Kane, Samantha - Brothers In Arms 3 (12 page)

“Freddy,” Brett said quietly. Freddy’s head whipped around to him. “Do not start with me now, Brett.” He turned away, dismissing the other man in a way Valentine had never seen before. He was dismayed. What was going on between them?

A mask of congeniality fell over Freddy’s features, and he addressed someone over Valentine’s shoulder. “Hullo. And who are you, poppet?”

Valentine and Kurt both spun around. “Esme!” Kurt cried, and fell to his knees, his arms outstretched. The little girl flew down the stairs toward him. The Captain moved to intervene, and Esme slammed to a stop, huddled against the stone railing.

“If you touch her, Captain, you will find yourself escorting the refuse of Newgate to Australia.” Freddy’s tone was colder than Valentine had ever heard, and he knew without a doubt that if he were ever addressed in that tone, he would not hesitate to do whatever Freddy asked. The change in the heretofore easygoing young duke was nothing short of amazing, and a little alarming. Kurt had risen to rush the Captain but was stayed by Brett’s hand on his arm.

“Your Grace!” Sir Horatio blustered. “I have a writ of custody for the children, approved by your mother. Surely you do not rescind that?”

“I do indeed, Sir Horatio. You seem to have forgotten the same thing my mother frequently overlooks. I am duke here, not her.” He looked down as Esme quickly scurried down the stairs past Valentine and Kurt to tug on his coat jacket. As he looked down Esme held up her arms in the age-old childish way that indicated she wished to be picked up. Freddy obliged, and she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “Hmm, you’ve a smart girl here, Valentine. She knows where the man of true worth is.”

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Valentine was so relieved he could hear his heart pounding, and suddenly he felt the perspiration running down his temple from nerves that had been taut with tension.

He laughed shakily. “Yes, indeed, Freddy. A very smart girl, like her mama.”

The light moment was interrupted by Sir Horatio’s furious hiss. “Fine, take the girl, she is useless to me. But the boy stays. He is my heir, after all, and British law favors my custody.”

“No!” Kurt burst out in anger. Valentine knew it had taken great self-control to keep quiet until now. “You have no claim to these children. They are ours. Leah does not want you, accept this. We will not allow you to abuse the children as you did her.

For that alone I should kill you.” Brett had stepped in front of him and was holding him back with both hands on his shoulders.

Valentine heard an indrawn breath from within the carriage and turned to see Leah leaning out. He was as surprised as he was angry. What was she doing here? He’d told her to stay home.

“Mama!” Esme cried, and dove out of Freddy’s arms. Leah caught her as Freddy let go. “Esme, baby,” Leah said, kissing her face and hugging her tightly.

“Ah, and so you see, gentlemen, they always return home to mother,” Freddy said dryly. “A chap has no chance against dear mama.”

Leah laughed weakly. “Many a maid has no chance against a mister’s mama, Your Grace. She is always to be found wanting, and he is the one who runs home to her skirts.”

Freddy made a face. “You have met my mother, haven’t you?” he asked teasingly.

“Your Grace!” Sir Horatio’s tone was clearly admonishing. “Your mother is a great woman, and you should not malign her in front of these people.” “These people” was said in the same tone as one might say “these vermin”, and Freddy tensed again.

“Do you dare to take me to task, sir?” Freddy thundered, and Valentine winced. He looked at Kurt and the other man’s eyes were wide in astonishment. “You who have so much to answer for?”

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“Mother?” Bastian rushed out the door, his appearance disheveled. An angry footman followed, his eye beginning to black, his wig askew. Bastian eluded him and bounded down the steps, only to be brought up short by Sir Horatio’s hand on his arm.

He dragged the boy back, holding his arm tightly so only his toes touched the step.

“Ow, you’re hurting me!” he cried, and Valentine rushed up two steps before Sir Horatio’s words stopped him cold.

“One more step and I shall throw the boy down the stairs. He will be maimed for life.”

“No!” Leah cried, and Kurt growled behind him. “You are a madman!”

