Ben drove steadily and carefully for a while, overtaking nicely and not sitting in the middle lane.Until he swore lightly to himself, cranked the vehicle up to a hundred and ten, and flashed his lights at a Porsche holding him up in the outer lane.
“Your memory is returning.”
Ben grinned.“Why do I remember driving a Range Rover sport?”
“I’ve no idea.I definitely don’t own one of those.”
“Huh.”
An hour later, Nikolas had a moment of panic as they approached the slight rise to the collapsed gateway.Had he made a huge error bringing Ben here?Surely out of all places this one would bring Ben’s memory crashing back to him?He’d remembered it from being a child here, four years old.Could you forget remembering?
Ben apparently had.He pulled in on the hillside across from the house and then slid out of the car, staring.He licked his lips.“You…that’syour house?”
“Mine, yes.”
“My God, it’s…is it made of fucking glass?What’s that?Blue thing?Is that a swimming pool?Long one.Fuck, look at that bit coming out of the tor!How far are we from Okehampton?I know Dartmoor really well, don’t recognise that tor though.Is that a stable?Where do I live?”
Nikolas turned from contemplation of Ben’s beautiful house to study the familiar face.“You live in the house, too.All ANGEL employees have rooms.”
“So…” Ben blushed once more and toed the ground.“Are you married, sir?Do I guard your wife, too?”
Nikolas returned to the car.“I’m divorced.”He should call Philipa, advise her of the situation.
Suddenly, he sank his head into his hands.Advise her of the situation?
He wished someone would fucking advise him of it.
* * *
Chapter Sixteen
Squeezy had done a good job.Ben’s room was now one of the large guest suites that circled around inside the main living spaces.It was helpful having Squeezy and Tim there, because it seemed less strange Nikolas living with his hired help inside the house.Ben was just one of the other men working for Sir Nikolas Mikkelsen, and although he was obviously extremely confused by everything still, the sleeping arrangements didn’t unduly alarm him.Nikolas told him he could go wherever he wanted in the house…that he was not restricted from any area, and wasn’t surprised when he returned to what had been their room later that afternoon to find Ben standing at their window, staring back over the rest of the house.
“Hello, Benjamin.”
Ben turned suddenly, some awareness flashing in his expression, but it was gone too fast for Nikolas to see if it was what he was so desperately looking for.Ben just nodded then and made some excuse about checking the whole house out—for security.
Nikolas sat on the end of the bed.
“Are we secure?”
Ben laughed.“You live in a glass house, sir.”
Nikolas shrugged.Ben was watching him very intently.Nikolas wondered idly if Ben was thinking what he was, then rememberedthisBen wasn’t gay.But then neither was he, and all he wanted to do was pull Benjamin Rider down onto the bed and remind him very forcibly why he actually had a hyphen in his name now.He lay slowly back onto the bed and closed his eyes.He was very, very tired.He felt the bed depress next to him and opened his eyes to find Ben’s gaze was on his stomach.As soon as Ben saw he was being observed, the gaze snatched back up to Nikolas’s face.“We’re friends?You told me we were friends?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t remember you at all.”
Nikolas rose and went into the bathroom, shutting the door.
* * *
Ben lay back in the spot his boss had been recently occupying.He could see the granite tor through the glass ceiling.The warmth of the indentation in the bed made him incredibly…Jesus, was he horny?How inappropriate was that?He wondered if Kate was coming down and, if she was, whether she was allowed to stay in his room.It seemed stretching it too far for his odd new boss to allow his employees to fuck under his own roof.He wondered if Squeezy still had the same girlfriend—some frightful Welsh harridan they all hated and made fun of whenever Squeezy brought her to the mess—and made a note to ask him.
* * *
When Nikolas came out of the bathroom, his suit discarded on the floor and wrapped only in a towel, Ben was asleep on the end of the bed.Their bed.Nikolas sat in the armchair in the corner and contemplated this latest fuck-up in his life.His thoughts weren’t helped by the very obvious erection lying thick and long in Ben’s jeans.Not helped at all.
