Telltale tingles p.r.i.c.ked the back of his skull, his b.a.l.l.s drew up tight to his body and launched him straight into meltdown. Haris gasped as he came, his c.o.c.k spurting warm silky jets over his belly.
As his heart rate calmed and his breathing eased, he knew that hadn"t helped at all.
Haris woke in the morning thinking about Tyler, jacked off in the shower thinking about him, and instead of a morning w.a.n.k putting him in a good mood, it set him on edge. He brushed his teeth so hard he made his gums bleed and he nicked his cheek twice with his razor. When he walked into the kitchen, Wilson gave him a long look. For once, a single glare was enough to silence his garrulous valet.
Wilson put a large mug of coffee with hot milk in front of him, poured him a gla.s.s of freshly squeezed orange juice and handed over the paper. Haris read it without taking in a word and ate two slices of toast and marmalade without tasting a mouthful.
"Could we fit a grand piano in the library?" he asked.
Wilson showed no surprise at the sudden question. "Yes, if I could find a home for everything else you have in there. But if I might be so bold as to suggest you start with something a little smaller. Perhaps the triangle. Not that I have any doubt that as soon as you begin piano lessons, your natural talent will ensure you"ll make astounding progress. I"ve been privileged to occasionally hear you sing in the shower and thought-what a voice. With a reasonable amount of training, it might actually be a voice I could listen to for more than a few minutes without getting a migraine. And now an instrument. It will be a delight to listen to you practice as I lie in bed directly underneath that room. Oh the joy."
Haris smothered his smile. "Would a grand fit through the door?"
Wilson didn"t bother hiding his. "Probably not, sir. What a shame."
"Find one that will and get it delivered today. Budget of five thousand."
"Yes, sir." Then came the long suffering sigh that Haris knew so well.
As Haris had antic.i.p.ated, Kevin Flowers"s hopes for a big check for the music college ensured whatever else he"d been doing that morning could wait.
"I very much enjoyed the concert last night," Haris said, hoping he wasn"t quizzed on who"d played after Tyler.
Flowers beamed. "I was hoping we"d have a chance to talk after at the reception."
"I had another engagement." Haris put the check on the desk. "I don"t wish my name to be linked to the donation. Anon is fine."
Flowers"s jaw dropped when he looked at the amount. "Most generous."
"I like the sound of your plans to involve the community with the college and the way you encourage your students to go into local schools. You should be able to buy a few instruments with that."
"Absolutely."
"Any chance of showing me round the college while it"s in operation? I don"t want to disturb anyone, but..."
"No problem at all." Flowers pushed to his feet.
Haris picked his moment as they headed out into the corridor. "I thought the young man who played the Liszt was very good."
"Tyler Bellamy. Hmm. He likes to be different. The students know full well they have to wear tuxes."
"Is this his final year?"
"Yes, thank goodness."
The hairs bristled on Haris"s arms. "What"s he done?"
"He"s difficult." Flowers sighed. "A bright young man but... He"ll probably go far in the music world. Well, he would if he could settle on one instrument."
Haris wanted to hear more about Tyler but knew it was unwise to look too interested. "How many hours are students expected to practice?"
"As many as they can fit in. Some of the practice rooms are along this corridor."
As if Haris hadn"t been able to tell from the jumble of sounds coming from more instruments than he could identify. It would be too much to hope he"d b.u.mp into Tyler, and it made him wonder what the h.e.l.l he was doing. If he did see him, he"d probably freak him out. Haris hurried Flowers through the rest of the tour, stopped asking questions and didn"t hide his impatience to get out of there.
When they turned a corner and Haris saw Tyler strolling toward them, he felt old and pathetic. He could have engineered a more convincing chance encounter than this. Tyler"s eyes widened when he spotted him. Haris"s feet appeared to be lodged in treacle. The guy was even more appealing in daylight.
"Talk of the devil," Flowers said.
An appealing devil.
