Chapter 8 THE FIRST TOUCH

​The "high" of the boardroom victory faded into a restless, kinetic energy that followed them back to the estate. While Jax paced the perimeter of the living area, checking the security feeds on his tablet, Elias disappeared into his glass-walled sanctuary.

​It was nearly midnight. The house was silent, save for the low hum of the servers and the occasional click of Jax's boots on the stone floor. Through the glass, Jax watched Elias. The billionaire was hunched over a holographic interface, his fingers dancing through strings of code like a pianist. He had discarded his suit jacket hours ago; his white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled up to reveal slender, pale forearms.

​Jax stepped into the office, carrying a tray with a single decanter of amber whiskey and two glasses. He didn't ask; he just set it down on the obsidian desk.

​"You've been staring at that light for six hours," Jax said. "Your eyes are bloodshot. Drink."

​Elias didn't look up. "I'm close, Jaxson. The V-4 encryption has a recursive loop I didn't account for. If I stop now, I'll lose the thread."

​"The thread will be there in the morning. You won't be if you collapse." Jax walked around the desk. He intended to just set the glass closer to Elias's hand, but his foot caught on a stray fiber-optic cable snaking across the floor.

​It was a rookie mistake. Jax stumbled, his massive frame tilting forward. To avoid crushing the obsidian desk-or Elias-he threw his hand out to steady himself.

​His palm landed flat on the desk. His other hand, instinctively seeking balance, clamped down on Elias's shoulder.

​The world stopped.

​Jax froze, his face inches from Elias's. He could feel the heat radiating off the smaller man's skin. Under his palm, Elias's shoulder felt incredibly fine-boned, but the muscle was corded with tension.

​Elias didn't scream. He didn't pull away. He went perfectly, unnervingly still. His breath hitched in his throat, a sharp, audible sound in the quiet room.

​Jax's heart hammered against his ribs. He knew the rule. Do not touch. He should have retracted his hand instantly, offered a clinical apology, and retreated to his two-pace distance. But the sensation of Elias under his hand-the reality of him-was like an electric current.

​Jax's thumb moved. It was a subconscious twitch, a slow stroke against the curve of Elias's neck.

​Elias let out a low, shaky exhale. His head tilted back, his silver hair brushing against Jax's forearm. He looked up at Jax, his grey eyes wide, blown out with a mixture of fear and something far more dangerous: curiosity.

​"Jaxson," Elias whispered. It wasn't a command to stop. It sounded like a question.

​Jax's gaze dropped to Elias's mouth. He could feel the gravity of the moment pulling him down. The debt, the contract, the CEO and the assistant-it was all blurring into the heat of the contact. Jax's hand on Elias's shoulder tightened, not to hurt, but to anchor.

​"I broke the rule," Jax rasped, his voice thick.

​"I know," Elias breathed. He reached up, his slender fingers hovering just a fraction of an inch above Jax's wrist, as if he wanted to pull the hand closer but couldn't quite find the courage to bridge the gap.

​The silence between them was heavy, pregnant with the realization that the "three-foot" barrier hadn't just been breached-it had been shattered.

​Slowly, painfully, Jax forced himself to stand upright. He withdrew his hand, the loss of contact feeling like a physical sting. He stepped back, reclaiming the professional distance, though his pulse refused to settle.

​Elias stayed as he was for a long moment, his chest heaving. He looked down at his keyboard, but the code was forgotten. He reached up and touched the spot on his neck where Jax's thumb had lingered, his expression dazed.

​"The whiskey," Elias said, his voice trembling. "Thank you."

​"Get some sleep, Elias," Jax said, his voice like sandpaper.

​He turned and walked out before he did something that forty-two million dollars couldn't fix. Behind him, he heard the clink of glass against glass. Elias was drinking, but Jax knew that no amount of alcohol was going to dull the memory of that touch.