shop to fill a pitcher with still-warm water from the kettle and to grab a few cloths. He wet one and brought it to Kit, who he found propped up on an elbow.
“This is for whichever of your body parts you feel most requires it,” Percy said, primly holding out the cloth. “Or you can use it to polish furniture, for all I care. Please don’t feel constrained to—”
Kit pulled on the edge of Percy’s boots in a way that caused Percy to trip. Percy caught himself in time to land on the blanket beside Kit.
“Ugh, I don’t know why I like you,” Percy said, and then immediately regretted it. And then immediately after that, he allowed himself to briefly wonder why it was a bad thing to admit. In addition to the past half hour—which admittedly could be explained by a host of other things besides anything so tender as liking—there had been weeks of laughter and conversation. Admitting it shouldn’t even be significant.
Happily, he was spared further reflection on this boring and fruitless topic by Kit’s mouth sliding over his own. It was different from their earlier kisses, slower and less urgent. Lazy, even. One of Kit’s hands sifted through Percy’s hair and Percy arched into the touch. Right when Percy was starting to wonder if this might be the time to take off the rest of the clothing that they both still, unaccountably, wore, Kit went still.
At first, Percy didn’t realize what had happened. He thought, perhaps, that Kit had hurt his leg. Then Kit climbed to his feet, shoving Percy behind him. He took out the knife he kept on his belt and snarled, “Show yourself,” at a figure that had emerged on the threshold of the door that Percy had left open.
Percy was calculating how long it would take for him to reach the case of weapons he had stupidly abandoned near the front door.
“Yes, well, I plan to, Kit,” said the stranger. “Keep your hair on, will you.”
A funny thing happened to Kit’s face, then. He went so pale that Percy thought that maybe he really had been injured. And he dropped his knife hand to his side at the same moment that his jaw went slack.
“Rob?” Kit breathed.
Chapter 33
“Isn’t this an interesting sight to come home to,” Rob murmured, glancing between Kit and Percy. “I want to know all about this.”
“He’s not important,” Kit said. “What I want to know is where the bloody fuck you’ve been and why you let me think you were dead for a year?”
“I missed you, too,” Rob said, stepping into the back room and letting his gaze travel around the place. “Home sweet home.”
“I asked where the fuck you’ve been,” Kit repeated.
“It’s a long story, darling, and I think it’s best saved for when we’re alone. Speaking of which, I’m dreadfully sorry to have interrupted you. It seems you’ve learned all manner of interesting things while I’ve been away.”
“It’s not what it looks like,” Kit said.
“It looks like you’ve been shagging a lordling.”
Kit knew that Rob was trying to distract him, but he also couldn’t stand the idea of Rob coming back and thinking that Kit had abandoned all his principles and gone to bed with the enemy. “Shut up about that. Where were you?”
“I’ll take myself off,” Percy said, casting an acid glance at Kit. “Enchanted to make your acquaintance,” he said to Rob, executing a graceful bow. “And you can fuck yourself,” he said to Kit. He shouldered past Kit, stopping only long enough to grab his coat and his bag. “It’s been illuminating, gentlemen.” The door slammed on his way out.
Kit knew he should go after Percy. He had said something wrong, something that would no doubt occur to him much later and for which he’d feel appropriately contrite, but at the moment all he could think of was Rob. And he was, truth be told, slightly annoyed with Percy for having been there to distract him.
“I reckon you bungled that,” Rob said, shaking his head ruefully.
“That is not what we’re talking about. For Christ’s sake, Rob, it’s been an entire year.”
Rob sighed as if this were all terribly boring. He sauntered over to the hearth and grabbed a fire iron, then used it to prod the fire back to life. “Do you know, I had forgotten you had a wood fire here? I’ve thought of this place a thousand times over the past year and completely forgot about your baseless prejudice against coal.”
“It