"Don't make me laugh."

"Then I touched the place that makes it all worthwhile and almost pa.s.sed out with sheer pleasure. It made me more desperate to try again with the d.i.l.d.o. I finally eased the thing all the way in and someone knocked at the bathroom door. They wouldn't go away and I had to hide the c.o.c.k in the toilet cistern. It was gone when I went back. One of the boys who was in the home with me, stuck it onto the door of my school locker with superglue. It backfired on him though, because he was seen doing it and the other kids thought he was gay and I was straight. I'd kissed a few girls and he hadn't."

"Did you like kissing girls?"

"It was okay. They're soft. I like hard. I like kissing you."

Tyler pulled his fingers out, rubbed off the lube and ripped open a foil packet. Condom in place, one nudge, one push and he slid straight into Haris's body.

"Da...mn," Haris groaned.

"Oh that feels good." He shuddered.

Haris reached for one of Tyler's nipples and Tyler gasped in surprise when a clamp bit into him.

"Okay?" Haris asked.

"Yeah."

"You look so hot." Haris fastened another on the other nipple. "And even better, you can't put them on my c.o.c.k now."

Tyler rocked his hips and rode him slowly. "I can do anything I want."

But he didn't plan to take the clasps off. The bite of pain had segued to pleasure. He rolled his pelvis and thrust steadily into Haris, enjoying the way his body closed around him, sucking him in. He watched Haris work his own c.o.c.k, pinching the tip with spit-slick fingers and then looked into his eyes to see Haris staring straight at him.

"We going to try and come together?" Haris asked.

"Do I get a prize if I do?"

"You can clean me up."

"What if you come first?" He drove harder into Haris's body.

"You can still clean me up."

o.r.g.a.s.m was building inside Tyler, every cell on a hair's breadth of antic.i.p.ation. His b.a.l.l.s had drawn up tight, his toes and scalp tingled, his nipples were on fire, and much as he might have wanted to prolong this, he couldn't.

"I should have used that ring on me," he said with a gasp.

Tyler lost control. He tried to hold off a little longer but it was impossible, like trying to push water uphill. An ache set up at the back of his head and his breathing turned choppy. Faster, harder, faster, harder. The words echoed in his head, spilled from his mouth. Haris's fingers fumbled with the ring and then it was off and Tyler's whole body jerked as he spilled himself inside Haris.

Haris's hand squeezed his c.o.c.k and Tyler watched through half-open eyes as jets of come spurted over that perfect chest. With every spasm, Haris squeezed his rectal muscles and Tyler groaned in delight. He finished coming before Haris and watched mesmerized until the last drop had left the guy's c.o.c.k.

"f.u.c.k, I wanted to hold you," Haris said with a groan. "Only I was afraid I'd hurt you. I never want to hurt you. I..."

Tyler withdrew from his body with his heart still pounding. He disposed of the condom into a tissue and then began to lap at the streaks of come coating Haris's chest. He didn't want Haris to see his face, to understand the way he felt because he knew he wanted him too much, needed him more than Haris would ever need him. Tyler had not just sold him his body, he'd offered him his heart and now he had to wait and see what Haris would do, because there was no way Tyler could take it back.

Haris thought the police must be able to see how nervous he was. He had to make a conscious effort not to fidget, talk too much or clench his fists. But it quickly became clear they were far more concerned that they'd allowed a guy they'd taken into custody slip from their hold and get hit by a car. They'd asked him if he knew the man and he'd lied and said no, and hoped that didn't come back to haunt him. So much for not liking lies. What a hypocrite.

He had to sit and wait another thirty minutes for Tyler to come out. Since he'd gone into an interview room at the same time, the longer it took for Tyler to emerge, the more worried Haris became. When his phone vibrated in his pocket, Haris checked who was calling and his heart beat even harder. He accepted the call and slipped outside the building.

"We are in Rome," his father said. "The plane to Riyadh leaves in one hour."

"How are things?" Haris asked.

"We've talked. Things have been said that should have been discussed a long time ago. Malik tells me Rashid had no family. Although in many ways that's a relief, I feel sad his life ended in the way it did. There is no justice when a young man's freedom is forfeit because of something he cannot help."

That was a change in his father's thinking.

"There'll be no trouble here." Haris checked he was un.o.bserved before he continued. "No one has mentioned Malik's name, no link has been made from me to Rashid."

His father sighed. "Thank you. I know he doesn't deserve it. I hope I can make him see sense before...well, I wish the circ.u.mstances had been different. I wish you happiness, my son. I only ever wanted that for you."

Haris swallowed a lump in his throat. "Perhaps I could-"

"No. You must not come here. It's too big a risk. Let us part like this while I'm still able to pretend I'm strong. Goodbye, Haris."

"Goodbye, Baba."

Haris stuffed the phone back in his pocket and clamped his teeth together. It was true that you didn't realize what you had until you were in danger of it being taken away from you. He didn't want to lose Tyler.

"Hey, I thought you'd left me." Tyler came up behind him, carrying his bag, coat and guitar.

"Okay?"

"Fine."

"What took so long?"

Tyler headed down the path. "Well, I was the victim. They wanted pictures and stuff. The blood test at the hospital showed I'd been given some sort of sedative. I think they want to make a case for Rashid being guilty, even though he's never going to go on trial, just so that they don't look as bad."

"It's over?"

"Yeah." Tyler strode on ahead, avoiding his gaze.

Why did the uneasy feeling in his gut make him think Tyler was lying?

Chapter Twenty-Three.

