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“Mine,” Daven growled against Ryneth’s mouth. “Next time, I won’t lie to you and leave you behind. I should have known you would come anyway.”

Ryneth answered by biting back, his pupils blown wide as he dragged Daven’s head down for another kiss. Daven felt the static from Ryneth’s skin jumping into his own, a stinging, electric reminder of the power they shared.

Sliding his hand down to Ryneth’s hip, his fingers dug into the damp fabric of his trousers. In his mind he was already undressing his bonded, already dragging his hands over every inch of him.

A soft cabin chime cut through the silence. The hover car slowed as the docking lock engaged. The cabin lights shifted from amber to sharp white. Daven stiffened, his forehead resting against Ryneth’s as both of them fought to steady their breathing. Ryneth let out a jagged breath that was nearly a laugh. The timing was cruel.

The driver partition stayed closed, but the shift in pressure reminded Daven exactly where they were.

He pulled back, his eyes dark, his jaw set. Then he reached out and straightened Ryneth’s torn collar with fingers that were still slightly shaky. “Come on, baby. Let’s go home.”

He opened the door and stepped out, reaching back to haul Ryneth to his feet. He didn’t let go of his hand.

“Walk,” Daven muttered, pulling him toward the private lift when Ryneth took too fucking long. “Don’t make me drag you through my own lobby, aethera. Keep looking at me like that and we won’t make it to the door.”

The penthouse door had barely shut before Daven caught him.

Fisting one hand in the front of Ryneth’s shirt, Daven planted the other hard on his hip and slammed him back against the wall beside the entry with a sharp thud of glass and breath.

His mouth crashed over Ryneth’s, swallowing his gasp, like every kiss since the hospital had only made it worse. Since the car. Since the second he’d seen him walk out of that storm alive and bright-eyed and his.

Ryneth made another broken sound against his mouth, fingers catching at Daven’s jacket, and that was it. Whatever was left of Daven’s control snapped clean in half.

“Mine,” he growled against his mouth, biting hard enough to make Ryneth flinch before he took him again.

His glass hit the console by the door with a careless clink. The bottle followed a second later.

Then both of Daven’s hands were on him.

One slid into Ryneth’s damp hair, wrenching his head back just enough to open his throat, then his mouth followed the line of it, licking, biting, sucking at the warm skin beneath the torn collar until Ryneth arched against the wall with a sharp, helpless breath.

“Daven—”

“Don’t.” Daven bit the side of his throat, then soothed it with his tongue. “You’ve been teasing me since the car.”

Ryneth shivered when Daven’s hand slid down, fingers spreading hard over his ass and hauling him flush against the hard line of his hips so he could feel exactly what he’d done. “Fuck.”

“Yeah.” Daven nipped at his jaw once more, then gave his ass a hard squeeze. “Terrace. Now.”

Ryneth blinked at him, dazed and flushed, lips swollen and wet.

Daven stepped back just enough to look at him and wanted to ruin him right there. “Go outside, baby,” he repeated, and smacked his ass hard enough to make him jolt. “And be good for me for thirty fucking seconds before I lose what’s left of my mind.”

Tipping the rest of the drink back, he followed him toward the terrace, and when the doors hissed open, he stepped out behind him and flung the empty glass into the dark. It vanished without a sound.

Ryneth stopped at that. “Show-off.”

“You haven’t seen the part I’ve been trying not to show you all night,” Daven said softly. “Go stand by the glass for me, baby. I want one second to look at you before I put my hands on you.”

Ryneth shivered, but he did it. He turned and put his back to the glass, chest rising too fast under the ruined shirt.

Daven took his time crossing the last few steps, letting his gaze drag over him from the wet white hair to the torn collar to the bite darkening at his throat.

Fuck. That was better.

Ryneth’s lips parted, breath catching as color climbed high across his throat and into his cheeks, and Daven felt it like a hand low on his spine. He loved that. Loved how Ryneth always looked half furious when he was turned on enough to forget how to hide it.

“That’s it. Stand there and let me look at you.”