Chapter 1

1

Kace Channing was enjoying the calm. He’d woken up not too long before and was having the first magical cup of coffee at three in the afternoon—like most days of the week. He wasn’t supposed to work today, but Logan, his boss, and co-worker, had called, wanting the night off.

He steered the tank toward a settlement on the screen and fired. He’d been right. The enemies instantly attacked, and he pushed the button to fire again. He leaned in closer to the screen, changed the position of the tank, and fired a third time. Reaching for his cup, he took a sip of coffee.

He didn’t mind working Mondays. The bar wasn’t closed, but normal people didn’t go to a nightclub on the first day of their work week. Mondays were mostly for colleagues working in the bar and restaurant business.

It had started years ago. The workers had gathered. With the weekend over, they had calm days ahead, and they couldn’t party on a Saturday since they were working. Little by little, the club filled up. It wasn’t only those working at The Devil, there were many from other bars too.

Some wouldn’t set their foot in their place, The Devil being a gay club and all, but most didn’t give a damn. So Mondays were always a good mix of people and, mostly, they were fun days to work.

He’d pour drinks and chat with colleagues from the other bars and restaurants in the city. Then there would be some regular customers too.

Taking another sip, there was a bang on the door. Kace groaned. He only wore a pair of jeans, no shirt, and he hadn’t had a shower yet. When the door handle rattled, he hurried toward the tiny hallway.

“Yes?” The cold March air teased his bare skin. Outside stood Lukas Holland, his best friend since kindergarten. “Luke, what are you doing here?”

They hadn’t seen much of each other lately. Kace didn’t know what it was, but Stacy, Lukas’ girlfriend, disliked him—a lot. Could be because he was queer, or maybe because he worked at a gay club without being ashamed. She’d said something about it once. You tell people you work there?And then she’d widened her eyes and shaken her head, not at him, but at Lukas.

“Can I come in?” The slurred speech and the way he stumbled told Kace he was drunk before he smelled the fumes.

“What’s up, dude? You’re drunk on a Monday afternoon.”

Luke dropped a backpack on the floor right on the threshold and pushed Kace against the wall. Kace went willingly. He was a big guy, Lukas was not. Had he wanted to stand his ground, he could have.

Then Lukas cupped his neck with one hand and pulled him down, pressing his lips against Kace’s. He opened his mouth in surprise. Lukas took advantage, caressed his tongue with his, and moaned.

What is going on?Kace tentatively raised his hands—to push him away or pull him closer, he didn’t know.

When Lukas pushed closer, Kace noted the hard length pressing against his thigh, and heat exploded in his mind.

“Luke.” He grabbed his shoulders and gently pushed him away from him. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.” Lukas didn’t meet his gaze. His eyes were locked on Kace’s lips.

“Luke, you’re drunk.” And straight. And Kace’s best friend. They might do manly hugs, but they didn’t kiss. Sometimes Lukas snuggled up next to him on a sofa when they watched a movie or something, but it was nothing sexual. This was…

“I know.”

“Why are you drunk?”

“Can I stay with you?”

Kace stared. His apartment slash row house wasn’t big. It was enough for him, but his bedroom didn’t leave room for more than a bed. His living room was about the smallest he’d ever seen, and he only had a three-seat sofa, a coffee table, and a TV. His bathroom had a corner shower where he banged his elbows on the wall every time he washed his hair. And his kitchen was more like a kitchenette than a real kitchen. In the corner, he’d set up a shelf he’d placed his computer on. It didn’t leave room for any office supplies, but it worked for him.

Having another person living there would mean they’d trip over each other.

“Why do you want to stay here? Hang on. I’ll call Stacy.” He turned to get his phone in the kitchen.

“No.” Lukas grabbed his arm. His blue eyes were unfocused, his dark hair a mess, and there was stubble on his cheeks. Lukas shaved every morning.

“Why? Are you having a fight?”

Lukas sighed. “Kind of.”

“You should talk to her.” Lukas and Stacy had bought a house together a little less than a year before. Kace had been expecting a wedding invitation and news about babies on the way for months now. He’d tried not to think about it, a life without Luke in it was too painful to picture, so he’d done his best to ignore Stacy. He hadn’t known they were having problems. But then he hardly saw Luke anymore.