Part 15 (1/2)

”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.”