it filled his mouth. It was one hell of a

thrill.

"Come here." Sliding his hands under Dev's arms, Jay pulled him to

his feet. "Bed, love. Let's catch our breath and take a break. This night is

far from over."

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

CHAPTER NINE

Letting Jay help him up, Dev moved toward the bed. On the dresser,

he saw a newspaper. The headline was emblazoned with the bold, black

letters "The Duke's Husband." It completely sidetracked him. Reaching
for it, he sat on the edge of the bed, reading the article.

"They move quickly when the news is juicy enough, don't they?"

Jay took out two cans of soda from the refrigerator and handed one to
Dev as he sat down beside him. "The news will hit England fairly soon,

if it hasn't already."

Looking up from the paper, Dev took the can. "I believe it has

already. The paper says there are protests from the conservatives and

rallies from the gay community on both sides of the Atlantic. Some of
this sounds pretty ugly."

Jay snorted and popped the top on his soda can. "Nothing new. It'll

blow over and they'll all go back to their meaningless lives rallying for
yet another infringement on the 'sanctity of marriage.'"

"The Duke's husband." Dev murmured the words with a chuckle. He

really didn't care what the rest of the world thought. This was Jay's and
his relationship, not theirs. "Does that make me the Duchess?"

Laughing, Jay just rested his head on Dev's thigh, looking up at him

with an amused grin. Then he rolled his head and gave the tip of Dev's
prick a quick kiss. "Mm, I think I prefer you as a Duke."

Dev's cock responded immediately to the kiss, jumping slightly. "I

was just about to ask if I get to be called Duke, too." Smiling down at
him, Dev's hand went to Jay's hair, smoothing over the soft darkness.

Jay hummed softly, eyes closing. "By marriage, yes. Trust me, be

happy it's not by blood. I was never cut out for it. Just give me a nice,
quiet house, you, and the means to survive, and I'll be happy for the rest

of my life."

"I think we have that now." His expression softened as he studied

the relaxed lines of Jay's face. Jay seemed so content, and Dev's own

emotions reflected the same. "We'll be moving to Kansas as soon as our

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

honeymoon is over. I know you'll love the house. It's huge, but it's out in
the middle of nowhere. And we can putter around fixing it up."

"Sounds perfect, love." Jay opened his eyes and smiled, looking up

into Dev's. "I guess it's no secret now that I had a good bit of money
converted and put into a bank over here, huh?" he asked, grinning
mischievously.

A brow arched as Dev continued eyeing his husband. "Well, it was

until you just told me. I had no clue."

"Oh." Jay tried like hell to suppress the sheepish grin, but failed

miserably. "Um, yeah. Well, I did. Kind of had everything resting on a
'yes.'"

"I would ask, but I probably shouldn't. Besides, I never told you

about my inheritance from my mom's mom." Grinning back at him, Dev
winked. Shifting on the bed, Dev stretched on his side and pulled Jay
with him.

"Inheritance?" Jay chuckled and slid an arm around Dev's waist,

tugging him up close. "I am curious."

"I suppose we both should have signed prenuptial agreements," Dev

murmured as he winked at him. "Dad manages it. I don't gain full control
of it until I'm twenty-five. But Dad agreed to let me have enough to fix

up the house."

"I keep forgetting you're only nineteen," Jay said. "You certainly

don't act that young, love."

"I'm years older in my head." Laughing, he snuggled contently

against Jay. "My grandfather willed the property in Kansas to Dad.
Grandpa decided to tear the house down, but then he died, and Dad sent

me out to finish the job. I just decided the house shouldn't be torn down
so I talked Dad into letting me have it instead."

"Can't wait to see it," Jay murmured, rubbing his nose alongside

Dev's, eyes closed. "So far away from the bloody bullshit...just you and
me."

"I think we can be happy there, Jay." The small movements of Jay's

body had the effect of teasing his and already Dev started to harden
again. Turning his head slightly, his lips brushed to Jay's then sealed over
them. The tip of his tongue slid between the folds, inviting a kiss.

Jay rolled onto his back, bringing Dev up and over to settle on top

of him. Hands on Dev's thighs, Jay pulled them up until Dev was

straddling him. He stroked Dev's spine, his hips, his thighs.

With the intimate press of his body to Jay's, a stirring of need rustled

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

through Dev and he lost thought to the sensation. He could feel the ridge
of the cock against the crack of his ass, and it played havoc with his
body, along with Jay's hands. Running his own hands slowly over the

chest beneath him, curious fingers explored the planes of Jay's body.

"Want to taste you," Jay whispered, hands gripping Dev's hips as he

rocked his own upward. "Open you up for me, have you writhing and

breathless before I even get this—" he pulled Dev down against his cock
"—inside you."

"Do anything you want to me." Dev whispered back against his lips.

The grind of their bodies together made Dev gasp with the strengthening
sense of need. He'd never experienced the full strength of the feelings,
and they were rushing over him now.

Jay rolled them over again, landing Dev in the middle of the bed,

and slid down his body. Kneeling between Dev's legs, Jay slid his hands
beneath them and lifted them up, pushing them apart.

"Oh, fuck..." Licking his lips, his gaze slid back up to Dev's face.

"Hold your legs up and apart for me."

Sliding his hands to the back of his thighs, Dev held to his legs for

Jay, his muscles tight in anticipation. Drawing in a ragged breath, he
tried to calm himself down slightly, especially when his legs started

trembling and Jay hadn't even touched him.

Giving him a quick wink, Jay settled lower on the bed, resting on

his stomach, and took his first taste. He circled Dev's hole with the tip of

his tongue, moaning softly as the musky scent and flavor of Dev
enveloped his senses. Needing more, he flicked his tongue over the
puckered hole, then pushed in, hands moving up to grab Dev's buttocks,

spreading him open even more.

The feel of Jay's tongue entering him had Dev squirming against the

bed as his fingers tightened on his legs. A sharper gasp escaped him as he

called Jay's name. Lifting his hips slightly and further parting his legs, he
exposed himself more.

Moaning, Jay plunged his tongue in deeper, all but drowning

himself in Dev's body. He sucked one finger into his mouth and pulled
back to rub it over Dev's hole, not quite pushing in, just applying
pressure to tease.

It just wasn't quite enough; Dev's hips wiggled on the bed, shifting

down to make that finger enter him. He couldn't see what was going on,

but he could sure as hell feel it. And every little thing just pushed him to
want more.

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

"Yes," Jay hissed as he slid his finger inside. Tight, gripping heat

surrounded him, nearly driving him insane with the need to get inside.
Looking up, his eyes locked onto Dev's, and he curled his finger forward

to stroke just lightly over the tiny gland in Dev's body.

The friction caused Dev's body to buck against Jay's finger as he

groaned. All he could think about was Jay inside him. The thought

possessed Dev and allowed for none of the nervousness he'd felt earlier.
A pleading look crept into his eyes as they locked with Jay's. "Jay,
please." Aching all over, Dev's cock was leaking, and it slicked the skin

of his stomach.

"Shh..." Jay eased his finger out and slid up Dev's body, taking a

quick kiss before leaning over to grab the bottle of lube from the bedside

table drawer. "Little more, baby. Don't want to hurt you."

He popped the cap and got two fingers slick. Setting the bottle down

on the bed, he moved his hand back down and slid his fingers slowly

inside Dev. Once they were as deep as they could go, he twisted them,
working Dev open, loosening him gently.

At this point, Dev wasn't certain if he'd care if it hurt or not. He

wanted to feel Jay way too much. Each movement inside him sent
stronger quivers through his body. He tried to hold still but simply

couldn't.

"Wrap your legs around me, baby," Jay murmured over Dev's lips,

"and take a deep breath..." When Dev's legs wrapped around his waist,

Jay slicked himself and slid in, cock surging deep, slowly and gently.

Dev's arms and legs wrapped tightly to Jay. Staring into Jay's eyes,

he saw nothing but the deep love Jay had for him, and he returned it

equally. Feeling the burning stretch, his body tightened before he
dragged in a very deep breath. "Hurts, love, but don't stop. Please, don't
stop." Another deep breath helped him relax, and his hands caressed over

Jay's arms, then traveled to his back. "God, I love you so much."

"Love you, too, baby...more than anything." Jay took him in another

kiss, his tongue sliding deep into Dev's mouth, licking and tasting,

sweeping through it as he continued his slow slide into Dev's body. Once
he was in all the way, hips pressing against Dev's ass, he broke the kiss,
staring down into Dev's eyes, his own wide and unfocused. "Oh, God..."

The fullness of Jay's cock inside him hurt like hell at first. Dev had

to bite at his lower lip to stifle any sound. But it couldn't dim what all of

this meant to him. His hands slid quickly down to Jay's ass, pressing
down to hold him still. Raising his head, Dev's lips caught at Jay's and

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

silenced any further sound. His tongue sought Jay's in slow, sensuous
flicks. It took very little for Dev to lose himself once again. After several
moments, a slow experimental rock of his hips ground against Jay.

Without breaking the kiss, Jay began to move, rotating his hips

slowly, rocking back and forth. As they continued to move together, his
movements grew longer, more sure, as he pulled out a little and pushed

back, groaning into the kiss as the exquisite heat of Dev's body sucked
him in deeper with every stroke.

Muscles constricting tightly around Jay added a deeper friction to

each slow motion. Dev's head fell back as he moaned. The deep
penetration sent sparks flitting through his body; he couldn't hold out
much longer. With a sudden shudder, his entire body writhed beneath Jay.

He cried out sharply as the strength of his release flooded him, left him
clinging tightly to his husband.

"Dev!" Several quick, deep strokes and Jay was coming as he

plundered Dev's mouth with his tongue. Every pulse of his cock sent
another bolt up his spine, dragging a harsh groan out of him.

The moment held an emotionally intense aspect as Dev held more

tightly to Jay, feeling the shudder of his body as he came. Dev had never
felt anything like that in his life, and it left him breathless and shaking.

Breaking off the kiss and burrowing his face against Jay's neck, a half
sob escaped him.

Jay slid his arms under Dev and rolled them onto their sides. He

pulled out slowly before holding Dev tightly as he tugged the blankets
over them. He kissed Dev's hair softly, rocking them slowly as he fought
to come back down as well. He had no words for any of it.

Everything they were to each other had finally sunk fully into Dev.

Tears pricked beneath his eyelids as he nestled as tightly as he could to
Jay. The slow, soothing rock calmed him, though the tears spilled from

his eyes. Indescribably happy, the tears spoke for him.

"Love you, Dev, so very much." Jay kissed the tears, chasing them

until he reached Dev's lips, where he stopped, tasting Dev before

deepening the kiss into something soft and pure.

Dev wanted to tell Jay he loved him and to never stop saying it. The

sweet touch of Jay's lips silenced him, and he opened to him. Dev could

feel how much Jay loved him, something he couldn't doubt, and they
shared the emotional depth.

"Sleep, love," Jay whispered, tucking the blankets around them.

"We can go out for dinner later if you want."

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

Already exhausted from the day, Dev murmured sleepily to him.

"Love you."

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

CHAPTER TEN

Balancing the box between his chest and the doorframe, Jay dug

into his jeans pocket for the house key. It had taken them a month before

they could finally move into their own place. Dev looked around for just
a brief moment, enjoying the sheer quiet. The paint around the doorframe
crackled and gave way as Jay pushed the door open. The house wasn't as

musty as it had been the first time they saw it, but a layer of dust still
covered every surface that he could see. Pushing the door open the rest of

the way with his foot, Jay stepped inside.

"Damn, it's cold in here. Didn't you say this place had a furnace or

something in the basement?"

The box of cooking equipment was heavy, and Dev pushed into Jay

to get him moving more quickly. "Yeah, in the basement. There's
supposed to be some wood for the fireplace in the living room too."

Finally walking around Jay, he disappeared into the kitchen then

returned a moment later minus the box. "You get both going, and I'll get
a few more boxes in."

"Pushy bastard," Jay teased as he set the box of DVDs down on the

floor just inside the bare living room. "How about setting up the coffee
maker when you come back in?" he called out as he started down the

hallway toward the basement door.

"Will do." Dev yelled to Jay's retreating back. "And don't forget the

movers are supposed to be here in a couple of hours." Turning to head

back outside, he muttered to himself, "God, I hope they show up."

Walking to the back of the rented van, he rummaged for the box that

had the coffee maker. After having to move three boxes and set them on
the ground, he finally found the box he was looking for. Lifting it, he
headed back toward the house and into the kitchen. Placing it on the

floor, Dev began to unpack it, then set up the coffee maker on the counter
and plugged it in. It didn't take more than a few moments to measure out
the coffee and fill the pot.

Jay wandered back into the kitchen, hand running through

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

disheveled brown hair. "Uh…where's the flashlight? Or is that a stupid
question?"

"It would be if I hadn't just taken it out of the box." Laughing, Dev

pointed to the flashlight on the counter. The rich aroma of coffee already
permeated the air, and Dev put a small pan of water on the stove, setting
the water to boiling for his tea.

"Oh. Yeah." Jay walked over and gave him a quick peck on the

cheek before grabbing the flashlight and heading back for the basement.

He turned the black flashlight on and started down the half-rotting

steps. Cobwebs hung everywhere and he had to brush several out of his
face as he continued down. The basement still held the ages-old musty
smell and he swept the expansive but empty room with the light. Finding

the pull chain for the light, he tugged on it. Yellow-white light flooded
the immediate area and Jay turned off the flashlight, heading for the
furnace. After several shouts and cursing in three different languages,

none of them English, he finally had the furnace stoked and going strong.

While the coffee brewed, Dev made two more trips out to the car.

Bringing in a few more boxes, he set them down in the kitchen. Taking a
moment to fix his tea, he chuckled quietly, hearing the language
downstairs. He poured Jay his cup of coffee then went to the phone. After

looking over his list, he dialed the number for the landscaping company.

"Yes, this is Dev Brooks. I wanted to set up an appointment to have

a crew come out to 23 Blue Water Way." Pausing, Dev listened for a

moment then said, "Yeah, that's fine. I'll expect Mr. Watson tomorrow at
two. Thank you." Hanging up the phone, he picked up his tea and waited
for Jay to come back upstairs.

"Bloody cold if you ask me." Jay was grumbling as he wandered

into the kitchen. He put the flashlight on the counter and picked up his
cup, blowing into the steam over the top. "Thank you, love. When are the

movers getting here?"

"Anytime between now and five o'clock. A wide window there."

Sighing in disgust, Dev took a sip of his tea as he leaned against the

counter. "Mr. Watson will be here tomorrow to give us an estimate on
landscaping the outside. I'm not doing it all by myself."

Peering at Dev over his coffee mug, Jay said, "You know I'll help.

Okay, as long as I don't have to do the damn dishes, anyway."

"Yeah, right." Good-humouredly, Dev eyed Jay. "You never even

pick up after yourself. This time, we're hiring the professionals to do it."

"Hey! I do, too…when we're having company. Besides…" He set

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

his coffee mug down and stepped up to Dev, sliding his hands up his
lover's arms. "This is our house. I promise I'll help however I can when it
comes to cleaning."

"You're the one that brings in the money, Jay. I'm the house

husband, remember?" Setting aside his own cup, Dev reached for Jay,
smirking as he hugged against him. "Besides you show the proper

attention where you're supposed to."

"Mm," Jay hummed as he started moving to a slow song somewhere

in his mind. "Where I'm supposed to? Or when I'm supposed to?" He

grinned and kissed Dev's nose. "Yeah. You the house husband—cook,
clean, keep my bed warm. What more could a man ask for?"

Without thought, the sway of Dev's body moved with Jay's. Closing

his eyes, he rested his forehead to Jay's. "I could ask for you to clean and
cook and see how far I get." A half-ass grin flit over his lips.

Jay snorted and thrust his hips forward. "I can cook, smart ass."

"You can cook, but it doesn't mean you will," Dev shot back quickly

as he pressed a quick kiss to Jay's lips.

"All right, Mr. Brooks," Jay said. "What would you like for dinner?

I'll cook."

"Is that an offer, Mr. Wharton?" Dev's brow rose as he eyed Jay

teasingly. "At least I'd be able to bring in more boxes while you cook."

"It's a promise," Jay whispered just before kissing him softly.
Briefly returning the kiss, he asked, "Lasagna? Either that or we can

have hotdogs."

Chuckling, Jay said, "Lasagna it is, then. Love you."
"Love you, too." As Jay drew back, Dev's arm tightened around

him. The slow brush of his lips to Jay's tried to coax him into a longer,
deeper kiss.

"You're really not making it easy to start dinner," Jay murmured

across Dev's lips. Yet he made no move to get away, just pressed closer
in all the right places as he slid his tongue into Dev's mouth, moaning
softly as his hands slid down to hold his lover's hips.

The deliberately lowered tone had its own effect on Dev just as Jay

knew it would. Dev deepened the kiss, drawing Jay's tongue into his
mouth.

"You don't seem to want me to," Dev murmured as he drew his head

back slightly. The rest of his body kept its lounging position against Jay.

"If you try hard enough, it might get you out of making dinner."

"If I try hard enough," Jay whispered, lowering his head to kiss

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

Dev's neck, "then I might just end up bending you over the counter."

"We haven't had much time for ourselves, not with everything else."

Tilting his head, Dev shivered slightly with the brush of Jay's lips. "But

we still have a van to unpack. Nathan wants it back tonight. And the
movers are coming. Does it ever end?"

"Things will calm down once we get settled in," Jay said as he

moved up to nibble on Dev's ear. "I miss you, Dev. Want you."

"Tempting. So tempting." Dev whispered as he arched into the light

bite. Finally he began to pull away. "Get dinner done and I'll get the van

unpacked. "Maybe by then the movers will be here, and we can get our
bed set up. Then we'll have a comfortable place for ourselves."

Jay groaned and nodded. "Tease," he chuckled, kissing Dev one last

time before letting him go." At least we thought ahead and went
shopping yesterday," he said as he walked over to the refrigerator and
opened it.

As he walked away, Dev put a less than subtle sway in his hips, the

movement meant to draw a gaze to the ass tightly confined in the jeans.

Looking over his shoulder at Jay, it would be obvious Dev wanted his
attention on him. "The pans for the lasagna are on the kitchen table. I
know the cleaners have already swept through the place, but I was going

to wipe out the cupboards and start putting some of this stuff away."

Muttering an amused 'cheeky bastard' under his breath, Jay just

shook his head and start getting things together for the lasagna. He set

the hamburger meat on the counter and then pulled out the provolone,
mozzarella, ricotta, and cottage cheeses. Humming one of the newer Tool
songs he'd heard on the radio on the way over, he started browning the

meat.

Filling the sink with hot, soapy water, Dev glanced over at Jay with

a wicked grin. Taking a rag, he wetted it, then started wiping out the

cupboard nearest to Jay. Each small movement against his lover was
deliberate as he stretched to get the higher shelves.

Jay nearly dropped the entire shaker of garlic salt into the cooking

meat as Dev's shirt rode up his back, revealing slightly-tanned skin along
his lover's spine. "Bloody tease," he grumbled, not the least upset by the
show Dev was putting on. He stood behind Dev, pressing his lover up

against the counter as he reached around him to get the box of lasagna
noodles.

Dev arched back slightly, grinding his ass against Jay as he

continued nonchalantly cleaning the shelves. Turning his head, his lips

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

parted slightly as a soft sound escaped him. It might be awhile before
they actually could relieve their need of each other, but in the meantime,
they intended to keep each other's mind in the gutter.

"Can't wait to get at that ass," Jay growled low into Dev's ear. Box

of noodles in one hand, he moved back to the stove, grabbing his lover's
ass with the other hand and goosing him good.

Instead of dancing away, Dev wiggled against the hand, trying to

encourage more contact. "Can't blame me for wanting you to get at my
ass, now can you?" Laughing, Dev moved to one of the opened boxes

and began stacking the dishes in the cupboard.

"Nope," Jay said, shaking his head as he started a pot of water

boiling. "Where's the oregano? It wasn't in the box with the spices."

"Umm, check in the box next to it. Not everything would fit in one

box." After unpacking the box, Dev returned outside to get more.
Grabbing another huge box from the back of the van, he looked over and

saw the moving truck turning into the driveway.

Heading back to the porch, he set the box down and propped the

screen door open. When one of the movers approached him, he filled him
in on what boxes were going into what rooms.

By the time the movers had the kitchen table inside and in place, the

first layer of the lasagna was done. Jay just finished spooning out a thin
layer of cottage cheese when one of the movers banged the doorframe
with a dinette chair. Jay winced, cringing inwardly; that dinette set was a

wedding gift from his sister.

