CHAPTER8
Should I kiss him?
Now would be the perfect opportunity to show Heath exactly how wonderful Kane thought he was. He had never intended for Heath to see the pictures he had drawn. In fact, no one had ever seen his personal drawings. It was the one thing Kane kept to himself. But now here they were, alone, sharing an intimate moment. But Kane didn’t want to push Heath too far, too fast. Perhaps just a small token of his affection.
Kane leaned in, planting a gentle kiss on Heath’s forehead. His lips tingled from that brief contact. Now there was no question that he wanted all of Heath, body and soul, but not tonight.
“It’s getting late.”
Heath sat up straight, his eyes hazy. “Yes, you’re right.” He got up and hobbled over to fetch his cane.
Kane knew it was a sign that Heath was comfortable around him since he hadn’t used his cane before now. He wasn’t afraid to show his weakness. Now Kane just had to convince Heath that he could freely be himself around him where it concerned their physical attraction.
Even though Kane knew most people frowned upon a man loving another man, he refused to be someone he wasn’t. He’d tried in the past and had been miserable. There was plenty of time to work on Heath. For now, it was late and there was much to do in the morning.
* * *
Breakfast was quiet. Kane went down early, before Heath arose. While it would have been the norm for him to dine in his room, Heath had insisted Kane join him for meals, for the companionship.
Just as he finished, Jenkins entered. “There is a letter for you, Mr. Badgely.”
Kane wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Thank you, Jenkins.
He waited for the butler to leave before reading it. It was from Caroline asking if he could see her later in the day at the orphanage. There should be plenty of time. If he remembered correctly, Heath had a business meeting to which Jasper Dawkins would accompany him, so Kane would be free. Then later tonight, Heath had a dinner party to attend.
Kane quickly penned a reply to Caroline and asked Jenkins to see it delivered. If nothing else, under the guise of him being the estate manager, the servants were accommodating with his requests.
Once he finished the letter, Kane settled into some drawing while he waited for Heath, who arrived a half-hour later.
“Good morning,” Heath said.
“Good morning. Are you ready for the day? I know you have an appointment this afternoon, so I thought we would review contracts and percentages. You’ll probably need it for today.”
A small smile formed on Heath’s lips. “You are very kind to think of that.”
“It’s my job as your teacher to anticipate your needs.”
Kane blushed. He hadn’t meant for the phrase to sound so suggestive. Obviously, Heath misunderstood as well because he averted his gaze.
Perhaps it would be best to kiss the man and be done with it. The tension between them was getting too much for Kane. But something told him a mere kiss would not be enough. He sensed Heath was holding himself back, but if his passions were unleashed, it would be ecstasy for them both.
Heath cleared his throat, bringing Kane’s mind back to the present.
“Shall we begin?”
The men settled into their studies. Kane had found some old contracts in the study. They reviewed the documents as Kane explained the legally binding aspects of partnerships, profits, percentages, etc. The morning flew by, and before long, Jasper came to collect Heath for their meeting.
“What will you be doing for the afternoon, Badgely?” Jasper asked.
“I may go into town. It’s a nice day, and I can’t abide being cooped inside.”
Heath didn’t respond except to say he would see him later. Kane waited until the carriage had gone down the drive before asking for a horse to be saddled. Within a quarter of an hour, Kane was galloping toward Dover and Caroline.
She was finishing up a lesson as he entered the classroom.
“Good afternoon,” Kane greeted Caroline.
The woman motioned for him to follow her down the hall to the private section, which was for the teachers. There was a nice-sized sitting room where she had them take a seat.