I’d been thinking about that kiss pretty much every waking moment since it happened. It was interfering with my work, and making it difficult to concentrate on the serious business of keeping Dara safe.

Normally, I would never get involved personally with a client, but with Andreas the lines were becoming seriously blurred. Our history together meant that he was never going to be a typical client, and I’d known that going in, but I had never envisaged things going quite this far between us.

That didn’t mean I thought we had made a mistake. As soon as we kissed, I knew it could never have been a mistake. We needed to clear the air, though. Things had been a little awkward since that kiss. The morning after, Andreas had thanked me stiffly for my hospitality, and then taken Dara to school. He’d called me a little later to let me know that they’d be staying in a hotel until the house was ready.

“I don’t want to impose on you, Jake,” he’d said, sounding a little wary. “I think it’d be better if we just booked in somewhere for a few days.”

“Sure,” I’d replied. “Just know that my door is always open to you and Dara, any time.”

He’d thanked me, and then hung up. I wondered if he felt like we’d made a mistake, moved too fast, but I hadn’t gotten the chance to ask him. Work had been busy - Nato was following up on some new leads involving Frank Meyers, and had told me about his encounter with the man’s secret boyfriend, Thom.

“The guy was nervous as hell when he found out why I was there,” Nato told me. “Glancing over his shoulder, couldn’t get me out of there fast enough. But he didn’t seem all that surprised to learn that I was investigating Frank. There’s definitely something bad going on there, even if Frank isn’t our guy.”

“Keep an eye on that situation, then,” I’d told him. “All of this is connected somehow, I’m sure of it.”

I carried on my bodyguarding duties as normal, collecting Dara from school and taking her to the hotel she and Andreas were staying at. Swanky place on Michigan Ave, no expense spared for Andreas. I’d smiled to myself when I saw it - he’d made a success of himself, and he knew how to spend his money, I’d give him that.

Andreas was suspiciously absent for most of the time, throwing himself into work, not coming back until late. In the two nights since we’d kissed, he seemed to be doing his very best to avoid me. Finally, I’d had enough. I ambushed him as he returned from his restaurant one night, stopping him in the hotel lobby before he went up to his room.

“Andreas,” I said to him and he stopped in his tracks, looking for all the world like he wanted to run. “We need to talk.”

He glanced at his watch. “Sure. Just quickly, though, OK? It’s late, and I’m beat.”

I frowned at him, trying to puzzle his attitude out. “About the other night. About us.”

He looked uncomfortable. “I mean, what’s there to talk about? We kissed, it was nice.”

I scoffed at him. “Nice? It was nice? C’mon, Andreas, I dunno what your deal is, but if we’re gonna be working together and spending time together, we need to clarify what’s going on here. I don’t like dealing in uncertainties in any aspect of my life. How about dinner, tomorrow night? We’ll go to a Thai place I like - they do amazing noodles. I’ll call Darek in to watch Dara for the evening.”

He thought for a few moments, then smiled at me. The sight of that smile warmed my heart and made my breath catch in my throat.

God, but he’s beautiful.

“It’s a date,” he said. “Looking forward to it.”

Then he made to stride off towards the elevators, before stopping, turning, and coming back to me. He leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips. “See you tomorrow.”

I was left there reeling as he hurried off up to his room - it had been a long time since anyone had had this kind of effect on me, and it was surprising and intoxicating, like being a hormonal teen again.

I watched him go, anticipation tingling through me.

I was surprised at how nervous I was as I sat at my table, cradling a glass of wine the next evening. Andreas had texted me to let me know that something had come up at the restaurant, so he’d be running a little late. I decided to sit and wait for him - maybe the wine would calm my nerves a little.

This was a weird kinda first date - we’d known each other for most of our lives, and only just reconciled after over a decade of enmity. But here we were, about to sit down as a couple for the first time ever.

Butterflies fluttered through my stomach as I watched the door, waiting for him to come into sight. When he finally did, shoving the door open and looking flustered, my heart skipped a beat.

The waitress led him over to the table and he grinned apologetically at me, ordering a glass of wine of his own before the waitress left. He sat down and fussed with his jacket for a while.

“Sorry,” he said. “A huge party came in without a booking, and it was hell trying to squeeze them all in.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied. “Gave me some time to have some wine and calm my nerves.”

He glanced up at me with a wry smile. “You, too? I’ve been feeling like it’s the day before senior prom all over again.”

We laughed, then clinked our glasses together as his wine was brought over. He took a contemplative sip, then linked his fingers under his chin and studied me for a moment.