"Tell them to be careful or they're gonna have my boot up their

asses," he grumbled as Dev walked back in with another box.

Since the movers heard Jay, Dev didn't need to repeat the message.

Pulling one of the movers aside, he offered the guy a fifty to unpack the
van for him. Relieved when that task was taken care of, Dev stayed in the

kitchen to finish cleaning the cupboards. Every once in a while when he
was close enough to Jay, he would stop and lean over for a quick kiss.

"When do we have to get the van back to Nathan, anyway?" Jay

finished the last layer of lasagna and opened the oven to slide the pan
inside. Setting the timer for twenty-five minutes, he turned and pulled
Dev to him. "Have I told you that I love you today?"

"He wanted it back by eight." With the pull, Dev's arms slid around

Jay's waist as he raised his face to him. "Only once today. I think you

owe me about half a dozen more times. I love you."

Jay hummed as he rested his forehead to Dev's, eyes closed and a

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

smile on his lips. "Love you, too, baby," he whispered. Just as he angled
his head down for a kiss, someone cleared their throat from the doorway.
Jay opened his eyes and sighed.

"Um..." The man standing there seemed to have a difficult time

finding the right words for whatever he wanted to say. Jay just grinned
wickedly, completely unwilling to help the poor guy out.

Shaking his head at Jay's grin, Dev looked over at the other guy and

smiled. When the phone rang, he eyed Jay. "You handle him. Nicely. And
I'll answer the phone."

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Picking up the receiver, Dev said, "Wharton and Brooks

household." Glancing over at Jay, he mouthed, "It's Nathan."

Jay gave his lover his best angelic smile before he turned to the man

standing in the doorway. "Can I help you?"

"Uh, where's the workout bench go?" the guy asked, trying like hell

to look completely nonplussed and failing miserably.

"Upstairs." Jay checked the timer on the stove and nodded to the

guy. "I'll show you."

After listening for a moment to their friend, Dev said, "No, that's no

problem. The van will be unpacked by the time you get here." Hanging

up the receiver, he finished unpacking another box as he waited for Jay to
return.

The moving guys came back down, but after several minutes, Jay

hadn't. The guys kept bringing furniture in, and Jay still wasn't back
down. Rolling his eyes, Dev sighed as he traipsed upstairs to see what
was taking Jay so long, though he already knew. As he stood in the

doorway, watching his lover, he shook his head.

"You wanna get your ass up before dinner burns? And Nathan called

to say he'd be coming to get the van. So at least we won't have to waste

an hour taking it back."

"Nineteen, twenty." Jay puffed out a breath as he set the barbell

back on its frame. "Sorry. You know I can't resist." Sitting up, he patted

his stomach. "Gotta keep in shape, you know."

"If you work out much more, your muscles will burst your skin." As

Jay sat up, Dev moved closer to him, running his hand slowly along the
tight muscles of his arm. An appreciative gaze roamed over Jay before it
returned to his face. "You're already built like a brick shit house, love.

Anymore and you'll never keep me off of you."

Arching an eyebrow, Jay looked up at him. "And you think that's

going to deter me from working out?" He reached out and tugged Dev

down, pulling his lover to straddle his lap. A hand on each buttock, Jay

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chuckled. "Look at it this way: if I didn't work out, I wouldn't be able to
hold you up against the wall while pounding your ass."

"No, but you have a dinner to finish, and we have a house to

unpack." After a suggestive grind of his hips, Dev scrambled off Jay's
lap. Quickly, he headed for the door before Jay could grab him again. He
just couldn't resist his parting shot. "Having you fuck me against the wall

is sounding better and better. So don't forget that thought."

Jay groaned and got up, following Dev downstairs. The timer on the

stove went off just as he walked into the kitchen. Grabbing a potholder

from another box, he pulled out the lasagna and turned off the oven.
After opening every single drawer, he finally found where Dev had put
the extra silverware, including the big spoons and spatulas. He cut out

two big pieces and put them on plates, catching a long string of melted
mozzarella on his finger as he pulled the spatula away.

"Mm, good."

Just as Dev finished a box, the phone rang again. Picking it up, he

said, "Wharton and Brooks household." As he heard the voice on the

other end, Dev grimaced before he held the phone out to Jay. "It's your
mom."

Jay rolled his eyes and took the phone. "Hi, mum," he said as he

poured two glasses of tea. "No, we're still unpacking."

A few minutes passed with him holding the phone out to the side,

counting on his fingers and waiting for her to finish bitching about the

move. Then he put the phone back to his ear. A moment later, he
slammed the refrigerator door shut.

"No," he snapped. "Dev is my husband, and I'm his." Another

minute and he was near shouting. "I don't bloody care about the church's
stand on queers! I'm in love with a man. Get used to it!" With that, he
pushed the 'end' button and set the phone down none-too-gently.

When Dev turned away, two things were obvious: he knew what

was coming, and he hated confrontation. Busying himself with another of
the boxes, he didn't once look at Jay as he carefully pulled some of the

pots and pans out of the box. A hunch to his shoulders gave away part of
his emotions, yet he said nothing even after Jay hung up so abruptly on
his mother.

"Hey." Jay turned Dev around and pulled him close. "I'm sorry you

had to hear any of that," he said against Dev's hair. "She's never accepted

my choices; it's not your fault, babe."

"I know she hates me, Jay." Dev tucked his face against Jay's chest.

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

The fights between Jay and his mother seriously hurt them both. Sliding
his arms around Jay's waist, he held tightly to him.

"At least she's still in England, right?" Jay laughed softly. "No

surprise visits from the mother from Hell." He lifted Dev's face and
kissed him softly. "Dinner's ready, love. You wanna set out a plate for
Nathan? Is Jeff coming with him?"

Letting go of the subject, Dev pulled away. "No, he wanted to get

back to town. Something about Jeff promising a night out."

Jay let him go reluctantly. "Okay."

He set their plates and tea on the table and then went to check on the

movers. The last bit of furniture was being placed in the guest bedroom
and he saw the guys out, closing the door behind them. Resting his

forehead to the wooden door, Jay closed his eyes and sighed. He felt like
he couldn't win either way; either he was listening to his mother bitch
about his lifestyle, or he was trying to smooth away the hurt she caused

Dev.

"Fuck her," he said quietly. "I've got everything I need right here."

With that, he walked back into the kitchen, dropping a kiss to the top of
Dev's head before sitting down across from him.

Dev waited until Jay was seated before he started in on the meal.

Giving him a smile, Dev reached for Jay's hand, giving it a gentle
squeeze. He never knew what to say when Jay's mother entered the mix,
so he said nothing at all.

"You know you're the most important person in my life, right?" Jay

asked, turning his hand over to lock his fingers with Dev's. "Everyone
else in this world could disappear, and as long as I had you, I wouldn't

care."

Yeah, Dev needed the reassurance and felt guilt in the need. "I know

that, just sometimes I need to hear you say it. We both made our choices,

and I'm always praying you never regret yours."

Food forgotten, Jay got up and turned Dev's chair, kneeling down in

front of him. "I wouldn't have asked you to marry me if I felt like I might

regret this. And I'll say it for the rest of our lives. I love you, Dev.
Nothing else matters but this life we've built together." When a knock
sounded on the front door, he stood up and kissed Dev softly. "Don't ever

forget that," he whispered.

"Just keep telling me that, Jay." Smiling slowly, Dev reached out,

touching Jay gently before he drew back his hand. "You answer the
door."

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

Jay smiled and went to open the door. "Hi, Nathan." He stepped to

the side to let Nathan in.

"Wow! Dev wasn't kidding when he said this place was big."

Jay laughed as he closed the door. Shoving his hands into his

pockets, he nodded toward the kitchen. "Yeah, it's pretty big. Dev's in the
kitchen. We were just finishing up dinner."

Laughing, Dev called out, "We haven't even started eating it yet.

Van keys are on the fireplace mantle in the living room."

Grinning at Nathan, Jay said, "Okay, so I've gotten a little more to

eat than he has. My mum called."

Nathan groaned and went into the living room, Jay following

behind. "Very nice," Nathan said, nodding as he looked around. "How

are y'all gonna decorate? Or have you argued that one yet?"

While Jay talked with Nathan, Dev got some soda out of the fridge.

Because he was starving he snuck in a few quick bites of the lasagna.

"Damn," he muttered to himself. "I need to get him to cook more often."

"So," Nathan said loud enough for Dev to hear, "you think Dev will

let you tack up the Union Jack above the mantle?"

Jay bit his lip and tried like hell not to laugh as he led Nathan past

the kitchen door toward the stairs. "I know his weaknesses."

Hearing it, Dev shot back, "Not a chance in hell. And if you want

some lasagna, get your ass in here, Jay."

"I'm giving Nat a tour of the house," Jay yelled from the top of the

stairs. "I seriously doubt your skinny butt can eat that whole pan."

Since Jay wasn't returning right away, and he was damn hungry,

Dev finished his plate. Cutting another portion of the lasagna from the

pan, he started on that in between sips of his soda. About fifteen minutes
later, Jay and Nathan came back downstairs, laughing and talking. When
they came wandering into the kitchen, Dev had already finished his

dinner and started unpacking more of the boxes the movers had brought
in. Standing in front of one of the cupboards, he busied himself by filling
the drawers with utensils.

Jay walked Nathan outside and helped him load the small

motorcycle into the back of the van, then he gave him a hug. "Take it
easy, Nat. We'll get together soon, I'm sure."

"You, too. I'll tell Jeff y'all said 'hi.'"
"Cool."

Jay walked back up onto the porch and waited until Nathan had

pulled out of the driveway before heading back inside. Finding Dev still

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

unpacking in the kitchen, he just shook his head.

"Enough." He took the sandwich maker out of Dev's hand and

pulled him out of the kitchen and toward the stairs.

Dev almost protested, but the determined look on Jay's face kept

him quiet. Curling his fingers to Jay's, he walked docilely beside him,
casting an occasional amused look Jay's way. "Your patience ran out?"

Jay stayed silent until they got to the master bedroom. The second

the door was closed, he turned and pushed Dev up against it. "You could
say that." Without giving Dev a chance to respond, Jay kissed him,

tongue pushing into Dev's mouth as he started working on those sinfully
tight jeans.

Dev's fingers fumbled as he tried to help. Returning the hungry kiss,

it took him a moment to shimmy out of his pants, then he pulled on the
belt loops of Jay's jeans, drawing the man tight against his groin.

Jay reached down and cupped Dev through his underwear, giving

his balls a light squeeze. His other hand worked his own jeans open and
then he shoved them down. As he stepped out of them, he slid a hand

around to Dev's ass, sliding down into his briefs, searching for skin. He
groaned into Dev's mouth, kneading his lover's ass and balls.

The fact they had an entire house to unpack had already been

forgotten. Each touch and sound ignited the fire burning inside Dev. He
whispered against Jay's lips. "Both of us. Naked." Quickly he got rid of
his shirt and underwear, wanting nothing as a barrier between them.

Nodding, Jay stepped back and stripped, muscles moving like water

beneath tanned skin. He reached into a box on the dresser and pulled out
a bottle of clear gel, setting it within reach. Then he crowded Dev against

the door again, lifting one of his lover's legs up to rest against his hip. As
he devoured Dev's mouth, his cock slid under Dev's balls, every rock of
his hips sliding its length across sensitive skin.

Both of Dev's legs encircled Jay, increasing the tension of his own

body's craving for his lover as Jay's hands slid to his ass, pulling him to
grind harder against Jay. The sound of his moan was swallowed by the

hungry assault of Jay's mouth. Dev's cock, trapped between the tight
confines of their bodies, was already hard and leaking.

Jay fumbled blindly for the lube and finally found it again. Getting

two fingers slick, he slid his hand under Dev and eased both fingers deep
inside, groaning as the tight heat of Dev's body sucked him in.

Squirming slightly, Dev's muscles contracted around Jay's fingers.

The simple touch was enough to send a wave of longing sweeping

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through him. Breaking off the kiss, needing to breath, Dev drew in a
ragged breath before it exhaled in a moan.

"Ready for me, baby?" Jay pulled his fingers out and slicked his

cock, nipping at Dev's chin as he held him tight. The head pressed
against Dev, and with a slow, steady push of his hips, he slid into Dev's
ass. "Oh, fuck yes," he groaned.

Dev's head rested back against the door as he closed his eyes. His

entire body shuddered as Jay penetrated him. The pressure of his hips
bore down, encouraging Jay to make love to him.

Gripping Dev's ass in both hands, Jay withdrew and slid back in,

mouth covering Dev's for a kiss just as deep, just as hungry. He pushed
up and in, hips rocking as his thrusts grew stronger, quickening as he

growled into Dev's mouth.

"I love you." The words were whispered against Jay's lips before

Dev gave into the hunger. A flood of sensations spiraled outward,

knotting in his groin as the shift of his hips kept the rhythm Jay set.
Clinging to him, Dev could feel the need sharply increase, demanding its

own release. A whimper rose in his throat, signaling the closeness to
what he wanted.

Breaking from the kiss, Jay locked his gaze in Dev's, the hard

rhythm of his hips pushing them both closer. "I love you," he whispered.
"Come on, baby. Come on my cock, Dev."

The sound of the whimper strengthened as he vocally begged

mindlessly for the pleasure Jay would give him. With the whispered
words of his lover, Dev's orgasm exploded over his senses. His body
shuddered as it strained tightly to Jay, and he was lost in the exquisite

rush.

"Oh, fuck, oh, fuck…Dev!" Jay thrust hard, burying himself deep as

Dev's body pulled his orgasm right out of him. Cock pulsing, he rocked

his hips, driving deeper inside. Panting for breath, he pulled away from
the door after a few moments and carried Dev to the bed, easing them
both down.

"Love you. Love you so much."
Needing the tender contact, Dev refused to release Jay and kept him

in a tight hold as they relaxed on the bed. The gentle touch of his lips

clung to Jay's before pressing butterfly kisses to Jay's cheek and along
the line of his jaw. "I adore you so much it hurts, Jay."

"You were worth leaving England for," Jay said. "You always were,
love."

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

CHAPTER TWELVE

Dev had spent the better part of the day exploring the musty old

attic, browsing through trunks and boxes filled with old clothes and

memorabilia from his family's past. Fascinated, Dev looked through the
old family photo albums. His dad really didn't know much about his own
family. After the death of his grandmother, his grandfather had left the

old house with his infant son and hadn't returned except to demolish. So
Dev's dad didn't know that much about the house or the family. From all

accounts of old newspaper clippings and photos, his ancestors had been a
driving force in the nearby town. Though it was now practically deserted,
it had once been a thriving hub for the surrounding communities.

Digging into the bottom of one of the old trunks, Dev uncovered yet

another old album and pulled it out. He sat back on the floor, opening it
in his lap. The first page was filled with a spidery crawl of writing. It

listed the date and birth information of his great-great-great-great
grandfather in 1828. Next to it was an old newspaper article that detailed
the death of a migrant worker on the property on the same day of

Benjamin's birth.

Slowly turning the pages, Dev discovered the entire album was

filled with pages of birth announcements and the adjacent pages

contained articles of more deaths. All on the same days as the births.

"Oh, my God, this is fucking bizarre," Dev muttered to himself.
"Dev?"

"Yeah, I'm up here." Dev answered as he turned the page again. His

eyes widened as he read the information about his father's birth, and the

announcement of his grandmother's death.

A minute later Jay appeared in the doorway. "What are you looking

at, love?" He walked over and sat behind Dev, nestling close.

He only half paid attention to Jay as he leaned back against him.

"This old album. It's the weirdest thing I've ever seen. It lists my dad's
family's births and on each page is an article about who died here on the

same day. The only one not listed is me."

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

"Damn." Jay rested his chin on Dev's shoulder. "Did your dad tell

you about this?"

"No, he doesn't know that much about his family. Granddad never

said much. But my dad is in here, and my grandmother is the death listed
for the same day. And the rest of the deaths are really strange. One
construction worker fell from scaffolding while some work was being

done on the house. Somehow a rope got wrapped around his neck and
hung him. That was the same day my great-great grandfather was born."
Closing the album, he turned his head to look back at Jay.

Jay lifted an eyebrow and when he spoke, there was no humor in his

words. "There isn't some sort of curse on your family, is there?"

"Curse?" Blinking, it took Dev a moment to shake his head. "Not

that I know of. But when my great grandfather was born, a drifter
murdered one of the guests of my great-great grandfather on the same
day. There's a whole bunch of deaths covering a lot of my aunts and

uncles. I've never seen anything like this."

"Don't mean to scare you, babe, but I'd certainly wonder if there was

a curse. I wish your dad knew more." Jay kissed his neck softly.
"Anything else of interest up here?"

"Just some awesome antiques we ought to clean up. Most of this

stuff is just personal family junk." Shrugging slightly, Dev didn't take it
seriously; it was just really bizarre. "I'm gonna call Dad and ask him
about this stuff. He always told me granddad never talked much about his

family, but who knows, he might know something."

"Good idea." Jay turned Dev's head for a kiss, but the shattering of

glass stopped him. "What the hell?"

Startled by the sound, Dev jumped slightly then had to calm his

racing heart. Looking quickly around, he saw glass from one of the old
mirrors littering the floor five feet from them.

"Umm…" Jay got up and went to the mirror. He tilted the empty

frame forward, leaving a few remaining shards to scatter to the floor. "I
guess it was just…old." He eased the mirror frame down onto the floor

and started picking up the shards carefully, putting them into the frame.
"Shit!" Blood welled up and dripped onto the floor as he stood abruptly.
"That bloody piece got me deep."

"It must have been cracked or something…" Dev trailed off because

he couldn't remember whether it had been or not. But the remaining

jagged pieces that were in the old frame suggested it had been cracked.
Standing quickly, he headed toward Jay and took his hand to look over

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the cut.

"Come on down to the kitchen. We'll get it cleaned up." "Next time

use the broom."

Shaking his head, Dev chuckled as he led Jay downstairs and into

the kitchen. Turning on the water, he let Jay rinse off the cut as he got out
the first aid kit. Taking Jay's hand, he dried it off with a clean piece of

gauze before putting a dab of ointment on it. The cut was too big for a
band aid so Dev folded over another piece of gauze and laid it on the
wound before bandaging it with the tape.

"Since when have you known me to be sensible?" Jay slipped his

free hand beneath Dev's chin and tilted his head up for a kiss.

"Since you married me, old man." Grinning at him, Dev laid a light

kiss on him.

Jay chuckled and returned the kiss. "Brat," he whispered

affectionately.

"And it's why you married me. Why don't you go clean up the glass

while I talk to my dad? And take the broom and dustpan this time. I only

play doctor once a day." Winking impishly at him, Dev reached for the
phone and dialed his dad's number.

"You sure?" Jay grinned and swatted Dev's ass with his good hand

before grabbing the broom. "Where did the dustpan end up?"

"Other side of the stove, husband mine." A moment later, Dev spoke

into the receiver, "Oh, hey, Dad. Didn't catch you at bad time, did I?"

"Smart ass. Hi, James!" Jay started upstairs with the broom and

dustpan then.

"Dad says hi back!" Dev yelled to Jay as he disappeared. "Yeah,

we're fine, dad. Just getting settled into the old place. Unpacking boxes,
or should I say, trying to get Jay to let me unpack them."

Laughing, he listened to his dad for a few moments, then began to

explain about finding the old family album and probing his dad for any
information on it.

A few minutes later, Jay stepped into the doorway, looking

thoroughly bemused. "Dev…"

In the midst of talking to his dad, Dev looked over at Jay. "What,

hon?"

"All joking aside, I think I'm losing my mind. Did I not bleed on the

floor upstairs?"

Blinking at him confused, Dev couldn't honestly remember. "I'm not

sure if you did or not."

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Jay set the broom down and dumped the broken glass into an empty

box. "I'm sure I did. I remember seeing the blood hit the wood. But it's
not there now."

"Oh, sorry, Dad. Jay cut his hand, cleaning up some broken glass.

That's all. He's okay." Giving Jay a faintly worried look, he listened to
his dad for a moment. "Yeah, I will. Talk to you later."

"What did your dad have to say?"
Putting the phone back on its cradle, he leaned against the counter,

folding his arms against his chest. "He didn't know anything about the

album at all. He wants to stop by this weekend to take a look at it. From
the little my grandfather ever said to Dad, he figured my fifth great-
grandfather was the one who started the album. Grandpa Isaiah was our

family history buff, I guess."