“It has all been decided,” Sir Horatio told them, his voice low and angry. “The Duchess promised me Leah. She said it was my duty to protect her from her base nature, to punish the children until they learned right from wrong. She promised me.”

He turned eyes glowing with hatred to Leah. “She was right about you. I should have known. You were always a whore. I couldn’t beat it out of you when you were married to Thomas. I tried so hard to train you, to make you worthy of me. Look how you have repaid me.”

Leah sobbed, and Bastian kicked out at Sir Horatio. “You bastard!” the boy screamed, struggling. Sir Horatio looked at him with distaste and Valentine’s heart stopped. He started running up the stairs just as Sir Horatio flung Bastian away. He wasn’t close enough, damn it! As if in a slow-moving dream Valentine saw the Captain reach out and snag Bastian, hauling him back from danger. With a roaring in his ears everything went back to normal, and Valentine didn’t break his stride as he rushed Sir Horatio on the steps.

“You’re a bloody dead man,” he growled, grabbing Sir Horatio by the lapels and throwing him against the stone wall on the side of the steps. He drew back his fist and punched the smaller man with all the rage he felt and he could hear bones crunch at the contact. Sir Horatio fell to the ground, but before Valentine could hit him again he was grabbed from behind. It took a moment for the voice to register.

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“Valentine, stop,” Freddy kept saying over and over. When he was calm, Freddy released him and gently turned him away from the fallen, broken man. “Bastian is fine, and Marleston will not touch him again. I shall see to it, all right? Go get your boy.”

Valentine walked over to the frightened boy, still huddled against the Captain.

Valentine looked at the Captain, who was as pale as a ghost, his eyes wide. “I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t understand. I didn’t see.” Valentine could only nodded in acceptance, overwrought. “Thank you,” he whispered to the Captain, and knelt in front of Bastian.

The boy threw himself in Valentine’s arms sobbing and Valentine held him close.

“Valentine,” Leah sobbed, and he looked down to see her and Esme in Kurt’s arms.

He picked up Bastian and went to them, went to his family.

When Valentine and Kurt had loaded the children into the carriage, Freddy bent down and hauled Sir Horatio up. He roughly dragged him down the stairs and threw him to the ground.

“You will leave here, Marleston. You will leave Derbyshire altogether. I do not want to see or hear from you again. Do you understand?”

Sir Horatio spit the blood out of his mouth, the left side of his face beginning to swell. “You have no right to throw me off my land.” His voice wavered, with fear or hatred Freddy wasn’t sure, and didn’t care.

Freddy’s vision dimmed with rage. “I am the bloody Duke of Ashland, Marleston. I not only have the right, I have the power. I have more money than God, land and influence, and when I choose to use it I can do damn near anything I want.” He crouched in front of the now frightened older man. “I could wipe you from the face of the earth right now if I so choose, and not a hand would be raised against me. Instead, I will have my agent call on you within the next day and make arrangements for you to sell your estate. I have quite a few friends who are looking for country homes. It will not be hard to find you a buyer. By the end of the month I want all trace of you gone from my domain. Do you understand?”

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When Sir Horatio made no reply Freddy stood and then suddenly kicked him in the chest, knocking him all the way to the ground. Freddy placed his foot against his throat and applied just enough pressure to make it hard for Sir Horatio to breathe. “I asked if you understood. Answer me.”

Hatred burning in his eyes, Sir Horatio nodded awkwardly, struggling to breathe.

Freddy stepped away and the older man coughed.

“Good. Pack your things and leave a forwarding address with the footmen I am leaving here to assist you in your departure. I will have my agent call on you.”

“Leave now?” Sir Horatio croaked. “I must take care of my affairs here first, oversee the packing of my belongings.”

“Someone else will take care of those things,” Freddy said airily, waving his hand carelessly and already moving toward the carriage. “I simply cannot allow you to stay and ruin the wedding. Brett, do take care of it.” Freddy climbed into the carriage then leaned out to say to Brett, “We shall wait a few minutes, my dear, for you to clear this up. Then we’re off to Ashton Park.”

