Page 60 of The Lost Art of Revealing Hidden Truths (The Lost Arts #3)
Chapter Twenty-Seven
P erian’s heart sank. So it wasn’t going to be very long. But realistically, he’d known that no answer was going to be as long as Perian wanted.
Brannal pressed his lips together for a moment, like he was lining up things to say in his head.
“It’s all right,” Perian said hurriedly. “You’re welcome whenever you can come.”
He didn’t want Brannal to think he was ungrateful!
Brannal’s lips tipped up, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Well, I do hope you mean that. Um.” He struggled for words for another moment, and then he said, gaze directed at the table, “The Queen was extremely clear about her opinion on Summus consorting with a carnalion.”
Perian’s heart sank further. Was this to be the only visit?
“In fact,” Brannal continued, “she could not be swayed from her opinion that Summus would not consort with a carnalion. It was her last word on the matter.”
“I understand,” Perian said woodenly.
And he did, he did understand. It just hurt.
Brannal’s eyes darted up to him. “The good news is that the new Summus hates carnalions, so I don’t think that’s going to be a difficult rule for him to follow.”
Perian froze. “What?”
“I resigned,” Brannal said, like it was that simple. “As Summus and a Mage Warrior. So… I am currently unemployed, and if that offer to stay still—”
But Brannal couldn’t finish what he was saying, because Perian had thrown himself at him, never mind the table or the teacups—there’d definitely been the crash of something breaking—but it didn’t matter, nothing mattered but Perian climbing all over Brannal, kissing Brannal, because he was staying, he was staying, he—
Perian pulled back. Brannal looked slightly dazed, lips red and swollen from Perian’s fervent kisses.
“Are you sure ?” he asked, swallowing. “I know how much your job means to you. I would understand, I promise.”
“It does mean a lot to me,” Brannal answered.
“But when the Queen issued her ultimatum, I promise you, it was the easiest decision I’ve ever made.
I love you, and it’s not just that I had to leave to be with you, it’s that they put me in that position at all.
I couldn’t be with you in the castle because they threatened you with death if you left here.
They’re the ones who backed me into a corner, but you’re the one who set me free.
I love you so much, Perian. More than anything. ”
And Perian couldn’t doubt that sincerity, because Brannal had left everything else that he knew and loved to come live here in exile with Perian.
Perian was crying again, and Brannal was carefully wiping his tears with those callused thumbs, making him shiver in the best possible way.
“I love you, too,” Perian said between sniffs. “So very much. Thank you a hundred times. A million times. Thank you so much! You’ve made me so happy.”
Which was why he was sitting in the man’s lap, crying. But Brannal seemed to understand, just smiling softly and continuing to wipe away the tears.
“You’re really going to stay?” Perian asked, needing to hear it again.
“Until you ask me to go,” Brannal told him.
“So you’re going to stay forever?” Perian pursued, feeling like he was well past the point of stating what he really wanted.
Brannal lit up, and he agreed, “So I’m going to stay forever. ”
And then they were kissing again… which progressed to grinding again. This was probably not the most appropriate action at the lunch table in the middle of the afternoon, but Perian couldn’t bring himself to care. He needed this man so badly, and he’d just agreed to stay. Forever.
Their movements became frantic, all friction and heat, and they came together, gasping into one another’s mouths, without getting their hands anywhere near their cocks.
“It’s a good thing our trunks are arriving tomorrow. I’m going to run out of clothing,” Brannal said ruefully.
Perian winked at him. “I don’t see how that’s a problem.”
Brannal laughed. “You know, maybe this is the real reason your father sends his staff away at night. He was planning for this moment, when you brought someone home, and he wanted you to be able to thoroughly enjoy yourself.”
“You followed me home,” Perian corrected, liking the way Brannal suggested that, a much happier reason for all this seclusion. He didn’t really believe it, but it was nice to imagine.
Afterwards, Perian realized what a mess they’d made.
“Oops.”
“If you’re trying to hide what we’re doing from your staff, I’m sorry to say that I don’t think you’re succeeding,” Brannal told him with a smirk.
Perian laughed. “Uh, no, I’m pretty sure they guessed from the moment you arrived.
The words ‘unhappy, monosyllabic, and detached’ probably best describe my behavior upon my return.
