"The guy ran off. He shoved that man into you and you both fell. Another couple of feet and I'd have hit you. Oh Christ." He slapped a hand over his mouth.

Tyler looked around but there was no sign of anyone running. Why would someone push them into the path of a bus? s.h.i.t. Prescott? But how did he know where he was? Or had Haris been the target and not him? His stomach churned.

Haris put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?"

Tyler nodded. "You?"

"Yes."

"You want to call the police?" the driver asked.

"No." Tyler and Haris spoke at the same time.

Tyler climbed onto the bus. "We're fine."

He swiped his card on the pad and went upstairs, leaving Haris to fumble for change to pay the driver. Both front seats were free so he sat on the left hand side and Haris joined him. When Haris's hand settled over his where it was clamped to the edge of the seat, Tyler sighed.

"That was close," Haris said.

"I thought you'd pushed me." He let out a strangled laugh.

"You did push me. You pushed me out of the way. Thank you."

"I hope my phone's all right." Tyler pulled it out of his pocket. "Ah, my precioussss."

Haris laughed.

Tyler put the mobile away. "If that driver hadn't stopped in time, we'd have both gone under the wheels."

"There are some b.l.o.o.d.y lunatics around."

"Yeah," Tyler muttered. He felt more comfortable thinking it was some nutter and not Prescott. But what if Haris had been killed? Oh f.u.c.k.

Jesus Christ. Haris was in shock. An accident or not? The white Fiat man? It was beginning to look as though his past was coming back to haunt him. The thought of being responsible for Tyler's death filled him with horror. But then, it could have been some random crazy f.u.c.ker. If someone wanted him dead, there were more certain ways than shoving him in front of a bus.

He stroked Tyler's hand with his thumb. Tyler had tried to push him out of the way. He had pushed him out of the way, even though at the time Tyler thought he'd shoved him...oh G.o.d. Time to contact a private detective. He couldn't afford to let this escalate. It might be nothing, but he needed to be sure.

Haris moved his hand from Tyler's. "I can't remember the last time I went anywhere by bus. Years."

"We're in the best seats. We can drive and sideswipe any vehicle that annoys us." Tyler gripped an imaginary wheel.

Haris leaned back in the seat. His lips curved in a smile. Tyler was like a breath of fresh air. He'd thought he'd just be someone to share his bed but he liked his company. Work had taken second place for once. He hadn't even thought about it all day. Most of his thoughts had been about the man at his side.

He was so wrapped up in a daydream on the verge of becoming a wet dream that he lost track of how far they'd traveled.

"We need to get off." He stood and pressed the b.u.t.ton.

Tyler followed him down the stairs and they waited for the bus to come to a halt. He nodded his thanks to the driver and stepped onto the pavement. When no one else got off, Haris breathed more easily. Paranoia beckoned.

"Can we get something to eat?" Tyler asked.

"Wilson will have cooked. He has Sat.u.r.day night off but he leaves something for me to heat up. So, when you're not playing your guitar or reading, what else do you get up to on Sat.u.r.day nights?"

"Nothing."

Tyler could have said almost anything else and Haris would have believed him. The one thing he didn't believe was 'nothing.' This was a guy he'd rescued from a St. Andrew's cross. What else had he been doing to earn money? Why is he so jumpy? Tyler checked behind them a couple of times and Haris realized the incident had freaked Tyler out as much as it had him. For some particular reason?

He heard a phone cheep. Not his. "Is that yours?"

"Yes."

"Going to answer it?"

"No."

The ding-ding of an incoming message followed. Tyler made no move to take out his mobile. It worried Haris, who was programmed to respond instantly to a sound from his phone. Even if he didn't want to speak to whoever was calling, or return a message, he always checked who it was. Maybe Tyler already knew. Jeremy?

Christ, this wasn't going to work if he was going to be jealous. He wasn't supposed to be feeling anything except s.e.xual satisfaction.

Yet when they were in the house and the door was locked, tension seeped out of his body. Tyler looked at him, smiled, and all was right with the world. The rules were clear when they were here. Haris felt on safe ground.

"The key's for you," he said, nodding toward the hall table.

"Great." Tyler toed off his shoes. "Shower, s.e.x, food and then s.e.x again or s.e.x, shower, food and then s.e.x?"

He laughed. Maybe not safe ground at all. He put his shoes next to Tyler's, unb.u.t.toned his coat and slung it on the newel post. Tyler put his over it. Their hats landed on top of one another on the stairs. Haris paused and then picked his up and put it back on.

Tyler chuckled. "I should have gone for the light up hat with the antlers."

He started up the stairs and when Tyler's backside came level with his face, Haris couldn't resist. The next moment, he sprawled with Haris on top of him. Tyler laughed and tried to crawl up but Haris wouldn't let him. He ground the ridge of his c.o.c.k against Tyler's b.u.t.t and pressed his face into the side of his neck.

"I want to f.u.c.k you right here."

