It was as if the ceiling overhead opened up and Jasper could see the English country stars. He was laid on his back, a man held in his arms as kisses riddled his neck. The mild scratchiness of thin stubble brought attention to his senses, soft and mannered sashays kissing him in spots that willed a response from his flush lips. His mind whorled within this divine attention, every one of his sensitive points given proper courtesy as if the man in his arms knew just the right ways to make him weak.
And Jasper did respond to the care shown to his body. This carnal requisite to be handled as such brought out the soft hums of his approval, his feather-like whimpers and breathy exhales letting this man, this proficient and savory man know that all he did felt wondrous, and the Master wanted more of him.
Staring desirously up at Timothy when the man sat up on his knees, Jasper's ravening eyes raked over his body, never letting his alluring eyes stray when Timothy let his coat fall from his arms. He got rid of the heavy piece of clothing and began to then unbutton his shirt, coming out of it as well. His body was plagued by numerous scars all over his arms and chest, the most prominent one at his neck the most grueling of them all.
Jasper reached up towards him as Timothy pulled the shirt off all the way and dropped it to the floor of the stage, gliding his curious fingers over the hard surface of the other man's firm and indented abdomen. He was so muscular, figure tight in every place due to the labor he was accustomed to. Timothy remained silent as his body was admired. Jasper then came out of his top garments as well. When his coat and shirt was off, Mr. Creel took in just how beautifully trim the Master's frame was, and his lustful appetite only grew when Jasper gave him permission to strip him from his trousers. The entirety of this blond nobleman was bewitching, his flawless pale skin under the dimness of a single candlelight so wonderful, and the intensity of his stare only enhanced Timothy's coaxing urge.
Taken over by this raw fire, Timothy met Jasper's patient lips once more, tugging at the buttons and strings of his trousers to free himself. He came out of them finally, feeling relieved when he and the Master experienced the pour of heat from each other's bodies. Jasper released a moving whine as kisses pressed into the crook of his neck, legs locking around the other man's waist.
A type of harmony Jasper couldn't put into words bathed his burning excitement. His pulse picked up then when Timothy's lips began to travel down from his neck and to his collar, never missing a responsive point until he brought his tongue into play. Sweeping his left thumb over Jasper's perked nipple made the Master shut his eyes, holding in the sharp yelp he nearly released when Timothy's tongue teased across his other one. And this dazzling arousal inside the Master only grew and grew when the dark-haired man wrapped his fingers around Jasper's erection.
Jasper choked on his cries, dazed by the severity of each tug. In need of something to hold on to, the Masters hands found the top of Timothy's shoulders, nails clawing down into them. His mouth hung open as he breathed out every moan rising from his throat, tormented even more when Mr. Creel brought his thumb up over the head of Jasper's cock.
Timothy stole his tongue from the Master's nipple then, leaving it wet in the chill of the darkened ballroom. He couldn't help but watch as Jasper writhed beneath him, coming undone just for him as he continued the tug of his hand. This man was so wonderful to look upon, radiant and sublime in more than just a few ways.
When Jasper's hand mindlessly cupped the side of the man's face then, Timothy kissed his fingers before taking his hunger further. He moved down Jasper's abdomen until he was between the nobleman's legs, pushing them apart only to realize how lithe the Master actually was. Avid to taste what has been forbidden for so long, Timothy dragged his tongue up the appealing length of Jasper's cock.
A moan left Jasper without delay, the soft echo of his voice resounding all throughout the large room. The Master squirmed as Timothy went on, taking him in whole nearly each time as pleased and lamenting gasps surfaced. The internal droplets of Jasper's precum expunged from his cock, the moisture welcomed as Timothy did not back away.
As the agony of such pleasure ached within Jasper's groin, he curved his back up off the hard floor.
Knowing the Master was too close to losing it, Timothy stole his mouth away, and without needing to voice anything, Jasper turned carefully onto his stomach, rising onto his knees only a small way. His cheek was pressed to the floor, one hand reaching back only to bring Timothy's hand to his waist. "T—Take me," he begged.
Timothy cupped Jasper's bottom, seeing as the Master shut his eyes, biting down on his own lip when the dark-haired man came up behind him and leaned forward. Timothy's cock glided up through the middle of the Master's center, but before he could let himself in, he sucked two fingers into his mouth until they were moist with his own saliva.
