It was more than he ever could have hoped for in an evening, and Jayden didn't want it to end. If he'd thought he and Lucas slotted together so well during sex, that was nothing to how they just clicked once Lucas was formally off the clock. Every glimpse of his dry humor which had gleamed like a diamond in the dark before was now given time to shine fully, and it lit up Jayden's world.

He would have said that he was falling for Lucas, hard. But he knew the truth was that it was too late for that. He'd already fallen, and this evening's date just confirmed it.

They seemed to share the same thoughts when it was time to leave. Without planning it, without so much as an exchanged look, they paused in the restaurant's doorway in full view of the collected paparazzi for another toe-curling, mind-blowing kiss which only cemented Jayden's desire to get Lucas home as soon as possible.

They retreated to the safety of the car, and Jayden couldn't stop thinking about what they'd said to each other, before dinner had even arrived.

I can't lose you.

Just the thought of it turned his gut, and he grabbed Lucas' thigh as the car pulled out from the curb.

Lucas looked to him, then frowned softly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jayden gasped. "I'm just... Just having a bit of a wobble, that's all. Nothing bad."

It wasn't strictly true. The idea that Lucas could get hurt trying to protect him had flashed into his brain and now he couldn't shake it.

"Do bodyguards really take a bullet for clients?" he breathed.

Lucas' frown turned slowly sympathetic. "Okay. Let's talk science here. You know that when a bullet is fired, it breaks the sound barrier, right? That's what the bang is. Most bullets go supersonic unless they're specifically designed not to."

Jayden nodded quickly. "Right. Basic physics."

"Uh huh." Then Lucas flashed an impish grin. "So how fast do you think I am that I could jump in front of that?"

Jayden's mouth hung open, then he shoved at Lucas' shoulder. "Oh my God, you're such an asshole!"

"Like, I'd have to be Superman," Lucas teased. "Or maybe whoever it is will fire in slow motion so I can leap heroically into the way. And in slow-mo you'll be like nooooooooooo and then your tears will fall into the wound and heal me."

Jayden huffed at him and crossed his arms. "You're not helping!"

"Aren't I?" Lucas' smile gently subsided, and he reached for Jayden's hands. Jayden reluctantly unfurled his arms, but pouted at Lucas to let him know he wasn't off the hook yet. "Look at it this way," Lucas said more seriously. "My job is to protect you. In a way it's like being a first responder. I can't protect you if I'm dead. So my priority is to make sure whoever wants to hurt you doesn't even get the chance to try."

Jayden searched his gaze and found him nothing but deadly serious now. "How does that work, though? In practice? What happens?"

Lucas ran thumbs across the back of Jayden's hands as he pursed his lips. "Okay. There are literally hundreds of potential scenarios. Ultimately, though, our goal is to spot and neutralize a threat before that threat takes action against the client. Sometimes we may do that by removing the client from the situation. Other times we directly engage with the perceived threat. Often just approaching someone and saying hello is enough to deter them. A whole load of people have only thought through how to get to their target, not what to do if they are interrupted, so it throws them for a loop, and then we can just call the PD. Sometimes, as a last resort, we may need to engage a threat physically, and again, most people are unprepared for a fistfight against people with the kind of training we've had. So nobody's getting shot, okay? Not you, not me."

Jayden wanted so badly to believe him that for a second he was sure he actually managed it. He took slow, calming breaths and put on a smile. If he faked it, he'd make it.

"Okay," he murmured. "Okay, I'm on top of it. Thank you," he added, finally squeezing Lucas' hands in return. "Man, that came outta left field. I'm sorry."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for. Any time you're feeling a wobble, just tell me, okay?" Lucas leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I'm here for you. In every way."

Jayden closed his eyes and savored the warm touch against his skin. He used it to ground himself, to help his racing heart rein itself in, and when he opened them again the car was almost back home.

"Thanks," he breathed. "I needed that."

"I think I know what else you need," Lucas rumbled.

Jayden blinked up at him, and caught that gleam in his eye just as Lucas dropped a hand to cup Jayden's crotch.

"Oh, God," Jayden groaned. "Like you wouldn't believe!"

"Then we better get you upstairs."

They'd barely closed the door on Lucas' colleagues when Lucas grabbed him and pulled him close for a slow, deep kiss. Jayden's body flushed with warmth, and he ran his hands up the silken lapels of Lucas' tuxedo.

The kiss lingered. It brushed away the last of Jayden's worries and slowly transformed his knees to mush.

Lucas held him up, arms around him, supporting him until he finally, with gentle pecks to Jayden's lips, brought the kiss to a close.

Jayden shivered a little and rested against Lucas' chest. "We should do that again."

"The kiss?"

"The date." He chuckled.

"Why not both?" Lucas hefted Jayden off the ground and carried him in his arms toward the bedroom. "In fact, if we add what's coming next, we can go for the trifecta."

"That sounds like a perfect evening," Jayden said as he curled his arms around Lucas' neck.

