Genre Ranking
Get the APP HOT
Broke Up... Now I Am His Stepfather
img img Broke Up... Now I Am His Stepfather img Chapter 4 BENEATH THE SURFACE
4 Chapters
Chapter 6 COLLIDED img
Chapter 7 THE EDGE OF COLLAPSE img
Chapter 8 SHATTERED LINES img
Chapter 9 HEARTBEATS img
Chapter 10 BEHIND THE LIES img
Chapter 11 WITH YOU img
Chapter 12 LINES DRAWN img
Chapter 13 YOU AND I img
Chapter 14 WHAT NOW ! img
Chapter 15 MEMORIES OF OUR PAST img
Chapter 16 FOR YOU img
Chapter 17 IN HIS EMPIRE img
Chapter 18 OUR MOMENT img
Chapter 19 WHERE YOU TOUCH ME img
Chapter 20 THE HOUSEKEEPER img
Chapter 21 WHERE YOU TOUCH ME img
Chapter 22 THE TASTE OF YOU img
Chapter 23 HIS RETURN img
Chapter 24 THE PAST BETWEEN US img
Chapter 25 RESOLVED PAIN img
Chapter 26 STILL YOURS img
Chapter 27 FREAKY FRIDAY img
Chapter 28 HOTEL MIRAVALLE img
Chapter 29 AT EIGHT PM img
Chapter 30 MY LOVE img
Chapter 31 SOMETHING ABOUT HIM img
Chapter 32 S.H.E img
Chapter 33 BROMANCE img
Chapter 34 CELEB img
Chapter 35 ALL OF ME img
Chapter 36 HIS SKIN IN ME img
Chapter 37 EXCHANGE OF GLANCES img
Chapter 38 TWO OF US img
Chapter 39 HUS GUARD img
Chapter 40 WITH HIM img
Chapter 41 IN YOUR EYES img
Chapter 42 UNVEILED img
Chapter 43 LITTLE BRO img
Chapter 44 LORENZO ! LORENZO ! img
Chapter 45 IT'S MINE img
Chapter 46 HE SHATTERED ME img
Chapter 47 SAME DAY img
Chapter 48 SETTLED img
Chapter 49 HENRY img
Chapter 50 HENRY'S HUNTED img
Chapter 51 FRESH FEAR img
Chapter 52 THE MAFIAN QUEEN img
Chapter 53 SCARRED HEARTS img
Chapter 54 THE SHOW UP img
Chapter 55 LOCKED IN HIS GAZE img
Chapter 56 TENSION img
Chapter 57 D.M.Q img
Chapter 58 THE MONTROSE DIALOGUE img
Chapter 59 CLASH OF QUEENS img
Chapter 60 OPEN HEARTED img
Chapter 61 UNDER THE SAME SILENCE img
Chapter 62 YOURS TONIGHT 1 img
Chapter 63 FRACTURE img
Chapter 64 HAPPY PRIDE'S DAY img
Chapter 65 THE PLEA OF HEARTS img
Chapter 66 THE LESSON HE WASN'T READY FOR img
Chapter 67 BETWEEN HEARTBEATS 1 img
Chapter 68 BETWEEN HEARTBEATS 2 img
Chapter 69 THE TWINS REUNION img
Chapter 70 NEWS img
Chapter 71 DE MAN'S AURA img
Chapter 72 GET HIM img
Chapter 73 REAL MEN FUCK USSY img
Chapter 74 HEARTS ALIKE img
Chapter 75 MY BABY BOY! img
Chapter 76 BEFORE HALLOWEEN ENDS 1 img
Chapter 77 BEFORE HALLOWEEN ENDS 2 img
Chapter 78 BEFORE HALLOWEEN ENDS 3 img
Chapter 79 BEFORE HALLOWEEN ENDS 4 img
Chapter 80 AFTER THE MASKS img
Chapter 81 HIS GRANDSON 1 img
Chapter 82 HIS GRANDSON 2 img
Chapter 83 DAD img
Chapter 84 NOVEMBER FIRST img
Chapter 85 BETWEEN US img
Chapter 86 NO ONE BUT YOU img
Chapter 87 HENRY'S REQUEST img
Chapter 88 HUMANE img
Chapter 89 LOVE MOMENT img
Chapter 90 I FOUND LOVE, FOR ME img
Chapter 91 UNNOTICED HEARTS 1 img
Chapter 92 UNNOTICED HEARTS 2 img
Chapter 93 VEILED img
Chapter 94 LETHAL img
Chapter 95 TOTOURED 1 img
Chapter 96 TOTOURED 2 img
Chapter 97 TOTOURED 3 img
Chapter 98 JADEN 1 img
Chapter 99 JADEN 2 img
Chapter 100 JADEN 3 img
img
  /  2
img

Chapter 4 BENEATH THE SURFACE

The city faded behind them in streaks of grey and sunlight as Henry drove down a quiet road leading to Melbourne. Caleb watched the trees blur by. Henry sat in the driver's seat, unusually quiet, fingers drumming the steering wheel in a rhythm only he understood.