Jay nodded. "Hopefully he'll have some ideas then."
"I don't know, Jay. Sometimes this place seems…" He tried to shrug

it off before he finished, "I don't know. Weird, I guess."

"What's wrong?" Jay walked up to him and slid his arms around

Dev's waist. "Something weird besides the mirror shattering out of
nowhere?"

Sighing, he just shook his head. "It's probably just me." Dev

couldn't have explained it if he tried.

"How about a break? Maybe collapse on the couch and watch a few

movies?"

"Sounds perfect to me. I'll finish sorting through the attic tomorrow,

and you can help me drag some of the stuff down here." Flashing a grin
at Jay, he quickly escaped to the living room before Jay could make any

comment.

"Oh, no," Jay laughed as he followed behind but at a more leisurely

pace. He stilled in the doorway of the living room and pulled his t-shirt

over his head. Grinning, he said, "I'm thinking about getting one of my
nipples pierced."

Settled on the couch, Dev stared at him, mouth open. "You want to

do what?" The idea of someone like Jay getting his nipples pierced was
mind-boggling at the very least.

Jay moved slowly toward the couch, dropping his shirt on the floor

halfway. "You know…a metal ring through my nipple, making it even
more sensitive…"

Dev couldn't picture Jay doing that. "Umm, yeah, right." Shaking

his head, he reached for the remote and flicked the TV on. "Let me know

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when your sanity has returned."

Jay moved around in front of the couch and straddled Dev's lap.

"You mean you wouldn't want to tug on it and make me writhe on the

bed," he whispered, lips inches from Dev's, "begging you to stop or fuck
me?"

The change in Dev's expression reflected his total interest in what

Jay just said. Sliding his arm around Jay, he grinned, "Now that does
have serious potential."

"What? The idea of tugging on it?" Jay slipped a hand down

between them and rubbed Dev through his jeans. "Or the idea of hearing
me beg?"

More curious than anything, Dev asked, "If I wanted you to do it,

would you, Jay? And I think hearing you beg would be at the top of my
list." With a sly smile, he reached up to tweak Jay's nipple.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Jay rocked his hips. "Anything," he said

breathlessly.

Twisting the hardening nub a bit more sharply, Dev smirked. "You

just saying that because I have you by the nipple, love?" A slow upward
grind of his hips accompanied Dev's words.

"Harder…" Jay shivered and rocked. "Please, love."

One of Dev's hands started a slow massage of Jay's cock through the

material of his pants as his fingers tortured Jay's nipple. The rock of his
hips ground his own cock tight against Jay's ass. Rapt in watching Jay's

expression, Dev whispered, "God, you're so fucking beautiful when you
need me."

"Devon… Oh, fuck…" The movement of Jay's hips sped up and his

hand covered Dev's, pushing their hands harder on his cock. He
shuddered with every sharp twist of his nipple.

Quickly, he slid his hand out from under Jay's and unfastened his

pants. Edging beneath the material Dev's hand curling around the hard
flesh, caressing within the tight confines. "Yeah, babe, I want to hear
you."

Dev lowered his head and latched onto Jay's nipple through the

material of his shirt, biting sharply at him. The same moment his other
hand quickened its stroke over Jay's cock.

"Dev!" Jay's body jerked and with a hard grind of his hips, he came,

heat spilling over Dev's fist.

"Mmm," the sound came from Dev as a soft purr as Jay came for

him. The tone of it filled with his own sense of satisfaction as he watched

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the play of taut expressions on Jay's features. His fist continued its tight
stroke, milking Jay's cock to drag out the last little bit of pleasure for
him. When Jay started to come down, Dev lifted his hand and licked at

the salty-sweet mess.

"Love you," Jay whispered before tipping Dev's head back for a

kiss.

"Love you, too." Dev answered him quietly before his tongue teased

slowly over Jay's lips, slipping between them.

Jay slid his fingers through Dev's hair, holding him as they kissed.

Pulling away slowly, he laughed as he rested his forehead to Dev's. "I
need to get out of these jeans. Wanna pick us out a movie?"

Chuckling, Dev nodded. "I can do that."

Waiting until Jay slid out of his lap, Dev stood and headed toward

the entertainment center. As he waffled between two movies, he decided
he probably should get undressed as well. Knowing Jay would probably

want to retaliate, he took off his shirt and pants and tossed them to the
chair nearby. Looking back at the movies, he started swaying slightly,

shaking his ass to his own internal music.

"Oh, now there's a sight," Jay said a few minutes later, sliding an

arm around Dev's waist. The other hand gripped Dev's hip, pulling him

back. Jay's semi-hard cock pressed against Dev's ass, nestled perfectly in
the crease. "Keep dancing, babe. We haven't danced since our wedding."

Closing his eyes, Dev gave up his task as he felt Jay behind him.

The slow grind of his hips pressed back to Jay as Dev's hand covered his.

Jay released Dev's hip and reached over to the stereo. He pushed the

play button on the CD player and slid his hand back down Dev's side to

rest at his hip again. Moving his lips over Dev's neck, he started singing
along softly to their song: "Forever May Not Be Long Enough" by Live.

The song brought back memories of their wedding day and a slow

smile curved Dev's lips as he arched his throat to Jay. His hand tightened
on Jay's as they swayed slowly to the music. The cocoon of their shared
emotions settled over them and Dev's breath escaped him in a sigh.

When the song ended, Jay turned Dev around slowly. "Need you,"

he murmured on Dev's lips, "inside me."

A tightening rippled through Dev's groin with Jay's words. Dev slid

his arms around Jay's neck and his body brushed tightly against Jay's. His
lips claimed Jay's in a searing kiss, driving out any other thought from

their minds.

Jay opened to him, moaning softly as he walked them back to the

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couch. With a twist of his body, he landed on his back, pulling Dev down
between his legs. His hands gripped Dev's hips as he spread his legs
further apart.

Landing on him, Dev nestled against Jay as one of his hand slid

slowly over Jay's side toward his hip. The slow, rocking grind of his
body rubbed over their trapped cocks, heightening the tension between

them.

"Lube…under the cushion." Jay patted the cushion under his head.

"Want to feel that sweet cock deep inside me, babe."

Reaching beneath the cushion, Dev pulled out the lube and opened

it to slather a generous amount over his cock. Playfully, he lowered his
hand, pressing a finger inside Jay. He added a second finger as he stared

down at Jay, smiling.

"Yes." Jay arched, rocking his hips down, impaling himself on Dev's

fingers. "Dev…love…"

Stretching him with an exquisite pressure, Dev's fingers slowly slid

in and out of Jay's ass. Before long, he withdrew his hand and a

persistent thrust of his hips drove his cock deep inside his husband. God,
he loved that feeling. Jay's tight ass opening to him sent shivers through
Dev. The hot sheath surrounding him scattered any notions of tender

lovemaking with the wash of need flooding Dev. A low groan rose in his
throat and his hips began a rapid thrusting.

Jay's fingers curled around Dev's biceps, his hips rising to meet

every thrust. "Dev… Don't stop. Please, don't stop…"

Dev couldn't if he tried. The friction burned through him, tightening

over his senses and maddening him with the urge. Harder and harder, he

slammed into Jay, the grip of his hand and nails pulling Jay into the
motion, each sensation pushing him even closer to the edge. Dev's
breathing became ragged as he whispered, "Need you, love. God, how I

need you."

"Yes," Jay hissed. "Oh, God…" He arched suddenly, catching Dev's

mouth with his as heat spread between them.

Sliding his hand between him, Dev's fingers worked over Jay's cock

as his own body strained against him and began to shake. Wave after
wave of intensity washed over him as Dev came, Jay's mouth silencing

his cry.

Jay clung to Dev, arms sliding around him to hold him tight. "Love

you so much."

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Dev left Jay at the house while he headed into the nearby town. The

white picket fence glory had long ago faded. At about the same time

Dev's grandfather had left the old homestead, the town had suffered a
reversal in its fortunes. Most of the houses that lined the main street and
other thoroughfares were long deserted and boarded up.

There were still signs of life within Elk's Run, and what was left

seemed to be an historical society of sorts. Everybody knew everybody

and the small grocery store was the local hangout of choice.

Stopping at the town hall, Dev parked the car along the curb, then

went inside. Stilling at the desk, he waited to get the attention of the

clerk. When she looked over at him, he smiled at her. "Hi, I'm Devon
Brooks. I was wondering where I could get some information about the
old Brooks house on Blue Way."

"So you're the one who moved into that old place. Nice to meet you.

I'm Gracie Simmons, a cousin of sorts."

Since Dev hadn't realized any of his relatives still lived in the town,

her pronouncement caught him by surprise. "Oh, wow, I didn't even think
of that."

"My great-grandmother married your great-grandfather's youngest

brother. It's all tangled in there somewhere." Laughing, she held out her
hand to him.

Taking her hand, he shook it with a grin. "I just moved in, and I'm

trying to get a background on the history of the place and the family."

"You're in luck, Devon. We've got pretty good records here. And my

mother has a family chart. It's fairly current and goes back to Isaiah
Brooks. He was the original owner of Brooks Manor and commissioned
the construction in 1825. Until 1960, the Brooks family pretty much ran

the entire town. After that, a series of fires and problems almost leveled
Elk's Run. There's only about a thousand people left still living here and
quite a few of them are related to us in one way or another."

"You just told me a hell of a lot more than I already knew, Gracie.

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My dad didn't know much about the family history. I was hoping there
would still be some records here in town."

Motioning for him to follow her, she stepped around the old

fashioned wood counter. "Our records are in really good order, mostly
because of my family. Mother, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother
have run the archives for years. I took over for Mom about five years

ago. Took a lot work indexing everything, but I managed."

Dev followed her into another room then up a short staircase.

Heading down a long corridor, Gracie entered one of the rooms and

flicked on the light. The small office contained two computers. "If you
want to research at home, most of the records are in our database on the
computer."

Settling at one of the computers, Gracie brought up the town's

website. "Births, death, property, whatever you might need to know is
right here, and the links are alphabetized."

Standing behind her, Dev asked, "What about newspaper

clippings?"

"The ER Bugle started in 1792. All of the editions have been

scanned and are under the Bugle link on the main page. The originals are
housed downstairs in our basement along with all of the other town

records. If you want family history, you should talk to my mom. She
knows more about the Brooks family than I do."

Dev watched her bring up several pages from the site as she spoke.

"There's a great deal about the family in the archives. A Brooks had
always been town Mayor from 1810 until 1971. So the Brooks family
had a lot of hands, both politically and business wise, in building the

town. Everything is a matter of public record."

"Where's your mom at?"
"She runs the diner down the street, and her name is Martha Brooks.

When you leave the building, it's to the right. You can probably catch her
before the lunch hour rush."

Smiling at him, he offered her his hand as she stood up. "I really

appreciate your help, Gracie. I didn't realize there would be so much
information available."

Giving his hand a firm shake, she smiled back at him. "No problem,

Devon. When you get settled in, I'd love to see the house. I always
thought somebody should fix it up, but your grandfather absolutely

refused to sell it."

"We should have most of it at least cleaned up within a couple of

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

weeks. So go ahead and stop by later this month if you want." Dev
paused to scribble his phone number on a piece of paper on the table.
"Just call before you come. Jay and I will be happy to see you. Might as

well tell you Jay is my husband. We were married in Canada."

It wasn't something Dev intended to hide from anyone, and he

figured mentioning it to everybody he saw would make it an established

fact amongst the town.

Momentarily surprised, Gracie blinked at him before she recovered

quickly. "There's a few in town like the minister and his wife who

probably won't take well to that one. Maizie is our town gossip and her
group could make a big deal of it. But in the main, most of the people
here are too busy keeping their heads afloat to worry about what anybody

else is doing."

"Thanks for the heads up, Gracie. We've had our share of dissention

to the marriage." Shrugging, Dev wasn't about to let it bother him

anymore.

"I don't think you have to worry about my mom on that. Or me,

either." Smiling at him, she picked up the piece of paper and stuffed it in
her pocket.

"I'm just going to write down the address to the website then I'll

head over to see your mom." Making quick note of the link to the
website, Dev wrote it down as Gracie headed back to work.

A few minutes later, he went back outside, walking down the main

street. It wasn't difficult to spot the small diner with the sign over the
door. Dev walked into Brooks' Restaurant and settled on one of the stools
at the counter. A woman, whom he assumed to be Gracie's mom, came

out, carrying a coffee pot.

"Martha Brooks?"
"Yeah, hon. What can I get for you?"

"A cup of coffee would be good, and some information."
"What kind of information do you need?" After pouring him some

coffee, she set the pot down and leaned against the counter.

"I'm Devon Brooks. I live in the old Brooks place and just talked to

your daughter, Gracie."

A broad smile wreathed her features as she held out her hand to Dev.

"I used to know your father. We were in grade school together. How is
James? I haven't seen him since he and your grandfather moved."

Martha's comment surprised him because Dev hadn't known his dad

had lived in the town at all. "My dad is fine. I never knew he lived in

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town."

She paused a moment in deep thought, eyeing him. "That was at the

height of the first flood from the Monroe River so it was a pretty rough

time for everybody. The town had a lot of problems after your
grandfather left Brooks Manor. Some folks thought it was his fault, and
some of the kids were as bad as their parents. I don't know how much

your dad remembers about it all. Even I only remember bits and pieces."

"That's really weird." Dev took a sip of the hot coffee then

continued, "Dad's supposed to visit today so I'll ask him about it."

"Tell him to stop by the diner if he gets a chance. I'm always here

until seven, handling the Ames factory dinner crowd."

"I will, Mrs. Brooks. Can you tell me more about what was going on

then?"

"Call me Martha, hon. Sure, what I lack in memory, my own mother

filled in. She passed away about five years ago, but I still have all of her

journals. Sarah, your grandmother, died when your father was born and
right afterwards your grandfather moved into town. That was in 1960. I'd

listened to the old rumors growing up. For years the town had had
problems after Paul left Brooks Manor. Fires and floods, several of the
main pillars of business left town all together and it really didn't stop

until this year. That's the first time since 1960 the Monroe River hasn't
overflowed its banks. Come to think on it, we haven't had a fire this year,
either."

"And people blamed all of this on my grandfather?" Bemused, Dev

stared at her as he drank his coffee.

"A lot of the older folks did. Brooks Manor and the Brooks family

were the heart of this town. I remember my mom telling me that poor
Paul Brooks was the most haunted man she'd ever seen in her life.
Something was wrong, but she didn't know what. Paul left Elk's Run

with James in 1967 and swore he would never come back."

Frowning, Dev considered her words. "He wanted the house

demolished. I know he came back but he only took a look at the property.

Dad said Grandpa had talked to one of the demolition companies in
Forest Grove but he died before he could sign anything. Dad sent me out
to take a look at the house a couple of months ago, and I decided to move

in. It's a gorgeous house; it just needs a lot of TLC."

"I'm glad you decided to take it on, Dev. Over the years, there were

quite a few buyers interested in the manor, but your grandfather wouldn't
sell it. He paid for minimal maintenance to it but nobody's lived in that

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

house since your aunt Katherine died in 1988."

Drawing his wallet out of his back pocket, Dev opened it to pay for

the coffee. "Thanks, Martha, I appreciate the information."

"Your money's no good here, Dev. It's on the house. If you want any

more, I can dig out my mother's journals. She wrote quite a bit about the
situation in town. She also ran the Bugle for about twenty years."

Smiling up at her, Dev said, "Thanks, that'd be great."
"Why don't you come in Friday for dinner and you can pick up the

journals?"

"Is it all right if I bring my husband Jay along?"
For a moment she looked at him confused. Dev figured it wasn't a

term she heard often from a man. But she recovered quickly. "Sure, Dev.

I'll see you both Friday around five or so. Is that okay?"

"Sounds great." Standing, he grinned at her. "See you Friday at five,

Martha, and thanks again."

As Dev headed out the front door several other people came in for

lunch.

* * * *

After putting the lasagna in the oven, Dev heard Jay and his dad

talking in the front entry. Quickly washing his hands, he dried them off

and left the kitchen.

"Hey, Dad."
"Looks like you two are settling in pretty good. You going to show

me around the place?" He reached for Dev, giving him a quick hug.

"Yeah, if you want, Dad. Dinner won't be ready for another thirty

minutes or so."

"I'll let you two talk, I'm heading to the workout room." Jay turned

and ascended the stairs then disappeared down the upstairs hallway.

Left alone with his dad, Dev started showing him around the house,

talking the whole time. "I've found some really weird stuff. I told you
about that family album. It's here in the living room, right there on the
writing desk."

James nodded as he moved to the desk and began looking through

the album. "I'm not that familiar with our family history, Dev. Like I told
you on the phone the few times I asked my dad about it, he wouldn't say

anything. Just told me it wasn't important anymore."

"I also talked to Martha and Gracie Brooks in town. Martha said she

knew you because you guys had gone to school together. I never knew
you lived in the area."

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Looking up at him, James frowned slightly. "I barely remember that.

I was in first grade. I do remember hating the damn teacher and most of
the kids. Only little things here and there, and I do remember Martha.

She was one of the few who played with me. We had the run of Valley
Park just about every day after school."

"Martha said a lot of the townspeople blamed Grandpa Paul for the

troubles the town had. And it was all because he moved out of this
house." After James finished looking through the album, Dev led him
through the downstairs rooms.

"I don't think I ever really knew why the people were so mean, Dev.

And I really don't believe my dad had anything to do with any disasters
in town."

"I don't either, but something was going on in this house. Every time

somebody was born, somebody died according to that album. Maybe one
or more of our relatives was a serial killer or something."

James looked at him with a smirk. "Maybe the house is haunted."
Rolling his eyes, Dev headed up the front entry stairs. "I haven't had

a chance to check the town archives to see whether or not all of the
things in the album are true or not. If they are, this family had one hell of
a streak of bad luck."

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

It took Dev several days to compile a full list of the files he wanted

to research. Jay had gone into the city for the day just to do some

shopping, and Dev decided to remain at the house and get the rest of it
unpacked before he began his work on the computer.

Setting the empty boxes down in the attic, Dev straightened and

stretched slightly to relieve the small ache in his muscles. A feeling of
not being alone descended over him and he quickly spun around. Dust

particles floated in the pale beam of sunlight streaming through the attic
window but nothing else moved. He could hear the distinct sound of
breathing but he couldn't see anybody.

A chill ran up his spine and Dev tried to ignore the oppressed sense

hovering over him as he methodically searched in between the piled
boxes and furniture for the source of the sound. Feeling a hand on his

shoulder, Dev whirled quickly around, but then stumbled back against
several boxes.

In front of him a hazy, dark form undulated in the air. It had no

distinct features and simply hovered there. As Dev scrambled to back
away from it, he tripped and fell to the floor, hitting his head on the
corner of a table.

"He dies."
Dev heard the words before he blacked out.

* * * *

"Dev?"
Jay set the bags in the kitchen, put away the cold stuff, and left the

rest for later. He went into the living room and then the office, but didn't
see Dev anywhere.

"Dev?" he called as he started up the stairs. He looked in the

bedroom and grumbled. "Dev, where the bloody hell are you?"

Just as he started back down the stairs, he caught sight of the open

door to the attic stairs. Peering up, he called for Dev again. When he

didn't get an answer, he climbed the steps.

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"Dev, are you…" He trailed off abruptly when he saw Dev laying on

the floor. Dev!" He hurried up the rest of the way and crouched down
beside Dev, cupping his face. "Come on, love. Wake up."

Dev slowly opened his eyes, trying to focus on Jay. "Jay? What

the…"

As Dev struggled to sit up he looked quickly around. "There's

somebody in here."

"What?" Jay helped him up slowly. "Dev, there's no one in here. Just

us."

"Somebody pushed me and I fell." A look of complete confusion

covered Dev's features and he looked back at Jay. "I swear. I heard
somebody say 'He dies'."

Reaching up, he rubbed at the knot at the back of his head and

winced. "Fuck, that hurts."

"Whoa…" Jay pulled Dev's hand away and turned his head. "Christ.

That's a hell of a bump, love. Can you stand up?"

"Yeah, I think so." Holding to Jay's hand, Dev carefully got up from

the floor and straightened. "Just my head hurts. What the hell is going
on? This isn't the first time something weird has happened. I know damn
well somebody touched me."

"Come on. Let's get downstairs." Jay led him to the steps. "Take it

slow."

Using one hand to grab the railing, Dev held to Jay's with the other

as they descended the stairs. "Jay, have you noticed anything out of the
ordinary?"

