Stung: Winter Special (2 page)

“Good evening—”
he trailed off, shifting his glance to his son who gave him a
gleeful smile.

“Father, this
is Mr Crunch, the one who saved me back in the camp.”

Crunch smirked.
That was a good way to be introduced.

A glint of
interest sparked through Mr Sheppard’s eyes, and he lunged forward,
yanking Crunch’s hand out of Victor’s and gave it a vigorous shake.
“Oh, sir, I am forever in your debt! I don’t know what I would do
if something happened to my boy. He’s all I have left.”

Said around all
that wealth, it sounded strange, but Crunch understood what Mr
Sheppard meant.

“I felt the
need to protect ’im, sir.” Crunch smiled and greeted him with a
shake of his hand. “Victor wasn’t like the other prisoners.”

“Yes, my son is
a very special young man.” Mr Sheppard ruffled Victor’s hair and,
for a moment, Crunch could see the family resemblance in their
brown eyes, but that was where common traits ended. Victor must
have taken a lot after his late mother.

“Mr Crunch, if
there is anything I could do for you, do not hesitate to ask.
Anything.”

“He will be
staying with us during his leave in London, Father.” Victor gave
Crunch a sweet smile that turned his heart into jelly.

“Oh, good!” Mr
Sheppard clapped his hands in excitement. “I will have a room
prepared—”

Victor cut him
off. “There is no need for that. He will be staying with me. That
suits us best, Father.”

Crunch looked
to his own dirty shoes, feeling his cheeks go aflame. What was
Victor thinking, putting his father in a position like that? They
could just sneak between the rooms at night. “I’ll go with whatever
my ’ost proposes,” he mumbled. “Another room’s fine.”

“Oh no!” Mr
Sheppard waved his hand dismissively. “I want my guest to be
comfortable. If you wish to room together for old times’ sake, it
is all right by me. And besides, Victor’s friends stay over all the
time.”

Crunch pouted,
darting a look at Victor. He wondered how many of those ‘friends’
kept staying over. It wasn’t like he had been celibate himself, but
maybe he was just feeling jealous that he didn’t have as many
opportunities. Most of his where quick romps in rush to finish
before someone else’s bunkmate came back. And because of the
weather, doing it outside wasn’t an option, unless one wanted to
freeze off their cock.

“I’m ’appy to
’ear that, sir. We will probably talk deep into the night.”

“Oh, yes, I’ve
missed Mr Crunch’s calming words.” Victor gave his father a grin.
“Would you please ask Snipes to send a cold buffet and tea up to my
room?”

“I ’ope ya
don’t mind, sir.” Crunch smiled at Mr Sheppard. “I had a tiring
trip.” It was a good idea for them to eat in private. Would save a
lot of awkward dinner conversation he wasn’t good at.

Mr Sheppard’s
eyes widened, and he gave them a nod. “Certainly. Now go and rest.
I will speak to you tomorrow.”

Victor brushed
his father’s arm. “Goodnight.”

Crunch smiled
at the gesture. They seemed to be close, and he was a bit envious
of that already.

They went to
the first floor, and as soon as they disappeared from Mr Sheppard’s
sight, Victor clutched Crunch’s hand in his, leading him through
overly decorated corridors to a room at the other side of the
house.

“I missed you.”
Crunch leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Your hair looks nice.”

Victor leaned
into him and pressed on the door handle. The door gave in and they
stumbled into a tall bedchamber with modern furnishings made of
dark wood and copper. Crunch’s eyes drifted to a platform at the
far end of the room. It housed the centrepiece of the arrangement,
a large bed with open curtains, guarded by four standing lamps.

“Does it? Not
silly anymore?” Victor slid his arms around Crunch’s waist, nudging
him with his nose.

“Nah. Ya look
luvly.” Crunch sighed and hugged him close, even though he knew he
couldn’t make up for the months apart.

“So do you.”
Victor’s lips were hot and wonderfully smooth as he trailed soft
kisses up the side of Crunch’s nose. “Ever so handsome, Mr
Crunch.”

“Right.” He
snorted. “With them red cheeks? It’s fuckin’ freezing out there.”
Crunch slid his hands to Victor’s buttocks and picked him up in one
smooth move.

“I know,”
gasped Victor, tightening his thighs around Crunch’s hips. His lips
were close enough for Crunch to feel his warm breath on his. “I
need to get you warm again.”