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Valentine’s head fell back against the carriage seat as Leah moved exquisitely above him, fucking his cock slowly, trying to find a rhythm. She moaned, and Valentine hissed as she bore down deeply, hilting his cock. Kurt was busy kissing her, and his hands were touching both her and Valentine anywhere he could reach.

They’d only just left their wedding luncheon at Ashton Park and she was still wearing her wedding dress. Freddy had insisted they be married at his ducal estate.

Leah had been overwhelmed at first, but she had quickly formed a friendship with Freddy, and Brett had given her away at their wedding.

“Oh,” Leah cried softly, pulling away from Kurt’s mouth and grinding down on Valentine. “God, I’ve been going mad this past week with you two refusing to touch me. This feels so good.”

“Freddy locked you up at Ashton Park. And I wanted to wait,” Valentine gasped,

“for our wedding night.”

“Well, you made it to the wedding afternoon anyway,” Kurt said wryly, his own voice rough with lust.

Valentine tried to laugh, but it came out a groan as Leah slid back up his cock. “Oh, sweet Christ, yes, Leah,” he panted. “Fuck me just like that.”

Leah licked her lips and then grabbed both her breasts in her hands, squeezing them roughly. It was Kurt’s turn to groan, and he kissed her again before running his lips down her neck to the tops of her breasts.

“You’ve gotten rather good at that,” Kurt noted, kissing her hands on her breasts.

“Oh I’ve been practicing.” Leah’s voice was slow, wicked honey dripping from her lips. “I decided the day after we first made love that for the rest of my life I would climax at least once a day.” She looked slyly at him out of the corner of her eye. “With 92

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or without you.” She closed her eyes as she pressed down hard on Valentine’s cock.

“Vive
le petite mort
.”

Both men laughed, their voices strained with desire. “Absolutely. I quite agree,”

Kurt assured her. “But even if it’s without our help, please let me know so I can at least watch.”

Leah’s laugh turned into a groan as Valentine’s hips suddenly surged up hard and fast into her. She bit her lip and matched his rhythm, throwing her head back.

“That mouth,” Kurt whispered, falling back on the seat beside Leah and Valentine.

“I’m going to put it to good use sucking my cock as soon as we get home.”

“Which,” Valentine paused to catch his breath, “one?”

“Both,” Kurt growled, and Leah came. Her cry filled the carriage, and Valentine slammed hard into her, pulling her hips tight against his. It was his turn to bite his lip, trying desperately to hang on to his control and not come as her tight, slick walls pulsed around him.

“That’s one,” he ground out as Leah began to collapse against him. He immediately pulled almost all the way out and then fucked hard and deep again, making Leah cry out and clutch his shoulders. “I’m not done fucking you yet.”

“Thank God,” Leah groaned and Kurt laughed.

Valentine grinned wickedly. “Consider it a wedding gift,” he said. Then he turned to Kurt. “I’ve got one waiting at home for you too.” Kurt leaned over and sank his mouth down on Valentine’s. Valentine opened his lips and devoured Kurt’s mouth, his passion making the kiss rough and wet.

Leah shivered in ecstasy. “Oh God.”

Valentine pulled slowly away from Kurt, giving him one last nip on his bottom lip, and Kurt groaned. Then Valentine moved Leah up and down on his cock, his hands at her hips. “Remember what we originally told you, Leah? We want this with you, while we remain lovers.”

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“Do I get to watch?” Leah whispered, her voice trembling.

“That’s the plan,” Valentine told her, and this time when she came, he followed right behind her.

The End

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About the Author

Samantha Kane has been writing fiction for five years. She taught high school for seven years before the birth of her first child. She has a Master’s degree in History, and is a full-time writer and mother. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two sons.

Samantha’s writing explores the nature of love and its many manifestations. The creation of a “utopia” where who and how you love is less important than that you love and are loved is the ultimate theme of her work.

Samantha welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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Also by Samantha Kane

Brothers in Arms 1: The Courage to Love

Brothers in Arms 2: Love Under Siege