"Please," Jasper sounded lowly, body seeming to shiver in anticipation.
"I know," Timothy assured, "I don't want to hurt you."
At that, the dark-haired man slowly merged his fingers into Jasper's entry, causing the Master to gasp from the deep touch. Jasper closed his hands into fists, rocking back as the other man's fingers entered him further. The mild thrusts worsened the zealous fever inside them both.
To ease whatever pain could be felt even though Jasper showed no signs of agony, Timothy glided his other hand down the slim curvature of Jasper's backside. He felt as his own cock dripped with a hot need to feel any kind of welcoming pleasure around it, but he waited until Jasper—
"I'm ready, Timothy," Jasper spoke shakily, "Please, cum inside. F–Fuck me."
With the voiced command he wanted to hear, Timothy brought his fingers out of Jasper's desperate heat. He then made sure his cock was slick enough for entry and slowly slid what he could give into the Master.
If there was any discomfort, Jasper didn't let it be known. His nails clawed at the floor of the stage, merely bringing himself up onto his hands with what strength he could muster, head down as his long blond tresses draped around his face.
Timothy drove into Jasper, their skin coming together with each thrust. The dark-haired man was so astounded by how superb it felt being inside the Master as the minutes went by, feeling his need to burst finding its way down into his cock. He maneuvered an arm around Jasper's slight body then, pressing one hand into the floor as he plunged into Jasper far enough to strike the one spot that inspired every pleasured cry.
"Jasper," Timothy spoke then, winded and near his end, "I know it feels best this way, but let me — let me see you."
Hearing Mr. Creel's request, Jasper's cheeks and whole body blushed and Timothy slipped his cock from inside. The Master was helped then to turn around to lay on his back, but Timothy brought his hips just far enough off the floor to have the Master's legs wrap around his waist once more.
When he found his way back into Jasper, they kissed impatiently, tongues taken by hunger as Timothy fucked into the Master. Feeling as nails clawed down his naked back, the need to release ached inside the length of Mr. Creel's shaft. He graciously tugged Jasper's cock as well while they kissed, their breath trembling when suddenly they burst all at once.
Cum jetted blissfully into Jasper's core, while the Master's burst found its way onto each of their lower stomachs. "Oh, god," the nobleman shivered, feeling the aftermath of Timothy's warmth tremor inside of him. He hankered for such a wonderful sensation as he was filled.
Quaking as the dark-haired man retracted from Jasper's body, they both collapsed upon the floor of the stage then, listening to nothing but the breaths of one another while clarity and their active arousal diminished.
Several minutes seemed to go by as they stayed there in the ballroom, tired and unmoved until Timothy finally gathered the will to sit up all the way.
He shoved two hands into his dark curly hair, sitting with his back facing the blond nobleman. Although he couldn't lie that the entirety of his body was satisfied from this shared moment of intimacy, nothing about the position he was in right now matched something Timothy Creel would do, and suddenly...after so long of never feeling as he once did, Timothy saw traces of Broderick Thorne in him. This internal desire, the relief of being touched, touching and witnessing another's pleasure, and especially the fact that he let himself be lured into a sexual moment with Jasper, it was all something Timothy could never envision himself doing.
But Broderick was a whole different story.
"You regret this," Jasper said from behind him, voice sounding insecure.
Timothy glanced over his shoulder, meeting Jasper's weary eyes as he sat up as well, a shirt blanketed across his groin. "No," Mr. Creel reassured the other cautious man, "Misperception is all I feel, not regret. Never." Grabbing his trousers tossed a meter from him, Timothy stood and pulled them on.
"Stay with me then," the Master said, "Just for tonight if you haven't anywhere to be at dawn."
When the dark-haired man nodded, he and Jasper gathered the rest of their clothing into their arms, and while Jasper would have been alright walking up to his quarters, he was swept off his feet by Timothy after he blew out the candle, and together they ascended the stairs to his large chamber. After stepping into the second half of the room, Jasper was placed carefully down in his bed while Timothy shut and locked the door.
The only light source that brought proper vision to the darkness were the ceiling-high windows against the wall, silver moonlight seeping inside. The Master was still nude as he found comfort in the bed, gesturing for Mr. Creel to join him after the man showed hesitancy. He climbed up next to the blond lord beside him, laying back with his head in the pillows as Jasper then moved into his arms.
