“Then stay. I don’t really want to be on my own, and well, you’ve had a bit of a night, so I guess you won’t be sleeping much. Why don’t we keep each other company?”
His expression softened. “Actually, that would be really nice. If you’re sure.”
I smiled. “I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure. Stay. You can take the bed if you want, or we can camp out here. Whatever you’re more comfortable with.”
He picked at the blanket, not looking at me. “I’d like that.”
“Good. That’s decided then. I’ll call your hotel and ask them to pack your things and have them brought over here.”
He half coughed, half laughed as he lifted his gaze to mine. “You can do that? How rich are you?”
“It’s not about being rich. I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels, that’s all.”
“Well, thank you. I’m not used to people taking care of me. Usually, I’m the one in charge that people look to. It’s exhausting sometimes.”
My lips curled into a half smile as I eased myself up from my seat. “Well, I think I’ve told you on more than one occasion that my job is to take care of you, Professor.” I walked across the suite to the phone on the small side table near the front door. “Now, what would you like as dessert?” I tried to keep my voice neutral. I mean, the man had been out for a couple of hours and probably had no idea how to flirt, but the innuendo hung heavy, and Jasper didn’t hesitate.
“I’d love something cream filled that’s easy to swallow.”
Silence echoed for a moment before we both burst out laughing.
* * *
“Thank you for tonight.It has been… well, unexpected, but I appreciate you being here for me.” Jasper said, his voice sounding heavy with exhaustion in the dim light of the room. We’d decided to sleep out here after we ate half the desserts on the menu and watchedThe Fast and The Furious, both of us too exhausted to move.
We were both on the far edges of the sofa bed, and I half expected Jasper to build a wall of pillows between us, but he hadn’t gone that far. Yet.
“Are you okay? I mean, it was a lot, remembering all that after all these years.”
“I’m not really sure it’s hit me yet, but I’m starting to panic a bit.”
“Oh?” I asked, feeling like the professor needed the security of the darkness to be able to be honest.
“I mean, I don’t think my family will care, but still, it feels like a lot, you know?”
I shifted a little closer to him, even though I knew I should probably stay well away.
“I do. Trust me.”
There was a pregnant pause before Jasper spoke again. “Your scars?”
“Yeap.”
I could see Jasper’s profile as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. He was facing me. I wasn’t sure when either of us got so close, but I could have reached out a little, and I’d be touching him. I tried to calm the ache between my legs as his breath danced across my skin.
“Can you tell me?”
“I don’t really talk about it, but I guess you did tell me your secrets tonight, so it’s only fair.”
“Absolutely,” he replied, a hint of humour in his voice.
“I’ll give you the shortened version because I don’t want to depress you. I was seeing a boy when I was fifteen. I realised I had feelings for him and we’d been meeting up after school. I thought we were hiding it pretty well, but someone saw us and told my dad. He came home, confronted me, and when I refused to talk to him, he pushed me and I fell through the coffee table.”
“Finn,” he whispered.
“That was only the start of it,” I replied, the bitterness clear in my tone. “While I was having surgery to remove the glass, they were changing the locks and throwing my things out onto the street. By the time I was allowed home, I was homeless. No one came to pick me up from the hospital. My mum and dad wouldn’t answer my calls, my grandparents, friends, neighbours. All of them ghosted me. Turns out the boy didn’t want anyone to know he was gay, so told everyone I came onto him; forced him to do things he didn’t want to do. In the end, social services were called as I had nowhere to go and I was put into a group home, but I was in there two days when some of the boys jumped me for being a ‘fag’. I ended up back in hospital, my stitches pulled, wounds reopened. I was a mess—mentally and physically. The nurse looking after me introduced me to Bobby.”
I pulled the blanket up over me, a chill rolling over my skin at the thought of the man I loved like a dad.