"Tyler, this is Haris Evans. He was at the concert last night and just telling me he enjoyed your performance."
Tyler tightened his mouth into a scowl and his beautiful dark eyes went even blacker.
"Though you played La Campanella prestissimo rather than allegro," Flowers said. "It wasn"t a race."
"I like to play it fast," Tyler muttered.
"Could I hear you play it again?" Stupid, stupid. Haris wanted the words back. Blood roared in his ears and he felt nauseous. His voice didn"t even sound like his. What the h.e.l.l am I doing? Think of something fast. "I"m arranging a corporate event and trying to come up with some entertainment." That might have fooled Flowers, but not Tyler whose raised eyebrows almost made Haris laugh.
"Find an empty room and prove you can play La Campanella at the right speed," Flowers said.
"What? Now?" Tyler asked.
"If you"re not busy." Haris turned to Flowers and held out his hand. "Thank you for showing me round. I"m sure Tyler can point the way out." He couldn"t be clearer than that.
Flowers shook his hand. "Thank you so much for the...yes, well. Thank you. If you decide you don"t want Tyler, I can suggest some other...more suitable students."
Haris"s gut clenched. Flowers headed left and Tyler stalked off in the other direction, checking the rooms he pa.s.sed. Haris followed, his breathing ragged. He wondered if he"d ever felt more nervous about making a move. But that was largely because he only ever made a move in a place where men were after the same thing as him. A fast f.u.c.k.
When they were inside a practice room and the door was shut, Tyler turned to face him with his arms crossed, defiance written all over him. "What the f.u.c.k do you want?"
Haris opened his mouth and nothing came out.
"You really were at the concert, weren"t you? Flowers b.l.o.o.d.y knows you. f.u.c.king h.e.l.l. Did you follow me from here last night?" He started to pace. "Of course you did. Thinking of blackmailing me into being your sub? Going to threaten to tell Flowers what I do in my spare time? Well, it"s got nothing to do with anyone but me."
Oh s.h.i.t.
Tyler came right up into his s.p.a.ce, so close his breath hit Haris"s lips. "Changed your mind about f.u.c.king me? Want to see my latest test for STDs? I"m clean as a whistle. That make it okay? Want to go to some cheap hotel for an hour? Collect the thanks you refused last night?"
"No." Although his c.o.c.k thought that was a b.l.o.o.d.y fantastic idea.
Tyler backed away. "What are you doing here?"
"Play for me."
"I"m not some performing monkey."
"I want to hear you play." I want to f.u.c.k you. "I want to see you play." I want my c.o.c.k in your mouth. "I want to get to know you." I want to suck your c.o.c.k.
s.h.i.t. Haris hoped Tyler couldn"t read minds or have x-ray vision and see the state of his d.i.c.k under his coat.
Tyler stared at him for a long while before he sat at the piano. His fingers flew over the keys and Haris didn"t hear a thing. All he could think about was the curve of Tyler"s chin, his tight-lipped anger, the dark stubble on cheeks he longed to touch, physically ached to feel rubbing against him. Everything about the guy fascinated him. How he dipped his head toward the keys, the way he made love to the instrument, the changing expression on his face as he played.
I am so f.u.c.king lost.
He didn"t even register Tyler had finished, he just stared, submerged in thoughts of him. Only when Tyler stood and the stool sc.r.a.ped on the floor did Haris react. He started and let out a shaky laugh.
"Thought you"d fallen asleep." Tyler shoved his hands in his pockets.
Haris didn"t know what to say. How could a guy have such an effect on him?
"I don"t usually render anyone speechless," Tyler muttered.
Walk away now before you drown. You"re freaking him out, for Christ"s sake.
"I kind of like it." Tyler smiled and Haris couldn"t have moved to save his life.
I need to kiss him.
"Want to get a coffee?" Tyler asked.
He managed a nod.
Tyler ran his fingers through his hair. "Then you can tell me what you"re really doing here."