Jay sighed and once they were safely in the hallway, he shut the

door behind them. "I don't know, Dev. Nothing concrete, just feelings."

"Like?" Dev quietly prompted him. Heading down the main stairs

and to the kitchen, he opened the cupboard and got out a bottle of aspirin

then took out one of the glasses. Standing in front of the sink, he filled
the glass with water and downed a couple of aspirin.

Leaning back against the counter beside him, Jay said, "hard to

explain. Hair standing on end when I'm alone. A feeling of being
watched. Like I said, nothing concrete." He pushed away from the
counter and rummaged in the freezer. He came out with a package of

frozen peas and wrapped the package in a towel. Then he turned Dev
around and pressed it gently against his lover's head. "How are you

feeling?"

"Something is going on here. I just don't know what." Dev drew

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

Jay's other hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of his fingers. "As
soon as the aspirin kicks in, I'll be fine."

"I don't like this, Dev," Jay grumbled, almost growled. "Chills and

shit, I can handle. But you got hurt."

Leaning against the counter, Dev closed his eyes and set the glass

down. "That book, Jay. The family history. And some of the rumors in

the town. I read some of Martha's mom's journal. Some of the
townspeople thought this house controlled the town. I'm starting to think
there's something to it."

Jay snaked his arm around Dev's waist and set the icepack down on

the counter. "If there is, we'll figure it out." He cupped Dev's chin and
tilted his head up, pressing a soft kiss to Dev's lips. "But if there is

something here, I'll be damned if it's getting you."

"It's not chasing me out of this house either." His jaw jutted

stubbornly as he opened his eyes. "I should call Percy. He knows about

this kind of shit."

Resting against Jay, he slipped his arms around him, returning the

light kiss.

Jay hummed his agreement, too intent on the kiss for the time being.

Finally pulling back slightly, he asked, "Percy? Do I want to know?"

"Old friend of mine. He works for one of those paranormal

investigation places. If anybody can figure out what's going on here, he
might." Rather pleased with his own idea, Dev grinned at Jay. "I'll call

him while you fix dinner. It is your turn, remember?"

One

eyebrow rose,

Jay

looking

highly

skeptical.

"Oh,

sounds…interesting." He just shook his head and stole another kiss.

"What do you want for dinner?"

"Something simple. Maybe hamburgers and fries." Dev made the off

hand suggestion as he slipped out from Jay's grasp. "Food and phone call

first, love."

Jay chuckled and let him go. "You say that like I have ulterior

motives," he said as he started getting out the stuff for dinner.

"Your ulterior motives are never a secret." Grinning at Jay, he

picked up the phone and dialed Percy's number. After a moment, he said,
"Hey Percy, it's Dev. Got a question for you. You wouldn't happen to

want to bring yourself and your equipment down to the middle of
nowhere would you?"

Jay rolled his eyes and started the hamburger patties frying. Then he

got the frozen fries out of the freezer and set the bag on the counter.

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

Reaching for the oil, he happened to glance up in the window looking out
into the back yard…and froze.

"Tomorrow would be great." After another pause, Dev continued.

"You know I love ya and I love ya even more for this. See you at four."

After hanging up the phone, Dev moved back to Jay. Noticing the

odd look on his face, Dev laid his hand on Jay's shoulder and looked out

the window. "Shit. What the fuck?"

In a flash, Dev ran to the kitchen door and flung it open before he

raced outside.

"Dev!" Jay moved the pan off the burner and ran after him. "Dev,

wait!"

Unheeding of Jay's shout, Dev ran across the lawn toward the old

oak tree and the strange misty form. Before he could reach it, it faded
away but Dev caught the distinctly human features of a feminine face as
it disappeared and a dry rustle of sound reached his ears. "Leave."

Panting, Jay caught up with him. "Dev. Get back inside. Now." He

grabbed Dev's arm and started backing away from the tree. "Now, Dev."

Ignoring Jay for a moment, Dev stared at the empty space. "My

grandmother. It looked like my grandmother."

When it sank in Jay was trying to pull him back into the house, Dev

let Jay drag him back toward the back door. Muttering to himself, he
tried to make sense of what he'd just seen. "I saw her portrait in the attic.
It looked like her."

"That's wonderful," Jay muttered. "But I think we need to get back

inside. I don't like this."

When they got back into the kitchen, Dev shut the door behind them

then went straight to the window. "I'm going to find out what's going on
here."

Pressing up against him, Jay rested his chin on Dev's shoulder, arms

tight around Dev's waist. "We will find out what's going on here," he
corrected.

With a sigh, Dev leaned back against him and his hands covered

Jay's. "I know. It's me and you, love."

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The next afternoon Dev showed Percy around the house, explaining

what had been going on. As he led the way up the stairs to the attic, Dev

became aware of a definitely heavier feeling surrounding him. "I swear
somebody touched me, and I heard a voice. I didn't find anybody in the
attic and neither did Jay."

When they entered attic, Percy immediately began poking around

every nook and cranny. "Sounds like you might have some activity going

on here, Dev. Dan and Marley will get things set up downstairs in the
living room and kitchen, then get the equipment up in the attic. Any other
places?"

"Just outside in the backyard by the huge maple tree. That's where

we saw my grandmother. And both Jay and I saw her." Though Dev
wasn't entirely comfortable in the attic anymore he remained near the

door, watching Percy.

Percy took out a small metallic box and began methodically walking

back and forth across the wooden floor, waving the instrument through

the air. Staring intently at the readout, he nodded to Dev. "Yeah, we've
got some high fluctuations up here. Show me where you were touched."

Walking toward one of the pile of boxes Dev pointed to the spot. "I

could hear somebody breathing, so I started searching the attic. I had just
finished searching near those old trunks and I felt a hand on my shoulder.
When I turned around I saw something like a black shape, it didn't have a

face or anything."

"Seeing human shaped shadows is fairly common, Dev."

"Not for me. I tried to get away from it but ended up falling. Right

before I passed out, I heard it say 'He dies'. I'm not imagining it. I know
what I saw and heard." Resting his elbow on top one of the boxes Dev

fell silent, waiting for Percy to say something.

"Any clue at all what it meant?" Percy's expression appeared curious

and not at all disbelieving, helping Dev to relax a bit.

"No. I told you about that weird family album. I don't know if that

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

has anything to do with it. But I do think my grandmother wants me to
leave. I didn't get any bad feelings when I saw her, not like with that
shadow thing."

"Hopefully we'll catch whatever is going on. Go ahead and go

downstairs while I finish up here."

Leaving the oppressive attic, Dev left Percy to his work and headed

to his bedroom to get the family album. Searching through the closet, he
pushed aside some of the boxes on the upper shelf. "Jay, did you put the
album in the closet like I asked you to?"

Jay's voice came from the bottom of the stairs. "What, hon?"
Shoving one of the boxes into the corner, Dev saw the album.

"Never mind, I found it."

As he reached for it, Dev heard a small whirring sound and the back

wall of the closet slowly began to open. "What the…"

"Did you need something, Dev?" Jay walked up behind him than

stopped when he saw the opening at the back of the closet.

"Get a flashlight. I think I found a secret room or something."

Jay hurriedly ran down to the kitchen to get a flashlight. Dev peered

into the room and could barely make out the outlines of some tables and
chairs but little else.

"Dev, you in here?" Percy entered the room and Jay came back in

right behind him.

"I think I found something, Percy. There's a room behind the closet."

Dev took the flashlight from Jay and turned it on. Using it to illuminate
the room, the pale beam showed several tables with glass vials and
equipment covered in thick layers of dust.

Percy took the flashlight from Dev and moved into the room. He

looked over the stacks of books piled on a desk, then used the flashlight
to read some of the titles of the books lining the bookcases.

Dev caught a glimpse of a light switch on the wall near him and felt

with his hand to turn it on.

"Somebody in this house was an alchemist and studied the dark

arts." Percy commented as he perused a row of books.

Opening one of the books laying on the table, Dev discovered

handwritten notes in a cramped scrawl. "I'd say my great great-

grandfather Adam, since this is a notebook with his name on it."

Jay pulled one of the thicker books off the shelf and looked through

it. "Somebody named Isaiah, too. Here's his journal."

"He's the one that build this house. My fifth great-grandfather." Dev

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

reached for the book and took it from Jay. The pages were of a thick
paper, aging and yellowed. Carefully Dev turned a few pages, reading
through it.

Pausing in his inspection of one of the tables, Percy commented,

"You could sell some of these books for a great deal of money, Dev.
Unless you plan on taking up the dark arts."

"Uh, no. It's not my idea of fun on the side."
Several loud bangs sounded from upstairs and the vibration shook

the house, setting the glass vials to rattling. All three of them looked at

each other in shock and Dev said, "That was from the attic."

Percy started back toward the bedroom, pulling out his walkie

talkie. "I'll investigate, you guys keep setting up in the living room."

Marley answered him. "Gotcha, boss."
"Sounds like somebody didn't like your answer, Dev." Percy looked

over his shoulder at his friend.

Dev hurried behind Percy and Jay followed. When they reached the

attic, they saw nothing appeared to be disturbed. Nothing that could

account for the noise. Everything looked the same as it had before.

"I'm going off the radar here. .75, .76, .77." Percy continued walking

a path across the attic floor, reading the gauge.

"And this means…?" Jay's expression was confused as he watched

Percy.

"A strong suggestion of something possibly paranormal. The

readings here were a lot lower earlier."

Pissed, Dev pushed past Jay and went back down the stairs.

Returning to the secret room, Dev scoured over the books, looking for

any explanation as to what the hell was going on. He took Isaiah and
William's journals and tried to find more. In the corner, he noticed a
small closed trunk.

Laying the books on the edge of one of the tables he walked over to

it and knelt down, popping the latch. Inside he saw several slender
books, some jewelry cases, and old photographs of his grandparents.

Picking up one of the books, Dev scanned over a few pages. Reading
briefly, Dev assumed the elegant handwriting belong to his grandmother.
Closing the book, he picked up the others and stood.

Stopping only to gather up the other books he had found, Dev

headed out of the room and downstairs. He wanted the quiet solitude of

the gazebo to read. Outside, he drew in a deep breath of the fresh air
tinged with the scent of flowers and sunshine. Everything seemed

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

perfectly normal out here. Turning to look back at the house, Dev studied
its exterior. The gray stone front had already been cleaned and every bit
of trim had been repainted. It no longer had a neglected air to it;

everything looked nearly as pristine as the day it had been built.

An army of gardeners had cleared away all the brush and debris in

the gardens, and the designer Dev had hired had planted an astonishing

array of bushes, flowers and new trees. The enclosed gazebo had been
cleaned and repainted as well. Everything seemed so damn normal.

With a quiet sigh, Dev turned away from the house and walked to

the gazebo. Rose vines trailed over the white wood of the structure,
giving it an almost romantic air. But romance was the last thing on Dev's
mind. Settling inside, Dev sprawled out on the white velvet pillows

covering the seat. Briefly he scanned through Adam's journal, learning
more than he ever really cared to know. After setting it aside, he read
more slowly through his grandmother's journal. Oddly as he turned the

pages he felt a calming, peaceful sense flow over him. It felt the same as
when he had briefly seen his grandmother the other day.

Looking up from the book, he almost expected to see her but

nothing was there. Still the feeling persisted and he continued looking
through her journal. She had known what was going on and had tried to

fight against it and his grandfather had sided with her. Turning to the last
page in the book, Dev discovered the last entry was dated the day before
she died. As he read it a wave of sadness came over him. His

grandmother had been fiercely focused on protecting her unborn child.

"Thought I'd check on you, love. Everything all right?"
Dev hadn't heard Jay come into the gazebo but he was grateful for

his husband's concern. "Sort of. I'm okay but nothing else is."

As Dev sat up, Jay settled beside him. "You want to explain?"
"I just read through some of Adam's journal. The family struck some

kind of deal with something. Whatever it was, it's still in the house."
Sighing, he leaned over just enough to rest his head on Jay's shoulder.
"From what I read, it requires a sacrifice every generation. It's how my

family gained their power, and it extended to the town as well."

"It must think you're the next generation." The words were drawn

reluctantly from Jay.

"No way in hell. I don't want anything to do with it. My grandfather

refused to give into it. And I think it's why my grandmother came to me."

Dev had the feeling his grandmother was trying to protect him and wasn't
a part of any of this.

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

"This is a bit more than we bargained for when we moved into the

house."

* * * *

With Percy, Dan, and Marley setting up all of their equipment

around the house, Dev ran quickly upstairs to the bedroom to put away
the journals. After placing them on the stand near the bed, Dev noticed

the secret room door had been left open. Walking into the closet, he
fiddled with the panel, trying to get it to close.

When that didn't work, he pulled out a small plastic crate and stood

on it. Moving some of the stuff on the closet shelf, Dev searched for
whatever it was that opened and closed the door.

Once he moved one of the larger boxes aside, he found a small lever

protruding from the wall. As he pushed it back in he heard the soft
whirring noise, signaling the door was closing. Relieved, he climbed off
the crate and made his way downstairs. Since Jay was already in the

kitchen fixing dinner, Dev decided to join him.

The savory aroma of steak in teriyaki marinade drifted to his nose as

Dev pushed open the kitchen door. Seeing Jay busily cutting up
vegetables, Dev sidled up behind him, wrapping his arms around his
husband's waist.

"Done out there for now?" Jay murmured the question as he turned

his head and caught Dev's lips in a kiss.

Unable to answer right away, Dev's hands moved to Jay's shoulders

and turned him around to get a more proper kiss. The door bell sounded
and Dev nudged against Jay, refusing to let go of him just quite yet.
Finally Dev drew back with a sigh, more a sound of annoyance. "Go

ahead and answer it, I'll finish up in here."

Sneaking in a quick kiss, the door bell rang again before Jay pulled

away from Dev. "It's getting too damn exciting around here, and I don't

mean that in a good way. I want some good way."

"Later, love. I promise." Swatting Jay's ass, Dev sent him out the

door.

Approaching the front door, Jay could see a dark clad figure through

the frosted glass. The bell rang again, this time with a longer buzz of
sound and Jay called out, "I'm coming. Give me a minute."

Reaching the door and opening it, Jay said, "Sorry about that. I

was…" He trailed off in shock, seeing the man standing in front of him.

His valet James gracefully bowed in the proper protocol. "I

understand, your Grace. May I come in?"

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Remembering himself, Jay stepped to the side. "Of course. Come in,

James."

"Thank you, your Grace." James walked into the foyer and turned.

Only then did Jay notice the dark gray suitcase. He closed the door and
took James' hat.

"Can I get you something to drink?"
"No, thank you, your Grace," James said. He looked around a

moment, then back to Jay. "Might we have a word, in private?"

"Yes, we can do that."
"Jay, you want the…" Dev trailed off, blinking as he peered around

the kitchen doorway at Jay and caught sight of the other man.

"James, you remember Dev, don't you? Dev, this is James, my

former valet."

"Hi," Dev said quietly.
"Good evening, Mr. Brooks. I trust you are well."
"Umm, yeah."

"Dev, I'll be there in a moment," Jay said, nodding toward the living

room.

"Okay." Dev raised one eyebrow before disappearing back into the

kitchen.

"This is quite unexpected," Jay said as he led his former valet into

the living room.

"I do apologize, your Grace." Looking around at the wires

crisscrossing the floor and the odd equipment littering the room, James

glanced questioningly at Jay.

Jay stopped and turned around, shaking his head at James' puzzled

look. Holding up a hand, he smiled. "Please, James. No more formalities.

It's just Jay now, okay?"

James seemed unsure, but nodded finally. "Yes, your…Jay."
"Thank you. Now…" Jay glanced down at the suitcase. "Well, I

suppose you're needing a room. Follow me. It just so happens that we

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

finished fixing up the guest room."

As they ascended the stairs, he stole another glance at James. To say

Jay was shocked was an understatement. He shook his head discreetly

and led the way down the hall, stopping in front of the guest room door.

"May we speak privately?"
Jay nodded and opened the door, closing it once they were both

inside. "Why exactly are you here?"

James sighed and, for the first time, looked ragged as he sat on the

bed and set his case down. "With your departure from England, your

mother saw no need to keep me employed." He looked up at Jay, dark
brown eyes pleading. "I came with no other alternative. I have no family
there, Jay."

Things were already confusing enough, but Jay simply couldn't turn

the man away. Aside from James' faithful service so many years, there
was a past there that left Jay feeling a touch obligated to at least give

James some place to stay, if not find him something in the way of
employment.

"I suppose I can speak with Dev," Jay said, absently fingering the

drapes on the window, careful not to look at James. "See if maybe he'd
like a housekeeper."

"Thank you." The bed shifted and Jay was acutely aware of another

body close to him. "For everything, Jay."

He turned and found himself staring into eyes he'd not seen in a long

while. Memories of forbidden trysts, stolen kisses, came back to him.
"James…"

"It's been so long," James whispered, stepping closer. Too close.

Jay shook his head. "I can't…"
"One kiss, Jay. For old times' sake?"
His gaze lowered to lips he knew years before. "Dev..."

"He won't know, Jay." James was nearly touching him, a hand on

the wall by Jay's head.

Jay opened his mouth to protest, but no word came out. James

seemed to take that as a 'yes' and Jay found himself pressed back against
the wall, his former valet's tongue pushing between his lips. Finally
coming to his senses, he pushed James gently but firmly away.

"No more, James," he said simply. "You're welcome to stay, but

nothing can ever happen between us again."

James nodded. "I apologize. It won't happen again."
"Thank you." Jay let out the breath he didn't know he'd been

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

holding. "Are you hungry? Dev is finishing dinner."

"That would be wonderful."

* * * *

After finishing the dishes, Dev went on the search for Jay. Not

finding him in the living room with Percy or James, Dev headed upstairs
to Jay's favorite spot. He heard the small clank of metal against metal

before he even got close to the door. Leaning against the door frame, he
watched Jay work out, his gaze fixated on the smooth flex of muscle
beneath Jay's skin. Just seeing his husband in the slick, sweaty state was

a major turn on for Dev.

Dev had to shift slightly to ease the growing bulge in his pants and

he tried for casual, folding his arms across his chest as he spoke. "Got

any time to spare for me?"

Jay grunted as he set the bar back on its rest. Without sitting up, he

crooked his finger, beckoning Dev to him. "I will always have time for

you, love."

"Seems lately we haven't had any time for each other." Slowly

approaching Jay, Dev's gaze roamed over Jay's body with a bit of a
lustful tinge. With fixing up the house and everything else happening,
most nights they went to bed exhausted. Which is why Dev had plans for

making an early night.

"Come here," Jay said, voice gone husky, deep. He held out a hand

and tugged Dev to straddle him. "Miss you."

Stepping over Jay, Dev settled against his thighs then leaned down,

running his hands over Jay's bare chest. Need roughened his voice as he
stared down at Jay. "Fuck, you look sexy like this. Makes me want to feel

you filling my ass."

Hands on Dev's hips, Jay thrust up. "Get naked. I want to taste and

touch you, from head to toe, love. Want to feel you everywhere."

"Shower and me against the wall? Or shower later?" Dev needed

very little encouragement. Quickly pulling his shirt over his head, he
tossed it to the side as he deliberately ground his hips slowly back and

forth against Jay. The tips of his fingers trailed lightly down the front of
Jay's chest.

Jay groaned and started working on Dev's jeans. "Shower. You. Me.

Slick."

The flick of Dev's tongue ran slowly over Jay's lips as further

enticement to arouse his husband. His hands caught Jay's, drawing them
away from his pants. "You better let me keep these on unless you want

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

me to walk naked down the hallway."

Grinning, Jay slapped Dev's ass. "Good point. Let me up."
With a wicked smirk, he squirmed against Jay for slapping him and

got up. "When we're alone, I'll dance naked down the hall for you. How's
that?"

Before Jay could retaliate, Dev started laughing and took off in a

run for the bathroom next to their bedroom. The minute Jay appeared,
Dev dragged him inside and shut the door then began stripping Jay's
pants off.

"Mm, you, too." Jay waited until his own were off before he started

on Dev's jeans. He dropped to his knees and worked the pants down,
pressing kisses to Dev's thighs as he went. Once Dev stepped out of the

jeans, Jay grabbed his hips and sucked Dev's cock into his mouth,
humming as he swallowed him down.

"Thought you wanted me against the shower wall." Dev's comment

turned into a mumbling when Jay's lips closed around his cock. A low
moan rose in his throat then broke off as he gasped. "Keep doing that."

