The dawn filtered in like a trespasser, slipping through the edges of the blackout curtains Cassian had once insisted on. But this morning, he left them half open—letting the light expose what the night had ravaged.
Riven stirred in the tangled sheets, every inch of him aching—not just from the night's fierce rhythm, but from the truth they kept folding deeper beneath desire.
Cassian was already up, standing at the edge of the room in dark slacks, shirtless, a glass of amber liquor in hand. He looked like a storm barely leashed. Still, always, beautifully dangerous.
Riven watched him in silence, his breath shallow. "Are you regretting it already?"
Cassian turned slowly. "No. That would be easier."
Their eyes clashed, the air thickening. The space between them pulsed—rife with everything unspoken, everything felt.
"You said you didn't want to be free," Cassian said finally, voice low. "But you still run… every time I get close."
Riven sat up, letting the sheet slide down his torso. "And you tighten the leash every time I breathe."
A beat of silence. Then Cassian crossed the room in three strides.
He pulled Riven up by the chin—not roughly, but with an intensity that left no room for retreat. Their mouths were inches apart. "Tell me you don't feel this."
Riven's hands trembled, but he didn't look away. "I feel it too much."
Cassian kissed him—not soft, not tender. It was a wound in the shape of a kiss. A scar they'd wear between their ribs for the rest of their lives.
It tasted of possession. Of punishment. Of pleasure so sharp it threatened to tear them both apart.
Riven clawed at Cassian's shoulders, pulling him down, bodies colliding in a heat that blazed hotter than the night before. But this time, the movements weren't just physical—they were desperate. Pleading. An apology delivered through mouths that didn't know how to say "I need you" without it sounding like a demand.
Cassian whispered Riven's name like a prayer against his skin. And Riven broke—just for a moment—whimpering against his throat, his defenses crumbling under the weight of too much wanting.
When they finally stilled, Riven lay with his head on Cassian's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
"We'll ruin each other," he whispered.
Cassian's hand slid into his hair, holding him close. "Then let's burn beautifully."