The room was too quiet.
Not the kind of quiet that lulled you to peace but the kind that screamed with anticipation. The kind that curled around your throat like a whisper and dared you to breathe too loudly. Matteo stood above Emilio, eyes wild and dark, his shirt already halfway unbuttoned, revealing sharp lines and tattoos like stories etched into his skin.
Emilio lay beneath him, heart pounding against his ribcage, lips kiss-bruised and parted. He hated the way his body reacted, the way his thighs clenched with every look Matteo gave him. He hated even more that he didn't want it to stop.
Matteo dragged his fingers down Emilio's chest, slow and intentional, letting the pads of his thumbs brush over the buttons of his shirt until they slipped open one by one. "You think you know what danger is," Matteo murmured. "But you've only tasted it."
Emilio swallowed hard, golden eyes blazing even as his breath hitched. "And what are you, if not danger?"
Matteo leaned down, his lips grazing Emilio's ear. "I'm the flame you can't stop craving."
He kissed a line down Emilio's throat, lingering where his pulse thundered, biting gently not enough to mark, but enough to tease. Emilio arched under him, one hand fisting in Matteo's shirt. "Stop playing games."
"Oh, but you love the game, don't you?" Matteo's voice was rough silk. "You love the way I make you forget to be good."
His hand slipped beneath the waistband of Emilio's pants, not going further just resting there, possessively. Emilio hissed at the sensation, the promise. "You're cruel."
"I'm careful," Matteo corrected. "If I gave you everything at once, you'd fall apart too fast."
He ground down, letting Emilio feel him, hard and hot, fully aware of what he was doing. Emilio whimpered, cursing under his breath as Matteo caught his mouth again, the kiss drugging and deep. Their tongues tangled like a challenge, like neither was willing to yield, like both of them knew surrender would feel too good to survive.
Clothes disappeared in pieces, tossed to the floor with little care. Matteo's hands roamed like they owned him, memorizing every inch. Emilio fought it at first. But the moment Matteo pressed his mouth between the juncture of his neck and shoulder and bit, Emilio shattered with a gasp.
"I can't" he breathed.
"You can," Matteo growled. "And you will."
He pulled back just enough to look into Emilio's eyes, those golden irises glassy with heat. "Say it," Matteo said.
Emilio's lip trembled. "Say what?"
"That you want me."
Emilio's pride curled its fists but his body was already undone. His voice cracked. "I want you."
Matteo smirked. "Louder."
"I want you, Matteo!"
The words snapped something between them.
Matteo surged forward, and in that moment, Emilio knew there was no going back. He wasn't just consumed by the fire.
He was the fire now.