Free Bringing Him Home by Penny Brandon Page A

done tonight didn't tell him anything except he was a fool to think he could ever let Kyle go. Jared slid his arms tighter around Kyle. Again he asked himself why his life couldn't be simple, again he knew the answer, but now he was trying to open himself up for some happiness; he just didn't know if he was allowed to have it.
    Tomorrow. He could sort it out tomorrow. Perhaps Kyle might have an idea and come up with a solution that would suit both of them. God, he hoped so, because he couldn't think anymore. One thing was for certain, though; he was definitely going to have to tell Kyle how he felt. Exhausted, Jared let unconsciousness take him, confident in the knowledge that Kyle would be there to talk to in the morning.
    However, when morning came round and Jared woke up, Kyle was nowhere to be seen.
    Kyle had gone.

Chapter Four
    Confused, Jared waited a full five minutes before getting out of bed and checking the room. He hadn't been mistaken. Kyle was gone.
    Why?
    Why the hell would Kyle leave? What the hell had gone wrong? He'd thought they had something. He'd thought Kyle had wanted the same things he did. Yesterday Kyle had said he was looking for something permanent, that he'd never had anyone like Jared. Had Kyle lied to him? Had the whole thing been nothing more than a ploy to get him into bed? Jared didn't want to believe it, but with Kyle gone, there was no other explanation.
    Sitting on the corner of the bed, Jared closed his eyes and put his head in his hands. What a fucking idiot! Pleasure had obviously swamped whatever sense existed, and he'd stupidly imagined something that wasn't there. He stood up, agitated, pacing the room in an attempt to understand. But there wasn't anything to understand. Kyle had used him. Was that Kyle's usual style? Pick someone up, fuck him, and then leave him?
    The swift and intense pain that hit Jared in the chest had him gasping for air. His legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed onto the edge of the bed.
    How could he have been so wrong!
    The pain in his chest eased as anger began to replace the hurt. It was his own fault, but that acknowledgment didn't really help him. It didn't lessen the feeling of abandonment or of being duped. His anger swelled until it took everything away except the need to get out of there.
    He got dressed and threw his stuff into his bag. Jared didn't even take a last sweeping look around the room to see if he'd missed anything. He didn't want to look at the bed. He didn't want a reminder of the foolish sentiment he'd harbored.
    Fuck Kyle anyway!
    He slammed the door behind him and walked the few minutes to his truck with his jaw clenched and his gaze firmly on the road ahead. He didn't look back; what would be the point?
    Six hours. Six hours and then he'd be home. Jared tried to muster some enthusiasm but couldn't. Last night he'd dreamed he'd told Kyle about the ranch, had told him about his ambition to build it into the biggest bull breeding farm in the area. In his dream, Kyle had been willing to share it with him, had wanted to stay and be a part of that life, and when Jared had woken up this morning, between that half dream state and full wakefulness, he'd decided to ask Kyle to come home with him. But he'd never got the chance to ask. He'd never even got the chance to say good-bye.
    Hurt once more claimed his heart, and this time Jared had a much harder time pushing it away. He tried to concentrate on the road, tried to clear his head, but blue eyes haunted his vision, and a smile that could stop his breath seemed to mock him. He'd never been this gullible before. He'd never thought himself to be anything but levelheaded. Too levelheaded sometimes, but now he felt nothing but a whole lot of stupid.
    The blaring sound of a siren behind him had Jared quickly checking his rearview mirror. Blue and red lights flashed, two sets, the first on a police car, the second on an ambulance. Jared checked his speed and slowed down, pulling over slightly