Alec did not at all mind going to check on Captain Carstairs for his father. He actually found it deeply amusing that his father fabricated an excuse to get rid of him, so he could be alone with Maren. That was probably a good sign. It meant his father liked her.

He knew things would be more difficult for Maren since she was so madly in love with someone else, but she looked reasonably content. Alec thought that was more or less the best they could hope for under the circumstances.

He also had no objection to calling upon the Captain for his own reasons. He had been thinking of concocting an excuse to do it and was glad to be handed one. They had spoken briefly the night before, but for obvious reasons kept things strictly professional.

Carstairs and his men had positioned a speeder to block off the entrance to the drive from the road. And apart from that, they just stood there. Alec thought it was likely a dull assignment for them, but every job had something distasteful in it. It wasn't like he particularly enjoyed draining abscesses.

Carstairs saw Alec approach and came to meet him. Alec had to resist smiling broadly at him, but he did allow himself to observe how handsome the other man was. He was about Alec's height and had a similarly slender build, but his face was what really drew Alec to him. Seb had bold and brilliant features, with brown eyes that held just a bit of mischief. Alec couldn't help but swoon a bit. If there had ever been a God of Handsomeness, he must've looked just like Seb.

"My lord," Carstairs said, bowing.

Alec did not miss his small smile. It appeared Carstairs suspected Alec might have ulterior motives for the visit. Which was fine. He did have ulterior motives.

"Captain," Alec said, inclining his head graciously to the other man.

"The Duke has asked me to see if there was anything you and your men needed."

"Not in the slightest, my lord. His Grace's staff has been most attentive."

"I am so glad to hear it," Alec said. "If there is anything else you might require, please don't hesitate to ask."

Carstairs suppressed a smile. "Actually, now that I think of it, it would be helpful to have someone show me around the grounds, just in case."

"I would be happy to."

"Oh, my lord, I certainly don't expect someone such as yourself to do something so...menial," Carstairs said, openly smirking now.

Alec suppressed a laugh. Seb always enjoyed hiding their flirtation in formality.

"Oh, but, Captain, it would be my honor to show you the grounds," Alec said, unable to resist a wink.

"If you insist," Carstairs said, his eyes smoldering. "I'll tell the men I'll be back in about an hour."

Alec nodded gravely. "The grounds are rather large."

"Did your father really ask you to check on us?" Seb asked once they were out of earshot of the men.

Alec laughed. "He really did. I accidentally intruded on his courtship of his new wife, and he wanted to get rid of me."

"Well, how terribly convenient. I was trying to come up with some way to see you. How long are you around this trip?"

"Three weeks. I'm staying until the wedding. I'm planning to visit my brothers as well but, I'm sure something can be arranged. Come to think of it, I'm free this evening."

"Splendid," Seb said. "My boarding house has a rear stairwell."

"Even better," Alec said, feeling a bubble of nervous excitement growing within him.

Everyone in town knew Alec, so the fewer people who saw him at a boarding house, the better. As he got older and remained unmarried, stealth became more and more important to keep any rumors about his preferences at bay.

"I didn't know you'd come back from Clifton," Alec said.

"Gods, it was the longest year of my life. Absolutely nothing to do there. And I had to ride a fucking horse! Have you ever done that? Complete nightmare."

Alec laughed, thinking of Maren and her affinity for horses. "I haven't, but I have absolutely no intention of doing it. I didn't even know they still used horses up there until I met Lady Maren."

"Oh, right, I wanted to speak to her, but it didn't seem a good time. I've been to her family's estate, actually. The officers from Clifton check in on the area nobles every so often. They've got a lovely estate, very nice people. I can't imagine growing up there, though. There's nothing," Seb said.

"She likes horses, so I think she was alright." Alec smiled at the thought. Maren loved horses.

"Ugh, can't stand them. They're huge and temperamental. I'm fairly certain they hate me too."

Alec smirked. "Well, if you walk quickly I can show you the highlights of the grounds, and we can finish off with something I'm sure you'll like."

"Oh? And what's that?" Seb asked with a raised eyebrow.

"An empty stable."

