Stripped Bare by Susan Mac Nicol Read Free Book Online

the traffic. The roads were quiet since it was still so early. Rush hour hadn’t yet begun. “Do you have a car, Shane?”
    Shane laughed. “God, no. I find the three T’s do me just fine: tube, train, and taxi. I live in St. James’s so I’m pretty central anyway. Where do you live?”
    “I have a house in Chelsea.” Shane noticed Matthew gave nothing more away than what he was asked. He’d have to fish deeper, in a direct way—the only way he knew how.
    “How does your husband feel about you being called out at all hours of the night to deal with that bastard Debussy?” He watched Matthew’s face. He wasn’t prepared for the look of sheer pain that made a fleeting appearance.
    “I don’t have a husband.” Matthew’s tone was curt.
    Shane felt uncomfortable. “Oh, I’m sorry. I saw your ring and thought…” his voice trailed off as Matthew’s incredible eyes caught his. He saw a flicker of raw grief in them and wanted to cut his tongue out.
    “I’ll shut up now,” he muttered and sat back in the seat, watching the lights spin by and the cornucopia of activity that was London in the early hours of the morning come to life. Matthew drove in silence along the relatively quiet London streets.
    “What are we going to do about David?” Shane blurted the words out suddenly, anxious to cut the uncomfortable silence. Matthew looked over at him with a slight trace of amusement.
    “That didn’t last long, did it?” he said drily. But he smiled, and Shane thought he might have been forgiven for his earlier prying. The other man sighed.
    “I’ll go see him tomorrow, see how he is. If I can get in. Walter might have given the nurses instructions to keep me away from him. But I’ll try.” He swung into the valet parking areas outside the Baglione Hotel.
    “I want to go with you.” Shane opened the car door and got out. He leaned down and flicked a card onto the passenger seat. “Here’s my card. Give me a call before you head out tomorrow and we’ll go together. Strength in numbers and all that.” He looked at Matthew. “Have you got a business card?” he asked hopefully. “Just in case I hear anything first, I can call you.”
    Matthew smiled and reached into his jacket pocket. He took out a small white card. “My mobile number’s on there. If you hear anything at all about David between now and tomorrow, let me know.”
    Matthew looked at Shane’s card. “Carrington Knights? I could never afford to book one of their escorts. Pretty high class from what I hear.” He grinned, his face transforming into something that Shane thought might one day break his heart. “I guess I’m lucky to have one free of charge by my side.”
    Matthew’s teasing tone made Shane’s dick stir in his trousers, where it had been on high alert ever since meeting the man. He’d have to do something about that when he got into the hotel bedroom. The friction and tight throbbing was unbearable. He swallowed, thinking about what he was going to do with himself while thinking of this man. “Are you flirting with me, Mr. Langer? Because if you are, I like it.”
    He held Matthew’s gaze and the two men stared at each other for a moment. There was a definite current of electricity and Matthew’s eyes darkened as his lips parted, as if he was about to say something. Then the strident tones of a car horn bought them back to their senses and ruined the moment.
    “Oi, you tosser!” came the exasperated shout from the taxi parked behind the Audi. “Get a bloody move on, will you?”
    “I guess that’s your cue to move then,” Shane chuckled as he closed the door. He watched as Matthew looked back at the street, gunned the engine, and disappeared back out into the traffic.

Aftermath
    Matthew got home close to six in the morning, and the first thing he did was go for a shower. He felt drained, both physically and emotionally over David, and dealing with the rather turbulent Shane Templar had taken the last of it out