Heat.
Breath.
A low, broken sound Viper had never heard from him.
He reached for Titus without thinking. Rolled with him. Pulled him under.
The rest was heat and hands and quiet desperation—
a tangle of strength and surrender—
until the city beyond the glass blurred to black
and nothing existed except the man in his arms.
Daylight filtered through the penthouse curtains—thin, pale lines slipping across the silk sheets, climbing slowly over skin and shadow.
Viper surfaced on a breath.
The first thing he registered was warmth.
The second was the weight pressed lightly against his side—Titus, curled in, an arm thrown low across Viper’s stomach like he’d meant to pull back but hadn’t made it in time.
When Viper shifted, the hilt of his knife brushed his knuckles—a reminder he’d tucked it under the pillow after their second round. Not because he didn’t trust Titus—he did—but unfamiliar surroundings meant he needed to be ready. Ready to move. Ready to protect the man beside him.
His other hand rested on Titus’s hip. He left it there.
Last night hadn’t been gentle—they’d both been too hungry for anything but raw need.
But this—this quiet—felt even more dangerous, because he had no idea what the man would do with daylight between them.
Titus shifted in his sleep, jaw slack, breath catching in that way he now recognized—as if the man were dreaming himself somewhere worse.
Viper tightened his hand, trying to comfort Titus without waking him. It worked. The tension eased out of the man’s chest—just a fraction.
But Viper felt it.
He stared up at the ceiling, jaw set, heart beating slow and heavy.
Christ.
He’d known they’d be dynamite together; he just hadn’t realized how explosive.
He damn sure hadn’t planned on jumping the man’s bones—okay, that was a lie—but he was glad he did.
And the sight of Titus beside him—unguarded, and closer than ever before—hit him with a force that felt like truth.
And truth meant his life was changing, even if he wasn’t prepared for it.
But he’d take that change and everything it meant…as long as Titus was on board.
Hell, he’d felt the spark between them from the moment they’d clashed during the op at Dave’s estate. Now? He wasn’t going to fight it any longer.
All he had to do was get through the barriers Titus had erected and convince him to give an old, war-worn soldier a chance.
Titus woke slowly—eyes half-lidded, confusion flickering before memory settled. Viper saw the moment the guard slid back into place. The subtle shift in his breathing. The way his gaze cut away.
But he didn’t bolt.