Tyler couldn't remember having spent such a restful few days. His back was healing. The dressings were off and Haris wasn't freaking out every time he accidentally touched him where it hurt. They'd decorated the tree with white wooden snowflakes and little red birds and it looked great, better than it had before. Haris had been right. His dissertation was flowing, he'd already written ten thousand words on Haris's laptop. He'd composed two new songs and sent clips of himself playing them to Col, Des and Newt. Wilson had given him a few cooking lessons and last night, Tyler made a beef stroganoff that was actually tasty, though Wilson had shuddered when he'd seen how many pans he'd used and the amount of rice he'd spilled on the floor.

There were still unresolved issues between him and Haris. That f.u.c.king contract for a start. He wished he'd never signed the d.a.m.n thing. If he and Haris had been out on a couple of dates, maybe he'd have asked him to move in anyway and that money wouldn't be sitting there between them like some neon colored elephant.

Tyler was waiting too. Waiting for the words 'I love you' to spill from Haris's lips. He didn't want to say them and not have Haris say them back and yet he didn't want Haris to just repeat them. Nor did he want to hear them when they were f.u.c.king. He wanted them said when Haris wasn't caught up in the thrall of o.r.g.a.s.m. Tyler couldn't say them first because he couldn't make himself that vulnerable. If the four month deadline pa.s.sed, then he'd know. But until then, he'd wait. And hope.

Even so, these past evenings spent cuddled next to Haris on the couch had been pretty close to perfect. They couldn't be next to each other without touching. Tyler smiled.

Then he stopped smiling because it was Sat.u.r.day and he had something to do and Haris wasn't going to like it.

What he hadn't realized was how much Haris wasn't going to like it.

"No," Haris yelled. "You're not to go."

"I'm not actually going to f.u.c.k anyone."

Haris shuddered. "Please don't do this."

"The police asked. I said I would. They can bring Prescott down."

"They can do it without you. You told the guy you'd finished with him, so isn't he going to be suspicious if you turn up?"

"Lu said me going on Sat.u.r.day was Prescott's price for him helping me. Prescott thinks I'm desperate for money."

Haris paced across the living room. "What's the plan?"

"I go up to the apartment with an undercover cop and tell Prescott he's a replacement for Jeremy. After the guests arrive, the police are going to raid the party."

"Why do you need to be there?"

"I have to get the undercover cop in the apartment to see money changing hands, to hear Prescott giving orders, playing the pimp. Then it's evidence from more than one source. I don't know how many of the other...men like me will speak out."

Haris stopped pacing. "You're not like that."

Yes I am. You offered to pay me, didn't you?

"Will you be wired?"

Tyler shuffled his feet. "We're naked."

"Oh Christ." Haris dragged his fingers through his hair.

Tyler jumped up and hugged him from behind. He tightened his hold when Haris tried to push him away.

"I'm not going to do anything other than take my kit off. You know how much I love taking my kit off." He nuzzled into Haris's back. "When we first met, I promised you I wouldn't be with anyone else for the four months we were together and I won't break my word."

He'd have to do something in the elevator just to convince Prescott the cop was gay, but apart from that, he didn't intend to let anyone touch him. The police had said it should only take a few minutes.

"I don't want you to...oh h.e.l.l." Haris sagged in his arms and Tyler moved round to stand in front of him.

"I don't want Prescott and Gerald to get away with this," Tyler said.

Haris's sad eyes made his gut twist. "Not so long ago you were relying on Prescott's parties to pay off your debt. It's okay for me to let my brother go free and yet you want to bring down this guy?"

"That was your decision. This is mine. Jeremy was raped by one of Prescott's guests. Prescott threatened me. Gerald threatened me. Lu mistreated me. If Jeremy won't tell the police about Gerald, then at least tonight's raid will stop Prescott. It's something."

"I'm coming with you."

"You can't."

"Why not?"

"You...you're too old."

The muscles twitched in Haris's cheek. "I can be a guest."

Tyler shook his head. "He invites them himself. You won't be allowed in."

"Then how are the police going to get in?"

"How the f.u.c.k do I know? Abseil from the roof? Blow out the door? They aren't going to tell me the whole plan."

Haris caught Tyler's chin with his hand. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't be. Even Prescott has rules. No one's forced into anything while they're in that apartment. Too many witnesses. I can be choosy and just sit around." Unless Prescott decides he wants to teach me a lesson.

"I'm still coming. I'll wait outside in the car."

"I'd like that. Then we can go for fish and chips."

Haris laughed, as Tyler knew he would. "It's impossible to be mad with you."

Tyler wasn't so sure about that.

Haris drove him to Canary Wharf and parked a few streets away from the apartment building. Tyler called the number he'd been given by the police and then the pair of them sat in awkward silence until there was a tap on the window. Haris leapt out of the car before Tyler.

"This is Steve," Tyler said. "Steve, this is Haris. We met when I did the police interview."

Steve had fair hair and wore skin tight jeans and a leather jacket. His tongue was pierced and so was his left ear. He looked younger than Tyler and he was pretty. Haris growled, climbed back into the car and slammed the door.

Tyler bit back his sn.i.g.g.e.r. He bent down and leaned through from the pa.s.senger side to kiss him. "I'll be good."

Haris's tongue slid into his mouth and when Tyler let his slip against it, Haris nipped him.

"Ouch."

"One hour and I'm coming to get you," Haris whispered.

Tyler walked away with Steve, feeling Haris watching him every step of the way. It was a novel experience having someone to care about him, having someone to care about. But love? Did Haris love him?

"You okay?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, are you?"