Jay didn't answer, just sucked and licked. When he finally pulled

back, he gripped the base of Dev's cock to keep him from coming.
"Now…we can get in the shower," he said, flicking the tip one last time

before standing.

Since Dev hadn't thought he would stop, a protesting groan sounded

when Jay did. Painfully hard, he stood indecisively for a moment before

he reached over to turn on the hot water. "That was cruel, babe. Really
cruel."

Jay turned Dev and pressed up against him. Tipping Dev's head

back, he kissed a slow path over the side of Dev's neck. "I love you," he
whispered.

With no real effort on Jay's part, Dev could feel himself literally

melting. His throat arched toward the press of Jay's lips and his body
leaned back into the solid feel of his husband's. "Love you just as much."

"In the shower," Jay whispered. "Want you slick and hard and

begging."

"The only thing I ain't is slick." A wry humor tinged his voice as he

stepped into the tub then beneath the spray of water. Leaning back

against the side of the tub, a lazy hand ran over his cock as he watched
Jay with a half lidded look. "If you don't fuck me soon I'm going to

explode."

Following him into the shower, Jay pulled the curtain closed, eyes

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

riveted on the movement of Dev's hand. "You will be when I'm done."
He looked up into Dev's eyes. "Turn around and bend over, love. I want
to taste."

To do what Jay wanted, Dev had to move to the back of the tub. He

bent over slowly, using both hands to spread his ass open for Jay. His
actions and words were meant to urge his husband into more action.

"Come and get it, Jay."

Jay groaned and dropped to his knees, sliding his hands up Dev's

thighs. He kissed first one cheek and then the other, teeth grazing just a

bit as he moved closer to Dev's crease. Reaching up to spread Dev open
and to free his lover's hands, Jay flicked his tongue over Dev's hole
before pushing it inside.

Dev needed his hands free to use the wall for support. The sensation

pulsing through him had his knees shaking and sticking his ass out
farther literally begged for Jay's attention. Ignoring the need throbbing

through his cock, his hands remained flat against the tile.

Jay's attention was solely on what he was doing. He sucked the

puckered skin, moaning and growling a little. Then a finger joined his
tongue, sliding deep and curling to stroke lightly over Dev's gland.

"So hot," he murmured, licking around the rim stretched over his

finger.

The rising tension in Dev's body skyrocketed. Neither of them had

had much play in way too long and it took very little to get Dev close to

that edge. Small motions of his hips encouraged Jay and his low groan
rose in tone with each movement of Jay's finger and tongue. "Need, babe.
Need."

Without removing his finger, Jay stood and reached up with the

other hand for the lube they kept on the soap dish. He got it open and
slicked himself, then slid his finger out. Drawing Dev up to stand,

pressed back against him, Jay bent his knees slightly and pushed up and
in, groaning as he slid in deep.

"Oh, fuck." The words came out followed by a deep groan and the

shudder of Dev's body. His hips pressed back flush with Jay and ground
tightly to him. One hand reached behind, grasping Jay's hip and the other
slid up into his hair, drawing Jay to the side of his throat.

"Love you," Jay whispered, biting down on the nape of Dev's neck.

He rocked his hips, sliding out and driving back in, slow but deep.

Closing his eyes and bowing his head, Dev rode the rhythm of their

bodies. Unable to resist, his hand dropped to his own cock, stroking over

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

100

it at the same pace of Jay's thrusts. "Love you always."

Jay licked the place he'd bitten, kissed it softly. "Feel so good. So

perfect, Dev…" He turned Dev's head, catching him in a kiss. His other

hand gripped Dev's hip, the thrusts strong, quickening.

Dev couldn't have agreed more but then it was always perfect

between them. Silenced before he could say anything, he returned the

kiss and deepened it with the hunger rolling through his body. The
friction and pressure inside his ass and the quickening rhythm of his hand
made Dev's body tremble. After several long moments, he broke free of

the kiss with a sharp cry, his husband's name escaping him. "Jay!"

As he came, threads of come spurted over his hand and onto the tile

wall of the tub. Lost in the exquisite pulse, he damn near forgot where

they were.

"Oh, God…" Jay groaned and bent Dev just a bit, changing the

angle. "Fuck. Dev!" One last hard thrust and he jerked Dev back against

him, cock throbbing.

The tight hold of his hand held Jay to him. Panting heavily, he tried

to catch his breath as he leaned limply back against Jay. When his
breathing became a bit more even, he whispered, "Never stop, babe."

"Never." Jay shook his head and kissed Dev's jaw. "How about bed?

Then more loving? I need you too much to let go anytime soon, love."

Dev had to laugh since it seemed Jay forgot why they were there as

well. "I'd say finish our shower then bed."

Still laughing, he grabbed the soap and a wash cloth. After lathering

it, he began washing Jay. He didn't plan on letting Jay out of bed until
late the next morning and right now Dev planned on taking his own

sweet time showing Jay how much he loved him.

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

101

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Standing in the attic, Dev slowly turned around, uncertain of why he

was there. As he looked toward the back of the attic a hazy shape began

to form. He should have been startled, but he wasn't. Instead, he moved
closer to it.

A distant sound reached his ears then slowly became a voice. "A

child. You must have a child. One of our blood."

What the hell did that mean? He wasn't ever likely to have a kid and

didn't even want one. Nothing substantial had formed from the haze, and
Dev shook his head in disbelief. "I'm not going to have kids."

"He must die. Another must take his place."

There sure were a lot of musts to whatever the hell it was Dev faced.
"Or you will die." The rasp of the voice sounded close to Dev's ear,

making him jump slightly. A deep chill permeated Dev and he shivered

uncontrollably in reaction. He'd discovered enough of his family history
to realize what the entity wanted. He just wasn't going to give in to it.

"It all dies with me." Dev was the last of the line of direct

descendants so the statement held weight.

A roar of outrage filled his ears and his hands covered them, trying

to block it out. A blast of wind came from nowhere and Dev staggered

back a few steps. Angry now, he picked up one of the boxes near him and
hurled it at the pulsing form. A strange blackness swiftly concealed the
back wall of the attic, then began to cover the ceiling.

Dev turned abruptly and ran for the stairs. After slamming the door

behind him, he raced down the steps. At the bottom he looked back up

toward the attic, but nothing seemed to have followed him. Walking
down the hall, it took him a moment to figure out all the noise hadn't
awakened anyone. Hastily he returned to the bedroom to check on Jay.

When he saw his husband slumbering peacefully in the bed, Dev relaxed.
Once reassured, he left the bedroom and headed downstairs to the
kitchen. He could use a good stiff drink right about now.

* * * *

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102

The next evening after Percy and his crew left, Jay and Dev lounged

on the couch, watching TV. Percy had promised to get back with Dev
after they went over all the data they'd collected. It would take a few

days to go through it all, though.

When Jay took his hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it, Dev

shifted closer to nestle against him.

"Thanks for taking James in, love. I really appreciate it."
"I figured your mother would be serious about kicking him to the

curb. It's no problem."

"James has been with me for several years, and I don't think he

knows what to do with himself now." Jay didn't feel the need to explain
anything else about what had happened when James first arrived.

Nothing would come of it so he didn't think it was important enough to
bring up.

"What would you say about moving?" Turning to face him, Dev

gave him a serious look as his hand squeezed Jay's.

Surprised by the abrupt change in conversation, Jay stared at him

blankly for a moment. Since the subject had never come up, he wasn't
sure what to say. "Do you really want to?"

"I don't know, but I've been thinking about it. Maybe we should."

"What would you do with the house?"
"Not sure. Anything but live here." Dev tried for a lighter tone but

really didn't succeed.

"I think it's something you really need to consider for longer than

five minutes, and you shouldn't make too quick of a decision."

"I suppose you're right, Jay."

Leaning toward him for a kiss, Jay murmured, "I'm always right.

You know that, love."

Biting lightly at Jay's lower lip, Dev drew back with a grin. "Only

when you have me pinned down in bed."

"Hold that thought until I get back from town. Speaking of which, I

better get going before dinner is done. Anything you need from the

store?"

As Jay stood and moved to get his jacket, Dev said, "Don't forget

some Andes chocolate. Not the toffee ones but the mint ones."

"I'll add it to the list."
When Jay left, Dev stared into the flames crackling in the fireplace.

He could hear James moving around in the kitchen, fixing dinner. Lately
a depression had settled over Dev and he couldn't shake it. It was

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definitely the house. He hadn't said anything about the incident in the
attic though he wondered if he should. He didn't have the barest clue how
to fight this thing, and he disliked the helpless feeling everything gave

him.

The spirit, or whatever it was, was a malevolent force Dev could

feel growing stronger. Sighing, he stood and headed upstairs to the

bathroom. After stripping and throwing his clothes into the hamper, Dev
turned on the water the hottest he could stand it and stepped into the
shower. Evan as he washed his hair he really couldn't relax nor would his

thoughts still. Part of him wanted to tear the fucking house down, level it
to the ground. Then see how long the damn spirit hung around.

After soaping and rinsing off, he shut off the water and grabbed a

towel, wrapping it around his waist. Heading back down the hall to the
bedroom, the slight chill in the air made Dev shiver. Once he was dry, he
tossed the towel toward the door and opened the dresser to find a shirt

and a pair of pants. When he turned around he found James right in front
of him, staring at him with an intent focus. The slow sweep of James'

gaze over Dev's naked body betrayed a blatant interest. As did the bulge
in James' pants.

Before Dev could really react, James lifted his hand, resting it on

Dev's chest, then stepped forward and kissed him. Shock at the
unexpected action riveted Dev to the spot. When James pressed him back
toward the dresser, Dev's hands flew up and he shoved James away.

Blinking rapidly, James stammered out, "Oh, my god, I'm so sorry. I

don't know what came over me."

Dev had a pretty good clue, or at least thought he did and had no

problem dismissing James' action out of hand. "It's okay, James. Nothing
to worry about. Just don't let it happen again."

With a hasty bow of his head, James retreated from the room. "I'll

go finish dinner. I'm so sorry."

Dev dressed in a thoughtful mood. He knew where to place the

blame. Squarely on the damn house, trying to cause trouble. It only

angered him all the more. This was his life and no supernatural effort
from his family line would change that.

* * * *

Dinner had been somber, all three of them quiet for the most part.

James was a good cook, as he'd always been, and Jay did his best to eat.

Dev, however, poked a bit, nibbling but not really eating like he normally
did. When they were done, Dev excused himself and left the kitchen.

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James stood and began putting dishes into the sink, and Jay got up to
help.

"I didn't get to know him too well before," James said. "Is Dev

always so quiet?"

"Not terribly so." Jay set the dishes in the sink and wiped off the

table. "But I think he has a lot on his mind lately. He needs a break from

the house."

"So why don't you two go out one night?"
Jay laughed and shook his head. "Where? This town is tiny, not

much to do."

James shrugged. "I don't know. Dinner?"
Chewing at his lip, Jay nodded. "Maybe. Yeah, I think we'll do that."

"Go up to him," James said with a slight smile. "I've got the dishes."
"You sure?"
James nodded. "Absolutely."

"Thank you. We'll sit down and sort out chores tomorrow." Jay

patted James' shoulder and left the kitchen, heading for the stairs. When

he reached the bedroom, he knocked lightly, then opened the door. "Hey,
love. Want some company?"

"Sure." Dev smiled and set the television remote down, patting the

bed beside him.

Grinning, Jay closed the bedroom door and stripped down to his

underwear. After turning off the light, leaving the television as the only

light in the room, he crawled up the length of the bed, bending to place
kisses on Dev's bare thigh every few inches. By the time he reached
Dev's mouth, they were both hard, Jay groaning when Dev's lips met his.

"Need you," Dev whispered, hands holding to Jay's shoulders and

head. He tilted his husband's head, pushing his tongue into Jay's mouth,
needing this, needing Jay.

Jay's hands curled to Dev's hips and tugged him until Dev was

looking up at Jay. Giving Dev's lips one more kiss, Jay continued
downward, nipping and licking along Dev's throat, hands working Dev's

underwear off. Then he wrapped his fingers around Dev's cock, loving
the soft moan he received. He slid down Dev's body and took him in,
tongue gliding along the underside as he swallowed Dev down.

"Jay!" Dev jerked, panting as Jay's throat rippled around him. "Oh,

fuck…"

Jay hummed, the sound vibrating Dev's cock and up through his

body. Dev spread his legs, letting Jay settle between them. One of Jay's

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hands cupped his balls, rolling and tugging gently, a single fingertip
pressing the soft skin just behind them. Dev gasped, hips rocking,
thrusting a little. Jay pulled off for a second, sucked two fingers into his

mouth to wet them, then sucked Dev's cock back down. Dev grabbed his
legs and pulled them up and apart, body shuddering as Jay's fingers
pushed deeper inside him.

"Jay…"
Those fingers curled forward and Dev shouted, entire body jerking

hard. Jay began a slow, torturous sucking motion, head bobbing up and

down, repeatedly swallowing Dev's cock. Dev panted and rocked, caught
between the sensations. Jay spread his fingers apart, then stroked Dev's
gland one more time.

Dev all but screamed Jay's name, cock pulsing in his husband's

mouth as he came. Jay groaned and swallowed every drop, licking Dev
clean as he pulled away slowly.

"Holy shit."
Jay chuckled and crawled back up, taking Dev in a deep, hungry

kiss. Dev let his legs down, cradling Jay between them, before reaching
blindly for the bedside table. Finally finding the bottle of lube, he popped
it open and broke the kiss. Jay grinned and sat up. Taking the bottle, he

slicked himself up, fist stroking slowly over his hardened flesh, gaze
heated as he stared at Dev.

"Love you," Jay whispered as he leaned back down. Positioning

himself, he pushed into Dev—slow and easy.

Dev's eyes rolled back, then closed. "Love you…" He arched and

bore down, letting Jay in deep. "Oh, God, yes."

Nodding, Jay rested his forehead to Dev's and took a deep breath as

he was seated fully inside. "Feel so good, baby. So perfect."

Beyond words, Dev could only moan as Jay began moving, rocking

and sliding, their hips grinding together. Jay's lips grazed his throat, the
bites gentle, then sharp as their movements sped up. Jay caught Dev's
hands and pinned them to the pillow above Dev's head, thrusts turning

stronger, deeper.

"Can't stop," Dev gasped, rocking his hips up to meet every thrust

from Jay. "Oh, fuck, Jay. Don't stop!"

"Come on," Jay growled. "Come for me, Dev."
"Oh…fuck!" Surprising himself, Dev cried out, heat pouring

between them without a single touch.

Jay groaned and kissed him hard, hips slamming into Dev. Several

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quick thrusts and Jay tore away from the kiss, gasping Dev's name as he
filled Dev's body with his release.

Exhausted, they slumped together, Jay working to keep his weight

off Dev before he finally gave up and rolled over. He slid his arms
around Dev and pulled him close.

"I needed that," Dev mumbled sleepily.

"I think we both did, babe." Jay kissed Dev's hair softly. "I think we

both did."

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Jay had taken James into town to do a bit of shopping, so Dev

decided to explore the secret room. Hoping he could find more

information, he pushed the small lever, then climbed off the crate and
entered the room.

He felt along the inner wall until he found the light switch and

flicked it on. Since he hadn't bothered taking a very good look the first
time he'd seen it, he slowly glanced around. It was bizarrely decorated

with whitewashed walls and strange symbols painted in red and black.

The floor, from what he could see, appeared to be a giant symbol as

well. Eight inlaid wood spokes radiated out from a center black disc. The

color of the bars were a darker wood then the floor outside the circle.
Each shaft had different designs carved into the wood, and Dev could
have swore some of the emblems were hieroglyphics.

Eight inner panels between the spokes seemed to be some sort of

black, glossy stone with figures etched into them. Crouching down, Dev
examined one of them. The damn thing looked kind of like an old

woodcarving of a demon from the Middle Ages. He'd seen similar
carvings in books.

The etched creature had three horns protruding from its head and a

long spear-like tongue. Its tail was as long as its body was tall, and the
face and body looked human. In one hand it held a spear with a
decapitated body dangling from its tip; the other held a head.

"Now that will give me nightmares," Dev muttered, completely

uninterested in studying any more of the figures on the panels. He

straightened and walked over to his grandparents' trunk then opened it to
go through the contents. Opening one of the jewelry boxes, he found it
contained a sapphire and diamond ring. The gold setting was old

fashioned and made for a man. It probably belonged to his grandfather.
The next box contained another ring with a flat square onyx set in silver,
and a small diamond embedded near the right corner.

Opening the last box, Dev was immediately drawn to the jade disc

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necklace. Taking it from the box, he carefully examined the detailed
work. It was a beautiful piece inlaid with lapis and silver strips in an
intricate design. The chain was medium silver link and Dev opened the

clasp then fastened the necklace around his neck. Slipping it beneath his
shirt, he found it felt warm against his skin.

After nosing through the rest of the trunk and finding nothing

interesting, he closed the lid. As he headed over to one of the bookcases,
he noticed a pile of books on the uppermost shelf. Since he couldn't reach
them he had to return to the closet and get the plastic crate. Setting it in

front of the shelves, he stepped onto it and grabbed the three dusty
books.

He climbed down his temporary stepping stool and carried

everything back to the closet. Not wanting Jay to notice he'd been in the
secret room while no one was home, Dev shut the panel. Books safely in
hand he blew the dust off of the top one and made himself sneeze.

Stretching out across the bed and setting the books beside him, Dev
opened the first one. Unfortunately it was handwritten in a language Dev

didn't understand. Though he thought it might be Latin.

"That's not going to do me a damn bit of good." Irritated, he set it

aside and started on the next book. From the name on the cover page, he

discovered it belong to Isaiah Brooks, the man who had built the house.
His fifth great grandfather had terrible penmanship.

Dev discovered Isaiah was indeed the one who had performed some

kind of spell and made a bargain with an otherworldly creature. If he
didn't know there really was something in the house, Dev would have
never believed what he read.

When he heard Jay and James downstairs he shut the book and put

all of them on the nightstand. Glancing at the clock, he realized two
hours had gone by. That surprised him since he didn't think it had been

that long.

"Come on down, love. I've got something for you." Jay called to

him from the bottom of the stairs.

Jumping from the bed, Dev left the room and headed downstairs.

Jay stood near the bottom step with his hands behind his back. Dev saw
the back of James' head, disappearing into the kitchen.

"What's the surprise?" Curious, Dev stilled in front of Jay, waiting

to see what he had.

Teasingly Jay took a few steps back. "Guess."
Jay's infectious smile made Dev chuckle. When he tried to peek

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behind Jay, Jay turned slightly so Dev couldn't see what he had in his
hands.

"You bought me the Porsche I wanted, right?"

"Smart ass." Jay brought out a white box with the name of Dev's

favorite bakery emblazoned on the lid.

"Umm, something better. I've been craving those." Dev knew the

box contained the mini cream puffs and éclairs he adored.

"Been awhile since I've spoiled you." Grinning, he opened the box

and took out one of the cream puffs then fed it to Dev.

"No spoiling your dinner." James peeked out from the kitchen right

as Dev's lips closed around the cream puff and Jay's fingers.

"You're not supposed to see that, James."

Dev licked the small drops of cream from Jay's fingers before he

released them from his mouth. "You can put the rest in the fridge and
we'll have them after dinner."

"Dinner should be ready soon." James took the box from Jay and

headed back into the kitchen.

"We can watch a bit of TV if you want," Jay suggested.
"Go ahead. I'll be there in a minute. Got something I want to show

you." Dev ran up the stairs to the bedroom. Grabbing one of the books,

he went back downstairs to join Jay.

"You wouldn't happen to know Latin, would you?" Dev asked as he

settled on the couch next to Jay.

"I learned a bit, but that was a long time ago, Dev."
"Well, see what you can make of this." He handed the book over to

Jay then watched him flip through the pages.

"I might be able to tell what a few of the words mean, but I couldn't

translate this."

"Damn." Disappointed, Dev took the book back and set it on the

coffee table. Tugging the necklace from under his shirt, he showed it to
Jay. "Found this, too. In my grandparent's chest."

Jay frowned as he looked at the disc. "It's nice, but I thought I told

you not to go in there alone."

"No harm, Jay. I just looked around a bit."
"You really shouldn't go in there unless somebody else is here."

"I'll remember." He tucked the disc back under his shirt.
Sliding his arm around Dev, Jay let him get comfortable against him

as they watched the news. When Dev's eyelids grew heavy, he nodded
off to sleep.

