Secret Harmonies

Chapter 10: Secret Harmonies

The shift from guarded principal and stoic bodyguard to whatever they were now happened fast, and it scared Julian a little how easy it was.

For four days, the penthouse stopped feeling like a prison and started feeling like a world of its own.

The stalker had gone quiet, which worried Kael more than it should have. Julian found it hard to care. His whole world had narrowed down to this suite and the man in it.

They fell into something that looked almost domestic. Julian learned that Kael could actually cook — decent pasta, made from whatever Apex couriers delivered. Kael learned that Julian liked to be touched, constantly, the way a cat leans into a hand.

Julian would sit on the kitchen counter, feet swinging, picking at his guitar while Kael chopped vegetables. Every few minutes Kael would stop, cross the kitchen, kiss him until the guitar went quiet, then go back to cooking like nothing happened.

At night they stopped pretending there were two separate beds. Julian found that with Kael’s arm over his waist, the nightmares about crowds and red ink stayed away.

But the outside world hadn’t stopped, and it wanted Julian back.

“The label’s threatening to pull the European leg if you don’t do this interview,” Marcus’s voice crackled through the speakerphone on Tuesday. “It’s audio only. Popular podcast. You can do it from the safehouse. No cameras. Please, Julian.”

Julian lay upside down on the sofa, head in Kael’s lap. Kael ran his fingers through his hair, thumb brushing his ear, turning Julian’s thoughts to static.

“Fine.” He waved a hand at the phone. “Set it up for 4. If they ask about my ex or the stalker, I’m hanging up.”

“You’re a lifesaver.” Marcus hung up fast.

Julian groaned and buried his face against Kael’s stomach. “I hate press. I always say something dumb and it trends for three days.”

“You’ll be fine.” Kael’s voice rumbled low. “Stick to the album talking points.”

“I want to talk about you.”

Kael’s hand stopped moving. “Absolutely not.”

Julian laughed and pushed himself up, straddling Kael’s lap, hands on his shoulders. “Why not? People would love it. Pop star tamed by terrifying bodyguard. Writes itself.”

“Because I’m still technically on the clock.” Kael’s hands settled on his waist. “If your management finds out I’m sleeping with the principal, I get fired. License revoked. They replace me with someone who won’t keep you safe.”

Julian’s smile dropped. He tightened his grip on Kael’s shoulders. “No. They can’t do that.”

“Julian.” Kael’s thumbs moved against his sides. “Until this stalker’s caught, we’re a liability. We have to keep this quiet.”

“I hate hiding.” Julian leaned his forehead against Kael’s. “I spend my whole life performing for people. With you, I don’t want to hide.”

Kael kissed him, slow and quiet. “Just until we catch him. I promise.”

Two hours later Julian sat at the dining table with a headset on, laptop open. Kael stood by the window in full work mode — arms crossed, eyes on the street below.

The interview went smoothly at first. The host asked about production, chord choices, the mix. Julian relaxed into it, talking easily.

“A lot of fans have noticed the lyrics on this album feel more vulnerable than your older stuff,” the host said. “There’s this theme of finding shelter, finding someone who sees past the fame. Is there a specific person behind that?”

Julian froze. He looked across the room at Kael.

Kael turned his head and met his eyes. His face gave nothing away, but something in his expression held steady on Julian anyway.

Julian knew the safe answer. Something vague about human connection.

He looked at the man who’d thrown himself over Julian to take a hit meant for his head. The man who’d sat up listening to his worst fears in the dark.

“Yes.” His voice dropped. “There is.”

“Wow. Breaking news.” The host sounded delighted. “Can you tell us anything about them?”

Julian smiled, small, private, meant only for the man by the window.

“He’s complicated.” His eyes stayed on Kael. “Pretends to be cold. Likes rules, likes protocol. But underneath that he’s the most protective person I’ve ever met. When everything’s falling apart, he’s quiet. He makes me feel safe. He doesn’t care about the music or the money. He just cares about me.”

The room went still.

Kael’s arms dropped from his chest. He stared at Julian, caught off guard in a way Julian had never seen on him before.

“That’s beautiful, Julian,” the host said, missing the weight of the moment entirely. “Whoever he is, he’s a lucky guy.”

“No.” Julian’s chest felt full. “I’m the lucky one.”

He finished the interview and closed the laptop.

Before he could take the headset off, Kael crossed the room in three strides, grabbed him by the collar, and kissed him hard enough to steal the breath out of him.

The kiss was rough, hungry, almost desperate. Julian made a soft sound against his mouth as Kael pulled him up out of the chair and walked him backward until his back hit the wall. Kael’s hands were everywhere — under the hem of Julian’s shirt, gripping his waist, sliding up the bare skin of his back.

“You shouldn’t have said that,” Kael growled against his mouth, voice low and rough. “You shouldn’t have said any of that.”

“I meant every word.” Julian’s fingers fumbled with the buttons of Kael’s shirt. “I don’t care.”

Kael kissed him again, deeper this time, then pulled back just enough to look at him. His eyes were dark, pupils blown wide.

“Have you ever—”

Julian shook his head, face flushed. “No. Not like this. Not with a man.”

Something possessive flickered across Kael’s face. He cupped Julian’s jaw, thumb brushing his lower lip.

“I’ll go slow,” he said, voice quieter now. “Tell me if anything feels wrong.”

Julian nodded, heart hammering.

Kael led him to the bedroom. He stripped Julian carefully, kissing every new stretch of skin as it was revealed — the line of his collarbone, the soft skin over his ribs, the sharp cut of his hip. When Julian was fully naked, Kael stepped back just long enough to pull his own clothes off.

Julian’s mouth went dry. Kael was solid muscle and old scars, cock already hard and heavy between his thighs.

“Lie back,” Kael said.

Julian did. Kael settled between his legs and took his time. He kissed down Julian’s chest, then lower, until he took him into his mouth. Julian arched with a broken sound, fingers twisting in the sheets. Kael worked him slowly, thoroughly, until Julian was trembling and wet with spit.

Only then did Kael reach for the lube.

He prepared Julian carefully — one finger, then two, then three — stretching him open with patient, deliberate strokes while kissing his mouth, his throat, the inside of his thigh. The burn was sharp at first. Julian hissed through his teeth, gripping Kael’s shoulders.

“Breathe,” Kael murmured against his skin. “I’ve got you.”

When the stretch finally eased into something hotter and deeper, Julian nodded, eyes glassy.

“I’m ready.”

Kael slicked himself, lined up, and pushed in slow.

Julian’s breath left him in a long, shaky exhale. The pressure was intense — thick, relentless, filling him completely. Kael held still once he was fully inside, forehead pressed to Julian’s, giving him time to adjust.

“You okay?” Kael’s voice was strained.

“Yes.” Julian’s fingers dug into his back. “Move. Please.”

Kael started slow, deep, controlled strokes. Every thrust dragged against something that made Julian’s vision white out. The pain melted into heavy, overwhelming pleasure. Julian moaned openly, legs wrapping around Kael’s waist, pulling him deeper.

“Fuck— Kael—”

Kael’s control frayed. He fucked him harder, hips snapping forward, one hand braced beside Julian’s head, the other gripping his thigh. The sound of skin meeting skin filled the room. Julian came first, crying out as he spilled between their stomachs, body clenching tight around Kael’s cock.

Kael followed with a low, guttural groan, burying himself deep as he came.

They stayed locked together, breathing hard. Kael kissed him slow and thorough, then carefully pulled out and gathered Julian against his chest.

Julian rested his head over Kael’s heart, still trembling, skin slick with sweat.

For the first time in a long time, he felt completely safe.