They laid there in silence for a time, neither of them falling asleep while the realization of what had occurred settled in. Jasper's whole body felt at ease, and although he was fatigued from the sex, he didn't want to fall asleep right now. A year ago, he couldn't have pictured himself as he was now, held and comforted in the arms of another man, but granted the absence of a single remorseful thought in his mind, Jasper was satisfied by him and Timothy's unexpected moment. He watched his fingers trace circles into the solid wall of the dark-haired man's chest, able to hear as his heart beat and watch the rhythmic rise and fall of his serene breathing.
In that instant, Jasper remembered what it was like to feel unperturbed.
Spying the several scars all over Timothy's chest, Jasper glanced up to the extensive one just above his collar bones. He ran his thumb over the length of it and propped himself up on one hand, "Where did you get all of these?" he asked. "It looks as though you have suffered a great deal."
"I kill people for a living," Timothy said, no shame in his voice. "And sometimes people fight back."
"You're not afraid, are you? Of death?"
Folding his hands behind his head as he lay there, Mr. Creel felt as Jasper ran his thumb over the past neck wound, the concern for his well-being clear as day in the Master's stare. "August," he said, "Two years ago. I was begged by a woman like Darcy and Juliette who became the third victim of a man who trapped and tormented vulnerable women in his home. When I arrived to his cottage in the late evening, I could see him through the windows of the kitchen cooking dinner for himself. I entered with my rifle in hand but somehow he heard me approaching. He ambushed me from the doorway, and we wrestled for control. With a blade in his hand, he swung defensively at me, causing just a few of the scars you see now. Able enough to restrain me against him, he was nearly strong enough to slice my throat, but the blade didn't cut as deep when he dragged it across me."
When the tale stopped there, Jasper said, "What happened to him?"
"I killed him." The indignity in Timothy's voice seemed to arise after the confession, and he went on. "I am not a worthy man, Jasper. Given all I have done in my lifetime, the death I have seen and caused, these hands no longer deserve to touch what is pure."
"Do not speak that way," the Master said.
"It is the truth, Jasper. Though I still stand to live another day after all the death I have caused, I have also earned these scars. In no way do I believe these people I have killed deserve to see the light of another day. Those who hurt others without purpose and for selfish, harmful reasons, I would tear them all from this world if I had the power to do so. But...who made me the executioner? The judge to rule over them all?"
"You think what you do is wrong?"
"Of course, I do. But I can't stop. Every job I am requested for, I feel obligated to step in and end the harm myself, and with every request, I am reminded of the suffering my Neville went through before he was stolen from me. If I had been there for him when it mattered the most, if I hadn't left him alone..." Timothy stopped and looked down upon the blond nobleman. This was not the boy whom he pictured living out his days with. "Jasper," he started again, and when their gaze met, he lifted the other man's chin enable to reach his lips. He kissed them and quickly the passion settled in.
No, this person before him was not Neville, but perhaps this was his chance to start over, to get this right the second time around. But if he failed just as he had the one time before, Timothy vowed to never love again.
When the weariness began to entered them both now, Mr. Creel and Jasper slipped away together, tucked as one beneath the warm coverings atop them. "I cannot promise you this will last the way you wish it will," Timothy said, unaware if Jasper was even still awake, "But I will do my best to see us till the end."
***
The next morning Jasper awoke to the brightness of the early hour. The sun shone in through the unsheathed window, and he could feel a close temperateness pressed up against his backside. Timothy's arm was wrapped around his body, nose pressed between his shoulder blades, and the other man only budged to turn over when Jasper began to sit up. He could still feel the presence of Mr. Creel's cum between his legs as well, even more so when he sat up all the way and the damp substance could be felt running down his center.
He rose out of bed carefully, naked as he slowly went for the bathroom. When he grabbed a large drying cloth from the cupboard and wrapped it around himself, there was a knock on his door and Alexander's voice followed. "My Lord," the servant said, "Are you awake?"
Going for the doors that shut off the second half of the bedroom, Jasper closed them and opened the main door. "Just a bath," he said, and when Alexander nodded, he merely stood back as the young man made sure the tub wasn't too hot, and the Master had everything he needed to get ready for another day before leaving the room again.
