Chapter Text
PROLOUGE:
The soft glow of the lamp cast golden highlights across his bare chest as his fingers danced over the keys with effortless precision.
The melody of "You Are Not Alone" filled the room, intimate and haunting in this stripped-down piano version—no orchestra, no vocals, just raw emotion flowing from his touch.
Jen’s breath caught in her throat. She had heard the song a hundred times, but never like this. Each note felt personal, like he was playing it only for her. Her eyes traced the graceful movement of his hands, the subtle flex of muscles in his forearms, the way his long fingers pressed and released the keys with such tender control.
Heat pooled low in her belly.
She shifted on the edge of the couch, pressing her thighs together without thinking. The sight of him—bare-chested in those loose black silk pajama pants that hung low on his hips, hair slightly tousled, completely absorbed in the music—did dangerous things to her pulse.
When she finally dragged her gaze up to his face, she found him already watching her.
Not the keys.
Her.
A slow, knowing smile curved his lips, dark eyes gleaming with quiet amusement and something far more heated. He hadn’t missed a single note. Not one.
Jen felt her cheeks burn crimson. She bit her lower lip, embarrassed at being caught with such obvious desire written all over her face, but the blush only deepened when she realized he was still playing flawlessly—perfect timing, perfect expression—while holding her stare.
He was showing off now. Deliberately.
The final notes lingered in the air like a caress as the song came to a gentle close. The silence that followed felt electric.
He lifted his hands from the keys and turned fully toward her on the piano bench, the silk of his pants shifting with the movement.
That knowing smile stayed in place, but his voice came out low and rough, laced with teasing affection.
“Careful, Jen,” he murmured, eyes drifting slowly down her body and back up again. “If you keep looking at me like that… I’m going to stop being such a gentleman.”
She swallowed hard, heart hammering.