In a moment of bravery, I drag my fingers over the expanse of his chest, all the way down to his pants. But just as I skim the material, barely catching a feel, he grabs my wrist.
“Gabriela, you had a bad night.”
“I know. But it could have been a lot worse if you weren’t there.”
“I don’t want to be your appreciation fuck.”
Those words blister under my skin, triggering an all-too-familiar feeling of rejection.
“Okay.” I try to climb off him, and he stops me.
“I didn’t say you could get up,” he growls.
“Well, you’re confusing me.” My voice wavers.
He brushes my hair back, softening his tone. “Let’s try something else.”
When he makes his intention to move me obvious, I reach down and stroke Beppe’s fur, directing him to his blanket.
Eros rolls me onto the bed, settling his body over mine as he grabs the remote from my nightstand. With the press of a button, the shades come down, drenching the room in blackness.
I can’t see anything, but I can feel his weight shifting as he removes his mask and gloves and sets them aside.
“Comfortable?” he asks.
“Yes, but…how does your voice still sound like that?”
“It’s a tactical laryngophone with a vocal processor,” he explains. “It captures vibrations using the larynx and alters the frequency in real time. It’s throat-mounted, so the collar works with or without a mask.”
“That sounds way more technical than cosplay.”
“That’s because it is.” A trace of humor touches his response. “Let’s just say it’s not something you can buy at a box store.”
Naturally, I’m wondering how he’d even get something like that. He found me on the university Discord, so he must be a student. But what kind of student takes down four men the way he did?
“Were you in the military?” I ask.
“No.” The thought seems to entertain him. “I’ve never been in the military. Now you need to answer a question for me.”
“Okay. What is it?”
“Have you ever let anyone kiss you?” The warmth of his words grazes my lips, sending a shock through me.
I think of Romeo, and how close we came the summer of the lightning strike. I wanted him to...more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life. But we never got the chance.
“No,” I whisper.
“Good.”
A low sound of approval vibrates through his modulator, weighted with a significance I don’t quite understand. Before I can make sense of it, his lips brush against mine, and butterflies erupt in my stomach.
My first taste of him is a rush of cinnamon and heat, melting through my body and leaving me drunk.
His mouth moves against mine, the quiet intensity drawing a shuddering exhalation from my lungs. He breathes it in with a longing that sparks through my veins, catching fire as it spreads between us.
The soft moan that spills out of me unleashes something inside Eros, and he grips my face with rough fingers, deepening the kiss.
A dizzying wave of desire crashes over me, and a fleeting thought enters my mind. This is more than chemistry.
