A wave of fear washed over him. “Jeremy?” He sat up and looked around. “Jeremy?” Then he noticed Jeremy’s bag on the floor near the wardrobe and the light coming from under the bathroom door. “In here,” Jeremy shouted. A moment later he came out, fully clothed, hair damp. “I have to get to the lab. Sorry.” As he walked over to pick up his bag, the scent of shampoo and shower gel wafted toward Brice. It usually made him feel good because it was associated with Jeremy. But as he watched Jeremy walk out the door without as much as a kiss, Brice felt a chill creep into his body that wouldn’t go away, even when he pulled the covers up to his chin. He’d wanted to have his cake and eat it too. A relationship with Jeremy and playtime here, knowing the steady money was important to Jeremy. There were alternatives, but the way things stood, if Brice offered Jeremy help with his expenses, it would come across as trying to pay for forgiveness.