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As Jay listened to the softer rhythm of Dev's breathing, he pressed a

soft kiss to Dev's forehead. He really wished Dev wouldn't go into that
room by himself. Glancing at the book on the coffee table, he decided he

would try to find a translator next time he got online. Maybe the book
could answer some of their questions.

When James came in to tell them dinner was ready, Jay nudged Dev

gently to wake him up. Dev groaned in protest and opened his eyes.

Jay stood, holding out his hand to him. "Come on, love. It's dinner

time."

Grabbing Jay's hand he hauled himself off the couch then followed

behind him and James into the kitchen. James was ladling out a savory
smelling stew into the bowls on the table.

"Now that smells fantastic." Dev sat down at the table next to Jay

and James settled on the opposite side.

Taking a spoonful, Jay nodded heartily. "Best jack of all trades in

London. Wait until he makes beef Wellington."

The conversation was casual as they all ate. By the time they were

done Dev had eaten two heaping bowls, Jay had helped himself to three.
After dinner Jay headed up to the work room, and Dev went back to the
living room to finish reading Isaiah's journal. About twenty minutes later

James joined him and settled in to watch TV. Though neither of them
talked much it was a comfortable quiet disturbed only by the show.

Determined to decipher what clues he could find, Dev read carefully

over the pages. No name was given for the entity but Isaiah had detailed
several spells from summoning to trying to create a Philosopher's Stone.
Quite a bit of it Dev dismissed at first, but there was something in the

feverish tone of writing that intrigued him. Had Isaiah really done some
of the things he claimed? Obviously he'd succeeded in calling up
something, but Dev wasn't clear on the what.

For a few moments he studied the drawings Isaiah had made. He

didn't even know enough to understand what they were. If he ever hoped
to have a chance of getting rid of the entity he needed to learn more. The

urge to go to the secret room overcame Dev, but he did his best to ignore
it.

Raising his hand, he pulled the jade disc out from under his shirt

and absent-mindedly fingered it. The best thing to do would be to wait
until Jay was asleep, then do some more research. Somehow he doubted

Jay would like him nosing in the rest of the books in the secret room. It
was best to keep it to himself.

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After switching off the TV, James asked, "Feel like a cup of coffee

and some of those éclairs?"

"Sure. Sounds good, James." Dev didn't look up from the book as

James got up and left the room.

"Jay, come on down for some dessert." James called up to Jay then

disappeared into the kitchen.

A few minutes later Jay came down the stairs, freshly showered and

clad only in a pair of sweats. Dev eyed him with a disappointed look.
"You didn't come and get me to take a shower with you."

"We would have never gotten to dessert if I had." Jay moved to the

cabinet to pick out a movie. "In the mood for Pirates of the Caribbean?"

Nodding, Dev set aside the journal and tucked his feet under him to

get comfortable, waiting for Jay to join him. Before Jay could finish
putting the movie in, James came back into the living room, carrying a
tray with three cups and a plate of cream puffs and éclairs. Jay nudged

his way next to Dev, his arm around Dev's shoulders, and James sat
down in the recliner near them. After he placed the tray on the coffee

table, they all helped themselves.

Grinning Dev asked Jay. "Think we could talk James into watching

Phibes?"

"Dr. Phibes is one of my favorites. Vincent Price was the best."

James answered with his own grin.

"I've got House on Haunted Hill, House of the Long Shadows, The

Tomb of Ligeia, and The Masque of the Red Death. We can always have
an all-night marathon of horror." Jay figured they would both agree to the
idea.

Dev jumped up, saying, "I'll put Phibes in the player."

* * * *

A scream startled Jay awake. He bolted upright, only to realize he

was still on the couch and the scream had come from the irritatingly
insane female on House on Haunted Hill. Relief flooded through him and
he rubbed his face, then looked around. James was sound asleep in the

recliner, but Dev was nowhere to be seen. With a sinking feeling, he got
up and started upstairs. When he walked into the bedroom, all he had to
see was the faint light coming from the secret room. Swallowing the

protest before it could escape, he just turned and went back downstairs
without saying a word.

He reminded himself that he'd told Dev to wait until there was

someone else home, which Dev had done. Yet that didn't ease the worry

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that ate away at Jay. Ever since Dev had found that damned room, he'd
become obsessed with it. Grumbling and scowling, Jay settled back onto
the couch, and before long, the drone of the television lured him back to

sleep.

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CHAPTER NINETEEN

Dev returned home right after sunset to find the house dark.

Figuring Jay and James must have gone somewhere in James' car, he

headed into the kitchen. He turned on the light and saw a piece of paper
on the counter. As he set the bags down and began putting groceries
away, he read the note.

Since he wasn't sure when they would return, Dev made himself a

bologna sandwich. Now would be the perfect time to investigate more of

the books in the secret room. Climbing the stairs, he walked straight back
to the closet of the bedroom. Turning on the light, he headed straight for
the bookcase. He still wanted to find an explanation for Isaiah's

drawings. Pulling out several books, Dev sat down on the stool in front
of the work table and began reading while he ate the sandwich.

Several dust covered jars and bottles nearly covered the entire

length of the table. For a moment, Dev debated about actually cleaning
the entire room. To be truthful, he found everything fascinating. If he
were going to spend any length of time there, he needed to clean it. He

was aware Jay didn't share his feelings, but Dev didn't expect him to.
Though he couldn't explain it, he could somehow feel the enormous
power hovering in the air and his curiosity about it had definitely gotten

the best of him.

After a few moments of scanning through the books, Dev chose four

of them and got up, taking them into the bedroom. Once he'd closed the

panel, he went to the bed and stretched out to read.

* * * *

Standing within the circle, Dev felt an enormous rush of power. The

etched figures in the black stone panels glowed with a bright, unearthly
light. A hunger within him deepened for more of the exhilarating pulse of

energy.

"Every secret known to you." Dev heard the soft whisper close to his

ear. "A future that will be everything you want."

There was a seductive lure to the words weaving through Dev's

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senses. "Nothing will be hidden."

The disc in the center of the circle floated upward from the floor.

When it stopped a few inches from the ceiling, rays of light shot

downward to the eight spokes in the floor. Rainbow beams of energy
surrounded Dev and sent a surge of heat pouring through him.

As the disc began spinning, the kaleidoscope swirl of colors

hypnotized him. He reached up toward the spiral and immediately the
vast feeling of power increased within Dev. He could feel it inside him.
Strong. Invincible.

Glancing down, he noticed the odd symbols glow ever more

brightly. For a brief moment understanding of their meaning flooded
him, then too quickly faded, leaving him disappointed. In the next

moment, the emblems on the back wall flared into flames. The fire
engulfed the wall before both disappeared.

Stepping into the vast darkness beyond the room, Dev found himself

standing in the backyard near the gazebo. Jay stood near him, staring
upward at the house. The house itself seemed to have taken on a new life.

Because of an old painting he'd seen, Dev knew it appeared just as it did
when Isaiah first built it.

Dev could feel an incredible flow of energy beneath his feet, and its

power expanded outward deep into the woods surrounding the property.
When he turned toward Jay, he saw James standing beside Jay with his
arm around him. Frowning slightly, Dev stepped forward as the other

two started to walk off.

"Jay?"
Neither of them stopped, but continued heading toward the front

drive. James laughed as Jay stopped long enough to press a kiss to his
lips.

"Jay?" The tone of Dev's voice took on a more urgent note, but Jay

and James didn't seem to even notice him. Dev knew it should bother
him, and he wanted to try to stop them, but the sudden increase of power
rinsing from the ground completely distracted him. Its beckoning lure

drew him back toward the house, and he was barely aware of anything
else.

* * * *

Jay couldn't understand what was happening to Dev. He'd caught

him several times in that damned secret room after telling Dev not to go

in their alone. Seeing the stack of books on the nightstand, Jay picked
one up and sat down on the edge of the bed.

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Though the handwriting was definitely English, Jay couldn't make

heads or tails of most of it. Emblems of power and generated energy
fields weren't his field of expertise. Flipping through the pages, he did his

best to figure it out. When the writing became less vague and began to
make pointed references to a talisman of power Jay read more carefully.

Turning the page, he studied the drawing of a statue. Its face was

human, sort of. The three horns growing out of its head ruined the totally
human effect. It sat cross legged with its arms extended out from its
body. Strange symbols were carved on the chest and on the base of the

statue.

Could this be what empowered the entity in the house? Closing the

book, Jay set it back on the pile, then stared at the closet. If he could find

that thing, he'd destroy it. Then maybe everything would go back to
normal.

James entered the room, carrying an armload of folded clothes.

After acknowledging Jay with a nod, he began putting them away. Jay
eyed him with a speculative look as he waited for James to finish.

Reaching for the book, he opened it to the page that contained the
drawing of the statue. When James finished, Jay stopped him from
leaving the room.

"James, I want you to help me find this." Holding up the book, he

showed it to James.

"I haven't seen anything like that in the house, Jay."

"I think it's in the secret room."
Surprised, James' gaze shifted from Jay toward the closet. Getting

up from the bed, Jay opened the closet door. Lately it seemed the panel

was never closed. James said nothing as he followed behind Jay.

Jay began looking through the cabinets on one side of the room, and

James searched the other. After grabbing a flashlight from the table, Jay

crawled into a deep cupboard, rummaging through the contents. When he
didn't find the statue, he used the flashlight to tap lightly against the back
wall.

"What are you doing?"
Hearing James' question, Jay crawled out of the cupboard. "There

might be hidden niches in this place. So make sure you check for that

too."

"I will." James started to search the built-in drawers that covered a

quarter of one wall. Pulling each one out, he quickly checked through the
contents then set it on a nearby table. After looking through several, he

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reached into the empty cubbyhole and rapped on the back wall with his
knuckles. Hearing a hollow sound, he stopped and looked at Jay.

Dropping his own search, Jay moved toward James and grabbed a

nearby hammer. "Use this to break through the back."

"But the damage—"
Jay didn't let him finish. "Just smash it."

"Get me the flashlight so I can see what I'm doing."
Jay walked back to the table, grabbed the flashlight and held it up so

the beam illuminated inside the hole.

"You know if there are several of these like I think there are, we'll

be here all night." With little finesse, James used the hammer to smash
through the back wall. Peering closer into the space, all he could see

were a pile of papers. "Nope, it's not in there."

Jay started taking out several more drawers and putting them on the

table and floor. "We keep going until we find the damn thing."

"Find what thing?" Dev asked as he entered the room.
"We're looking for a statue. A talisman of power. It was mentioned

in one of those books." Jay answered him as James took the hammer to
the next section of panel.

With the sound of splintering wood, Dev hurried toward them.

"Dammit, Jay, there's no reason to tear up the place."

Folding his arms across his chest, Jay scowled at him. "Yes, there is.

I'm going to find that statue and smash the thing to bloody pieces."

Not wanting to be a witness to the rising tension between the two,

James pulled out the hammer and set it down. "I'll let you discuss this
while I go downstairs and finish cooking dinner."

Both of them ignored James as he hastily left the room.
"You're not going to wreck this room, Jay. A lot of this stuff belongs

in a museum."

"Maybe if I wreck it, you won't spend so much time in here. Don't

think I haven't noticed, Dev." Jay finally gave vent to the aggravated
feelings that had been building up in him.

"I've been trying to figure out what's going on." Dev looked away

from him, moving toward the drawers that had been dismantled.

Uncertain whether or not he should believe that fully, Jay cut off

Dev and forced Dev to look at him. "You come in here by yourself when
I've asked you several times not to. Why, Dev?"

Angered by the questioning, Dev glared at him. "I told you."
"It'd be better if you took all this out of here and got rid of it. I don't

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think you know what you're getting into." Stepping closer to him, Jay
laid his hand on Dev's shoulder, trying to massage away the tension.

Dev jerked away from him and stepped back. "I don't care what you

think. This belongs to my family. So stay the hell out of this room."

Whirling abruptly away, Dev stalked out of the room, leaving Jay

staring in shock at him. When Jay finally moved, he heard the slam of

the door downstairs.

* * * *

Several hours later, Dev returned to the house. He'd spent some time

in the diner, cooling off. At first, he'd been beyond pissed at Jay's
interference. After eating dinner and talking to Martha, he'd calmed
himself enough to realize Jay had only been concerned.

Shutting off the car, he stared up at the house, sighing quietly.

Maybe they needed some time away from the house. A nice vacation
away from it all. He grabbed the boxed lemon meringue pie he'd bought

for Jay from the passenger seat.

Balancing the pie in one hand, Dev opened the car door and got out,

shutting it behind him. The lights in the living room were on and the
curtains hadn't been drawn yet. As he climbed the steps to the porch, he
saw James and Jay standing in the living room. When James leaned in

and kissed Jay, Dev froze in disbelief.

Neither of them noticed him as James slipped his arm around Jay's

shoulder and they headed upstairs. He'd known James and Jay had been

lovers, but that had been quite a while before Dev met Jay. His first
thought was to charge in there and demand to know what the hell was
going on. On the heels of the feeling, a strange calm descended over him.

He quietly opened the front door and took the pie to the kitchen,

putting it in the fridge. Being careful not to make any noise, Dev went
into the living room and picked up the books he'd left there earlier. Then

he crept back outside to the gazebo.

Dev felt no desire to be around Jay. The anger was still there, but it

was distant to him, just like Jay seemed to be becoming. Something

troubled Dev, but he wasn't entirely sure what it was. He turned on the
small light that lit the gazebo and settled in to read. When he opened the
book, everything else seemed to fade completely except for the

knowledge he was gaining.

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CHAPTER TWENTY

Jay hissed and cursed, sucking on the heel of his hand. When the

taste of blood became stronger, he resorted to running water over it. As

the blood washed away, it became apparent that the cut wasn't big, but it
was deep. He sighed and turned off the water, wrapping the dishtowel
tightly around his hand.

"Jay?"
He looked up and nodded at James. "I'm okay, just a nasty cut."

James walked up to him and after a moment, Jay finally let the man

pull away the bloodied towel. "It's deep. You think you'll need stitches?"

"No." Jay rewrapped his hand, applying a good deal of pressure.

"Get me the first aid kit from the bathroom. There's some gauze and
medical tape in there."

Nodding, James rushed out of the kitchen, leaving Jay alone. A few

minutes later he returned. Jay rinsed the cut off one more time and then
let James bandage it, all the while staring out the kitchen window.

"All done. What happened?"

Jay shrugged and pulled his hand back. "Was cutting up vegetables

for dinner and the knife slipped."

James gave him a look that made it clear the man wasn't buying that

excuse. "Jay, this isn't like you. Something's going on. What's wrong?"

Dinner forgotten, Jay went to the table and dropped into a chair.

Looking up at James, he shook his head. "I don't know, James. Ever since

he found that room, Dev has been aloof, withdrawing from me. I'm
worried about him, about us. He doesn't seem to give a damn."

James knelt down in front of him, a hand resting on one of Jay's

knees. "What can I do?"

"I don't know if there's anything to do short of burning the bloody

house down," Jay grumbled. "Remember me telling you about that
book?" James nodded and Jay continued. "Well, I got in touch with an
old colleague who was able to translate bits and pieces online. It's a

talisman that's fueling the…" He waved his hand helplessly. "…whatever

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it is that has hold of this house…and Dev."

Brows furrowing, James turned away and went to the kitchen table.

"Jay, there's something I need to tell you."

A knot formed in Jay's stomach, but he managed to nod. "Okay…"
James wouldn't meet his gaze and simply stared at the tabletop.

"You know I care greatly for you, right?"

Sitting down at the table, Jay regarded his friend closely. "Yes," he

said after a few seconds of silence.

"I didn't come here because the Duchess dismissed me. She sent me

to split you up, to come between you."

Ice began to settle somewhere inside Jay. "James—"
"Wait!" James' hand shot out and grasped Jay's. "Please hear me out.

I was given a choice: do her bidding, or lose my employment and my
reputation. But since I've been here, I've realized that what the two of
you have means more than that. I can rebuild a reputation elsewhere; I

can find work somewhere else. But I can't replace my friendship with
you, or the love between you and Dev. I'm sorry, Jay, and if there's

anything I can do to prove that, I'll do it."

More silence hung in the air between them, Jay wondering if he

could trust James at this point. How could he have been so stupid to

think his mother wouldn't have stooped to such a thing? Sighing, he
raked his other hand through his hair. They all needed some time away
from the house.

"You want to prove that I can trust you again?"
James nodded.
"I want to get out of here for a while, maybe take a week's vacation

somewhere."

"What can I do?"
Jay slid his hand out from under James' and stood, rubbing absently

at his hand, which was now throbbing like hell. He stared out the kitchen
window at the gazebo where Dev spent most of his time. "Does your
cousin still live in Denver?"

"Yes."
"See if you can stay there for about a week or two. I don't want

anyone to stay here alone."

James nodded and got up, starting for the phone. "Where are you

and Dev going?"

"Mountains, anywhere, I don't know yet. Just anywhere but here."
Jay left the kitchen and went upstairs. If Dev wasn't in the gazebo,

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there was only one other place he could be. Jay bit back the protests
forming; he needed to get Dev out of here and arguing about the secret
room wasn't the way to do it. When he reached the bedroom, he was

surprised to find Dev asleep on the bed.

"Dev." He sat down beside his husband and patted Dev's shoulder.

"Dev, wake up."

"Hmm?" Dev rolled over and looked sleepily up at him. "Hey."
Jay smiled and brushed Dev's hair away from his eyes. "Hi, love.

Can we go outside and talk?"

"Outside?"
Nodding, Jay resisted the urge to kiss those lips. If he did, he knew

he wouldn't be able to stop. "Come on. It's a nice night outside. Let's go

sit in the gazebo."

He waited while Dev got up and dressed in something more than

shorts, then led the way back to the kitchen. Once they were outside, the

door closed behind them, Jay let out a slow breath of relief. Outside the
house, the air didn't feel so heavy, so oppressive. He took Dev's hand and

led him to the gazebo.

"It is nice out here," Dev said, leaning over and against the railing.
Jay nodded, unable to say anything just then. He couldn't remember

the last time they'd touched, or the last kiss they'd had. Closing his eyes,
he willed away the tiny voice in his head that whispered he was losing
the man he loved more than life itself.

"So what did you want to talk about?"
He stepped up to Dev and without thought, reached out, trailing his

fingers down his lover's back. "I want us to take a vacation."

Dev hummed, his back arching into the touch. "Where?"
Anywhere but here, Jay thought. "Wherever you want to go.
"Camping?"

"Sounds good to me." Jay ran his hand back up Dev's spine, hoping

for more of those happy sounds. It'd been so long since he'd heard them.

"'Kay. My dad and I used to go to the mountains in Colorado." Dev

straightened and turned around, surprising Jay by draping his arms over
Jay's shoulders.

"I'll talk to your dad. I miss you," Jay whispered, not realizing he'd

said it until Dev's expression softened.

"Kiss me?"

Jay didn't give Dev time to say much more than that. He caught

Dev's lips with his own, countless weeks of pain and fear coalescing in

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one desperate kiss. Dev made a soft noise, almost a moan, and pressed
closer, pushing them backward until Jay's back hit one of the posts.
Everything else faded but the two of them, need quickly replacing worry,

easing one knot in Jay's stomach, only to create another.

"Need you," Dev breathed into Jay's mouth, one hand pushing

between them to cup Jay through his pants.

Nodding, Jay somehow managed to work both of their pants open.

Dev took another kiss, stepping out of his jeans as Jay circled their cocks
with his hand, stroking slowly. Dev moaned and stepped back, licking his

lips. When he turned around, Dev flashed Jay the most sensual look he'd
seen in weeks over his shoulder. Jay spit in his palm and slicked his cock,
moving up behind Dev.

"I love you," he murmured, bending just enough to kiss Dev's

shoulder as he pushed in.

"Jay!" Dev's head fell back and he straightened, bearing down on

Jay as rested his head back on Jay's shoulder. "Oh, God. Missed
this…missed you."

Jay didn't trust himself to talk, so he let Dev do it for him, saying all

the things that stuck in his throat. He took it slow, drinking in Dev's
warmth, his scent, wishing to God it would never end. He barely heard

Dev's cry, but he felt his lover's body tighten around him, and Jay let go,
tears burning his eyes as he came.

* * * *

"Oh, wow!" Dev spun around in the living room of the cabin, arms

outstretched, looking happier than Jay had seen him in quite a while. "It's
awesome, babe!"

