Luke barely spared Ash a glance as he held out a hand to the asset manager.

“It was great to see you, Cam. And I’m sorry you had to come all this way to do this.”

Ash blinked, surprised. It wasn’t every day he heard Luke apologize to anyone.

Cam Sorvino shook Luke’s hand. “Not at all. I had stuff to do in the Singapore branch of the firm anyway, so this trip killed two birds with one stone.”

Luke leaned against the doorframe, folded his arms across his chest, and crossed his long legs.

Ash stared.

The two men standing close to each other made for a remarkable combination. Even John couldn’t help but gaze at them unblinkingly.

“When’s the big day?” Luke said. He cocked his head at the fund manager’s left hand.

Ash noted the white gold and platinum band on Cam’s ring finger for the first time.

Cam grinned.

“Gabe and I haven’t picked a date yet. He’s working on this place right now, a new luxury resort in Hawaii. He says it’s gonna be stunning. They don’t normally do weddings, but we’re thinking of asking the guy who owns it if we can get married there anyway.” He arched an eyebrow. “I’ll be sure to invite you.”

Luke smiled faintly. “That would be fun.”

Ash almost fell off the chair. He didn’t think he’d seen Luke Rutherford have anything remotely resembling fun in over half a decade.

His startled movement drew the two men’s gazes. Amber eyes narrowed as they focused on him, sending his pulse skittering.

“I don’t believe you’ve met my former ward,” Luke muttered. “This is Ash Colby, heir to the Colby Corporation. Ash, this is Cam Sorvino, my fund manager.”

Cam’s eyes widened slightly as Ash rose to his feet. He exchanged a guarded glance with Luke before crossing the waiting room and shaking Ash’s hand.

“It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Ash mumbled a greeting, curious about the secretive look the two men had just traded.

“Your car is waiting downstairs, Mr. Sorvino,” John said. “And there’s a message from a Mr. Cavendish. He said that if you don’t get your ass back to Tokyo in time for your own birthday, Mr. Skye and Madame Claude will—and I quote— ‘Get Gabe onstage at Saron and help him do a striptease.’”

Cam groaned. “Those assholes.”

Luke cocked an eyebrow. “I didn’t know it was your birthday.”

“I’m not exactly a child anxiously waiting for cake and gifts, Luke,” Cam said breezily as he headed for the exit. “Although I wouldn’t mind one particular blue-eyed gift,” he added under his breath.

“You want to borrow the jet?” Luke called out.

“Thanks, but no!” Cam yelled as he entered the lift.

Silence descended on the waiting room when the elevator doors dinged closed. Luke nailed Ash with an inscrutable stare before turning on his heels and heading back into his office.

Ash gazed at the open doorway, apprehension crawling across his skin despite his smoldering anger. He didn’t know why he felt like he was about to walk into the lion’s den. He crossed the floor and entered the room, the sound of the door closing behind him a death knell to his ears.

* * *

What the fuck is this kid eating? Miracle-Gro?

Luke adjusted his suit and sat behind the dark wood and Italian white laminate executive desk, grateful for the partition that hid his growing erection from view. Ash strolled in and plonked himself down on the couch opposite him. He narrowed his steel-blue eyes at Luke, not bothering to hide his resentment.

It had been over a year since Luke had last seen Ash in the flesh. The young man had shot up another two inches in that time. He’d also filled out in all the right places, his athletic physique toned to perfection while his brown hair shone with sun-kissed highlights from his time in California.

Perfect face, perfect body, perfect legs, perfect ass.

Luke’s gaze strayed briefly to Ash’s full lips. He swallowed a groan.

And a perfect, cocky, sexy mouth I would kill to have swallow my dick.

That last thought sobered him up.

Although Luke wanted nothing more than to strip the angry young man seated across from him, bend his delicious body over his desk, and fuck him until neither of them could walk, it was the one thing he would never do. The one promise he could never break.

He didn’t deserve to lay a single finger on Ash Colby. Not after what he had done. Not even if he’d loved him since the day he was born and been in love with him for over half a decade.

“Care to tell me why the hell you had me flown halfway across the world?” Ash said without preamble.

Luke winced internally. He deserved that. He took a deep breath and assumed the cold demeanor he usually displayed when he was with Ash, steeling himself for what was about to go down. It was a carefully cultivated facade, one he had adopted to create and maintain the distance between them.

It was the only way Luke could protect Ash from his carnal urges.

“As of right now, you are no longer a graduate student at Stanford. I’ve enrolled you in the architectural design program at the university here, in Singapore. You’ll also be living with me.”

* * *

Ash blinked. His heart started an erratic pounding in his chest as deathly silence descended on the room. He stared at Luke, hoping and waiting for the Fooled you!

The man opposite him studied him coolly, golden eyes unblinking. That was when Ash realized Luke wasn’t joking. Ash froze for a dizzying moment, disbelief warring with rage inside him. Rage won. Ash jumped to his feet and stormed to the desk.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?!” he barked.

“My mind has never been any clearer,” Luke replied steadily. “Your personal items are being packed as we speak and will be flown to our home here in the next twenty-four hours.” He paused. “Your Stanford supervisor was obviously sad to see you go but understood your sudden change in circumstances. He gave you a glowing recommendation. And I’m selling your condo in Los Altos.”

Blood roared in Ash’s ears as he glared at the man opposite him, too stunned to speak. Hatred surged through him, the feeling so visceral he couldn’t help but dig his nails into his palms. He found his voice a moment later.

“Why are you doing this?” Ash asked hoarsely.

Something flashed in Luke’s eyes then. Something Ash had seen only once before in his life. Fury. A rage so deep, it seemed to turn the man before him to stone.

Ash’s stomach twisted, the pain knifing through him so great he wanted to throw up.

Oh God! He really hates me, doesn’t he?

Ash swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat, wondering for the thousandth time what he had done to deserve Luke’s anger.

“You owe me an answer, Luke. You can’t just ignore me for five years, then barge back into my life and pretend you want to play house.”

Luke propped his elbows on the armrests of his leather executive chair and dropped his chin on the back of his interlocked hands.

“What if I told you this was for your own good?” he said quietly.