Lustful Gaze (London Loves #6) Read Online Free PDF Page B

off!”
    “Calm down; it’s alright. Just tell me why they were beating you up. I wanna help you.”
    He relaxed slightly. “They don’t want me around. Said I was stealing their trade. Apparently they own this whole area and all the boys in it.”
    “Are you a rent b –!”
    “Don’t say it. No I’m not.”
    Paul winced. “Sorry. Do you think anything’s broken? Any pain anywhere?”
    “Pain everywhere. But no, nothing’s broken.”
    The young man reached up a scuffed hand and brushed his hair out of his face. Paul’s heart squeezed. He was like a lost lamb. But there was a toughness behind those weary eyes. He’d obviously experienced a lot of hardship in his life.
    “Where do you live?” Paul asked.
    “Why do you wanna know that?”
    “So I can take you home. My car’s parked in Wardour Street.”
    “Listen, mister, if you wanna hire me, you’ll need to pay for a hotel room. My place is a shithole.”
    “I don’t wanna hire you – I want to give you a ride home so you can get patched up. Now, where do you live?”
    Anger flashed over his face. “I live in an abandoned derelict house, okay. I’m a rent boy and I live in a fucking shithole. Do you really think we’ve got medical supplies lying around?”
    Paul gazed at him. “I’m sorry; I just want to help. How did you get into this situation?”
    He shook his head wearily. “I wanted an education. Fat bloody chance! Now I’m stuck doing this with no fixed abode and no fucking future.”
    Paul reached out and squeezed him on the arm. The young man’s black canvas jacket was dirty and his jeans were torn. “You’re doing this job so you can study?”
    He wiped the blood from his lip. “You can tell me to get a proper job if you want, but believe me I’ve tried. If you haven’t got people who can take care of you in this city, you’re out on the fucking streets doing what you can to earn money to survive.”
    “What’s your name?” Paul asked.
    The young man gazed at him for a few seconds. “Edward.”
    “Is it really?”
    “Yep. And before you ask, I’m nineteen so you won’t go to prison for giving me money in exchange for sexual favours, don’t worry.”
    Paul held his hands up. “I don’t plan to ask you for sexual favours, Edward. I’m a happily married man.”
    “Yeah, they usually are.”
    Paul chuckled at Edward’s cynicism. “Look, let me at least give you some money so you can get something to eat.”
    Edward scoffed. “Money for something to eat? I’ve never heard it called that before!”
    Paul chuckled. “I really am a happily married man – I just thought you might be hungry.”
    Edward glanced down at the dirty floor. “I’d like that. Thank you.”
    Paul plunged his hand in his pocket to pull out his wallet. He wasn’t sure how much cash he had on him, but even if he gave it all to Edward, it wouldn’t help him in the long run, would it?
    Paul smiled sympathetically at Edward as he groped around in his inside pocket, wishing he could do more for the lad. His fingers gripped the little jewellery box, but his wallet wasn’t there. It must be in his trouser pocket. Trying to control his rising panic, he patted his trousers, but his wallet wasn’t there either.
    “Shit! Some bastard’s nicked my fucking wallet!”
    Paul glanced up and down the street, wondering what to do now.
    “You must’ve been pickpocketed,” Edward said. “There’s a lot of thieves about.”
    Paul focused back on Edward. “I can’t believe it – I was being so careful walking along. It’s not so much that I care so much about the credit cards – I can cancel those. But I’m gutted because I wanted to give you some money so you could stay somewhere nice tonight and recover from what just happened.”
    Edward stared at him. “You were gonna do that for me?”
    “Yeah. I’m really sorry, kiddo. I feel terrible.”
    Edward cringed. “Me too… I’m not normally a thief…”
    “What!”
    Edward raised his hand,