Then his mouth was on hers—urgent, a little messy, like he'd forgotten how to be smooth and didn't care. She laughed against his lips, breathless, and his hands found her waist, pulled hercloser. His fingers pressed into the fabric at her hips. Her hand curled into the front of his shirt.
It was fast and clumsy and she didn't want to stop.
When they broke apart, both breathing harder than they should've been, he was grinning.
"Always wanted to do that."
She laughed and grabbed his hand, pulled him back toward the hall. The group was maybe twenty feet ahead, bunched near another doorway. Jax glanced over his shoulder, saw their faces, and wagged his eyebrows. April's laugh burst out. Mateo dissolved beside her, shoulders shaking, and that made it worse—both of them trying to muffle it and failing completely.
The next door opened onto a room that made April go still.
Toys. Expensive toys. The kind of collection that looked pristine and untouched. Slot car tracks wound across tables. A vintage pinball machine stood in one corner, chrome gleaming. And on a large desk by the window, a half-built Lego Death Star sat in careful progress, sorted pieces in labeled containers beside it.
The group spread out naturally. Mateo paused by the slot cars, running his fingers over the pristine tracks. Caleb investigated the pinball machine. Jax made a beeline for what looked like a model train setup.
April found herself drawn to the Lego Death Star. The pieces were organized with precision that spoke to someone who actually used this room. Killian appeared beside her, closer than she'd expected.
"You didn't finish this," she said.
"I'm still working on it."
Jiro looked up from examining the train set. "You actually come back here?"
"Sometimes." Killian's hand rested on the edge of the desk, and April caught the small, unconscious smile. "It's... meditative."
"That's sweet," Mateo said.
Caleb looked up from the pinball machine. "This is extremely elaborate for meditation."
"He was a lonely child," Jax observed, pressing buttons on the console until it lit up.
"I had tutors," Killian said.
"That is not what he asked," Caleb replied.
Killian huffed, the sound escaping like laughter caught him off guard.
The sound made April look at him properly. Not CEO Killian. Just Killian, standing in a room full of expensive toys, laughing because eight people were touching everything. She nudged him with her hip and kept moving.
"These are actually beautiful," Mateo said, still examining the slot cars with genuine appreciation.
Dante had found the pinball machine and was studying it like it was art. "Original?"
"Yes."
"Excellent taste."
He passed by her a moment later and kissed her hand without fanfare—courtly, brief, gone before she could react.
Liam stood near Killian, looking at the Death Star with that analytical attention. "How long have you been working on it?"
"Three years."
"That's commitment."
Killian shrugged, but April caught the pleased expression before he smoothed it away.
"Come on," Killian said, already moving. "There's more."