“Oh, fuck. Ya
do...” Crunch bit down on Victor’s bottom lip, his gaze never
straying from those warm brown eyes. “Or I’ll make ya cold?” He
nuzzled Victor’s cheek.

Victor
chuckled, holding him tighter. “How could you ever make me
cold?”

“Tell me ’ow
many friends made ya warm this winter, huh?” Crunch laughed and
carefully made his way to the bed. He raised his eyebrows when
Victor stiffened in his arms.

“Why...? Why
would you want to know?”

“I just wanna.
Wanna know ’ow easy it is to get a man in London for someone like
ya.” Crunch laughed and stumbled onto the bed with Victor. “Must be
easy now, with the law loosened up.”

Victor
grimaced, visibly uncomfortable with the questioning. “It’s always
been easy, but I don’t want to waste my time with you to dwell on
other lovers.”

Crunch sighed
and fell to his back, pulling Victor along. The bedding was so soft
he could melt into it.

Victor spread
his body over Crunch as soon as they hit the mattress, resting on
him with his full weight. Slowly, he slid his palms up Crunch’s
arms as their lips met again, and this time, Victor lingered for
more than a brief touch. They could finally indulge, and Crunch
opened his mouth in welcome as he hugged his lover’s body tighter.
It was better than any blanket, warm and giving him a hard-on
already. After everything he’d been through in the last few months,
he was happy he lived long enough to be here. He wouldn’t get to
ever taste those luscious lips again if he were rotting in some
ditch.

Victor melted
over him with a soft hum. He alternated between lapping at Crunch’s
mouth and gentle nuzzling, setting Crunch’s skin aflame with the
teasing touch. “I missed you.”

“Oh ’ave ya
now?” He grinned. “Go on, tell me, I wanna’ear it.” Crunch slid his
palms to Victor’s arse and squeezed it. To that, his own cock
responded even more eagerly than to the kiss. Victor sensed it too,
and he let out a delighted chuckle, rocking his hips against
Crunch. The chipped tooth didn’t spoil his charm one bit.

“Yes, what does
Mr Crunch want to know?” Victor purred. He drew back, straddling
Crunch’s hips and slowly pulled on the loose end of his silk scarf.
The cloth slid off his neck, leaving his throat exposed for
Crunch’s viewing pleasure. He wanted to suck it and bite it
already, still remembering the bruise he left on Victor last time.
It made him wonder how long Victor had it to remember him by.

“I wanna know
’ow many times ya tossed off thinkin’ of my cock.” He grinned up at
Victor and stroked the sides of his thighs.

Victor’s
eyebrows shot up in amusement as he took off his vest and sent it
flying across the room. “How could I ever count that?”

“And did ya
think of it when another man rode that sweet arse of yours?” Crunch
bit back a smile. He wanted to hear it, even if it wouldn’t be
true, and squeezed Victor’s buttocks for emphasis.

Victor pulled
up his shirt so that it hid most of his face and giggled. “Is that
very bad, Mr Crunch?” He tossed the shirt away, revealing his bare
chest to Crunch’s hungry eyes.

“Nah, ya’d only
want the best after ya got it once, right?” His cold hands moved up
to Victor’s pale stomach with a will of their own. He felt the
muscles twitch beneath his touch, as if even Victor’s insides
longed for him.

Victor looked
down, biting his lip, and closed his hands over Crunch’s to lead
them up to his chest.

“Ya don’t wanna
talk to me? I’m so dull?” Crunch laughed and pinched his
nipple.

“Ah, no!”
Victor fell on him like a hawk, preying on another wet kiss. With
their mouths colliding, Victor pulled on Crunch’s arm.

Crunch took the
hint and rolled over on top of his partner, deepening the kiss with
a groan. Victor was sucking on him. The velvet heat of his mouth
closed around Crunch’s lips and tongue, coaxing them inside for a
kiss as close to fucking as humanly possible. He couldn’t help but
grind between those lean thighs. It only reminded him that he
wanted Victor’s trousers off. Now.

There was a
loud knock on the door.

“Fuckin’’ell!”
Crunch groaned into Victor’s lips and rolled off.

Victor leaned
up on his elbows, flushed and breathless. He looked too fuckable
for his own good.

“Close the
curtains,” he said and didn’t have to ask twice. Within moments
they were enveloped by the velvety darkness, and Victor pulled
Crunch back on top of him with a small moan.

“Enter!”

Crunch bit back
a laugh, for a moment thinking
he
was being told to ‘enter’,
but he didn’t get a chance to voice the joke.