They were well aware that something happened while I was gone—just from the length of the stay, I imagine, but certainly from my return.
And then you show up with all your”—Perian gestured at everything—“ this , and I think it was immediately obvious what the problem was. And, fortunately, the solution.”
Brannal leaned in and kissed him. “I’m happy to… inspire you at the table anytime you like, but it does seem to be a little hard on the dishes.”
“Yeah, we can work on that. I’ll try to pay attention to all the safe places where we can have sex.”
Smiling, Brannal said, “I like the way your mind works. No consideration for just the bedroom.”
Perian scoffed. “This whole house is mine. As of the evening, I’m in it alone until the next morning. It’s always been too big just for me. Now we get to share it, and I categorically refuse to have sex only in the bedroom when there are so many other rooms in the house.”
Brannal was grinning. “Like I said, I like the way you think.”
This wasn’t the castle, and while there were some bad points to that, there were definite points in its favor. Perian would try to remember to talk to the staff, though, because they might be minimal, but it seemed fairly certain they’d stumble across him and Brannal at some point.
They had lots of time to make up for, after all. Plus, Brannal had cast off his entire old life for Perian (and for the principle of the matter). Perian was the happiest he’d ever been, so there was going to be lots of sex as a result.
They headed upstairs to clean up, and Perian apologized to Evalon.
“I’d say it’s not going to happen again, but, uh, that’s probably a lie.” He cleared his throat. “We’ll… try to stay away from things that are likely to cause a mess?”
They gave him a nod that Perian was pretty sure hid a wealth of amusement. “I’m sure we can get everything cleaned up without a problem. I’ll let you know if and when we need to replace any dishes.”
Perfect. The practical approach was exactly what Perian needed. That was what a housekeeper was for, he supposed. Because Perian wasn’t feeling practical at all.
When he and Brannal reached his room, Perian suddenly stopped and turned.
“Ooh, now I get to do it to you,” he said, grinning widely.
Brannal looked confused. “Do what?”
He darted to a room across the hall and flung open the door. “Do you want me to show you the nice random guest room that I suddenly picked out for you without asking?”
Brannal laughed, eyes warm with affection.
“If that was your way of asking if I wanted more space, the answer is emphatically ‘no.’ At some point, we probably won’t want to spend every waking moment together, but I assure you that I know exactly where I want to spend every sleeping moment for the rest of my life. Agreed?”
Perian came back across the hall to fling his arms around the man’s neck and kiss him soundly .
“So agreed.”
It took them some time to get cleaned up. They might have gotten dirty again first, in fact.
Perian was extremely grateful that his father had insisted on a house that was completely outfitted with hot and cold water pipes and water closets in every bedroom.
He wouldn’t have been able to handle the amount of hauling of water that would have been required of his staff for the number of baths that he knew he and Brannal were going to have.
For that matter, they were going to want some of them in the evening or the very early morning.
He didn’t think his father had been planning this house with long-term lovers in mind, but then again, he wouldn’t have bought the house knowing that Perian’s mother wouldn’t survive.
His father hadn’t had the chance to have a happy love life here, but that’s what he’d wanted, and Perian was so glad that he now got to put the house to that use.
They went from the water closet to the bed and somehow managed to while away the hours before it was time to sleep.
It was indeed a good thing the trunks arrived the next day.
Without batting an eye, Evalon informed him that they were hiring an extra washer, and Perian just nodded and thanked them, because there was absolutely no doubt that he and Brannal were going to make more dirty laundry than Perian alone did.
It had never brought Perian as much joy to unpack as this occasion did, as they figured out where Brannal’s things could go.
Another wardrobe was brought down from somewhere, and room had to be found on the bookshelves for the new books.
Brannal pointed out one from the doctor with a note, which Perian absolutely intended to look at, but then Brannal had said, “Mm, together alone in a library, whatever can we do,” and Perian’s priorities had abruptly shifted.
(It was a bit more of a study than a library, but there were, in fact, a great many books, and Perian appreciated the idea. )
He was delighted to get the carving of Brannal back, and he arranged it in pride of place in the study. Only once he’d rearranged the mantel a dozen times did it finally occur to him to ask Brannal, “Are you all right with this?”
Brannal had been lounging in one of the comfortable armchairs, having long since realized that Perian needed to be the one doing this.