CHAPTER 2
They jostled each other through the door as Thomas kicked it shut behind him. The lovely steward stood before him visibly trembling from the close call with the officer on deck, but his face splitting into a grin as he started to laugh.
"Will you get in trouble for that in the morning?" Thomas asked as he shrugged off his jacket and loosened his tie.
"Yes, probably,"
"Then I'd better make it worth your while," Thomas said, stepping closer to him, cupping his face in his hands and bringing their lips together as he'd been longing to do all evening.
David's mouth opened to him immediately and he felt a warm, wet tongue slide into his mouth. He moaned softly, the sound coming like a purr from deep in his chest. David melted against him and kissed him harder. Their hands slid around their bodies and they pulled each other close. When the kiss ended, they were flushed and breathing harder.
"Can you stay the night?" Thomas asked.
"If you want me to."
"I want you to."
David smiled, the skin at the corners of his eyes crinkled. Thomas thought it was adorable. He ran a fingertip down the side of David's face. Their lips met in another crushing kiss, their tongues dancing together. Thomas found his fingers slowly plucking at the buttons of the steward's jacket, undoing them one by one until he had the garment off. Reluctantly he broke their kiss to neatly fold it and lay it over the chair. Then he slowly unbuttoned David's shirt, laying it on top of the jacket. His own waistcoat and shirt followed. As he laid his clothes over the chair, David's arms slipped around him from behind, he felt the smooth skin of his chest pressing against his back, warm and silky. Gentle, nipping kisses started on one shoulder and moved across his back to the other, each kiss followed by a soft graze of David's teeth again his skin then a slow touch of his tongue. Thomas moaned softly, his growing arousal made his trousers tight and uncomfortable. He needed to get out of them, and soon. His hands moved down to unbutton them, but David's fingers curled around his wrist, stopping him. Another kiss at the nape of his neck and a tongue snaking its way up the side of his throat made him shiver. He gasped and stifled a small cry when David touched him through the material of his trousers. It felt so good. He pushed his hips forward pressing himself against David's hand. He started panting when his gorgeous new lover pressed his palm against the hard ridge of his cock and slowly rubbed his hand up and down. Up and down. Up. Down. Thomas was rock hard, he ached. It had been so long since another man's hand had been on him; he'd forgotten how wonderful it felt. Wonderful and torturous. He reached behind him, sliding his fingers along David's thighs, pushing his hands between their bodies, he felt David shift his weight a fraction, giving him the room he needed. His fingertips tingled when felt the hard shaft of David's erection. And then suddenly it was gone. David had stepped back, Thomas turned around to see why and was enfolded in a tight, clasping hug. Their lips met again, the kiss more passionate than ever.
Fingers plucked at buttons, shoes were kicked off and socks discarded. Trousers were pulled off and left in a crumpled heap on the floor. In each other's arms again, their tongues danced and their hands grabbed. David tugged Thomas towards the bed and they tumbled onto it, laughing, licking, kissing. They rolled into the middle, Thomas covering the naked body under him with his own, pressing down on him, feeling the contact of their skin. Their cocks rubbed together, Thomas ground his hips down harder, David raised his legs, wrapping them around Thomas' body. Then they were moving again, rolling, twisting, writhing. Thomas underneath now, David straddling him, his hands pushing against Thomas' chest to raise himself up so he sat, legs each side of Thomas hips, gazing down at the handsome valet under him. Thomas was beautiful; his cheeks flushed with colour, his cheekbones sharper in the soft glow of the bedside light, his lips parted and his messy hair tumbling over his forehead.
But something in his eyes had changed; there was a guarded look that hadn't been there a moment ago.
"Is anything the matter?" David asked gently.
Thomas shook his head. "It's been a very long time, that's all. I've had some disastrous encounters..."
He didn't elaborate, but his beautiful eyes clouded he remembered the Duke, the Turkish diplomat, Lieutenant Courtney, and Jimmy. So many failures, it was hard to believe that this time he'd got it right.
"Then let me help you make some happier memories," David smiled down at him and gently rubbed his thumbs across Thomas' nipples.
Thomas reached up and pulled him down for another kiss. This time it was slow, gentle and loving. David moved to stretch out next to him and they kissed while their hands explored. Then David began moving down Thomas' body, covering every inch of his chest with feathery kisses. He licked his way down Thomas' stomach and felt him quiver when his mouth touched the sensitive head of Thomas' cock. He licked along its length, and coiled his fingers around it, slowly pulling his hand up and down the rock hard shaft. Thomas was so aroused he that was leaking pearly droplets that David spread around with his thumb. He did it slowly, teasingly, and Thomas was getting frustrated. He thrust his hips, pushing his cock through David's hand, his body begging for more. But David continued to touch him achingly slowly.
In need of more, Thomas moved his own hand to his cock, but David simply lifted it off and held it away. Thomas moved his other down to his erection, but David held that one prisoner too.
"Does it hurt you still?" David asked, gently holding Thomas left hand, his damaged hand.
"Only when the weather changes," Thomas said, still trying to push his hips up to make David pay attention to the part of him that needed it most.
"May I take this off?" David asked, his fingers hovering over the button of the glove Thomas wore to hide his war injury.
"It's not a pretty sight," Thomas warned.
"Neither is this," David said, twisting his hip so Thomas could see the long puckered scar that cut across his side.
