Hawksfell Manor 04: Derek's Dare (2 page)

Chapter 2

Evan Mosley wiped his hands on a rag and stepped away from the motor. He closed the bonnet and wiped away a smudge on the metal hood. The vehicle looked quite fine in the soft afternoon light coming into the garage. In fact, all of the earl’s motors looked and ran very well. Like the estate itself, he supposed.

His work at Hawksfell Manor was gratifying if a little monotonous. He’d come to work for the earl nearly a year earlier, and he’d never worked on finer vehicles than those in Gabriel Hawk’s garage. Yes, he had respect for the horse and carriage. It was his job to keep the carriages in working order even if he never had a thing to do with the animals. He preferred the motors, of course. It was an exciting time for someone in his line of work, at least as he saw it. But he was deuced lonely.

There had been several developments since he came to the manor, specifically several weddings that shocked the staff and those who knew of the Hawk curse. They were rutting bastards, or so he’d heard from his first visit to the area. The Inn at Helmsley was a prime source of this gossip, of course. All Hawks except perhaps the earl himself had partaken in the available flesh at the inn. Evan had, as well. He didn’t usually take his meals with the servants in the manor, and the inn served more than pussy. The meals were nearly as satisfying as what transpired upstairs.

He left the garage and headed toward the manor to check in with Carstairs, the butler, before officially ending his workday. There were no guests expected at the manor tonight and no one waiting for him to drive them anywhere.

“Done for the evening, Mosley?” one of the footmen, Cabot, asked as Evan passed him by the back door.

Evan nodded. “Heading down to Helmsley.”

Cabot, a tall, handsome young man as a good footman should be, smiled as his cheeks reddened. “The inn?”

“Yes, Cabot.”

Cabot’s smile widened. “Have you gotten a good look at Lily?”

“The new maid who works for the countess?” Evan had seen her, a pretty thing with unusual green eyes. She tended to look at him like he wasn’t wearing any clothing, though. “I’ve seen her.”

“She’s a tease, that one. And I thought that Posy was a package.”

“I wouldn’t talk about the earl’s new sister-in-law that way, Cabot.”

“I know.” Cabot shook his head. “I still can’t believe the earl has a half brother, let alone that he married a parlormaid!”

Evan shrugged. “You can’t always predict where the fine folks will settle.”

“Well, I certainly can’t.” Cabot stuck his hands in his pockets. “Maybe I’ll join you at the inn.”

Evan smiled but shook his head. “No, but thanks for the offer.”

“Don’t want a partner on your pussy raid?”

It was Evan’s turn to blush. “Have a good night, Cabot.”

The footman nodded. “See you tomorrow.”

Evan walked toward the butler’s office. Carstairs was a stout older gentleman and all the male servants fell in line beneath him. He was cordial to Evan, though his work fell outside his control. Evan had been hired by the earl’s man-of-affairs, Mr. Grantley, as had all the staff. Even so, Evan was able to direct his own work. He was separate from the house staff and the grooms as well, which held a touch of prestige yet added to his loneliness. He shook his head. Why did his solitude bother him tonight?

The butler accepted his brief report of the day and bid him a good night as well. Evan didn’t have a room in the attics of the manor either, as the other staff did. He had access to the earl’s cars for his own use and was lucky enough to live in the carriage house. He had lovely rooms the man-of-affairs had recently vacated. Mr. Grantley had become involved with one of the earl’s Hawk cousins and another of the house maids. It seemed strange but only added to Evan’s impression that quality settled where they wanted. Not that two men couldn’t love the same woman as well as each other. He had no trouble imagining that. It was passing strange that a
Hawk
could settle down.

Before the earl’s marriage a few months ago, he’d indulged his Hawk lusts with grooms and maids on the estate itself. He and the other Hawks were cursed, or so everyone believed. Evan had driven the earl’s cousin to the manor, the one now wed to a maid and involved with Mr. Grantley. Patrick Hawk seemed like a good sort as far as Evan was concerned. Hell, even the earl’s half brother, Matthew, could have been a right rogue himself, but he’d settled with the aforementioned Posy and the first footman, William. Strange, indeed.

His own lusts were quite healthy, and the thought of everyone rutting in every corner of the manor made his blood hot and his cock stiff. Maybe he should give Lily, the lady’s maid, what she seemed to be looking for all those times she claimed to be checking for something or other the countess might have left in the back of the motor. He set the idea out of his head. He didn’t need the complication of a tryst with one of the staff. He wasn’t titled, and he needed this job. No, the inn was the place for him.

He thought about a man he’d met there last month. From the moment he’d seen him he’d known he could only be a Hawk, he was so striking and handsome. They hadn’t spoken of anything important, just the weather or the pussy available at the inn. They’d shared a few drinks and flirted, but Evan couldn’t be sure if that last part was only on his side. He’d never been attracted to a man before. Not even the pretty footman, Cabot, made him think about fucking. But that man, that mysterious Hawk he’d traded smiles and tales with, got him more than thinking about it. He’d been unable to put him out of his mind as he’d fucked a serving maid later that night.

