Stripped Bare by Susan Mac Nicol Page A

me and we did it together.”
    Shane shifted closer. His eyes were softer now, the gaze not as piercing as it had been. Matthew took a deep, shuddering breath. “I went to pieces. I started drinking. I drank so much I slept around. I didn’t even care if they used protection or not. It was like I had a death wish. I thought about it.” His voice went quieter. “Dying, I mean. But that would have killed my folks.” He had more to tell but he wasn’t ready yet to tell Shane the whole story. That was too raw and this was all still too new.
    Shane reached out a warm hand and took Matthew’s cold one. His earlier touchiness had certainly disappeared. “God, you’d lost someone, Matthew. Someone you loved. You were allowed to go off the rails although I’d never advocate killing yourself. And you pulled yourself back from the brink. You’re here now, aren’t you?”
    Matthew had already said more than he’d intended, but Shane was so easy to talk to. He didn’t want this to become more emotional that it was. “I’m so sorry I was such a prick,” he managed to say at last. “Last night I saw Sam’s wedding ring still on my finger after we fucked and it just all came flooding back. I normally take it off, but I forgot. It just made me crazy. I-–I like you, Shane. I want to see more of you. But I’m just not ready to make it anything more than just sex and two men sharing each other’s company. If you can live with that, maybe we can strike a deal.”
    Shane stared into Matthew’s red rimmed eyes. “I’m happy to take it slowly and see where it goes.” He smiled. “But I am an impatient bastard. When I find something I like, I tend to want to get it. So be warned.”
    He leaned forward and kissed Matthew, his impatient, hungry tongue seeking out Matthew’s own. Matthew loved the taste of him, the unique taste of mint, coffee and just Shane.
    Suddenly the loud tones of Muse’s “Supremacy” shattered the quiet of the apartment. Shane grimaced as he detached his lips from Matthew’s and stood up. “Mobile,” he explained at Matthew’s puzzled look. “Work beckons.” He moved over to the kitchen top and picked up his mobile. “Shane Templar. Afternoon, Kade. What can I do for Moonshine Inc. today?”
    Matthew saw Shane’s brow furrow in concentration as he listened.
    “I can take a look for you. It sounds to me like users need to upgrade to the latest version so that it takes care of the security issue. That software is bloody wide open from the sounds of it. The last thing you want is that level of vulnerability. Send me the links and I’ll take a look. No problem. Cheers, Kade.”
    He finished his conversation and looked at Matthew.
    “Sorry about that. Now where were we?”
    Matthew frowned. “That sounded pretty impressive. I don’t even know what you do for a living other than the escorting. I know you said your laptop was your trusty tool but what exactly does that mean?”
    Shane looked wary. “I do consultations for companies.”
    “What kind of consultations?”
    “I help them with their security arrangements.”
    Matthew thought Shane was being extremely cagey with his job details. “Again, what exactly is it that you do?”
    Shane sighed. “I suppose you’d know it better as hacking. I help people find the flaws in their online security and shut the loop holes.” He looked at Matthew as if expecting him to ask a question.
    “So you’re a hacker? Do you have a Certified Ethical Hacker—a CEH certificate?” Matthew felt a glimmer of satisfaction at Shane’s surprised expression.
    “Yes, I do, amongst other things. You know about this stuff then? I help companies find the flaws in their security systems.” He grinned. “The first question people normally ask me is can I hack into their bank and put money in their account, change their University scores or whether aliens do actually exist in the CIA database. It gets boring.” He smirked. “Even if I can do all those