Kayden

The limousine pulled up outside a sleek modern building in the Evergreen Estate, a private estate meant for stars like Rhys and me.

It was a place where the annoying fans would never be able to access.

"Are you alright?" I asked Rhys as he was getting prepared to come out of the vehicle.

He nodded in response.

Charles had already stopped at the pharmacy earlier, where Rhys grudgingly let the pharmacist patch up his split lip and bruised knuckles while I watched.

Now, with fresh bandages and painkillers dulling the ache, Rhys looked more like himself than he had when he had the bruises over his face.

We stepped out into the cool night air, and I led him inside. The keycard beeped softly as I unlocked the door to my new apartment on the tenth floor.

The space was still mostly empty — bare white walls, polished hardwood floors that echoed with every step, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the glittering lights of Oak City.

Only a few boxes sat stacked in one corner, and the faint scent of fresh paint lingered in the air.

"Welcome to my humble new place," I said with a teasing grin, spreading my arms wide as I kicked off my shoes.

Rhys let out a low whistle, his eyes scanning the open-plan living area before landing back on me with that hungry alpha stare. "It’s nice. Empty... but nice." He stepped closer and winked at me. "Gives us plenty of room to christen every surface."

Before I could respond, he grabbed my hand and tugged me forward. "Come on — show me around."

I wriggled myself out of his reach and started running. "Catch me if you can," I muttered.

He burst into laughter and screamed as he lunged after me.

We started running through the empty space like excited kids, our laughter bouncing off the walls.

Rhys chased me across the living room. His long legs helped him as he caught up to me and spun me around near the windows.

The city lights painted soft glows across his bruised face, making the purple marks look almost artistic in the dimness.

"Careful with your injuries," I warned between laughs, but he only smirked and pulled me toward the staircase leading to the upper level.

The stairs were wide and open, and we raced up them two at a time. Our footsteps thundered in the quiet apartment.

At the top, the master bedroom waited — still sparse except for the large king-sized bed I had ordered and had delivered earlier that day in case Rami wanted me out of Rhys’s house.

It sat in the center of the room, neatly made with fresh sheets, the only real piece of furniture in the house so far.

"I might have ordered a bed," I said breathlessly, nodding toward it as we both stumbled to a stop at the doorway. "Figured we’d need somewhere to—"

Rhys didn’t let me finish. In one smooth motion, he pushed me backward until the backs of my knees hit the mattress. We both tumbled onto the bed together, the frame creaking under our combined weight.

The moment our bodies hit the soft sheets, the playful energy shifted into something hotter, sexier, and heavier.

Rhys rolled on top of me, pinning me down with his weight. His bandaged hand braced beside my head while the other slid possessively up my side.

"Fuck, Kayden," he growled, his voice sounding low and rough against my ear. "You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to get you alone like this. Ever since Langose I have been thinking about spreading you out under me like this." His mouth crashed down on mine in a searing kiss.

It was hot, demanding, and full of all the pent-up frustration from the night. The kiss was quite different from the one we shared in the car. This one was deeper and it was driving me wild.

I moaned into it, my fingers threading through his hair as his tongue swept in, claiming every inch.

The kiss deepened quickly, turning wet and messy with our breaths mingling together harshly.

Rhys broke the kiss with a wet sound, trailing his lips along my jaw and down to my throat. His hand came up, fingers wrapping firmly around the front of my neck, thumb pressing just enough to make my pulse thunder under his palm. He didn’t squeeze hard enough to restrict breathing, but the possessive grip sent heat straight to my cock.

He squeezed lightly as he kissed me again, harder this time, his thumb stroking over my racing heartbeat.

"Look at you," he murmured, lips brushing my skin as he spoke. "So fucking pretty with my hand around your throat. I can feel how fast your heart is racing, baby. You like it when I hold you like this, don’t you? Like knowing you’re mine to control tonight."

I gasped, arching up into him. My hips rolled instinctively against the hard line of his erection pressing through his trousers. "Rhys... yes—fuck, I do."

He chuckled darkly, the vibration traveling through his palm into my throat. Then he kissed me again — harder, deeper — while his grip on my neck tightened just a fraction, turning the kiss into something filthy and consuming. His tongue fucked into my mouth in slow, deliberate strokes, mimicking exactly what he wanted to do lower down.

"Mine," he said possessively against my lips, the word vibrating through the grip on my throat. "Goodness, I want to mark you but not now. For tonight, all I want is to hear every sound you make when I’m buried deep inside you."

I gasped, arching up into him, heat flooding my body at his dirty words. I loved how it sounded on his lips.

"Rhys... fuck, yes," I breathed, my hands sliding down his back, pulling him closer. "Then stop talking and show me. I want all of you right here on this bed."

He chuckled darkly, the sound sending shivers down my spine as he kissed me. His hips rolled against mine, the hard evidence of his arousal pressing insistently between my legs, promising exactly the kind of celebration we both desperately needed.