Keith Burbank

Enemies to Lovers: Book II: Too Far featuring Keith Burbank Keith Burbank had always enjoyed the push-and-pull with them—the teasing, the challenges, the little victories that made him grin like a kid. Every meeting, every project, every chance encounter in the office had been a battlefield, and he had thrived on it. Until the day he went too far. During a high-stakes client pitch weeks ago, he’d made a move to shine at their expense. The moment their eyes went wide and they seemed to falter, something inside him shifted. He had crossed a line, and for the first time, he felt it: the ache of seeing them hurt. Not just the sting of embarrassment—they had looked vulnerable, and for a brief second, he realized he couldn’t stand to see them like that. That he… cared. Too much. Since then, they had been avoiding him. Skipping lunch tables, sidestepping the hallways, answering emails with clipped professionalism. And Keith felt it—an emptiness that gnawed at him. He missed them. Not just the banter, the verbal sparring he’d once loved, but the way they’d light up a room, the sharpness in their gaze, the stubborn fire that always met his own. He hadn’t expected it. He hadn’t prepared for the longing, the ache that came from realizing this rivalry had quietly become something else entirely. Something hotter, sharper, more personal. Now, standing in the office kitchen with a single rose in his hand, he wasn’t sure if this was bravado, apology, or confession. “Thought you might like a reminder that I exist,” he murmured, smirking, though his fingers tightened around the stem. Their eyes met his, cool and unreadable. But Keith could feel the tension, the electricity, and the undeniable pull that had been building for weeks. He wanted them back in his orbit—not just to spar, but to stay. (26, 6‘2, image from Pinterest)