“And I’ll need a hard ride tonight,” he muttered as he went back to the garage and climbed into one of the more modest motors.

He doubted he’d see that Hawk again. More was the pity.

* * * *

Derek settled against the seat in the back of the motor as they neared his mother’s house. It was but a few hours ride from Holbrook Hall and he wasn’t looking forward to the visit. There were none but servants there and the house felt so empty and cold. He’d instructed his chauffeur to stop in the village of Helmsley on their way. The inn there was more than adequate if memory served. In fact, more than once he’d taken one or two serving maids in the clean beds upstairs.

Maybe that good-looking blond man he’d met last time would be there tonight. Fit body, deep blue eyes. He hadn’t missed the sparks between them, but as a Hawk he generally wanted to fuck everyone he met. Their attraction felt different, though. Talking with him had felt like nothing he’d encountered. There were no assumptions on his side, no allusions to his sordid reputation as a Hawk. With the exception of Diana, he’d never felt such a strong pull to another person.

Perhaps this time he’d suggest they do more than talk. Aside from the pleasure he suspected they could give each other, it would help to pass the time and delay his visit to his mother’s house.

He knew that the Earl of Hawksfell resided in that part of Yorkshire, but he’d never met the man. It was said he kept to his great manor on the moors, a place he filled with servants who took care of his sexual needs. Derek shook his head with a laugh. Typical Hawk behavior. Didn’t he himself fuck every servant in Holbrook Hall?

He thought about Diana’s mother’s notion of bringing other Hawks back to the hall. He stifled a shiver. It would be a disaster of the first order if he ever did such a thing. How could any of those randy bastards stay away from Diana? He doubted he would run across any Hawks on this trip in any event. He’d never seen one in the past three years he’d been personally taking care of to his mother’s abandoned estate.

His father had set her up in a lovely house befitting her station as a baron’s daughter. After he’d fucked her and before he’d abandoned her, that was. Derek didn’t like staying there. Too many dark memories. It was as if his mother’s tears soaked the walls. He was so wrapped in those cold thoughts that he barely noticed when the car stopped.

“The Inn at Helmsley, my lord,” the chauffeur said.

“Hmm?” Derek pulled his mind away from the gloomy prospect of a visit to his mother’s house. “Very good. Why don’t you go on to the late baroness’s house? You can fetch me tomorrow.”

The driver didn’t raise a brow, though his eyes sparkled. He was a Holbrook servant, after all. No doubt he’d heard all about Derek’s conquests at the hall.

“Very good, my lord.” He opened Derek’s door and grabbed his smallest portmanteau. “I’ll see your bag settled upstairs, then.”

Derek stepped out and went into the inn. It was crowded and welcoming, warmly lit and filled with the smells of hearty country food. His mouth watered as he stepped into the dining room. As he unbuttoned his overcoat and headed for a table toward the back, he eyed the serving girls in the place. He’d fucked several of them, which left his options limited. There was a dark-haired girl toward the back. She seemed unfamiliar. Then he saw the blond man he’d met on his last visit.

For the first time all day Derek smiled.

Chapter 3

“Well, I see we are of like mind,” Derek said as he approached the blond man’s table.

The other man smiled, a nice expression that seemed genuine. “I admit I come here quite often. Odds were good that you’d find me here.”

Derek nodded and signaled to the unfamiliar serving maid to bring a mug of ale. “May I join you?”

The blond man nodded. “Please. I’ve been in need of company of late.”

Derek wondered at that. The last time they’d spoken he had seemed a little lonely, but with his own demons he reasoned he’d been projecting. He shrugged out of his coat and draped it over the chair in front of him. “Happy to oblige.”

The man’s blue eyes sparkled and Derek felt that pull. His cock twitched and he quickly sat. “Derek Hawk,” he said, extending his hand. “Baron Holbrook.”

The man took it. His hand was strong and lightly callused. “Evan Mosley.” He leaned back. “I thought you were a Hawk.”

“Oh?”

“The eyes.”

Derek wasn’t surprised. His mother had told him time and again that he had the dark Hawk eyes of his father. “As you see.”

The serving girl brought his ale and lingered at the table. She had ample breasts and a nice round ass. She’d be good for a tumble. He saw Evan admired her assets as she left them, and he smiled to himself. Would they argue over her or share her? The prospect sent a shaft of lust through him.

“You live in the area, then?” he asked Evan.

His brows drew together. “Hmm?”

“You said you thought I was a Hawk.”

Evan nodded. “I work up at the manor.”

Derek straightened. “Hawksfell Manor?”

“Yes. I drive the family and take care of their motors.”

That explained the calluses, then. He wasn’t a servant precisely, which put him on even ground where Derek was concerned.

“How long have you worked for the earl?”

“Nearly a year. Do you know him?”

Derek shook his head. “I know he’s a cousin or other of mine. All Hawks are, really.”

“I’ve met a few in my time at the manor, actually.” Evan tilted his head. “In fact, the earl’s half brother recently appeared.”