Locking the bedroom door once more, Jasper stepped into the bathroom and dipped himself into the hot water. Mindful of his foot, he cleansed the rest of his body, washed his hair and mouth out, and left the porcelain room once he was finished. By the time he was dressed simply in tan trousers and a black shirt with golden seams and buttons, socks and shoes, Jasper opened the doors to the bedding area.
To his surprise, Timothy was still lain in bed. Jasper almost didn't want to disturb him as he looked so peaceful, but without calling to the man's attention, Timothy stirred beneath the covers and woke up at last.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, seeing Jasper dressed for the day made him think first that he'd slept far too long.
"No worries," the Master said. "The water is still quite hot if you care to wash up. Please, do join us for breakfast when you have finished up here."
"I will."
Knowing that, Jasper left his bedroom entirely and headed downstairs. He'd forgotten his walking stick in the ballroom last night, so trekking down the stairs one at a time was crucial to his stitches. By the time he retrieved it from the lonesome room, he stayed there a moment, able to see all that he had done and hear the faintness of his voice. Last night he'd made love with another man for the first time in so long, and even now he wanted to do it all again. He'd thoroughly enjoyed the excitement that'd raved inside of him before, but he had to contain himself for the time being.
Finally, Jasper went to the dining room where breakfast was being served. Darcy and Juliette were seated where they usually were, but there was something obviously different about his wife and her lover on this morning. They were not laughing together, and Darcy did not greet him with loving eagerness like most days. In fact, the glumness shown on her face almost scared Jasper.
Not taking a seat yet, Jasper approached Darcy and touched the back of his knuckles down her soft cheek. "What is the matter?" he asked. "Where is my Lady Darcy?"
Placing her hand over Jasper's kind fingers, Darcy seemed unable to hold her emotions back when she suddenly began to cry.
This startled Jasper greatly. These tears she shed were heavy in sorrow, and when she stood quickly to find comfort in his arms, Jasper knew more than ever that something was horribly wrong.
"Did something happen?" he asked Juliette who was still seated, and when she, too, appeared ready to burst into tears, the Master comforted Darcy against him as she let out her woes.
A minute later, Timothy joined them, dressed in his clothes from the day before and his dark hair was still a bit damp. He walked in on the doleful atmosphere, but he was sure he already knew what the tears were for.
"Oh, Jasper," Darcy cried into his shoulder, "Why can't we just be left alone?"
"What ever are you talking about?" Jasper asked.
"Your father," Timothy said when all the Lady could do was continue sobbing against her husband. "He came last night while you were away."
The same anger he always felt for his father returned to Jasper then, but this batch grew even hotter knowing Ronald had made it possible for Darcy to feel this wretched. He closed his arms protectively around the woman before him, turning his nose into her hair as she trembled. "What did he have to say this time?" he asked.
Juliette cleared the tightness from her throat, "He told her he would remove her from the family if she did not show proof of a pregnancy by autumn. He means it Jasper."
"Bastard," the Master swore. "It is all right, my Lady. I will make sure his demands stay far from you."
"That is not going to work," Darcy sniveled, "Ronald will not stop until he has a grandson, and he does not care if the baby he wants isn't a product of us. He will take me away from you, away from this life we have here." She pressed their foreheads together and held Jasper's face in her hands. "I cannot be taken from you. I will lose this harmony I have with Juliette. You will be given another wife and forced to live as your father sees fit. He cannot take us from each other, Jasper."
"What – what are you saying?"
"We must, Jasper," Darcy said, no matter how hard it was for her to do so. "I must carry your child so long as Ronald demands it. If we disregard him any longer, I fear the lives we will have to live. To be placed into the hands of a man selected by my mother and father would be treacherous, and I know you would not do well taking the hand of a woman who does not know you as I."
"I cannot do that to you, Darcy."
The Lady dabbed her tears away, "I would rather it be you than any other. Yes, I am scared. Yes, I have never thought to consider this happening in the past, but I will perform my duties as the wife of a Lancechester if it means I can keep you and Juliette."
Bringing his eyes from Darcy, Jasper glanced off towards Timothy. He wanted to plead with the man once more to end his father's demand in one fell swoop, but all Mr. Creel did was look off to the side, avoiding the Master's eyes. "I wish I could have known a time like this would come when we first married," Jasper said to his wife, and then he kissed the back of her knuckles. "We will wait, just for a while longer."