I glance over just long enough to see it—his grin splitting his face, his shades tipped down, his eyes practically heart-shaped as he stares at us like he’s about to faint.
Elias goes scarlet. I smirk.
And the room erupts again.
The elevator hums low, a box of steel and shadow, the kind that makes every sound echo twice as loud. My heart’s still racing from dinner—boisterous, chaotic, Cole narrating every play until Mats nearly shoved bread down his throat, Shane muttering prayers over dessert, Tyler whining about being stuck between Viktor and Damian like it was divine punishment.
And me.
Sitting there grinning like an idiot the whole time, ribs aching from laughter, cheeks sore, buzzing so high I swear the Wrath’s crowd could’ve heard me across town.
Now it’s quiet. Too quiet. Just me and him, side by side in the elevator, the buzz of fluorescent lights above us. My curls are damp from a too-fast shower, my throat still raw from laughing, from chirping, from winning.
The doors shut with a soft ding. We’re moving. Up. Higher.
And then—he moves.
Big body crowding mine, broad shoulders pinning me against the mirrored wall before I even know what’s happening. Hishand fists tight in my hair, tugging my head back just enough that his mismatched eyes slice down into me.
“Cap—” I start, breathless, shocked.
His mouth crashes against mine before I can finish.
It’s not soft. Not sweet. Not polite. It’s claiming—teeth dragging, tongue sharp, a kiss that knocks the breath out of my lungs and steals the ground from under my skates even though I’m not wearing them. I gasp against him, my hands clutching at his chest like I’ll die if I don’t hold on.
The sound I make is embarrassing—high, needy, a whimper muffled into his scarred mouth. But he eats it up. He always does.
When he finally drags back, my lips are swollen, my lungs wrecked, and my knees feel like glass.
“Good boy,” he murmurs, thumb stroking once along my jaw, rough and steady. His voice is low, calm, scraping me down to bone. “My good pup. You humiliated them tonight.”
Heat detonates in my chest. Praise like that—it’s worth more than any hat trick, any stat line, any highlight reel. My face burns, my body buzzing so hard I can’t tell where the elevator hum ends and I begin.
“I—sir—” My voice cracks, broken between words, my throat still raw from yelling. “I just—just wanted to make you proud.”
He smirks, sharp across his scar. “You did. Every faceoff. Every pass. Every chirp.” His hand tightens, tugging my headback farther until my throat’s bared, until I’m breathing fast and shallow under his gaze. “The Wrath bled for you. And you still kept your head up.”
A whine claws out of me, wrecked and needy, my chest heaving like I just finished another period. My hands clutch tighter at his chest, desperate for anchor, desperate for him.
The elevator hums higher. He presses in harder, his chest crushing mine, his hand tugging sharp at my curls until my lips part. His mouth brushes my ear.
“You’re glowing, pup.” His breath is hot against my skin. “Dripping sweat, buzzing like lightning. All because you did what I told you.”
“Yes, sir.” The words slip out instinctive, wrecked, a confession and a prayer all at once.
“Say it again.”
“Yes, Captain.”
His chuckle rumbles low, dangerous, pleased. “Good boy. You’ll say it for me all night.”
My cock twitches hard in my jeans. My face flames hotter. “Sir—” I gasp, barely managing to choke it out, “there’s cameras—”
“Let them watch.” His smirk cuts sharper, thumb pressing against my pulse. “Let the whole world see you glow for me.”
The elevator hums louder. Higher. My knees are jelly, my lungs wrecked, my pulse hammering under his grip. And the only thought left in my head is that I’ll follow him anywhere—even to the top floor, even to the ends of the earth—so long as his hand stays in my hair and his voice stays in my bones.
His mouth drags over mine again, slower this time. Not gentler. Just deliberate, claiming, a kiss that feels like he’s writing his name on me in heat and teeth. His hand stays tangled at my nape, tugging sharp enough to sting, holding me still while he eats at my mouth like I’m already his.