Jay smiled and set down their suitcases. Then he caught Dev's hand

and twirled him around. Dev laughed and stopped, stepping close for a
kiss. "I'm glad you like it."

Dev nodded and grinned. "Love it. How long have we got?"
"A whole week, love. No phone, no visitors, no bloody interruptions

of any sort for a whole blessed week."

The smile turned devilish and Dev leaned in, licking a slow path

over Jay's throat. "Gonna fuck me in here, in front of a roaring fire?"

Tilting his head, Jay closed his eyes, arms sliding around Dev's

waist. "And anywhere else I can get my hands on you."

"Good." Dev pulled away and turned, tossing a grin over his

shoulder. "Wonder what the bedroom looks like…"

Like a love struck puppy, Jay followed right behind Dev, gaze

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locked onto that ass teasing him with every step Dev took. By the time
they reached the bedroom, Jay was hard as a rock and judging from the
way Dev stared at him, fingers working Dev's jeans open, Jay figured it

was a pretty good guess that they were on the same page. He undressed
as well, then watched as Dev climbed into bed.

"Oh." Dev smoothed his hand over the bedspread. "Soft." Crooking

his finger, he beckoned Jay to him. "Want you."

"Got me," Jay said as he crawled onto the bed. He parted Dev's legs

and kissed his way up first one thigh, then the other. When he reached

the top, Dev was hard, the scent of his arousal hitting Jay like a freight
train. Jay pushed Dev's legs up toward Dev's chest, then leaned down to
flick his tongue over the shaft of Dev's cock.

Dev gasped and gripped his legs, freeing Jay's hands. "Jay…"
Hopelessly lost, Jay scooted down and licked Dev's hole, drinking

in the musky taste, the faint hint of soap, and Dev's cries for more.

Spreading Dev open, Jay licked and sucked the puckered skin, Dev's hips
lifting and rocking against him. Unable to resist any longer, Jay pushed

his tongue in.

"Jay!"
He fucked Dev with his tongue until his lover was writhing, calling

out to him in panting breaths. Jay relented and slid back up Dev's body,
cock plunging deep as he took Dev's mouth in a kiss.

Dev keened, legs wrapping tight around Jay's waist, driving him

deeper. Hands braced on either side of Dev's head, Jay rode the moans,
the pleas, hips bucking when Dev's nails raked down his back.

Dev gasped. His eyes were wide, wild, and his neck arched when

Jay thrust in, pegging his gland. "Jay!"

"Come on, love," Jay growled. "Give me what I want, Dev. Let me

feel you."

"Yes. Oh, fuck…" Dev cried out, body tightening around Jay's cock

like a vise. Heat spread between them and Dev jerked through the last
aftershocks.

"Dev." Jay thrust several more times and froze, the world going gray

at the edges as he came deep inside of Dev.

Groaning, he rested his head on Dev's shoulder. Dev's arms snaked

around his neck, Dev nodding.

"Love you," Jay whispered, kissing the curve of Dev's ear. "So

much."

"Love you, too, Jay." Dev lifted Jay's head and smiled up at him,

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finger tracing down Jay's face to his lips. "Thank you."

Jay tilted his head, half in confusion and half wanting more of that

touch. "For what?"

"For this. For you…for us."
Smiling slowly, Jay lowered his head and kissed Dev softly. "No

need to thank me, love. I'd do anything for you, anything for us."

He brushed Dev's necklace to the side, for once not caring that Dev

was wearing that damned pendant, and kissed his husband's neck. Dev
hummed, turned his head to give Jay more room. This was their time; the

rest of the world—supernatural or otherwise—be damned.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

"Wake up, sleepyhead." Jay settled on the bed beside Dev, a bowl of

sliced strawberries in one hand. He set the bowl on the table beside the

bed and grabbed a strawberry slice before straddling Dev. Leaning down,
he rubbed the sweet fruit over Dev's left nipple, then bent to lick it clean.

"Oh." Dev's fingers slid through Jay's hair, pulling him closer. "Jay."

Jay nodded and hummed, taking Dev's nipple into his mouth to suck

and nibble. Dev arched under him, heart pounding beneath Jay's lips. Jay

released him and kissed his way back up to Dev's mouth.

"Good morning, love."
"Fuck yes, it is," Dev groaned, hips rocking a little.

Beneath Jay, Dev was hard, settled neatly between Jay's buttocks.

He shifted slightly and moaned when the head of Dev's cock grazed his
hole. Strawberry forgotten, Jay dropped it into the bowl and pulled open

the drawer. Lube in hand, he took a kiss as he popped the cap on the
tube.

"In me," he whispered, grabbing one of Dev's hands. He slicked

Dev's fingers then tossed the lube to the floor.

Dev broke the kiss and stared up at him as two fingers pushed deep

inside Jay. "God, you feel good, Jay."

Jay could only nod, breath leaving him as he rode Dev's fingers.

"Now. In me, Dev."

The fingers left and then Dev was sliding in, hands resting on Jay's

hips to push him down. Jay gasped and sat up, eyes rolling back as he
sank completely down on his husband's cock. They both stilled then, just

touching, inside and out. Jay ground down a little, the motion causing
Dev's prick to slide over his gland. Sparks skittered up Jay's spine and he
grabbed his cock.

"Yeah," Dev said breathlessly as he started to move. "Come on,

love. Come for me."

"Oh, God." Jay's strokes sped up, hips jerking as he rode Dev hard.

"Dev!" Seconds after he came, Dev filled him, groaning through the

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aftershocks.

"Fuck."
Collapsing onto Dev's chest, Jay just nodded.

* * * *

Jay chuckled when Dev set the Monopoly board on the table. Three

days into their stay and it was the first day they'd done something besides

eat, sleep, or make love. Not that he was complaining, especially since
Dev was still dressed in nothing but a pair of loose-fitting, silk lounge
pants. Jay's mind was far from games, but then again, he was just glad to

have his husband back. And smiling.

"What do you want to be?" Dev asked as he counted out their banks.
"Hmm…" Jay sat forward from where he'd been comfortably

reclined on the couch. "Race car."

Dev laughed, counted out Jay's starting money under his breath,

then handed it to Jay. "Why am I not surprised?"

Jay lifted an eyebrow at him before spreading out his bank.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Really, babe…" Dev smirked. "Coy does not become you at all.

Besides, you honestly think I can forget those wild rides on your
motorcycle?"

Leaning forward a little more, Jay brushed his lips over Dev's. "No.

You just like having something powerful vibrating between your legs."

The temperature in the room shot up by about a hundred degrees as

Dev's eyes locked onto Jay's.

"You offering?"
Jay shoved the board off the table, sending money and game pieces

clattering to the floor. "I'm promising."

* * * *

With Dev in the city visiting his father, Jay enlisted James' aid in

tearing apart the secret room. He was willing to gut the entire room to
find the talisman statue. It had only taken two weeks since they'd
returned from their vacation for everything to go back to the way it had

been.

At first uncertain with the whole thing, James hung back, watching

Jay take all the drawers out of the large build-in cabinet. Once Jay

finished stacking them on the floor, he grabbed a sledge hammer and
began breaking the wooden framework apart to get at the back. Sighing,

James started searching through the drawers. The continuous splintering
of the wood made him wince.

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Jay was fiercely determined to find that statue, and ignored James'

reluctance. The breaking of the wood eased some of Jay's frustration at
the situation. Since they'd come back, the house seemed to have laid

claim to Dev again. Dev was distant and constantly either in this room or
reading the books lining the book shelves. It felt like their time away had
done no good at all.

As Jay swung the sledge hammer, he cracked the last section of

wood. The panels in the back wall were exposed, and they could see it
was segmented in many smaller sections. Five of them looked large

enough to possibly contain the statue, and he motioned to James to help
him.

"What are you going to do if you find this statue, Jay?" James knelt

on the floor to get to the panel nearest the floor.

"Smash the bloody thing to hell."
Reaching for a small hammer, James cracked the wood with his first

hit. Jay moved toward the bookcase as James searched through the
contents that had been hidden.

Pulling several books from one of the shelves, Jay tapped at the

back panel but the sound was solid. When he removed the next set of
books, an envelope slipped from between them and fell to the floor. After

Jay put the books to the side, he stooped down and picked it up. Taking
the letter out, Jay realized it was from Dev's friend Percy. It surprised
him that obviously Dev had tried to hide it from him, but its content

didn't surprise him at all. The equipment had picked up a long list of
anomalies in the house. Jay's heart dropped when he read about the
repeated voices saying Dev's name.

Although Percy had invited Dev to come to the office and go over

the data, Jay knew Dev hadn't. Nor had Dev heeded Percy's advice to
arrange a more detailed investigation and to vacate the premises until it

could be completed. Sighing, Jay replaced the letter in the envelope and
put it down on top of the books. He felt like tearing the whole room apart
just to end this.

Looking up at Jay and seeing his expression, James paused. "What's

wrong?"

"Tomorrow we need to head into the city. I want to talk to Dev's

friend Percy. That letter was from him."

James got up from the floor and walked over to the pile of books,

picking up the envelope. After pulling the letter out, he quickly scanned
the contents. "I don't know what to say, Jay. At first I wasn't sure if you

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were doing the right thing. But I know something is going on here, and I
don't need this letter to tell me that."

In anger and frustration, Jay clenched his fists at his sides. At times

he felt like he was waging a losing battle, but he refused to let go of Dev.
No matter how distant or cold his husband became, Jay wouldn't give up.
"Dev won't be back until tomorrow, James. Today we'll search this room

and tomorrow we'll go see Percy. I'll give him a call later and set it up.
God, I hope we can get rid of that bloody thing before Dev comes
home."

Both of them renewed their efforts in finding the statue. By lunch

time, James had gone through half the hidden cubbyholes, and Jay had
removed all the books on the shelves. They still hadn't found anything,

though, and the room was in a state of chaos.

After a quick lunch, they returned to their work with a grim

determination. Even though a bleak depression had settled over Jay, he

continued looking for potential hiding places in the room. If they didn't
find the statue in there, they'd tackle the attic next.

Carefully Jay climbed the bookcase and methodically began tapping

the wall at the top of the shelves. When he reached the middle of it, a
hollow sound rewarded his efforts. As he reached down, trying to grab

the hammer from the table, James stepped forward and picked it up,
handing it to Jay.

Using the hammer, Jay punched a hole in the wall. He wasn't in the

mood to try to figure out how to open the damn panel. The moment he
caught a glimpse of something shiny within the hole, he reached inside
and felt the smoothness of a large object then pulled it out. Feeling a

triumphant surge, he recognized the statue from the drawing he'd seen.

"That's it." James crowed triumphantly behind him as Jay climbed

down the bookcase with the statue in hand.

Setting it on the table, Jay stared at it, half expecting something to

happen. But there was only silence. James picked up the sledge hammer
and handed it to him. The leering features seemed to mock Jay, and he

lifted the heavy hammer. A loud crash sounded from the attic above
them. James jumped slightly, but Jay refused to be deterred. With a great
deal of satisfaction, he brought the sledge hammer down on the statue's

head, breaking off a chunk of it.

A low rumbling seemed to come from the house, and the sound rose

in volume as the shaking of the walls brought plaster down on them. Jay
started to laugh as he hit what was left of the statue two more times.

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128

Just as quickly, the house became silent again except for Jay's

laughter. As he put the sledge hammer down on the table, James' arm slid
around him in a quick hug. Arm in arm, they left the secret room in an

exultant mood.

Downstairs in the kitchen, James fixed celebratory cups of tea, and

when the phone rang, Jay answered it. "Brooks and Wharton residence."

"This is Albert Denner. I would like to speak to Jay Wharton."
"Hello, Albert. Jay here." When James handed him a cup of tea, Jay

flashed him a grin.

"I finished the Latin translations you wanted. Are you going to be in

town anytime soon?"

"I was planning on making the trip tomorrow."

"I'll be in my office after four so you can stop in when you want. I

also wanted to ask if you have any more books like that journal."

"There's quite a few here, but that might be the only Latin one,

Albert."

James leaned against the counter with his own cup, listening.

"I'd be most interested in reading any others you have, Jay. The one

I have is a most unusual journal."

"I'll bet it is." Jay couldn't help the edge of dryness in his tone. "I'll

drop a few off when I come in to see you."

"See you then. Bye."
Jay hung up as James asked, "He wants to read some of those

books?"

"Yes, he does. And I'll be happy to let him as long as it gets rid of

them. He can keep them for all I care."

Before James could say anything, the phone rang again. After a

quick sip of his tea, Jay answered it in his usual fashion.

"Hey, Jay, Dev anywhere around? It's Percy."

"No, Dev is visiting his dad, but I was going to call you. I'll be in

town tomorrow, and I wanted to see the data you had."

"I can arrange that." Jay heard the rustling of paper before Percy

continued, "I'm free at two if that's a good time to come in."

Since it fit in perfectly with his appointment with Albert, Jay agreed.

"I'll be there. Talk to you later, Percy." After they said their goodbyes, Jay

hung up then leaned back against the counter, relaxing. "We'll have a
busy day tomorrow."

The house had a sense of peacefulness to it, and Jay absorbed the

feeling as he drank his tea. Smiling at James, he said, "Maybe we should

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have a party to welcome Dev home."

"We can pick up some champagne before we go to Percy's. After all

of this, you both deserve it."

"Right now, I'm going to get some of those books for Albert. Find me a
box to put them in. A very large box." Grinning, Jay set his cup down
then pushed from the counter to head upstairs.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The light-hearted mood Jay shared with James over lunch at

Brenner's faded as they listened to the audio tapes Percy's equipment had

recorded during their stay in the house. Repeatedly the recorder had
caught a voice whispering Dev's name. None of them had heard it at the
time, but it could be heard very clearly on the tape.

The cameras had also picked up several incidents of the distinct

movement of objects or unexplained dark shadows, and James and Jay

viewed each one.

"As you can see there's nobody in the room, guys. But that rocker is

definitely moving back and forth." Percy commented as he pointed to the

rocking chair on the screen.

"Looks like somebody is sitting in it." James glanced at Jay with a

frown.

"Dan and Marley were outside at the time, setting up the equipment

for the gazebo. The rest of us were in the secret room. Now watch this
part." Percy settled back in his chair as they all watched the screen

intently.

A moment later it appeared as if half of the attic was in complete

darkness. They could see one of the light bulbs burning but the other

looked like it had gone out in the blackness. Then the entire room
blacked out and the camera showed nothing but a black screen. A loud
noise followed like the house was shaking.

In the background, they could hear several footsteps running up the

stairs, then the blackness disappeared as if the camera was suddenly

turned back on. The attic door opened and Percy, Dev, and Jay entered
the room.

"Remember we were in the secret room at the time and heard the

noise then ran upstairs to the attic."

"Yes, I remember, Percy." Jay remembered the incident vividly.
"There's one last clip. This is why I wanted you guys out of the way

while we did a more detailed investigation." Percy took out the tape from

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the VCR then inserted another one. After pressing the play button, he sat
back, watching Jay.

Jay saw Dev enter the attic then turn slowly around, looking

bemused. There was a flicker of movement on the other side of room
then a hazy shape appeared.

Out of the blue, an oddly eerie voice said, "A child. You must have a

child. One of our blood."

Jay knew it wasn't Dev's voice.
Dev shook his head in disbelief. "I'm not going to have kids."

"He must die. Another must take his place."
"Or you will die."
Dev jumped suddenly and shivered. "It all dies with me."

A roar of outrage startled both James and Jay, and on the screen

Dev's hands covered his ears, trying to block it out. A blast of wind came
from nowhere; they could hear the howl of it, but nothing in the room

appeared to be effected by it except Dev when he staggered back a few
steps. Dev picked up one of the boxes near him and hurled it towards the

sudden appearance of shadows. Swiftly, blackness concealed the back
wall of the attic then began to cover the ceiling. That's when Dev turned
abruptly and ran for the stairs. After the door slammed, the darkness

completely cleared and the attic appeared normal as if nothing had
happened in the room.

From the time blinking on the screen Jay figured it had happened

when they were all asleep. Looking away from the TV, Jay showed his
own bemusement. "We all were there, but none of us heard anything."

"I didn't even realized it had happened until we viewed the tapes.

I'm going to guess Dev didn't tell you about it."

Jay frowned, his fingers tapping impatiently to the table. "There

were a lot of things he didn't tell me. I did find out that that thing,

whatever it was, was linked to a talisman statue. We tore apart the secret
room to find the bloody thing. Finally we found it yesterday, and I
smashed it to pieces."

Percy gave Jay an uncertain look. "If I didn't know better, it's

starting to look like an entity is trying to possess Dev. Whether the spirit
of somebody dead or not, that's totally out of my field of expertise."

"The house feels different now. Just take my word for it. If you want

to come out again, you can. But it might be a wasted trip, Percy."

"Won't be able to do it today since we're already set up for another

house. But we can review the recordings from it after we set up your

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house. So we'll be out there tomorrow around six in the evening."

"I'll set extra plates for dinner." James smiled at Percy, offering his

hand as he and Jay stood up.

Shaking first James' hand then Jay's, Percy said, "See you guys

then."

After leaving the office, James turned to look at Jay. "That was

fucking creepy. If I'd have known, I'd never have stayed in that damn
house."

"If I'd known, I would have dragged Dev out of there and never

returned."

Checking his watch as they headed towards the car, James muttered,

"It's almost four o'clock. We need to be at Mr. Denner's office so we

better get going."

"Dev said he probably wouldn't be home until six. We still have

plenty of time to get to Denner's office then home." Jay unlocked the car

then slid in, unlocking the passenger side for James.

When James slid into the passenger seat, Jay said, "Check the

notepad for the directions to get to Denner's."

James reached into the back seat and picked up the pad. He read

over it as Jay started the car. "Make a right onto Elmhurst then get on 72

South. Go to exit 40 and go right from the exit ramp. It shouldn't take us
too long to get there."

After pulling out onto the street, Jay made an immediate right on

Elmhurst. "I know the directions said something about a big white
building."

"Yeah, after we get off the 72, you'll make a right then a left onto

State Street. His office is three blocks down in a large, white building on
the right."

The traffic on the 72 slowed them down to a crawl, and James

commented dryly, "May take us a bit longer than I thought."

It took them fifteen minutes to get to exit 40, and Jay had already

cursed several times under his breath. The congestion finally eased as

they got off the 72. A few minutes later they parked the car next to the
curb near Denner's office. Jay grabbed the box of books from the back
seat and got out of the car. James followed him into the building.

Stopping by the receptionist's desk, Jay said, "I'm Jay Wharton.

We're here to see Albert Denner."

She nodded with a smile then pressed a blue button on her console.

"You can go back. It's the third office on the right."

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A buzz sounded from the door near the desk as it unlocked and

James opened it for Jay. Carrying the box of books, Jay stepped into the
long hall then walked to the third office. Quickly, James opened the door

for him, then they both entered the room.

Albert Denner looked up, smiling when he saw them. "I wasn't sure

what time you would get here, Jay."

"I brought some more books for you, though I couldn't find anymore

in Latin." As Jay set the box on the desk, Albert reached for it and pulled
it down to the floor beside him.

Jay and James sat down in the chairs in front of Albert's desk,

watching him look through the books before Albert addressed them
again. "I do have some interest in alchemy so the book you gave me to

translate proved to be very informative. Did you want the book back
right away? Several colleagues of mine would be most interested in
reading it."

"No, you can keep the books for as long as you want, Albert. This is

only a very small part of what we found. I'd be more than happy to lend

you whatever you want to read."

"I must visit you then. To see the collection for myself."
"Any time you want to, Albert. Just call in advance to let me know."

Jay had no problem with him coming to the house.

Pulling a stack of papers towards him, Albert nodded to Jay. "This is

the translation of the book. Quite a bit of it is rather dry, but I highlighted

some of the more relevant writings. The gentleman who wrote it, Isaiah,
showed a great deal of knowledge about alchemy and magic. Not exactly
part of a gentlemen's education in his time. Mainly his writing talked

about his studies and experiments."

Both of them relaxed in their seats, listening to him. Jay felt the urge

to explain to Albert that Isaiah had succeeded in at least one of his

experiments, but he refrained.

"Closer to the end of the book, it seems Isaiah strayed more and

more into what I would call elemental magic. He spent the majority of

his time trying to find a way to tap into the power of his own land. In fact
he wrote about a talisman that he believed carried the source of that
power." Pausing, Albert moved several of the papers on his desk,

searching for something.

"I drew a sketch from the description he gave, but I'm not sure

where I put it."

"A statue with three horns, right?" Jay asked as he watched him.