Thomas ran his finger over it, feeling the rough uneven surface the skin. He nodded and let David remove the glove then watched his reaction as the old war wound was revealed. The place where the bullet went through is palm was dark and the skin was tight where the medics had hurriedly stitched the hole. The gunpowder had left a burn that scarred the side of his hand up to the base of his pinkie and next finger. David raised Thomas' hand to his mouth and kissed the scars. Then he moved Thomas' arms, stretching them up and pressing them down into the pillow above his head. David tried to hold him still but Thomas fought to get his arms free, he needed to touch David, to pull his closer, to run his hands over every inch of him and touch his most intimate places.
He twisted his body roughly and David toppled off him, they rolled around the bed, clawing, grappling, clinging. They licked, they kissed, they gently bit. Thomas cried out when David's nails scratched down his back and David moaned loudly when Thomas sucked a nipple into his mouth and gently pulled it between his teeth.
"I won't last much longer," David panted, "I have to... we have to..."
"How do you prefer to do it?" Thomas murmured, gently biting his earlobe.
"I'm flexible," David replied, his voice heavy with desire.
Thomas rolled him onto his back and climbed on top of him, then suddenly stopped. "I don't have anything..."
"In my jacket pocket," David said, squirming out from under him and getting up to fetch it. He climbed back on the bed and handed Thomas a small, familiar tube.
"You thought of everything didn't you?" Thomas smirked as he unscrewed the cap.
"I like to be prepared." David winked.
Again that wistful look, that clouding pain in his eyes. David watched him carefully but Thomas blinked the thoughts away.
"You reminded me of someone just there, he also likes to be prepared all the time," Thomas said as his thoughts drifted back to Jimmy.
"The same person you were thinking about when you were looking at the stars?" David asked. "Is he special to you?"
"One of my more spectacular failures," Thomas replied. "But we're friends now, and I'm grateful for that."
"He's waiting for you at home?"
"Yes he's there, but it's not me he's waiting for."
"Then let me help you take your mind off him," David husked and gently squeezed the tube Thomas was holding. A blob of its greasy contents spilled onto Thomas' finger. David lay on his back, spread his legs and pulled Thomas' hand down between them. He closed his eyes and let himself be carried away by the blissful sensation of Thomas' fingers sliding into him, carefully scissoring and stretching him.
By the time Thomas had finished preparing him, he was close to the edge and desperate with the need to get Thomas' inside him. He pushed Thomas onto his back and climbed on top of him. He squeezed a bit more lubricant into his hand and slathered it over Thomas' shaft. Then he lifted his body up, held Thomas' cock in position and lowered himself down on it. As the tip touched his entrance, Thomas' hands moved to his hips, supporting him and guiding him.
All thoughts of Jimmy evaporated when he felt David force his body to relax, that tight ring of muscle yielding just enough for the head of his cock to nudge inside. He felt David take a deep breath and as he exhaled he pushed down, taking all of Thomas into him. Thomas was in ecstasy, his cock buried deep inside David's tight, clenching passage. He sucked air in through clenched teeth as David began to move, slowly lifting himself up and pushing back down. When Thomas was sure that David's body had got used to being filled he started to move his hips too, thrusting up from the bed to meet every stroke. He smiled, a wide blissful grin as he gazed in wonder at the man riding him. It had been so long, too long, he'd forgotten what it was like to feel out of your mind with pleasure. They moved and ground together, hurtling ever faster to a building peak. Thomas reached down and took David's cock in his hand, he began stroking it in time with their thrusts. David cried out, his eyes closing in ecstasy, then he bent forward, still impaled and moving on Thomas' shaft. Their mouths opened to each other in a passionate tongue-filled kiss. The new angle of David's body pushed Thomas deep into him and the head of his cock hit that spot deep inside David that made him see stars. He moaned into the kiss, a small strangled cry coming from his throat. Thomas knew what he was feeling. He'd had enough men inside him in his life to have learned where that sweet spot was, and now he angled his hips upwards as he thrust deeper into David, hitting it with every stroke.
Suddenly, David pulled back from their kiss, his mouth open in a silent scream of uncontrollable rapture. His body shuddered as he came, his seed shooting, hot and wet between their bodies, landing on Thomas' chest and shoulders. Thomas' own heated climax followed, his release pulsing into David. His orgasm was intense, wave after wave of pure sensation washing over him, leaving him boneless and breathless. He let go of David's now too sensitive cock and his slid his hand up over his chest, coating it in David's slippery release.
When David collapsed, panting, onto of him, Thomas wrapped his arms around him and held him in a tight hug. They lay in silence together breathing deeply as they came down from their shared high. Thomas left soft, gentle kisses on any part of David's face that his lips could reach. Slowly he softened and slipped out of David's body. He was sure he heard the beautiful steward make a small sound of disappointment at the loss of him, then David rolled off him and they lay side by side. The silence was comfortable, Thomas didn't want to break it by talking so he rolled over, snuggled his face against David's shoulder and wrapped his arms around him.
"I'd like it if you stayed the night," he whispered. "I'd like to wake up with you here."
David's answer was to reach out and turn off the bedside lamp, then pull the covers over them. Thomas sighed happily, he could feel himself starting to fall asleep already. It was going to be the best night's sleep he'd had in a very long time.
Lord Grantham was surprised how cheerful Thomas was the next morning. In all the time Thomas had been a valet for him, he didn't think he'd ever heard him so talkative or seen him smile as much as he did in the half hour it took to dress him for breakfast. He wondered if Lady Mary had been right, Thomas did indeed seem to be enjoying life aboard ship with all those handsome stewards strutting around the boat decks.
THE END
