Warm tingles spread across the back of William’s neck. He made the mistake of looking at Adathan, whose expressive eyes brimmed with affection. William’s chest tightened at just how perfect that face was, and he had to fight the urge to tuck Adathan’s hair behind his ear to get a better view.
Why did Adathan have to be so...everythingWilliam couldn’t resist?
William flashed him a smile and redirected his attention to the laptop. “I’ll make you an email account, so you can contact me while I’m gone if you need anything.”
He opened a web browser and began filling out the form. As he typed “Adathan.Eden” into the username field, William wondered how many Serviteurs had their own email accounts.
Few, he presumed. If any.
Had Adathan ever sent an email?
“You’ll have to pick a password,” William said. “It can be anything you want, as long as you remember it.”
Adathan hummed, tapping his pursed lips. “How about—”
“Don’t tell me,” William interrupted. He slid the laptop closer to Adathan. “No one but you should know what it is.”
He chuckled internally as he took the instant coffee and sugar from the cabinet. The cartoon dude from his cybersecurity training would be proud of him.
The speed at which Adathan’s fingers hit the keys was evidence that he’d used a computer before. He’d probably had typing classes, too.
Which meant Adathan had the skills required to do William’s job.
The thought of getting him hired popped into William’s head, but he shoved it away. His objective was to set Adathan free, not chain them together in the same mediocre career. Adathan could do better.
“Done!”
William scooped coffee into the two mugs and returned to the laptop. “I’ll add my address to your contacts.”
He could feel Adathan’s eyes trained on him as he typed. It filled William with equal doses of yearning and grief. No matter how hard he wanted to believe, he’d never be the person Adathan thought he saw in him.
“To send an email, you just gotta—”
“William.”
William froze as Adathan gripped his wrist. He looked up and turned, guided by the pull of Adathan’s hand.
Adathan reached for William’s other wrist and stepped closer, looking William in the eye as the space between their bodies narrowed. His smile turned cheeky, sending William’s heart into overdrive.
William swallowed, suddenly all too aware of how flimsy a barrier his robe was. His eyes flicked to Adathan’s bare legs, and images he wasn’t allowed to picture popped into his head, sending a wave of warm tingles to a certain part of his body.
It would be so easy to—
Adathan let go of his wrists and pressed his palms against William’s chest. He looked deep into William’s eyes as he slowly moved them upward, making William suppress a pathetic whimper.
No. No, no.
William had to put an end to this now. Adathan probably thought he owed him a favor for the gift. William wouldn’t be refusing his advances because he was a slave—plenty of free people were brainwashed to believe relationships were transactional.
His heart skipped a beat as Adathan’s head inched forward, his gaze dropping to William’s lips. William’s brain short-circuited, and the only thought that remained was that he hadn’t yet brushed his teeth. He didn’t want their first kiss to be ruined by his morning breath.
Wait—
First kiss?
Why was he—they weren’t supposed to kiss. They weren’t together. They couldn’t be.
William tried to pull away, but two arms wrapped around his shoulders. Adathan stood on his toes, his hair brushingWilliam’s cheek as his head changed course, veering away from William’s mouth.
