“Do you want to be a vet?” Kirstie sounded as if it were the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard.
“He’s got no qualifications,” Mike said. “They’re not going to take someone who hasn’t even been to school. No offence.”
Really?Ru was pretty sure offence was exactly what Mike intended. Ru went back into the kitchen.
“Fucking hell, Mike,” Rodrigo whispered. “It’s not his fault.”
“Okay, I get he was stuck when he was a kid, but he didn’t even try to get away when he was older.” Mike didn’t bother to lower his voice.
Ru exhaled.
“Don’t make judgements when you have no idea what his life was like,” Rodrigo said.
“Shut the fuck up, arse-lick.”
“Fuck off!” Rodrigo snapped.
Ru thought about going back into the other room and telling them what his life had been like, but he didn’t.
When the pasta was cooked, he grated cheese onto it and took it back to his room to eat it, picking up the sketchpad and pencils on the way. He was happier on his own.
Jasim thought time had never moved so slowly. Riding usually emptied his mind of everything and yet today, all he’d been able to do was think about Ru. His confidence in the pool had astounded him. Why had he imagined Ru would be timid? After all he’d been through, he likely wanted to try out everything he could.Including sex?
I wish he wasn’t my type. I wish he wasn’t sweet and funny and sexy. I wish he wasn’t so fucking tempting.
Leigh hadn’t been keen to take Ru for the week, but he’d agreed in the end. No matter how much Jasim might try to convince himself that he was trying to help Ru, show him his options, he’d also done it to put distance between them. Jasim needed to win the next match. And the one after. No distractions. He was also aware that he ought to be sending Ru away for good. So if Ru managed to impress, and Leigh wanted to keep him, then that would be a good thing. Which meant Jasim shouldnotgo to the pool house tonight, no matter how much he wanted to.
Nor should he be sending Ru texts.If anyone sees you say you’re looking for Bela.
Nor eagerly awaiting a response.I was going to bring her with me so she could watch.
Jasim laughed and deleted the texts. He needed to ask Ru to do that too.
Tonight.
Georgia had gone home. Paolo was in his apartment above the office. The stable hands should all be in bed or at least in their block. Jasim had switched off the pool lights and most of those in the house. Not his bedroom. Where he was going to go in a moment instead of sitting here in the dark on a sun lounger, tormenting himself.
He stopped breathing as he spotted Ru move silently down the path towards the building at the end. Jasim looked at his watch. Ten minutes before eleven. Ru stood at the end of the pool and waited, maybe to see if anyone was following. Then he stepped up to the door, pushed it open and went inside.
Jasim’s heart was doing gymnastics. All he had to do was go and tell Ru that—for his own sake—this wasn’t going to happen.
That he wanted Ru more than he could say, but…
That Ru was sweet and kind and special, but…
That Ru might be pissed off with him now, but…
No one had followed Ru. Not even Bela. The estate was quiet apart from occasional snuffles and snorts from the stables. Jasim gasped as he saw Bela fly to the top of a chair. The bird turned and stared at him. It might not be Bela, but he suspected it was.Looking out for Ru? Giving me a message?Jasim pushed to his feet and walked to the pool house door. He hesitated before he opened it, watched his fingers shaking before he grabbed the handle. He turned it. Still hesitated for a moment before he went inside and bolted the door.
Ru stood next to the day bed. He was wearing those skin-tight jeans and a black T-shirt.
“You’re late,” Ru said.
“You only walked in a minute ago.”
“Why were you waiting on the sun lounger?”
“Checking you weren’t followed.”