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134

Albert shook his head, continuing to look through the pile of papers.

A moment later, he pulled one from the stack. "Ah, here it is. I believe
it's designed to be worn as a necklace. So it's not a statue."

As he held up the sketch, showing it to them, James gasped and all

the color drained from Jay's face. Both of them instantly recognized the
necklace that Dev wore.

* * * *

Dev stood in the kitchen, debating about whether or not to make

dinner. He'd read Jay's note, but he wasn't certain what time he and James

would be home. Still he did want to make a special dinner just for the
heck of it.

He began to prepare the chicken he'd bought, breading the breasts in

egg and cracker crumbs. Once he finished, he could set the pan in the
refrigerator and put them in the oven when Jay and James got home. It
wouldn't take more than a half an hour to cook everything.

Part of Dev knew things had been getting off track between him and

Jay. He wasn't entirely happy with it either and had come home

determined to set everything right. When he finished breading the
chicken, he set the pan in the fridge and began making the au gratin
potatoes.

As he glanced out the kitchen window, he saw a hazy form standing

near the gazebo. Without thinking about it, Dev went out the back door
towards the ghost. He knew who it was. The youthful face of his

grandmother watched him as he approached him. He sensed the
melancholy air that clung to her as he stopped in front of her.

"Leave, Devon. It will never be over until you do." Glancing

upward toward the house, she stared at it for a moment. "He needs you to
come back."

Whirling, Dev looked up at the house and saw a figure standing at

the attic window. Even with the distance, he just knew it was the face of
Isaiah Brooks. The sight didn't surprise Dev. Staring up at him, Dev
realized the man was behind everything. "You son of a bitch."

Stalking back towards the house, Dev ignored his grandmother's

entreaties for him to stop. The minute he'd seen Isaiah, Dev realized the
last few months had been Isaiah's fault. His obsession over those damn

books hadn't been his own. A blinding rage drove Dev back into the
house then up the stairs to confront Isaiah.

Instead of going to the attic, Dev headed toward the secret room. He

knew Isaiah would be there. When he entered the room, he saw the

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

135

bastard standing in the center of the circle. As Dev stilled not to far from
him, Isaiah spoke, "Dead or alive, Devon. It doesn't matter either way. I
still win."

The mocking expression made Dev lunge for him, but before he

could reach Isaiah a rope coiled around his throat. Desperately, Dev tried
to pull on the rope but it tightened and dragged him upward until he was

dangling a few inches from the floor.
"As I said, either way I win. It's your choice, grandson." An unpleasant
smile creased Isaiah's lips as he watched Dev struggle.

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

136

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

James didn't even have the car turned off before Jay was jumping

out, not bothering to close the door behind him. Seeing Dev's car in the

drive, Jay ran to the front door and fumbled for a second, trying to
unlock it without breaking the key. Soon as it was unlocked, he shoved
the door open, causing it to bang against the wall.

"Dev!" When he heard a loud crash above his head, Jay took the

stairs two at a time, heart pounding as he ran up them. He could hear

James right behind him. When they reached the bedroom, Jay didn't stop
until he got to the secret room. "Dev!"

Dev tried to cry out to Jay as a wall of darkness formed around

Isaiah, blocking him from their view, then a loud roar shook the walls as
the blackness swelled. Dev managed to flex his feet to touch the ground
as he tried to pull the cord from around his throat. When the rope yanked

him a few inches higher, his legs dangled in the air. Unable to breathe,
Dev choked as the rope stayed wound tightly around his neck.

Jay grabbed Dev around the waist and lifted him enough to create a

little slack. Balancing Dev in one arm, he reached up with the other and
caught the cord, jerking it downward with all of his strength. Dev
collapsed into his arms, gasping for breath.

The house shook violently and things began falling from their

shelves. The black mass of shadows swirled, threatening to engulf
everything. As James took Dev, cradling him in his arms, Jay wrapped

his hand around the chain of Dev's necklace and yanked it off. He
scrambled for the hammer still sitting on the floor, dodging books and

God-knew what else.

Dev broke free from James and ran into the black cloud, intent on

attacking Isaiah. James tried to grab for him but missed and hesitated for

a moment as the darkness swallowed Dev.

"You bastard!" Dev's yell of outrage nearly drowned in the uproar

within the room. Glass jars shattered on impact against the walls, books

ejected from their shelves, and the house seemed to shake from its very

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

137

foundations.

Finally getting hold of the hammer, Jay slammed the necklace on

the floor and brought the hammer down on it. Managing to crack one of

the small slabs of stone in the necklace, Jay hit it again with the hammer
several more times, chipping off pieces of it. Small cracks appeared in
the inlaid stone of the floor. With each smash of the hammer to the

necklace, the cracks lengthened and widened in the floor.

An unholy shriek followed, then a force within the shadows

exploded, expelling Dev and throwing him across the room. James and

Jay ran over to him, shielding him from the debris as Isaiah's spirit raged.
A sharp, piercing cry split the air, then everything fell silent.

Stunned, Dev didn't react right away as he lay on the floor, trying to

catch his breath. A moment later when the dust settled, Dev looked
around, bemused. The mangled pieces of the necklace lay on the floor in
the midst of the debris. Large cracks damaged the appearance of the

circle, and the oddly oppressive air that haunted the house had dissipated,
leaving only blissful quiet.

"Dev?" Jay pushed Dev's hair out of the way to see his eyes. "Look

at me. Please tell me it's you."

Blinking. Dev looked back at Jay. "Who the hell else would I be?"

Reaching for Jay, Dev hugged tightly to him and started laughing.

He couldn't help it. Burying his face against Jay's hair, Dev whispered, "I
think it's okay now."

Jay shuddered in relief, holding Dev tight. "Thank God. Oh, thank

God."

"Hate to break the moment," James said after a couple of minutes,

"but am I the only one who feels the need to get the hell out of this house
for a while?"

"I have a special dinner made." Somehow everything still hadn't

fully sunk into Dev and his comment showed it. Pulling back from Jay,
Dev moved to stand up and pulled Jay with him.

Jay and James exchanged looks. "Um, babe…" Jay's brow wrinkled

as he tried to find the correct way to explain things. He finally gave up.
"Okay. Let's go downstairs. Then maybe a nice, long vacation is in order.
You think your dad is up for company for a while?"

Heading for the stairs, Dev looked over his shoulder at them. "You

guys want to tell me what happened? I was in the kitchen fixing dinner,

and I saw my grandmother again. When I went outside, I saw Isaiah in
the attic window. I wanted to kill him, and I think he nearly killed me."

THE DUKE'S HUSBAND

138

"To say the least," James muttered.
"Dev." Jay caught Dev's arm, stopping him. "It's over. Isaiah's gone.

The key was the necklace. Once I destroyed it, Isaiah's spirit went with

it."

Dev paused in front of the kitchen, seeming lost in thought for a

moment. Finally, he slipped his arm around Jay and said, "I don't think I

want to live here anymore. Maybe we should get out of here just in case
anything else happens."

"Agreed. James, pack enough for us all to leave for a while. We'll

stay in a hotel if we have to. I'll find us another place." He kissed Dev
softly, then rested his forehead to Dev's and sighed. "Thought I was
going to lose you."

James nodded to Jay and sprinted back upstairs, disappearing into

Jay and Dev's bedroom.

"I realized my behavior has been weird, and I wanted to make up for

it by fixing dinner for you. That got blown all to hell." Turning his head
slightly, he pressed a kiss to Jay's cheek. "I need to turn off the oven then

we can all leave. After we get to Dad's, we can have everything else
moved out of here. Might be a good idea to do exactly what my
grandfather wanted to do to this house."

"Good." Jay slipped a finger under Dev's chin and tilted Dev's head

up. "Love you," he whispered.

Dev gave into his own urge, and the brush of his lips covered Jay's.

Their lives had been far too much like a roller coaster, and Dev had only
started to realize it. Free from whatever spell had befuddled him, Dev
started to understand just how bizarre his own behavior had been. His

arms slid around Jay, keeping him close as the hunger of their kiss
deepened.

Leaning back against the doorframe of the kitchen, Jay all but

devoured Dev in the kiss. When they finally broke for air, he smiled.
"Get the oven off and let's get the bloody hell out of here."

* * * *

After paying for the hotel room, Dev handed Jay the key and drove

the car towards the back of the building, looking for room 167. Spotting
the room, Dev parked the car in front of the door. He grabbed for their

cases from the back seat and got out of the car.

"James will be fine at Dad's. I just wanted a night or two to

ourselves before we start looking for another place."

A smile quirked Jay's lips as he got out of the car and met Dev at the

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

139

door. Unlocking it, he opened it and walked in. "You do have quite a bit
to make up for, love."

"We should be able to afford another place with no problem." Dev

had thought about their finances on the drive into the city. He had every
plan to tear down the family house. Whether they'd ever rebuild on the
property was up in the air.

"Don't care. Don't want to talk." Jay murmured, and the tone of his

voice distracted Dev. Once they both were inside, the door shut and
locked, Jay took the cases from Dev and dropped them to the floor. Then

he pushed Dev back against the door and kissed him.

Dev understood Jay's mood and answered it. His fingers slipped

under the edge of Jay's shirt, wanting to feel the skin beneath. They had a

lot of things to make up for now that everything was thankfully past
them.

Breaking the kiss, Jay pulled his shirt off, then Dev's, dropping both

to the floor. Then he started on Dev's jeans, kissing his way down Dev's
neck as he shoved the jeans to the floor.

"Love you, babe," Dev whispered to him. Toeing off his shoes, he

stepped out of his pants and leaned back against the wall, enjoying the
hunger of Jay's arousal.

"Love you, too." Jay dropped to his knees, kissing a path down

Dev's stomach, hands sliding up his thighs, then between them. He
cupped Dev's balls gently, rolling them in his palm as he licked a line

down the length of Dev's cock.

Closing his eyes, he rested his hand in Jay's hair, giving into the

sensations Jay brought out in him. The nudge of his hips demanded entry

into the heat of Jay's mouth as his fingers tugged at Jay's hair.

Wrapping his fingers around the shaft, Jay flicked the tip of Dev's

cock with his tongue, moaning softly. Then he opened his mouth and

drew Dev in, gaze locked onto Dev as he swallowed.

"Jay." A groan enveloped the name and Dev's fingers tangled more

tightly in Jay's hair. Remaining against the wall, Dev let Jay set the

rhythm but it didn't take long for Dev to want more. His hand slid down
to Jay's shoulder, drawing him up then pushed him toward the bed.

Crouching down, Dev fumbled in one of the bags for the lube. As he

straightened, he watched intently as Jay stripped for him before sliding
onto the bed. Slowly approaching the bed, Dev's gaze fastened on the

lazy stroke of Jay's hand over his own hardening cock.

Giving him a sexy smile, Jay's voice lowered to a deeper level.

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140

"Come here, love. I've got just the thing you need."

Kneeling beside Jay, Dev opened the tube and poured a generous

amount of the gel into his palm. Brushing Jay's hand aside, Dev took

over, slicking Jay's cock. Jay groaned, thrusting up into Dev's fist.

"Dev."
Dev remained motionless except for the movement of his hand,

stroking over Jay's cock. He loved the sight of his husband captivated by
the sensations Dev aroused in him. A bare, open need glazed Jay's eyes,
and Dev took the moment to relish Jay's reaction to him.

Straddling Jay, Dev used his hand to guide Jay's cock slowly inside

him. The downward shift of his hips buried Jay deeply in his ass, making
Dev slowly shudder in response.

"Oh, God…" Jay's eyes rolled back and he gripped Dev's hips, his

own lifting to drive him deeper inside Dev. "Dev."

His hips rocked slowly against Jay, feeling the pressure stretch his

ass in a pleasurably delicious sensation. One hand wrapped around his
own cock and the other kneaded against Jay's chest, nails scraping gently

over one nipple. "I want it to last forever, Jay."

Jay hissed and bucked. Anchoring his feet, he bent his legs up,

giving himself more leverage, and thrust up hard, jerking Dev down at

the same moment. "Come on," he grunted, gaze heated and determined
as he stared at Dev. "Fucking ride me."

Dev fingers pinched lightly at Jay's nipple, and he maintained the

same, excruciatingly slow pace. The friction against his prostrate drew a
deep groan from him as Dev's other hand squeezed in its up and down
motion to his cock. Staring down at Jay, Dev whispered, "I can't get

enough of the feel of you. God, it drives me crazy."

Beyond words, Jay could only nod. He managed to slow down a

little, letting Dev set the pace. Hands on Dev's hips, Jay rocked them

both, the sensations sending sparks throughout his body.

Lowering his head, Dev's teeth and tongue replaced his fingers,

suckling on the hard nub. The need to taste and feel overrode everything

else, and each stroke of his hand and grind of his hips pushed them both
closer to the edge of urgency. Releasing the nipple, Dev left a trail of
kisses across Jay's chest before he latched onto the other one. His fingers

caressed in a slow path downward over Jay's stomach then slipped
further, reaching beneath his ass. One tip ran gently against Jay's cock

before pushing in alongside it.

"Oh, fuck," Jay gasped, his movements faltered for a moment.

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

141

"Fuck, Dev." Releasing Dev's hip, Jay tilted Dev down and reached
behind him, sliding one of his fingers inside Dev as well. "Fuck, yes," he
growled.

The hand on Dev's cock quickened as the sudden aching need

flooded him, and the push of his hips became harder and more urgent. He
bit hard at Jay's nipple before he released it, gasping out Jay's name.

Several shudders rolled through Dev before lightning shot through his
body. Warm, sticky liquid spurted over Jay's stomach as he came.

Jay pulled his finger out and grabbed Dev's hips, flipping him over.

Mouth crashing down on Dev's, Jay began thrusting fast and deep, need
overwhelming the desire to be gentle. Without warning his orgasm hit
and he jerked, hips slamming into Dev as Jay shot. Breathless, he

collapsed, panting, face pressed against Dev's shoulder.

Dev collapsed against the covers, wrapping his arms around Jay. He

didn't want to be separated from him just yet. After a moment when his

breath began to return to normal, he raised his head burrowing in against
Jay's neck. "I love you."

"Love you, too, babe." Jay pulled out slowly and rolled onto his

side, holding Dev close. "So much."

Relaxing against Jay, Dev could only thank God things were back to

normal for them. The solid feel of his husband's body was a comfort all
its own, and Dev refused to give it up for any reason for the time being.

When the phone rang, Dev deliberately buried his face against Jay's

chest with a groan.

Sighing, Jay twisted and picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Mr. Wharton?"

"Yes."
"This is the front desk. We have a message for you to

contact…James?"

"Ah, yes. Thank you." Jay hung up the phone and groaned. "I just

got a message to call James at your dad's."

Surprised, Dev drew back, blinking at Jay. Grabbing the phone, he

dialed his dad's number then handed the phone back to Jay.

When Dev's father answered the phone, Jay said, "Hi, James. Is…"

He blinked. "Is James there?" he finally finished with a slight chuckle.

"Hi there, Jay. Yeah, here he is."
"Jay, it's James."

"James? What's wrong?" Something inside Jay tightened simply

from the tone of James' voice.

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142

"It's your mother, Jay. She's…" James sighed and his voice lowered

slightly. "She's had a heart attack, Jay."

Numbness settled throughout him and Jay didn't answer. He just

hung up the phone and stared unblinking at the ceiling.

Seeing Jay's paled features sent a feeling of alarm through Dev.

Laying his hand gently on Jay's chest, he asked quietly, "What's wrong,

Jay?"

"My mum had a heart attack."
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, love." Draping his arm over Jay, he drew

him close, pressing Jay's head in against his shoulder. "Do you want to
go to England?"

Arm sliding around Dev, Jay held him tightly, pressing his face in

Dev's hair. "I have to," he whispered.

"It's all right, love. We'll go." Slowly Dev rocked Jay against him.

He didn't care about the reasons he'd fled England in the first place. His

first concern was his husband, and Dev had every intention of going with
him. Nothing would ever part them again.

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

143

About the Authors

Mychael Black never set out to write erotic romance (or romance or
erotica, for that matter). When Mychael first started writing (way back

when), it was to be a fantasy author—someone along the lines of Tolkien
or Mercedes Lackey. Mychael even thought about breaking into horror.
Then, somewhere down the line, Mychael got hooked on gay porn.

The rest is history.

Born in Alabama in 1976, Mychael is known by many names. At this
point, most people in the e-publishing world (readers and authors) know

Mychael as Kay Derwydd.

The name Mychael Black came about when Mychael started working

with Shayne Carmichael. (See Shayne's bio for the progression of that
whole thing.) To date, Mychael has written countless works with Shayne,
plus several single-authored works as Mychael Black.

When not writing, Mychael can usually be found researching anything
medieval—arms, armor, history, religion; anything Welsh—culture,

language, history; languages—namely Welsh, Hebrew, German; and
only God knows what else.

Aside from research, writing, and editing, Mychael spends most of the
time chasing down two young children and fighting off the plot bunnies

left and right.

More information can be found at the following places:

http://www.geocities.com/mychaelblack
http://mychael-black2.livejournal.com

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144

Who is Shayne Carmichael? His real name is Shayne Lee Smith. He
was born in Itazuke, Japan to American parents. (ie - Dad was in the Air
Force). From the age of three to eight, he lived in Taiwan. He's traveled a

lot, and only discovered even more he wants to learn about the world.

When not writing, Shayne is a self taught PHP and MySql dynamo. Or at

least one would think from the number of scripts he's been begged to
write for free. With any spare time left to him, Shayne runs ERWI
(Erotic Romance Writers International), aggravates his co-author,

Mychael, to no end, often drowns under Mychael's plot bunnies, and
holds a forty hour a week job.

Currently Shayne is working on a six book series, The Legends of the
Romanorum. Blood Ties, Blood Magic and Blood Sins are being written
by Shayne. The Prince's Angel, And the Two Shall Become One, and

Forever May Not Be Long Enough are being written by Shayne and
Mychael. Included in the writing list are a few other books, Magic and

the Pagan, Night Song, and numerous novellas and shorts.

Shayne writes under the pen names of Sable St Germain and Shayne

Carmichael. Sable was an RP character he used to play. Shayne
Carmichael is a combination of his first name and Cian's (Angel/sorcerer
in The Prince's Angel) last name. The character Shayne writes for in The

Prince's Angel is Mael Black. That would explain why Mychael's last
name is Black, and the character Mychael writes for is Cian.

Shayne's first official publishing contact is with Phaze for the Power of
Two. A vampire D/s, BDSM story written with Mychael Black. The
status of Phaze author has been one of their goals. Having achieved that,

their next goal is to take over the world.

Over the last nine years, Shayne has rped (roleplayed) and written both

male and female characters. Gay, lesbian and het (vanilla and non
vanilla). You could say he runs the gamut.

He's never believed whatever gender he happens to possess dictates what
he can and can't write. And he pretty much ignores anybody who thinks

that way. Especially since he's never been a vampire, were tiger, ghost or
guide, but he writes about them anyway.

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

145

Hell, he could be a woman pretending to be a man, or a man pretending
to be a woman. He might be a 21 year old sex crazed female or a 60 year

old dirty old man. It's the world wide anonymous web, remember? In the
anonymous vacuum of web space, nobody can hear you scream. They
can't tell your age or sex either.

In the publication of most of his books and for advertising, his persona is
male. In the comic strip The Beleaguered Lives of Mychael and Shayne,

his persona is female. Why? He likes confusing the readers. Then again,
maybe he's a bit of both.

Whether he's a man writing gay, lesbian and kinky het or a woman
writing gay, lesbian and kinky het, doesn't matter. If he can draw you
into a story with his words, he's done his job.

Who is Shayne Carmichael? Does it really matter?

Shayne shares a website with Mychael Black, his partner in crime at

http://www.theprinceangel.com

Excerpts for other works and several freebie stories are available on the

site. To contact Shayne, email shayne@theprincesangel.com.

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146

What's Your Pleasure?

GET YOURS AT www.Phaze.com

BLACK/CARMICHAEL

147

The hottest romance, the most memorable heroines,

and the most gorgeous heroes…

Welcome to the next PHAZE in erotic romance!

Join us online for author chats, writing workshops,

and big prize contests with our FREE newsletter!

www.phaze.com

groups.yahoo.com/group/PhazeChatters

phazebooks.ning.com (new forum!)

eBooks available at Fictionwise.com, CyberRead.com,

and AllRomanceeBooks.com,

Print titles available at Amazon.com, BN.com,

and BooksAMillion.com!

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