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When class ended, he gathered his things and stepped back into the courtyard.

Daven was already there, waiting like he had never left.

Leaning against the stone balustrade with his hands in his pockets, he watched Ryneth approach. “Well?”

Ryneth stopped in front of him, breath uneven, eyes bright. “It was about storm barriers,” he said quickly. “About pressure redistribution. About why structures fail when they’re isolated instead of reinforced. About⁠—”

Daven’s mouth curved faintly. “You liked it.”

“Yes.”

Daven pushed off the railing and stepped close enough for their shoulders to brush. “Good. Now we go home and you’ll tell me all about it while I treat you.”

Ryneth’s breath caught.

It happened so fast now, the way his body gave in around Daven. The tightness in his chest eased. The noise in his head thinned. One look, one touch, and he felt it everywhere.

Yes, he wanted that.

He wanted Daven’s hands on him. Daven’s mouth. Daven’s praise.

But worse than that, he wanted the things he couldn’t hold.

He wanted more of the man himself.

Wanted the thoughts Daven kept behind that smug mouth. Wanted the real reason for every look, every order, every moment of softness that slipped through when he least expected it. Wanted what Daven never said out loud.

It scared him, how badly he wanted that.

He studied him again. The strong jaw. The straight nose. Those ember eyes that always seemed to find him, no matter how crowded the world got.

As if Daven would always know where to look.

Daven kissed his temple. “Everything,” he murmured.

Ryneth’s pulse stumbled.

Light. Maybe that was the problem.

Some part of him was starting to want to give it.

Daven slid his hand to the back of Ryneth’s neck again, guiding him forward through the crowd.

For once, Ryneth didn’t resist.

24

DAVEN

Daven took the long way home.

He kept the car in the upper lanes, moving through the clean arcs of Zephyr while the city flashed beneath them. Ryneth sat close beside him, eyes bright in a way that made Daven’s chest tighten.

Ryneth talked the whole ride.

“I sat there,” he said, voice quick, like he still tasted the lecture. “And it made sense. Like my brain clicked. Like I belonged in that room. You know what I mean?”

“Hm.” Daven kept his eyes on the road, but his mouth curved anyway. “You belonged.”