Part 17 (1/2)

”But it's partly your fault,” Jeremy muttered.

Tyler stiffened. It was all very well blaming himself but he didn't need Jeremy doing it too. ”I warned you what he was like, I told you not to go back.”

”Prescott told Gerald he could do what he liked in the room downstairs because you hadn't turned up.”

The f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d. ”You should have walked out.”

Jeremy glared at him. ”I needed the money and I didn't know he'd follow me home and rape me.” He flinched. ”Christ, my b.u.t.t.” He dropped back on the bed and curled up.

”You ought to go to the police.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes. ”Oh yeah, like that's going to do any good.”

Tyler suspected he was right.

”I'm so confused and I b.l.o.o.d.y hurt.” Tears rolled down his cheeks.

Tyler squeezed his hand. ”Well, at least it's over now. Forget you ever met Prescott and Gerald.”

”I can't,” he said with a low moan. ”I need the money. A thousand quid. That's huge.”

Worth getting raped for? Tyler felt mean that he wished Jeremy had used some of it to go to a hotel.

”I don't want anything else to do with Gerald.” He pinned Tyler with his lopsided teary gaze. ”I need a rich boyfriend like yours.”

Tyler sucked in his cheeks. ”Did you say anything about me to Prescott?”

”No, just that you weren't coming. He asked if I knew where you were and I said I didn't.”

Do I believe him? He knew better than to trust anyone, particularly someone so desperate for money. Was Prescott waiting outside? He'd been an idiot to come back here. But he looked at Jeremy's battered face and sighed.

”Can I stay here?”

Tyler nodded.

Jeremy sat up and wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand, his fingers shaking. ”I can pay rent.”

Tyler winced. ”I thought you meant just tonight?”

”I can't go back. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d knows where I live. I...I don't want to go back. I don't want to remember what... I won't be a nuisance. I can sleep on the floor. I'll buy a blowup mattress. You won't know I'm here.”

Tyler smothered a groan. ”There's barely enough room for one bed, let alone two. Have mine. I might not be here much.” Unless Haris kicked him out. ”I need to go.”

”Don't leave me on my own tonight. Please.”

Jeremy sounded so desperate that Tyler sighed, toed off his shoes and lay down on the other side of the bed. ”I can't stay long.”

Jeremy took off his boots and curled up facing Tyler, quickly falling into an exhausted sleep. Tyler pulled the covers over him and left his spare set of keys on the counter. He wasn't happy about letting Jeremy stay but what choice did he have? Tyler knew what it was like to feel lonely and afraid.

He called a cab, arranged a pick up for a street away and spent several minutes staring out of the window before he left. Not that he was paranoid-much-but it didn't seem wise to just waltz outside without checking to see if anyone was watching. He didn't know that Prescott knew where he lived, but he suspected he did. He hoped the guy had enough sense not to tell Gerald. Tyler exited through the back door and used the wheelie bin to climb onto the wall. He dropped his bag on the other side and then jumped, holding his acoustic guitar.

By the time he reached Holland Park, it was nearly seven. He left everything in the hall and took off his shoes and jacket before he crept up the stairs. As he tiptoed past Haris's door, it opened. Haris stood there in a black dressing gown, fury written all over his face. s.h.i.+t.

”Where the f.u.c.k have you been?”

”A friend needed my help.”

”What friend? What help?”

Tyler bristled at Haris's sharp tone. ”It has nothing to do with you. You're not buying my life. I told you that.”

”I'm buying your exclusivity which means you don't f.u.c.k off in the middle of the night without telling me.”

Tyler stuck his hands in his pockets. ”I didn't want to disturb you.”

”You mean you thought you'd get back without me having realized you'd gone.”

”That was the plan.”

”Then it's not wrong to conclude I wouldn't be happy if you'd told me what you were up to.”

No matter how Tyler played this, it wouldn't look good. ”No, but I told you a friend needed my help.”

”What friend?”

”Just a friend.”

”Did you f.u.c.k him? Did he f.u.c.k you?”

”No and no.” Tyler stared straight at him, and then started to chew his lip. He was simultaneously p.i.s.sed off that Haris was jealous and also a little flattered, but he didn't need this sort of aggravation. ”I've told you the truth. I've brought my stuff with me. Want me to take it back?”

”Do what you like.” He slammed the door in Tyler's face.

Chapter Eleven.

Haris sat in his study, staring at his laptop. After Tyler had left his bed last night, he'd lain frozen in disappointment. He hadn't pushed about the dream, but it wasn't hard to conclude that's what had upset him. Before he could pull himself together enough to go upstairs and attempt to put things right, he'd heard Tyler sneak down and then the quiet click of the door. His heart had pounded as he ran up to Tyler's room. He expected to see everything he'd bought him gone, but it hadn't been. Though that didn't mean Tyler intended to return.

Plans to start the day in bed, reading the Sunday papers, drinking coffee, eating croissant and having s.e.x-and not in that order-faded as he'd waited sleeplessly for morning. He'd been through an endless series of emotions and unfortunately Tyler had reappeared while he was stuck in fury mode. He'd spent a long time there, seething and raging, and it looked like he'd be in a bad temper for a while yet. All he'd done was ask a b.l.o.o.d.y question. What was he supposed to think when the guy stayed out all night?

Tyler had shut himself in the room with the piano, mumbling about working on some college a.s.signment, and Haris had retreated to his office to sulk.

How could everything fall apart so fast? Yesterday, he'd enjoyed himself more than he had in years, and now he was more miserable than he'd been in...a long while. It came down to trust. It was almost an impossible thing for him to do. He didn't trust. Period. It was part of the reason for the contract, an attempt to control things and make Tyler think twice, but looked like it hadn't worked. He wanted to believe Tyler, but was that want strong enough to blind him to the obvious?

He picked up his phone and called Stan Deeds.

”Haris, how are you?”