Page 28 of Playing with Fire

"Dinner's ready!" Mom's voice called from downstairs, interrupting us.

"Coming?" Le asked, already heading for the door.

"In a minute."

I waited until he was gone before pulling up one last program. The surveillance feed I'd accessed from the security cameras surrounding Leo's trailer. I'd been monitoring Leo for far longer than he realized, ensuring his safety through means he might not approve of.

The footage was from two days before the fire. A figure in dark clothing slipped silently through Leo's bedroom window while he was at work. They moved toward the smoke detector mounted on the ceiling, carefully removing the cover and tampering with the internal components. The meticulousness of their movements suggested military or intelligence training, each action economical and purposeful.

Most interesting was what happened next. As they finished disabling the device, they paused, head tilting slightly to the side. Then they turned, looking directly at my hidden camera concealed in the air vent. And smiled, a slow, deliberate expression that sent ice through my veins even in the recording.

They'd known my camera was there. Had looked directly into it, acknowledging me as surely as if they'd spoken my name.

Had wanted me to know this was personal.

I froze the frame on that smile, studying what little was visible on their face. Not enough for facial recognition, but enough to confirm this wasn't some random contractor hired for a job. This was someone with a mission. Someone who understood the language of fire and destruction. Someone who knew me, or thought they did.

A cold certainty settled in my gut. Whoever Phoenix was, they knew me. Knew about Leo. Had targeted him specifically to draw me out. The question was why.

And more importantly, whether I should tell Leo about the surveillance. I'd installed that camera without his knowledge or permission, under the justification of keeping him safe.

The right thing would be to tell him. To admit what I'd done, to face whatever disappointment or anger would follow. To start whatever was growing between us on honest ground.

But the thought of seeing that acceptance in his eyes turn to suspicion, to betrayal, made something twist painfully in my chest. Leo was the only person who had ever fully accepted me, darkness and all. The thought of losing that acceptance, of watching him pull away from me, was suddenly more terrifying than any physical threat.

I saved the image to my target folder and shut down the surveillance program, the decision made. I would protect Leo at all costs, even from uncomfortable truths. Would shield him from knowledge that might hurt him, might damage what was building between us. It was the right choice. The only choice.

But as I headed downstairs to join him for dinner, a small voice whispered that perhaps this was one more thing I needed to learn: that protection without honesty wasn't protection at all. That true partnership—the word Leo had used earlier—meant taking risks with more than just physical safety.

I pushed the thought away, focusing instead on the certainty of vengeance. No one would touch what belonged to me again. I would make sure of it, by any means necessary.

And when I found Phoenix? They would learn why fire had always been my preferred method of justice. Because nothing else so perfectly captured the beauty of transformation through suffering.

TheopeningthemeofEvangelion echoed through Xavier's room, familiar as a lullaby. I settled against his chest, the warmth of him steadying my still-raw nerves as I balanced my laptop. On his screen, lines of code scrolled past in endless green rivers while his arm lay heavy and possessive around my waist.

"Seriously? This again?" His voice held that mix of exasperation and fondness that always made my chest tight. "Dude, you've seen this like fifty times."

"Rich coming from the guy who made me sit through your two-hour TED talk on xenomorph reproduction yesterday." I tilted my head back, watching the code reflect in his eyes. Sometimes it felt like I could read his thoughts in those patterns, if I just looked hard enough. "Besides, you're not even watching. You're too busy doing your cyber stalker thing."

I expected a quick comeback, but instead, Xavier's gaze flicked from his screen to my face, lingering there with an intensity that made my skin warm. Something in his expression had softened, a momentary crack in his usually impenetrable armor.

"I can multitask." The words brushed against my ear as his hand slid to my throat, a casual possession that sent electricity through my veins. His fingers found my pulse, and I wondered if he could read my need in its rhythm. "I can hunt bad guys and keep an eye on you at the same time."

But for all his confidence, I caught the way his attention kept drifting from his work to the anime, to my face, back to his screen. Something was distracting him. Something he wasn't saying.

Unit 01 raged silently on screen, but the familiar comfort of anime couldn't ground me anymore. Not with Xavier's touch burning into my skin. Not after the promise he’d made earlier.

"You're thinking too loud again." Amusement colored his voice, dark and rich like smoke. "Tell me what's happening in that beautiful brain of yours."

I hit pause on the show, gathering every ounce of courage I possessed. My heart hammered in my chest as I turned in his arms, pressing my lips to his in a kiss that started tentatively but quickly grew bolder. My hands found his shoulders, gripping tightly as I pulled myself closer, practically crawling into his lap. Heat flooded my face at my own boldness, but I couldn't stop—didn't want to stop—as months of simmering tension finally boiled over.

When I finally pulled back, Xavier was looking at me with an expression I'd never seen before, something between surprise and hunger. I ducked my head, suddenly unable to meet his eyes, mortified by my own forwardness.

"Sorry," I mumbled, face burning. "I just…I've been thinking about…You know. What we talked about before." I couldn't even say the words out loud.

Xavier caught my chin, tilting my face up to meet his gaze. "Tell me what you want, Leo." His voice was low, commanding in a way that made my stomach flip. "I need to hear you say it."

"I want—" My voice caught, and then suddenly the words tumbled out in a rush. "I want to be inside you. I want you to show me how to top you, how to make you feel good. I want to please you, to use my body for your pleasure. I want...you." My face burned so hot I thought I might combust, but I couldn't look away from his eyes.

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