For whatever reason, the stable that had once held horses was still standing, even though the family had not had any horses since long before Alec was born. Alec and his brothers had played in it constantly. It had been a fort, a castle, a dragon's lair, and occasionally, a pirate's ship. Alec found as he got older that it was an excellent place to go if he wanted to be alone, or if he wanted to be alone with someone else. It couldn't be seen from the house, and the paths leading to it had been abandoned and allowed to be reclaimed by the woodsy area that covered much of the land. There was even something like an abandoned store room with a door—a door that locked.

Alec quickly introduced Seb to the paths around the house and the handful of outbuildings. The grounds were large, but not terribly complicated. Much of it had not been cleared; the past and present Dukes of Worthingham all enjoyed the feeling of living in the middle of the woods by the sea.

"And that's really all I have to show you, unless—do you want to see the old stables?" Alec asked, simply because the performance amused them both.

Seb looked thoughtful before nodding his head. "Probably should. At least I'll make sure there's no one hiding in it."

"An excellent notion, right this way," Alec said, leading Seb down a slightly overgrown path.

Alec certainly would've preferred doing something more civilized, like bringing Seb to his room, but that wasn't an option, certainly not while Seb was on duty. It didn't really bother Alec, though—stealing moments for trysts was often the best he could do.

Seb checked his watch when they reached the stables. "I have, thirty, maybe forty minutes before someone gets suspicious."

"That'll do."

Alec closed and locked the door once they were in the old storeroom. It was musty and dusty, but it was also private, and a tiny window at the very top of the outside wall let in enough light to see by.

"Well, I've been in better, but I've been in worse," Seb said with a crooked smile.

Alec had a weakness for a man with a crooked smile.

He smiled back at Seb and then crossed the small room. Alec shoved him against the wall and their lips crashed together. They kissed furiously, as though they were angry at one another. They weren't; they were just desperate.

Seb let him have his way for a few moments while they pressed into each other, but then spun him around, so Alec was against the wall.

"Gods, you are too much fun," Alec breathed, smiling and tilting his head as Seb began kissing his neck.

Some of the men he'd been with liked to be in charge and others wanted to avoid being in charge, and still others didn't think anyone had to be in charge. But Seb was something of a wildcard; he liked a bit of everything. Alec was happy to play anyone's game as long as it was fun. Seb was great fun.

Alec spun Seb around again because he could, and began kissing his neck while Seb clutched their bodies together.

"Gods, I am so glad you're here. Never found anyone in Clifton. It was so terrible, I nearly paid one of the women."

"That is desperate," Alec murmured, more interested in kissing than conversation.

He understood, though, a year was a very long time to be without physical companionship. But it was often difficult to find someone with the same preferences that you actually liked enough to go to bed with. Every so often it was easy to tell, a look held too long or hands brushing more than was strictly necessary, but typically, it wasn't. And the risks of being wrong were far too high to be anything less than extremely cautious.

"Mmm...need some way to identify each other. Maybe some sort of uniform. Perhaps a tattoo," Seb said while Alec nibbled on his ear lobe.

Their lips met again, fierce and hungry for one another. When all your moments were stolen, there was no time to be delicate.

"On your knees, my lord," Seb said, pushing Alec away slightly.

Alec laughed. He resisted and pressed Seb back into the wall.

"No, Captain, I think you'll be going first."

Alec didn't care either way, but it was a fun game to play.

"What a rotten host you are," Seb said, again with the crooked smile. "And me, more than a year all alone."

The crooked smile defeated Alec in the battle of wills.

"You win this round, Captain," Alec said as he unfastened Seb's trousers and began stroking him. "But only because I feel sorry for you."

"Ah...mmm...I will happily accept your pity so long as I also get your mouth."

Alec laughed. "You just like having a lord kneel for you."

Everyone was amused by that. Alec didn't mind. He thought he probably would have been amused if the situation were reversed.

Alec knelt, heedless of the dust and dirt, and took Seb into his mouth. He was deeply gratified to hear Seb's groan of pleasure as his hands ran through Alec's hair.

It was shaping up to be a fairly good vacation, indeed.

—

A/N: A shorter chapter but it's Alec so I hope you can forgive me! See you Friday! (Vote and comment please!)