“Eli—”
But Eli was already lowering himself onto Dominic’s lap, one leg on either side. He didn’t touch him. Not yet. Just hovered, heart hammering.
Dominic gripped the arms of the chair like a lifeline. “This isn’t—”
“You want to stop me?” Eli whispered.
Dominic didn’t move. “You don’t play fair.”
“I’m not playing at all.”
Silence stretched. One heartbeat. Two.
Then Dominic’s hand rose—slow, almost trembling—and came to rest at Eli’s waist. Not pulling. Just touching. Like he needed the contact to remember he was real.
Eli leaned in, breath brushing Dominic’s cheek. “I’m not asking for forever.”
Dominic’s voice was a rasp. “Then what are you asking for?”
Eli looked at him, steady and unflinching. “One night. One moment. One yes.”
Dominic’s hands slid up Eli’s back, fingers curling against the fabric of his t-shirt. His mouth hovered close enough for Eli to feel the heat of it. But he didn’t move closer.
He just said, “Not yet.”
Eli nodded slowly. “Okay.”
He rose, deliberately slow, a