“I’m sorry I’ve been a little distant over the past couple of days,” he murmured. “It’s just...well, it’s complicated.”

“Tell me,” I replied. “If we’re gonna do this thing, I wanna learn all about you.”

He took a deep breath then spoke, haltingly at first, but growing in confidence as he found his rhythm.

“Well, you know I was married for a long time. That’s where Dara came from, after all. My wife and I divorced around a year ago - things were settled amicably, and Rosa still sees plenty of Dara.”

He tugged at his collar and takes another gulp of wine. I could see that he’d probably never told anyone this before, so I just nodded encouragingly and listened.

“I’ve always felt like….y’know, I liked guys. But it just never seemed like an option. Meet a girl, get married, start a family - it seemed like that was the course that was laid out for me, so that’s what I did. And for a long time we were happy enough. There was never that spark with Rosa, but I loved her in my own way.”

He was interrupted for a second by the waitress coming to take our order, but when we were done he carried on with his story.

“But eventually, I just got sick of living the lie. It wasn’t fair on me, on Rosa, or on Dara. As she got older, she could see that things were different between her parents compared to her friends. The best way I can describe it is...it was like living with a good friend for a decade or more. But after a while it becomes claustrophobic, and that’s when resentment can start to build. I didn’t want that for any of us, so I finally came clean to Rosa.”

He was silent for a few moments, contemplating, before continuing.

“She knew,” he laughed softly. “She had done for a long time. She told me she’d been waiting for me to admit the truth to myself for years. And, to cut a long and boring story short, we separated amicably a short while later, and I’ve been single ever since.”

“Not one date?” I asked, surprised.

“Nope,” Andreas replied. “I wanted to get everything lined up in my head first, make sure I’d left all of that baggage behind. And then the court case with Theo started, and then these goddamned threats against Dara and I, and the thought of dating couldn’t have been further from my mind.”

He looked up at me, eyes shining. “But then you came along…”

I took a deep breath and smiled at him. “And then I came along.”

He reached out to me and placed his hand on mine. “I’m glad you did.”

My heart fluttered in my chest, but the moment was interrupted by our food arriving. Spicy noodle broth for me, and basil pork with jasmine rice for Andreas. We ate in silence for a little while - the food was, as ever, amazing.

“This is so good,” Andreas said. “I find myself eating Italian so often - it’s too easy to whip myself something up at work, and I’m always there late anyway so I never get the chance to try other places out.”

“I knew you’d like it,” I told him.

We declined dessert, and sat nursing the last of our wine. “I can honestly say that I didn’t envisage this when you showed up at my door a couple weeks back,” I said to him with a wry smile. “I was this close to telling you to get the hell out and never come back.”

He looked sad for a moment.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have put it like that,” I said. “As I told you the other night, I forgive you. People change, and you’ve definitely changed - for the better, of course. In fact, I feel pretty amazed that such a gorgeous guy agree to go out on a date with me.”

He laughed. “I was gonna say the same thing!”

“But if we’re gonna do this,” I said, “I’ll need a couple of assurances. I don’t jump into relationships lightly - I just don’t have the time or the emotional energy for things that won’t last. So I’ll commit to you, heart and soul, but I’ll need the same from you in return. No half-measures, no games, no secrets.”

He meets my eyes with an intense gaze, looking soulful and serious. “I never do things by half-measures. Never have, never will. I’m loyal, and I’m cautious. That loyalty has been sorely tested recently, and I’ll fully admit that I’m fragile right now. So you’ll have to bear that in mind if you want to be with me.”

We linked hands, and I reached out with my leg under the table to intertwine them with his. The contact between us set my pulse racing. I wanted more - I wanted to kiss him, to take him into my arms, to make love to him.

We hurriedly paid the bill, and then I led him outside into the chilly night air. He started towards his car, but I grabbed him by the waist and pulled him into the alleyway by the side of the restaurant. It was dark there, and private, and I pulled his body close to mine.

His lips were on mine instantly, hungrily, his hands running down my body, coming to rest on my already-hardening cock. He moaned as he felt my arousal, and I ground myself into his exploring touch.

“I want you,” he murmured, between kisses. “I need you.”

I tilted his head to one side and kissed my way down his neck. He shivered in delight as my lips grazed his sensitive skin, and when I reached down for him he was already hard, his erection straining against his pants.

“We can go to my place,” I murmured. “Darek is with Dara, and will be until morning. We have the whole night to ourselves.”

Andreas moaned as I pressed my body against his. “Take me there,” he whispered.