“I know,” Liam said, feeling a pang of guilt for making Jules worried at a time he should have been the happiest. “I’m sorry—I know you’re busy. I shouldn’t have asked this of you.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Jules said with a huff, walking over and hugging him. “That’s what brothers are for, isn’t it?”
That’s what brothers should be for, Liam thought. He forced a weak smile and said, “Right.”
“So, when is the wedding?” Jules said, in an unnaturally upbeat voice, as if he had also had the same thought. “To Terlaine, I mean?”
“It’s not that simple. Apparently, Anthony didn’t give him permission to marry me.”
“He did what?” Jules spluttered. “All right, I’m definitely having a talk with him now—”
“Don’t,” Liam said. “It’s none of your business. I’ll handle it.”
“But—”
“I’ll handle it, Jules. I have it under control. It won’t happen again.”
“You sure?”
“Yes,” Liam said, not meeting his gaze.
***
Lord Terlaine called on Liam later that evening.
“You have to talk to your brother, Liam,” he said, frustration plain on his handsome face. “He didn’t even give me any reason why he rejected my proposal. In fact, he was extremely rude.”
Unable to meet his eyes, Liam agreed to speak to Anthony and talk him into changing his mind.
He felt terrible after Lord Terlaine had left. Was he deceiving him? Although Terlaine had never said that he had feelings for him—Liam strongly suspected that his family was pressuring him into marrying because he needed an heir—Terlaine probably still felt some sort of… admiration for him if he had proposed. What would he say if he knew Liam had had sex with the very same man Terlaine had asked Liam’s hand in marriage from?
But on the other hand, it shouldn’t be Terlaine’s business who Liam had slept with in the past. As long as Liam was faithful to Terlaine after their marriage, it shouldn’t matter, right? And he obviously would be faithful to him.
Are you so sure of it? said a snide voice at the back of his mind.
Liam tried to ignore it. He would never cheat on his spouse. He would never.
Intense blue eyes flashed to the forefront of his mind.
Sighing, Liam dropped his face into his hands.
Goddammit, how had he ended up in this situation? How was he supposed to convince Anthony to give his permission for this marriage if he couldn’t even convince himself that he wanted it? If he couldn’t even think of Anthony as a brother?
Liam touched his lips with his fingers—and then yanked his hand away guiltily.
Brother, he told himself. Your brother, you sick fuck.
He was still repeating that to himself as he literally ran into Anthony on the second floor.
Anthony’s arms came up to steady him.
Liam froze, wide-eyed, his heart hammering in his chest.
Anthony looked back at him.
Liam had no idea who moved first. The next moment, they were kissing desperately—and the rest of the world fell away. They stumbled into the closet, tearing at each other’s clothes and trying to find skin.
Yanking his pants down, Anthony slammed him against the wall and hitched Liam’s leg up. There was the sound of a zipper, and—
Gods, yes. Liam cried out as a thick cock pushed into him. He was so wet for him already, so ready, that it didn’t hurt; it felt so good. Liam could only moan into Anthony’s mouth as the alpha snapped his hips forward, pumping his cock into him again, and again, and again.
So good. So damn good.
The closet was small and dusty and he could barely see anything, but Liam didn’t care. He could only feel, muffling his whimpers against Anthony’s neck as he was fucked within an inch of his life.
Nothing should feel this good. Nothing.
When it was over, Liam stumbled into his room, half-drunk on endorphins, reeking of Anthony just the way he liked it, feeling so wonderful he felt like he could fly. He smiled at nothing, feeling stupidly giddy as he stroked his lips swollen from Anthony’s kisses, and cuddled his pillow with a dreamy smile on his face.
Then the high passed and reality came crashing in.
Brother.
He rushed to the toilet to throw up the contents of his stomach.
Then he curled up into a ball and wept.
Chapter 13
He never felt guilty when it was happening; the guilt came much later.
Each time, Liam told himself it was the last time.
Each time, it never was.
Once they started doing it, they couldn’t seem to stop. Liam learned what Anthony’s cock tasted like, what noises he made when Anthony fucked his throat raw. He learned the shape of Anthony’s knot as he licked it under Anthony’s desk. He learned how to use his tongue to make Anthony snap, throw him on the desk, and absolutely wreck him. He loved making Anthony lose control, loved making him shudder and come inside him, filling him up with his seed. He couldn’t get enough of it. One look at Anthony, and he seemed to lose all common sense.