After paying the driver, Miles got his suitcase out and looked at the large house. It looked almost menacing in the darkness, looming over him. Only a few of the windows were illuminated.
Bracing himself, Miles strode determinedly toward the house. There was no point putting off the inevitable.
***
Derek Rutledge watched his husband pace the drawing room.
“He said he’d be here soon,” Shawn said, frowning.
Derek set aside the papers he had been grading. “And I’m sure he will be. Sit.”
Shawn pursed his lips, shooting him a look of frustration. He continued pacing, raking his hand through his hair. “We should have never asked Miles to spy on Caldwell. I knew it was the wrong thing to do. Now the kid is bound to get hurt.”
Derek’s lips twisted into a sardonic smile. “That kid is, what, five years younger than you? Old enough to say no. And he didn’t exactly look hurt when I saw him with Caldwell’s tongue down his throat.”
Shawn didn’t look reassured. “Precisely, Derek,” he said. “Ian Caldwell is… you know how he is. He isn’t even bothering anymore to hide his animosity toward us. He’s just toying with us at this point! He’s an asshole who enjoys messing with people’s heads. And he’s straight. I’m pretty sure he’s homophobic, at least a little. Why would he even bother messing with Miles’s head without any ulterior motives? He must have found out about what we asked Miles to do, and it’s some kind of a sick game for him.”
Privately, Derek was inclined to agree but he decided to play devil’s advocate. “I seem to recall you being ‘straight,’ too, until you met me.”
The frown finally left Shawn’s face. He smiled, his eyes lighting up with amusement. “You mean until I sucked your cock for a better grade, Professor?”
Derek gave him a half-lidded look, his cock twitching in his pants. “I do have fond memories of that.”
Grinning, Shawn straddled his lap. Looping his arms around Derek’s neck, he gave him a soft kiss that quickly turned into a greedy one. Pulling him closer, Derek took over the kiss. Shawn made a pleased sound, sucking on his tongue in a way that went straight to Derek’s cock. Fucking hell, it had been five years; was he supposed to still feel this way?
“I have very fond memories of that, too,” Shawn said when they broke the kiss for some much-needed air. His eyes were smiling. “And it was the best decision of my life.”
Derek’s arms tightened around him. He stared into Shawn’s blue eyes, full of warmth and love, and suddenly wondered what his life would have been like now if five years ago he hadn’t taken up his student on his outrageous offer to suck his cock for a better grade. Normally, he would have reported it to the board. But with Shawn, he had allowed his cock to do the thinking. Now he couldn’t be more grateful for it.
“I love you,” Derek said, his voice a little rough.
Shawn smiled at him softly.
A movement at the doorway made him look over Shawn’s shoulder.
“Sorry,” Miles said, stepping back from the doorway. His face was a little pink. “I didn’t mean to… Your butler let me in.”
Shawn kissed Derek on the cheek before getting off his lap. “No, come on in. We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Yes,” Derek said, his eyes flicking down to the suitcase at Miles’s feet. He frowned. “Did you move out of Caldwell’s house?”
Miles nodded, averting his gaze. “His son needs a real nanny at this point. I felt kind of useless, to be honest.” He rubbed at his nape with his hand, a rueful smile curling his lips. “I know what you probably want to talk about, but as you see, I wouldn’t have been much of a help to you anyway. I won’t work for Ian anymore. I couldn’t spy on him even if…” He trailed off, shrugging with a helpless, guilty look on his face.
Ian.
After what he saw a few hours ago, it probably shouldn’t have surprised Derek that Miles had become close enough to Caldwell to refer to him by his given name, but somehow, it did.
Derek observed the kid thoughtfully. Miles was an attractive young man. He wasn’t as handsome as Shawn was—though Derek might be biased about it—but he was lovely. Very lovely, without being feminine. His green eyes were pretty and… slightly red, as if he’d been crying recently.
Derek’s eyes traveled to Miles’s neck and narrowed when he saw finger-shaped bruises on it.
He stiffened, remembering the rumors about Caldwell’s penchant for violence and cruelty. “Did he hurt you?”
Miles seemed to freeze before his hand flew up to his throat. The fading blush on his cheeks deepened again. “No, it was… It was consensual.”
Shawn looked stunned. “You mean you really had sex with him?”
Miles grimaced a little. “Look, no offense, but I don’t see how it’s any of your business. I’m sorry for breaking my promise, I really am, but I don’t have to talk about my sex life.” His expression became a little tight. “It’s over, anyway. Ian ended it.”