Tyler turned his head and groaned, and Haris captured his lower lip between his teeth, tugging on it before letting go. He peeled up Tyler's sweater, pulled it over his head and tossed it aside. His went the same way but he made sure the hat stayed on. Tyler was trying to move but Haris's weight rested on his thighs. He leaned forward to slip his hand under Tyler's hips and then shunted them both a little way up the stairs so he could unfasten the b.u.t.ton of Tyler's jeans.

"I should have bought you a bigger size," he muttered. "But your a.s.s looked so perfect in these."

b.u.t.ton finally free, he peeled the jeans and boxers down and exposed Tyler's tight backside and the s.e.xy indents on his flanks. With a growl of possession he didn't recognize as coming from him, Haris licked the seam of his b.u.t.t. Mine, mine, mine. He gripped Tyler's hips and ran his tongue in a long, slow caress from the dips in the small of his back, over his backside in a winding trail to his b.a.l.l.s. He yanked the denims down to Tyler's ankles to give him more room and then spread his b.u.t.t cheeks to reveal the wrinkled pucker of his a.s.shole. Dark, tight and tempting.

Tyler was breathing heavily, his fists curled on the carpeted stairs above his head. "Oh G.o.d, G.o.d..."

Haris used his tongue to probe at the entrance to Tyler's body, smiling against him when the sensitive muscles fluttered under his ministrations. It was a long time since he'd rimmed anyone. He usually had it done to him and knew how good it felt.

"Aaah," Tyler groaned. "That f.u.c.king hat is tickling me."

Haris laughed. The plaited ta.s.sels that hung down the sides brushed Tyler's thighs. "I'm not taking it off."

Tyler sn.i.g.g.e.red. "I could make you wait until tomorrow. Going to sleep in it?"

"I might."

Haris brought his thumb into play, circling it around the tight ring of muscle, coaxing Tyler into opening.

"Lube? Condom?" Tyler grunted. "Some place more comfortable?"

Haris reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out his wallet. The tiny sachet of lube had been there a long time. As had the condom.

"Stay where you are but take off the rest of your clothes," Haris said.

Haris unzipped and exposed his throbbing c.o.c.k as Tyler wriggled out of his shirt and tried to kick off his pants and boxers. Haris gave him a hand, yanking Tyler's socks off at the same time. The sight of Tyler sprawled naked on the stairs tripped a switch in his head and he had to press down on his b.a.l.l.s to stop himself coming.

Tyler whistled through his teeth and came up on his knees when Haris squeezed lube over his pucker. He watched the liquid slide down toward his b.a.l.l.s and ran his finger over the sensitive strip of flesh behind Tyler's sac to drag back some lube before he pressed hard against his a.n.u.s. His finger slid straight inside.

"You are so ready," he whispered.

He finger-f.u.c.ked him, ma.s.saging his channel in a slow and steady motion while Tyler sucked air, hissed and groaned, and every sound wound Haris tighter. His c.o.c.k expanded inside the condom and his belly fluttered. He added another finger and corkscrewed them into Tyler's b.u.t.t. On each push, Tyler clenched around him and he couldn't wait to feel those muscles tightening around his c.o.c.k. He swallowed hard.

"Ha-ris." Tyler gasped his name. "Just do it."

He was in him before Tyler finished speaking. A long, hard drive as deep as he could get into sweet, tight, warm heaven. A couple of seconds to let them both adjust and then Haris began to move. He supported himself on his hands and watched his c.o.c.k sliding in and out of Tyler, the sight as much of a turn on as the sensation. A groan burst from his throat as he pulled back almost to the point of withdrawal and Tyler's muscles squeezed hard trying to keep him in. As he rammed forward again, Tyler collapsed onto the stairs, one arm under his forehead, the other beneath his body. Haris guessed he had his hand around his c.o.c.k.

He felt like he'd been drugged. Reality faded and all he could see, hear, smell and touch was Tyler. He moved his hands to Tyler's body and dug his fingers into his hips, shunting into him at an ever-increasing speed, his heavy breathing mingling with the jerky gasps and long moans coming from the man beneath him.

Haris hoped the world didn't end before he'd come, the sensation was so exquisite. He changed the angle of his thrusts and Tyler cried out and bucked back into him, the muscles of his r.e.c.t.u.m squeezing hard as he came. Haris shuddered with belly-deep pleasure but couldn't stop moving. His b.a.l.l.s slapped Tyler's b.u.t.t on every thrust and when Tyler turned to look at him, his dark eyes wide, Haris lost his tenuous control. With his c.o.c.k buried deep, his brain sent a lightning fast signal to his b.a.l.l.s. His back arched as he came, his c.o.c.k emptying into the condom, and he shuddered and gasped with every spurt. His entire body tingled with pleasure.

He held himself rigid until the final spasm had died away and then he withdrew. His heart still hammered. He pulled off the condom and tucked his c.o.c.k back in his pants. Tyler rolled over with his hand cupped around his d.i.c.k, come slipping through his fingers onto his belly, his other arm over his eyes.

"Tell me I caught it all. I don't want Wilson to worry about strange marks on the carpet and call in some specialist cleaning company who'll take a sample away for investigation and charge you a fortune to tell you what we already know. Wilson might just kill me when he gets their report."

Haris chuckled. "You're fine."

