Love Is Always Write Volume 4

sheriff. The other pertains to the contracts you just sorted for me. The last has to do with a marine dispute, and involves sorting out some rather valuable cargo. I'm sure it will take all day; they all seem to think the more they speak the better their chances of getting what they want."
    Allen's mouth quirked. "Yes, that certainly does seem to be the case. I've sat through court sessions with my parents often. There was one occasion they had a man gagged because he refused to be quiet long enough to let anyone else speak."
    "I need to remember that trick," Sarrica said, and took another kiss, and several more after that, unable to tear himself away from Allen's warm, eager mouth. He curved his hands around Allen's hips, smoothed them lightly across the small of his back, then shifted lower to grip his ass, tugging him closer and higher.
    Slender arms wrapped around his neck as Allen ate at his mouth, meeting Sarrica measure for measure. Heat flooded Sarrica, threaded with relief, because no one had really made him burn since Nyle. He hadn't realized until that moment how much he had missed wanting someone so desperately.
    It was easy, natural, from there to unlace Allen's breeches and pull out his cock. He teased his fingers along its length, ran his thumb over the head, then began to stroke with slow, firm pulls, all the while keeping their mouths firmly sealed together, feasting on every gasp and moan Allen fed him. Nails bit into his skin, and he pulled away as he began to stroke faster just to enjoy the sight of Allen's flushed face, his eyes bright with lust, the pupils wide. Best of all was the way Allen clung to him and said his name as he came with a shudder in Sarrica's arms.
    Reluctantly letting him go, Sarrica grabbed a napkin from the table to clean them up as best he could. Tossing the napkin aside, he drew Allen close again and kissed him softly. "I think perhaps taking you to the hearings is a mistake after all," Sarrica murmured, then swallowed Allen's answering chuckle in another kiss. Eventually, he managed to make himself pull back, drawing in a much needed breath and while trying to think cooling thoughts.
    Allen's hands slid down to his breeches, but Sarrica captured them and drew them back up, and kissed the back of each. "But—"
    "I am more than happy to have you repay the favor later," Sarrica said. "Do not strain your wounds more than I already have. Besides, if we are much later to session, they will all come in here and then we'll never get rid of them." Pulling away, he walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a lightweight, dark blue tunic. It was soft, well-worn, something he often wore when he settled in to work on paperwork through the night. "Try this. It's a bit too light for the cold, but a good cloak and some mulled wine will counter that."
    He helped Allen into the tunic, using a cloth belt to cinch it up at his hips. Satisfied with that, he returned to the wardrobe and drew out a heavy, dark blue cloak trimmed and lined with soft, dark brown fur. Swinging it over Allen's shoulders and twitching it into place, he pinned it with a silver pin portraying a dragon and a gryphon twined together. "All set, then," he said, and stole one last kiss before moving away to finish dressing himself.
    The great hall fell silent as they entered, but Sarrica ignored it, simply walked on hand in hand with Allen. When they reached the dais, he settled Allen in a seat prepared with his back in mind.
    After he took his own seat, and arranged the relevant papers on the table between their seats, Sarrica said, "For those not formally introduced, I make known to you Prince Allen Gaulden, my betrothed. As my future consort, he will be assisting me in session today. Bring the first case forward."
    "Majesties," the bailiff replied and swept a bow before turning and beckoning forward nearly a dozen people, one of them in chains. Sarrica looked the lot over, noting the poor state of the accused, the better condition of the vendors accusing him. The accused also seemed rather slight, not strong enough to easily kill a healthy, fit Sheriff. "Explain the details to me again, bailiff. All parties will remain silent until he finishes the recounting."
    Sarrica listened as the bailiff recounted the tale of a theft gone wrong, the vendor's son capturing the accused, the sheriff brought in to sort the matter out, but instead devolving into tragedy. He already saw a few flaws in the telling. "I'm still not clear