They walked out of the college and into Greenwich. Tyler led him to a cafe near the Cutty Sark, the newly opened reconstructed clipper that had been badly damaged in a fire a few years ago.
"Don"t you think it looks like it"s parked on some ma.s.sive greenhouse?" Tyler asked.
The ship sat frozen in a gla.s.s sea, unable to sail away, just like him.
Tyler chose a table at the back.
"What can I get you?" asked a red-haired waiter.
"Black coffee and a chocolate brownie," Tyler said.
Haris swallowed to bring moisture back into his mouth. "The same." Christ, I don"t even like black coffee or chocolate brownies. Not that it mattered. He doubted he could eat or drink a thing.
"So..." Tyler said. "Are you stalking me?"
Haris barked out a laugh. "No. Yes. No. Oh Christ." His breath seared his throat.
"As long as you"re not the Grim Reaper..." Tyler smiled again, his face suddenly open, and a weight lifted from Haris"s stomach.
The coffees and brownies arrived and he regained some control. "Could I have some hot milk, please?"
He turned from the waiter to Tyler and saw he was staring at him. Tyler"s pupils had dilated and his lips were parted. Oh f.u.c.k, it isn"t just me. Whatever this is, he feels it too.
Once he"d added milk to his coffee and taken a sip, Haris felt able to speak again. "The first time I saw you was last night at the concert." He didn"t think he needed to tell him about listening to him throw up in the bathroom.
Tyler"s lip quirked. "You think I played La Campanella too fast?"
"I suspect only Liszt can answer that and he"d probably have told you to play it as fast as you f.u.c.king well like. Probably without the word f.u.c.king."
Tyler smiled.
Haris took a deep breath. He wasn"t comfortable exposing himself like this. It was so much easier to have s.e.x with some anonymous guy and walk away. But that wasn"t what he wanted. Not this time.
"So..." Tyler muttered.
"You have me mesmerized. I feel like I"ve been overwhelmed by something I don"t understand. You, your music... When you left last night, I followed. I thought you"d notice me on the train, but you were in too much of a hurry. I didn"t get into the warehouse straight away. I had to wait and buy a ticket."
Tyler stared straight at him. "Was it you who turned off the lights and started the fire alarm?"
"Yes."
"Ha! I knew it."
"I couldn"t get anywhere with your rigger. Talking wouldn"t have persuaded him. I needed a diversion."
"How did you know I wanted out?"
"Your eyes."
Tyler closed them a moment and then raised his head to look at him again. "I"m not a bottom," he said quietly. "I don"t have a rigger. I"m not into getting hurt for other people"s entertainment or my own. If that"s what you"re into and you"re looking for a sub, then you might as well get up and walk away because I"m not going to call you sir and ask you to hit me. You should probably walk away anyway."
Haris watched him break off chunks of brownie, slip them between his lips and lick his fingers, and knew walking away was not an option. And not just because of the steel pole in his pants.
"I"m not into that scene either," Haris said. "I was only there because I"d followed you. Are you involved with anyone?" He clenched his fingers under the table.
"No."
He let out the breath he didn"t know he"d been holding. "I"d like you to be involved with me."
Tyler didn"t say anything. He pressed brown crumbs together on his plate and then flicked the lump aside. "What changed from last night? I offered. You turned me down. You acted like I repulsed you."
"I know, I"m sorry. You didn"t. You have no idea how much I wanted you. But if I"d let it happen, we"d have f.u.c.ked in my car and that would have been it. I want...I need something more with you. You...fascinate me. It"s a long time since I"ve felt so intrigued by anyone."
Tyler stayed silent.
"But if we"re going to take this further, there have to be conditions," Haris said. His racing heart scared him. l.u.s.t swamped his common sense. He couldn"t let his emotions run unchecked. If he treated this as if it was a business deal, he could stay in control and Tyler would be no threat.
Tyler shifted on his seat. "What sort of conditions?"
"You"d be mine exclusively. Which means while you"re with me, you don"t f.u.c.k anyone else."