"Still nervous?" Caleb asked softly.

Henry glanced over with a short laugh. "Is it that obvious?"

"You've only checked your rearview mirror every twenty seconds like someone's tailing us."

Henry rolled his eyes but smiled. "I just... I don't know. This matters. He's never met anyone I've dated and actually liked. So I'm hoping today breaks that record."

Caleb leaned back, stretching his arm across the console to trace his fingers over Henry's. "You act like you're introducing me to a king or something."

"He might as well be," Henry muttered, eyes on the road. "He's intense."

Caleb raised a brow. "So this is a test."

"No," Henry paused, then corrected himself. "Okay. Maybe a little. But it's not like a grilling. He's just... you know what? F**k it."

Henry slowed as he pulled into a long driveway lined with manicured hedges and low stone walls.

"Wow," Caleb murmured, taking in the house. Sleek, modern, too perfect. Like something out of a design magazine. "He lives here alone?"

"Yep. My mom moved out after the divorce, but Dad kept the house. It's his kingdom."

Caleb exhaled slowly. The house was beautiful, but intimidating. It made everything feel suddenly more real.

Henry parked and cut the engine, then turned fully toward him. "Last chance to run."

"Not a chance," Caleb said, smiling.

Henry leaned in, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "You've got this. He's going to love you. He'd be insane not to."

They stepped out of the car and walked up to the door.

"He's chill," Henry said as he rang the doorbell. "Just don't overthink it."

The door opened and Caleb's thoughts completely derailed.

Asher, Henry's dad, wasn't just attractive. He was arresting, tall and confident with silver at his temples and a low, amused gaze like he already knew all your secrets. His eyes landed on Caleb and lingered a second too long, and something unspoken passed between them.

Asher's mouth curved into a polite smile, but his eyes were unreadable as he looked at Caleb, who carried a kind of beauty that felt distant, like something you could admire but never hold.

"You must be Caleb," he said, offering his hand.

His voice was deep and smooth. Caleb shook it, warm and firm. His breath caught for a second longer than it should have.

"I've heard a lot about you," Asher said.

"Oh? Hope it was good." Caleb extended his hand, steady.

Asher took it again, his grip firm, his gaze never wavering. "Call me Asher."

Caleb chuckled softly. "Just Asher is fine." He smiled, looking between Henry and Asher. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"My pleasure," Asher replied.

Damn it. Henry's dad is hot, Caleb thought.

Asher stepped aside, and they entered a living room that looked straight out of a modern design magazine. Minimalist, masculine, expensive. Caleb tried not to look impressed but failed.

Henry's phone buzzed. He stepped away to take the call, his mom, probably.

"You want a drink?" Asher asked.

Caleb smiled, looking into Asher's eyes. "Sure."

"Please, have a seat while I get you something," Asher said, smiling.

Caleb sat comfortably on the sofa.

"Lunch is almost ready. I'll be back in a jiff," Asher added as he walked toward the fridge.

"I told you, my dad is cool," Henry said, grinning as he pulled out a chair for Caleb at the long oak table.

"I can see that." Caleb smiled politely and sat down, smoothing his hands over his jeans.

---

Caleb sat with Henry at the long glass dining table, laughing at one of Henry's terrible jokes as Asher poured wine into their glasses.

Asher's gaze lingered on Caleb longer than it should have, his eyes tracing the lines of the younger man's face, the careless grin, the way his fingers curled slightly around the stem of the wineglass. There was too much to feel, and none of it could be spoken.

"You're incredible with him," Caleb said softly.

Asher looked up slowly. "He's my son."

"No, I meant... you're incredible with people you care about. It shows."

"Dad," Henry interrupted, slipping into the seat next to Caleb. "Easy on him." He smiled.

Asher lifted a brow. "I was being polite."