More than fine. Tyler's knees and elbows were red where they'd rubbed on the carpet. No sign yet of bruises from the ice rink or the fall in front of the bus. The silence was broken by the sound of Tyler's phone and Haris reached for his pants.

Tyler moved his arm from his face. "Leave it," he snapped, and then sighed. "I need a shower."

Irritation whittled at Haris but more with himself than Tyler. "Help yourself. I'll see you downstairs."

He stepped past him, being careful not to touch and continued up. Before he reached the landing, he s.n.a.t.c.hed the hat from his head. What was Tyler hiding from him? I can't trust him. For him to feel anything other than l.u.s.t for Tyler made him a fool and Haris was not a fool.

Chapter Ten.

What the f.u.c.k is with this guy? Tyler stared after Haris's departing back and scowled. Every time he made a step forward, Haris pushed him back. He looked down at the come dripping from his fist and grabbed his boxers. He wiped off most of the sticky mess, gathered his clothes and headed up the stairs. Haris's door was closed. Yeah, well I suppose I am the resident f.u.c.kbuddy. What did I expect? Haris was paying him to share his bed, not his life. Tyler had made that clear to him and now it had come back to bite him.

Once he was in his top floor bedroom, Tyler took the phone from his pants and let his clothes drop to the carpet. Three missed calls and a voicemail from Henry which was how he'd stored Prescott's number. Tyler had heard a party guest call him that once. He could delete the number from the phone and block his calls. He ought to, but maybe it was better to have a record just in case anything bad happened. That f.u.c.king bus. He shuddered.

"Answer your phone, you f.u.c.ker," Prescott snapped on the voicemail. "Call me now."

No, Tyler wouldn't be doing that.

One missed call and a text from Jeremy. Prescott cld. Tld hm u wont b there. He's psd. He interpreted Jeremy's shorthand as-Prescott called. Told him you won't be there. He's p.i.s.sed. Tyler knew Prescott hadn't believed he'd refuse to attend any more parties. When he didn't turn up tonight, maybe he'd get it. He had a momentary surge of worry about Jeremy dealing with Gerald on his own, but if he chose not to listen to his warnings, what could he do?

When his phone rang, Tyler almost dropped it. He looked at the screen and sagged. b.l.o.o.d.y Prescott. He touched the screen to receive the call and said, "Stop calling me. I'm not going to change my mind."

"Listen to me, you little s.h.i.t. I told you I'd arranged something special with Gerald. Be here inside thirty minutes or you'll be sorry."

Tyler thought of a number of sarcastic responses and restricted himself to, "No."

"Look, I know you're upset." Prescott modified his tone. "I've spoken to Lu. Made it clear what he did was unacceptable. He lost his payment for that night. I'll give it to you instead."

Big deal. All that meant was Lu would make Tyler pay in another way next time he had anything to do with him. Not that there would be a next time.

"I've had enough," Tyler said. "It's over."

He didn't hear Prescott growl, but he felt it rumbling down an invisible phone line and invading his body.

"It's not over until I say so. If you don't come tonight, I'll make sure your head of music-Dr. Flowers, isn't it?-knows exactly what one of his students does in his spare time."

"Go ahead. I don't care." Well, he cared but he doubted Flowers could do anything about it unless it was written in college rules-no f.u.c.king for money.

"And when you need a reference for a job, you think your employer will care?"

f.u.c.k. That was different. He clenched his jaw. "You're not going to control my life."

"Oh yes I am, Tyler. I most definitely am. You walk out on me and I'll ruin your f.u.c.king life."

Tyler ended the call. "Too late," he muttered.

b.a.s.t.a.r.d. He tossed his phone on the bed and headed for the bathroom. He thought about going downstairs and showering with Haris, but hadn't the guy made it clear that wasn't what he wanted? Tyler wouldn't gain anything by turning this into more than the business deal it was. In the future, he'd keep his mouth shut along with his wallet and just cooperate.

Oh d.a.m.n it. Like that was gonna happen. Awkward was his middle name.

He didn't know if the b.u.t.terflies in his belly fluttered due to anxiety over Prescott's call or a need for more s.e.x, but if he didn't make Haris want to keep him, he'd be up s.h.i.t creek without a canoe, let alone a paddle. He'd had it with Prescott. The ball gag had been the last straw. Haris was supposed to be the easy option.

Tyler turned and went downstairs. He didn't knock but walked straight into Haris's room. No sign of the guy, but the shower was running and he entered the bathroom. Haris stood with his back toward him, washing his hair. Tyler stared through the gla.s.s, mesmerized by the thick trail of suds running down his spine and along the length of his b.u.t.t crack. The image was so s.e.xy that goose b.u.mps erupted over his skin and his c.o.c.k stirred. Christ, I only just came.

Before he could think himself out of it, he moved around the curved gla.s.s wall of the shower and stepped under the flow.

"Jesus Christ in a b.l.o.o.d.y submarine," Tyler yelped.

As he tried to escape the freezing water, Haris grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

"Could you turn the heat down a bit?" Tyler's teeth chattered. "I usually like it more arctic than this."