Lucas carried him with ease. His arms around Jayden's body were solid, hewn from hardwood, filled with strength and yet holding him with great tenderness. He was power and precision all wrapped into one, and Jayden needed him the way he needed air. This wasn't an option, there was no choice available. Without Lucas, his life was nothing, and he knew that on such an intrinsic level that he couldn't even begin to explain it.

Lucas nudged the bedroom door closed, crossed the room, and lay Jayden down in the center of the bed. He sat down, legs sprawled across the sheets, and began to unlace Jayden's shoes.

Jayden's head nestled against his pillows, and he smiled softly. "What's this? The VIP treatment?"

"Nothing but the best for you," Lucas murmured as he eased Jayden's shoes off and slid away to set them neatly by the door.

"Does that include you?"

"Of course. I am the best." Lucas tugged his own shoes off while he was there, before he made his way over to a chair and began to undress. He hung his jacket over the back of the seat, then removed his shirt and folded it neatly over the jacket.

Jayden rolled onto his side to watch Lucas' muscles flex and shift as he continued to undress. There was no hurry to his movements, no rush, but once he removed his boxer shorts, Jayden saw that Lucas was already half hard, and he sucked on his own lip in anticipation.

Lucas was addictive, and Jayden couldn't get enough of him.

He watched as Lucas approached the bed at last, stark naked but without any attempt to hide himself. There was no embarrassment in him, not an ounce of doubt in his self-confidence. He either knew he looked amazing without clothes on or he flat-out didn't care.

That in itself was crazy hot.

Jayden tossed his glasses onto the bedside table and went back to watching.

Lucas crawled onto the bed this time. He pawed his way over the sheets and knelt at Jayden's feet, then tugged one sock off after the other. He was less careful with those, just tossing them off the bed to get rid of them, but then he raised Jayden's feet off the bed and shuffled forward until he could rest Jayden's heels against his thighs.

"Huh?" Jayden managed to be so eloquent in his confusion that he wondered how anyone could ever think he'd earned his degree.

Lucas just smiled and placed his hands on Jayden's feet, then began to rub them. His thumbs moved firmly, in small circles, and somehow avoided to be ticklish.

"Ohhhh. Damn, that's good!" Jayden's head fell back again as Lucas pampered him.

Lucas massaged his feet and his ankles. His fingers slipped up beneath Jayden's pants and took in a little of his leg before they moved down once more. Only once Jayden's breathing was slowed did Lucas ease those feet off his thighs and rest them back on the bed.

Jayden managed to look down the length of his body in time to find Lucas crawling up it like a panther.

He stopped, straddling Jayden's thighs. Jayden could see his cock now, still half-hard, until Lucas' hands moved to Jayden's fly and obstructed the sight. He unzipped Jayden with care, then inched up to tug Jayden's shirt loose and unbutton it.

It began to walk that fine line between sensitive and erotic, and that wasn't a line Jayden had a whole lot of experience in walking. The idea that someone could take this much care over him was completely alien, and he felt a sting at the back of his throat as tears pricked his eyes, so he blinked and swallowed quickly.

He didn't want Lucas to worry. Or, worse, to stop.

"You wanna tell me now," Lucas murmured as he began to carefully ease Jayden's pants down, "or later?"

Jayden could've sworn at himself. Of course the guy who spoke fluent body language and spent all day every day watching thousands of people had noticed. "Later," he croaked.

"Later it is." Lucas said it like a promise as his warm hands caressed Jayden's ass cheeks. He hadn't pushed the pants down any further than that, and his hands were sandwiched between the bed and Jayden's butt as he stroked slowly, his thumbs pressing against Jayden's hips.

Those hands were big enough that fingertips could, now and then, brush between Jayden's cheeks, and he gasped as his body melted back into the sheets. Only once he was relaxed again did Lucas continue, pushing his pants down further until he could grab them and pull them down by the waistband. He shuffled down Jayden's body rather than move aside or turn away, and pulled the material off over Jayden's feet to throw aside. They landed on the edge of the bed, but their own weight tugged them over until they fell to the floor.

Jayden watched them slide out of sight. He felt his own cock softly thrum with excitement. Fuck, Lucas had barely laid a finger on him and his body was beyond ready.

Lucas worked his way up Jayden's legs again, this time kneeling between them as he stroked and massaged, leaned in to kiss and nibble. His powerful fingers moved with grace and precision as they worked his calf muscles, his thighs, and even the backs of his knees. Wherever his fingers touched, his lips moved to soon after, from one leg to the other, casting hot breath across gooseflesh as he went.

When thumbs brushed up against Jayden's balls, he moaned softly.

When Lucas' mouth followed, he cried out with need.

Lucas' hands slid up over Jayden's stomach. They stroked his abs and kneaded his chest, all while he sucked Jayden's balls into his mouth one by one and held them there, sucking ever so gently, warming them through while Jayden's cock rested against his cheek. His fingers idly fanned across Jayden's nipples, which grew harder with each touch against them, as though they were yearning for more.

Jayden's body wasn't his any more. It had given itself over to Lucas like it always did, like Lucas held the keys to his heart and his soul. All Jayden could do was lay back as the sensations swallowed him whole.

This was the most perfect night of his life, and it didn't look like it was going to end any time soon.