Ben continued to stroke in slow repetitive circles until Nikolas was asleep, then he crawled carefully from the bed, went to the table, and practically ate the plates as well he was so famished. To him, food was fuel. He used it up at a burning rate, his body hard and lean and bursting with life and vitality. He gave a small smile of satisfaction when he thought of the food now fuelling Nikolas’s body—and only a few hours to go until breakfast when it could all begin again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Nikolas appeared to have learnt his lesson the next morning, for when they went down to the dining room for breakfast, he ordered and ate a bowl of fruit. It seemed to be his new policy that if he gave the appearance of eating something, he at least got to eat what he liked and not Ben’s choice of food. But he always enjoyed watching Ben eat for some reason, and sat contentedly reading the paper and drinking coffee as yet another full English bit the dust alongside him.
“So, we got more houses to see today?”
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to speak with your mouth full?”
Ben swallowed. “No, she didn’t have time before my father murdered her.”
Nikolas looked up sharply. “God, I am sorry, Ben. It was an expression. I did not think.”
Ben shrugged. “The truth doesn’t hurt me, Nik. It was the lies that were tearing me apart. I haveyouto thank for the truth, so no apology needed.”
Studying his coffee for a moment, Nikolas sighed. “Yes. We are seeing three. But I am becoming disenchanted with the process.”
“Maybe you should let me choose.”
Nikolas glanced up again. He appeared to be considering this—which had actually just been a joke. He narrowed his eyes, tapping his fingers lightly against his coffee cup. “I am almost tempted to say yes. I will think about it.”
He ordered more coffee. Ben ordered more toast. Finally, Nikolas nodded. “All right. You choose—one of the houses we see today. You decide on one of them, and we will buy it. I will have forgotten how to ride entirely if I do not have my horses soon.”
Ben murmured, “You remembered pretty well last night.”
Nikolas’s colour rose just slightly on his striking face. “So, are we agreed?”
Ben nodded. “Sure. I’ve got great taste. I chose you, after all. Do I need to know how much you can afford? Just in case I pick one that’s too much?”
Nikolas chuckled, clearly pleased with the earlier compliment. “No, you do not need to know. Be uninhibited in your selection.”
Ben actually felt enthused about the whole process. He was up and ready to go. Nikolas wanted more coffee. Ben said he’d go up and pack. He was deep into Nikolas’s bag, rummaging, when Nikolas came back. He smirked as he watched Ben from the doorway. “You won’t find it.”
“Where is it?” Ben held out his hand.
Nikolas shrugged and handed his phone over.
Ben scrolled to images. Empty.
“I am not stupid, Ben. Obviously you would want to find them. I emailed them to myself and deleted them from there.”
Ben almost stomped his foot. “I’ll get Kate to hack your account.”
Nikolas laughed, a genuinely delighted sound. “I seriously advise against that, for your sake. Oh, stop being such a baby. Come here. I will delete them.” He sat on the edge of the bed. Ben warily joined him and handed the phone over. To get less light on the screen, Nikolas lay back and held the phone up over his head as he connected to his account. “There.”
Ben lay back too and together they contemplated the images, which Nikolas had set on a loop. He’d taken far more than Ben realised. They told pretty much the whole story of Ben’s interrogation and capitulation—in high definition and close up. Ben swallowed deeply. “So, maybe don’t delete them?”
Nikolas nodded silently. Ben felt a hand on his stomach, just resting on the crisp dress shirt. He put his hand over it, and Nikolas entwined their fingers. He lifted Nikolas’s hand to his lips and kissed each finger. He loved Nikolas’s hands—the immaculately manicured nails, his long, almost surgeon-delicate fingers. “You should play the piano—fingers like these.”
Nikolas turned his head away and didn’t reply for a minute then said almost too casually, “Actually, I can. I learnt for many years.”
Ben turned his head to stare at the tousled, blond hair next to him. “Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Yes, apparently I cannot buy a house. Come, we must go. Are you packed?”
§§§
They set the satnav for the first house on the day’s list and drove back to the main road. The house was a converted mill on a small tributary of the Exe, and Ben liked it immediately. On three floors, the current owners had done a sympathetic renovation, even leaving original architectural features and the occasional holes in the floors where the mill machinery would have been. The master bedroom was on the top floor and had a balcony. Ben leant on the railing, staring down at the peaceful river below. The sun caught his tousled hair, showing off the highlights he’d developed under a far harsher sun. He sensed Nikolas leaning in the doorway watching him and turned. “What?”
