More Than His Touch

Kieran couldn't quite nail down when he'd started drifting off. He was parked in his chair at the round conference table, eyes on his boss—the CEO of the startup where he worked—as the guy kicked off his presentation.He'd tried to focus, honest to God, especially at the start. But about ten minutes in, Lucas shrugged off his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt to his elbows. Kieran's gaze slid from the man's face down to those strong arms, then lingered on his chest. He couldn't help himself; the guy was built like a damn sculpture.Most dudes Kieran had been with—assuming you could call quick hookups "dating"—were early-twenty-somethings: skinny, full of energy, nothing heavy. But Lucas? Total outlier from his usual crowd. Twenty-seven, four years older than Kieran. Ivy League MBA under his belt, and he'd launched his own company at twenty-two.Lucas stood tall, and Kieran didn't need X-ray vision to know there was solid muscle hiding under those clothes.

Chapter 3Lucas slid into the seat next to Kieran and asked, "I shot you some slides a couple hours back—did you get a look at them?"Kieran had headed to Lucas's office once he wrapped up his own stuff, but they figured the conference room made more sense. It was roomier, letting them spread out and work shoulder to shoulder.The rest of the crew had already bounced for the day, leaving just the two of them on the whole floor."Nah, sorry, didn't have a chance," Kieran said."No worries. Pull them up now and tell me your take. I get that two weeks on one deck sounds overkill, but this meeting's huge, so I wanna nail every detail," Lucas explained."Got it, sir," Kieran nodded, firing up the slides Lucas had emailed.Everyone knew Lucas lived for work. He was all about knocking things out fast, so if he was cool with dragging this out over two weeks, it had to be make-or-break.Kieran wasn't exactly a grind-it-out type—he did enough to skate by without drama. But for this pitch? He wa

Kieran adjusted his collar as he stood outside the restaurant. He was mildly surprised when Lucas had told him where they’d be dining. It was an upscale place, the kind where reservations were booked weeks, if not months, in advance. Kieran knew this well—his dad owned a chain of hotels and restaurants worldwide, and this building was one of them.Stepping inside, he was greeted by the attendant, whose face lit up with recognition. She didn’t know exactly who Kieran was, just that he was a VIP.“Mr. Kieran! I didn’t know you were coming tonight,” she said, glancing at the reservation list. “I’m sure I can get you a table—”“The reservation’s actually under Lucas Salazar,” Kieran interrupted gently.“Oh, of course! Mr. Salazar’s waiting for his guest. I’ll take you to him,” she said, smiling. “If you’d like, I can upgrade you to a private room.”“That won’t be necessary, but thanks,” Kieran replied with a polite nod. His gaze landed on the back of Lucas’s head as he added, “Oh, and Hil

Kingsley had once been deeply in love.For more than two years, he’d shared his high school days with Cole, his boyfriend. But when Kingsley headed off to college and Cole remained in their hometown, the distance snapped their bond soon after. Cole blamed the miles between them, and Kingsley had even considered ditching his studies to return, but Roan had talked him out of it, urging him to stay the course.The split hit Kingsley like a freight train. Even after four years, echoes of that first love lingered in his chest. What twisted the knife deeper came months ago: news that Cole had paired up with Derek, Kingsley’s old school confidant. And worse, their romance had sparked mere months after Kingsley’s heartbreak.“Engaged!? They’re fucking engaged?” Kingsley’s voice cracked as he raked fingers through his disheveled hair.He’d stumbled upon the post on Instagram—a cousin’s glowing congrats to the pair. Fury boiled in his veins, his face flushing hot.“Looks that way,” Roan murmure

Kingsley sensed the danger in his game.Yet the thrill consumed him.Come Monday morning, after his bold defiance and abrupt exit that left Lorenzo reeling, the air crackled with unspoken strain. Still, they shoved personal friction aside for the critical investor pitch—it demanded flawless focus.Kingsley felt the session hummed with promise, and for once, Lorenzo mirrored that vibe. Past meetings had left him guarded, but not this one. This round sparked real optimism in Lorenzo about clinging to his role. A college buddy among the firm’s team pinged him post-meeting, texting assurances that the funding would seal.Kingsley floated the idea of drinks to toast the win, but Lorenzo held firm, insisting celebrations waited for inked signatures. They compromised on lunch instead. Buoyancy lifted them both, dissolving the prior undercurrents of desire. Lorenzo’s radiant grin spread like wildfire, pulling Kingsley into the same euphoric glow.“When do you figure they’ll loop back?” Kingsl