They ate in a strange kind of quiet, Henry oblivious, chatting between bites, while Caleb tried not to squirm under Asher's occasional glances.

"So," Asher said casually, setting down his glass, "how did you and Henry meet?"

Caleb hesitated, the question catching in his throat. He managed a tight smile, stabbing at the overpriced salad like it had wronged him. "At a bar," he said eventually. "He was drinking alone."

Asher huffed a quiet laugh. "Sounds like Henry. Always more comfortable watching from the sidelines."

Noticing Caleb's discomfort, Asher cleared his throat. "So," he said, voice low and steady, "what is it you do for a living, Caleb?"

Caught off guard by the shift in tone, Caleb blinked before answering. He set his glass down, fingers curling around the rim.

"I do a lot of things," he said chuckling. "Interior designing mostly. I also work with brands on visual identity, logos, campaign styling and digital design. A lot of lifestyle clients and startups that want to look expensive."

Asher's eyes didn't waver. "You design spaces, create brand visuals, and make companies look high-end," he said, a slow smile playing on his lips. "Perfect. Everything about you looks... curated."

Caleb let out a quiet laugh. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should," Asher said.

He walked into his room and returned with a sleek black folder, setting it gently on the counter in front of Caleb.

Henry looked between the two of them but said nothing.

"I might have something you'd be interested in," Asher said. "A project. I've been developing a retreat property upstate. Boutique, high-end, extremely private. Think minimalism meets indulgence."

Caleb opened the folder, fingers brushing the edge of the thick matte pages. "This is really nice," he murmured, scanning the designs. "It's already well thought-out."

Asher leaned forward slightly, his voice lower now. "It needs someone who can give it identity. Branding. A look and feel that tells a story. And I think you're the one to do it."

Caleb looked up, surprised by both the offer and the sincerity behind it. "You're offering me a contract?"

"I'm offering you the chance to own the visual direction from day one. I'll cover the budget. All I want is for the place to look like someone who gives a damn built it."

There was a pulse under Caleb's skin. From the proposition, sure, but also from the way Asher was looking at him. Like he wasn't just offering a job. Like he was offering something much harder to refuse.

Caleb stared down at the folder. The contract was unspoken but tangible.

"I won't let you down, sir," Caleb said.

"And you live in the city?" Asher asked.

"Brooklyn."

"Ah," Asher nodded, as if that explained everything. "Brooklyn guys always look like they're going somewhere better."

Caleb smirked. "We usually are."

That earned a low chuckle from Asher.

Henry shook his head with a smile, continuing to eat.

"I'll need your email," he said casually, lifting his tumbler of water. "There's a branding pitch coming up for one of my clients, I'd also like to send you the brief. No pressure, of course."

Caleb blinked, caught off guard by the shift from personal to professional. "Sure, of course," he replied, rattling off his email as Asher pulled his phone out and typed it in smoothly.

"Perfect," Asher said, tucking the phone back into his breast pocket. "But let's not ruin such a perfect day with talk of business. Not when I've only just gotten to know the man my son can't stop talking about."

Henry, who had been quietly sipping his wine, glanced up with a warm smile. "I'm just glad you're getting along."

Asher's lips curved into a satisfied smile. "So am I."

---

After lunch, Caleb and Henry prepared to leave. Asher followed them to the door, his presence still commanding despite the casual linen he wore.

"Wait," he said as Caleb stepped down toward the car. "One last thing."

He opened his arms. Caleb, slightly surprised, smiled and stepped into the embrace.

Asher's grip was gentle, his breath ghosting over Caleb's ear. "I must confess, you're remarkably handsome. And you don't even try."

Caleb froze.

Asher released him a second later, like nothing had been said.

Caleb stepped back, stunned but unable to fully hide the small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Henry's voice rang out from the car. "You good?"

"Yeah," Caleb replied, voice tight. "Coming."

"Drive safe," Asher said with a wink, stepping back.

As Henry started the engine, Caleb looked back once, catching Asher's silhouette framed in the front door.

"Goodbye," Henry called out.

"Not for long, I hope," Asher replied.

Henry started the engine, and they drove off.

---

The email arrived the next morning. A clean brief. Branding overhaul for a luxury homeware brand. Caleb replied with interest.

Asher's follow-up came quickly.

Would love to walk you through it. Come by my office tomorrow, nothing formal.

Previous
            
Next
            
Download Book

COPYRIGHT(©) 2022