Stuff (The Bristol Collection) by Josephine Myles Read Free Book Online Page B

Jasper said, but at least now Mas could hear the smile in his voice. “I’ll call back once I’ve talked to Lewis.”
    “Put in a good word for me,” Mas got in just before Jasper hung up.
    He was asking a lot, he knew, but Lewis would do just about anything for Jasper, and Jasper definitely owed him a favour for that time Mas had helped him lugging all those boxes of books. Okay, so Jasper had probably already repaid that favour several times over, but who exactly was counting, anyway?
    “Right.” Mas looked around at his paltry possessions. “I need boxes.”
    Time for a trip to the local Tesco.
     
     
    By noon he’d already packed the contents of his bedroom and bathroom, and he’d almost finished packing the food from his kitchen cupboards when his phone made its little “new text” whistle.
    It was Lewis. Crap. Heart hammering inside his chest, he swiped the screen.
    This is going to be a very short-term deal only, and you’ll have to go looking for work every day. L.
    Mas grinned. You beauty , he texted back. Dnt wrry, ill b out of yr hair b4 you knw it!
    Can you be ready to move this afternoon? L
    This time Mas did a happy dance, before texting back to arrange a time that should be well before Walter clocked off, just in case he decided to come back and cause trouble.
     
     
    “You don’t have much stuff, do you?” Lewis said after he’d stomped through the flat and given everything the once-over. “This is only a half load, if that.” He hefted the bin liner full of Mas’s bedding over one shoulder.
    “Told you it was only a couple of carfuls.”
    Lewis pulled a face. “I suppose I’m used to people trying to minimise the extent of their hoards. When they tell me it’s just a bit of mess, I steel myself for the worst.”
    “Yeah, well, I can’t see the point in spending all that time and money collecting a bunch of pointless crap. I’d rather spend it doing fun things.”
    “There’ll be none of those fun things going on under my roof.”
    Mas gave him a quick glance to see if Lewis was being serious. He was hard to read sometimes, what with the deadpan face. “Aww, you mean I can’t bring back any hot men for all-night orgies? You’re such a spoilsport.”
    “You want to party, you do so elsewhere. I don’t want Jasper having to see some strange man in his bathroom first thing in the morning.” Lewis shot him a glare before heading off down the stairs.
    Mas followed, the box he was carrying bumping awkwardly against his chin. “Jasper’s a big boy, you know. He really doesn’t need protecting from the world.” Which was true, but he said it more out of habit than anything else. For some reason, Lewis’s protectiveness was annoyingly endearing. It was good to know someone as special as Jasper had someone who adored him so fiercely.
    “He needs protecting from himself,” Lewis mumbled.
    “Hey, you gonna go all mother hen on me now I’ll be living under your roof? Coz I’ve gotta tell you, Lewis my man, I’m hot for the overprotective-daddy vibe. Word to the wise, I’ll be all over you like a rash if you keep that up.”
    Lewis looked back at him, his eyebrows raised. “And there’ll be no flirting with me and Jas either.”
    “Oh come on. Like I can turn this off and on at will.”
    “Of course you can. You don’t flirt with everyone, do you?”
    “Hello, earth to Lewis? This is me. It’s who I am. I can’t help it. I flirt with the postie and with little old ladies and even with that miserable old bastard who works in the corner shop. I don’t mean to. It just comes out like that. I try to ask for a pint of milk like anyone else would, and it comes out like I’m begging him to shoot a load down my throat.”
    Lewis got his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the back doors of the van. “Okay, well, could you at least try to keep the sexual innuendo to a minimum? Just do me the favour of not constantly reminding me of the fact you used to be Jasper’s…”