Page 120 of Playing with Fire

A small, almost reverent smile curved his lips. "Shepherd has a special room at The Playground set up for it. Completely safe, monitored. We could start there."

"I'd like that," I said, my pulse quickening at the thought. The way Xavier looked at fire, with that mix of reverence and hunger, made me want to understand it better. To share in that aspect of him, too.

"You continue to surprise me," Xavier said, his voice rough with emotion. "When I think I've mapped all your boundaries, you push past them."

He pulled me against him again, his lips finding mine in a kiss that tasted of promise and hunger. His newly crimson hair caught the light as he moved, a living flame crowning the man who had claimed my heart and soul.

"Mine," he whispered against my lips, the word both claim and vow.

And in that moment, with his hands marking my skin and his scent surrounding me, I surrendered completely to the beautiful darkness we'd built together. To the vigilante justice we'd deliver and the fire we'd both control and release. To the connection that defied all his previous certainties and all my former fears.

"Yours," I agreed, as his hands guided me beneath him on the bed. "In fire and in darkness. Always."

His eyes gleamed with that dangerous light I'd come to crave. "When we're both healed," he murmured against my skin, "I'll show you how to hunt properly. How to track the monsters that think they've escaped justice." His teeth grazed my throat, just enough pressure to remind me who was in control. "Your code, my fire. We'll be unstoppable."

The promise sent electricity down my spine. Not just partners in bed, but partners in vengeance. Technical expertise merged with calculated violence. The perfect predatory pair.

"I can't wait," I whispered, and meant it with every fiber of my being.

"Weshouldn'tbedoingthis," Leo whispered even as his hands clutched at my shoulders. The dim light filtering through the small window cast his face in shadows, emphasizing the flush spreading across his cheeks.

"Then tell me to stop." I brushed my lips over the sensitive spot below his ear. "Tell me you don't want me to fuck myself on your cock while my family celebrates twenty feet away."

Leo's answering groan echoed in the small space. "You know I can't say no to you. Not when you look at me like that."

"Because you belong to me." I punctuated the statement with a sharp bite to his neck, relishing the way his body arched against me. "Because you love it when I use you exactly how I want."

The grand reopening of Laskin & Sons Funeral Home had been dragging on for hours, all polite conversation and champagne toasts. I'd endured it for Yuri and Nikita's sake, playing the dutiful son while watching Leo from across the room, counting the minutes until I could have him alone. The moment I'd caught his gaze lingering on my mouth for the third time, I'd known neither of us would last much longer.

Leo's hands slid down to grip my ass, pulling me closer as I worked open his tie. "Six months, and I still can't believe you want this. Want me."

"Believe it," I growled, guiding his hands to my belt. "I want to feel you inside me, right here, where anyone could walk in. Want everyone to hear how you fall apart when I let you fuck me."

The sharp intake of his breath, the trembling in his hands as they fumbled with my zipper—signs of his surrender that ignited something primal in me.

Just as I was turning to face the wall, preparing to let him enter me, the doorknob rattled.

We froze, Leo's eyes comically wide as we both stared at the door. Before either of us could react, it swung open, flooding our hiding spot with harsh light from the hallway.

"Oh, excuse me—sorry!" A startled Misha exclaimed, quickly backing away and slamming the door closed again.

When he disappeared around the corner, Leo collapsed against me, equal parts mortification and relief. "Oh my god. Do you think we traumatized him?"

"Nah, he’s been through worse." I engaged the flimsy door lock. "Now, where were we?"

"Xavier, we should probably get back to—"

"They won't miss us for ten more minutes," I interrupted, pressing my body against his. I took his hand and guided it to the back of my tailored pants. "Feel what I've been hiding all night."

His eyes widened as his fingers traced the base of the plug seated inside me. "You've been wearing this the entire time?"

"Through speeches, champagne toasts, and small talk with funeral directors." I turned to face the wall, unbuckling my belt and shoving my pants down just enough. I looked back at him over my shoulder. "I've been thinking about your cock filling me for hours."

I reached back and spread myself, giving him a clear view of the black silicone base nestled between my cheeks. "Take it out. Slowly."

Leo's breath hitched as he gripped the base, gently twisting and pulling until the plug slid free with an obscene, wet sound. I heard him groan at the sight of my hole, slick and already stretched for him.

"Fuck," he whispered, his voice raw with need.

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