The door opened
with a slight squeak. “Your dinner, sir,” said a female voice from
behind the thick fabric.

Victor nodded,
brushing a kiss across Crunch’s cheekbone. “Thank you, Anna. I do
not wish to be disturbed.”

“Certainly.”
They heard the silent rattle of cutlery but eventually, the maid
wished them goodnight and left.

Victor let out
a long breath and dropped onto the covers. “You can wait for food,
can’t you?”

“No, I need
energy.” Crunch leaned away to inspect the food trolley the maid
left just by the bed. “Aren’t ya worried people will talk?”

Victor let out
a sigh and reached down to unbutton his trousers without much
haste. “Not really, no. I like who I am.”

It was so
simple and straightforward that Crunch didn’t know what to say. He
was always the type to fuck around in secret.

When he pushed
the curtain to the side, the light embraced them again, and he had
to blink. There was a tiered stand with finger sandwiches, scones,
and cakes, as well as two pots of tea and several trimmings. Even
the cutlery and plates were top-notch.

“Does that
bother you?” asked Victor, taking his attention off the
mouth-watering delicacies.

Crunch didn’t
even know where to start. The food looked so dainty. He decided to
take off his dirty shoes before even approaching such wonders.

“I don’t really
show it much to others. Can be a bad thing.”

“Why?” Crunch
felt the mattress moving behind him and soon, he was pulled back
against Victor’s warmth. “Aren’t Humanists supposed to accept men
like you?”

“Some do, some
don’t. Like anywhere, ya know? People are still people. Ya ever got
beaten up, luv?” Crunch decided to start on the sandwiches, and
they turned out to be heaven. Soft, snow-white bread, fish,
cucumber...

“Of course
not.” Victor kissed Crunch’s ear, undressing him one button at a
time. “I don’t lure men who don’t give me
that
look.”

“Well, where I
come from, it’s not just about luring the wrong man.” Crunch closed
his eyes for a moment, enjoying the food, the touch, the kisses,
the smells, and not having to be as tough as a rock once in a
while. It was nice to be wanted this much.

“How was it for
you, then?” Victor nuzzled his face into Crunch’s arm, slowly
easing his shirt off.

“It was like
walkin’ in the darkness. I didn’t know what I wanted until I found
it for the first time.” He looked at the tiny porcelain pot full of
jam. Currently manufactured by the Humanists.

Victor leaned
his face on Crunch’s shoulder and reached down to open his
trousers. “Tell me?”

“He was a kind
boy. I think ’e knew better than me. But when I spilled that first
time with him... Oh, Victor... It was ’eaven.” Crunch pushed a
piece of scone with strawberry jam into his mouth.

“I can
imagine.” Victor leaned forward to grab the other half of the scone
before settling in his original place behind Crunch. “Must have
been sweet.”

“I knew I
wouldn’t turn back after that, but I wouldn’t dare talk of it. I
’ad a few try and beat me up when I wasn’t so big yet.”

Victor soothed
him with a soft, strawberry-scented kiss to the cheek. It felt so
natural to be held by him, as if they were long-term lovers, not
men who had shared a few encounters in secret.

“I guess it’s
different in yar world. Actors, singers, and that. Always get some
slack.” He turned his head, greedy for yet another kiss. Victor’s
mouth now had the velvety sweetness of strawberry jam and cream,
but he broke the contact to bite into the scone again.

“It is easier
to find men who are likewise inclined, yes.” Victor shrugged.
“Doesn’t always make love easier though. Many of the men I’ve met
were not even close to ‘kind’.”

“They didn’t
’urt ya, did they?” Crunch asked between one kiss and another.

“They
disappointed me.” Victor sighed against Crunch’s ear and startled
him with a wet lap up his nape.

Crunch laughed.
“No wonder! Toff like ya, anyone would disappoint ya.” He pushed
back on to the bed, leaving the food in peace. There would be time
for it later.

Victor grinned
at him and quickly washed the scone down with water before
following Crunch further, towards the headboard. Completely naked,
Victor was the picture of grace as he moved on all fours, cornering
Crunch with a wide smile.

“Are
you
going to?”

“Probably.”
Crunch shrugged with a smile and pulled down his heavy trousers. He
didn’t even notice when Victor unbuttoned them earlier.

Victor pouted,
tracing his finger down the trail of hair running from his navel.
“In such case, you are nothing but a bastard, Mr Crunch!”