All Chapters of Burning Embers: Scorching Tales of Desire : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Time slipped by in unspoken glances and stolen rituals, the kind of moments that threaded themselves into muscle memory without either of them realizing. One semester vanished like mist at dawn, gone before they could name it, yet lingering in the fibers of everything they touched. It had started with shared space, shared schedules, shared silences after class. But somewhere along the way, it had stopped being about the room. Or the textbooks. Or the convenience of two people coexisting. It was about each other now. And they both knew it. Knew it like you know when the rain is about to fall, quiet, inevitable, heavy. They never said a word, but the truth clung to them in every charged pause, every glance that held just a fraction too long. It hummed between them, low and dangerous, like something alive. Jonas had memorized Rafael without trying. The way he tied his towel low and loose on his hips after a shower, water still dripping down

The dorm room was quiet, eerily so. Only the low hum of the old fan and the occasional shuffle from the hallway filled the silence. Rafael stared at his phone, Jonas' message glowing back at him like a taunt. "Out late tonight. Don't wait up. Lock the door, I've got my keys." Attached was a group photo, taken in poor lighting, but clear enough. Jonas was smiling, standing too close to Lars. The guy's arm casually draped behind him. Like it belonged there. Rafael's jaw tightened. He zoomed in. Again. And again. That smile. That closeness. Jonas looked happy. But not with him. The phone landed face down on the desk. He didn't mean to throw it. He just… couldn't look at it anymore. He stood, pacing the tiny space between their beds like a caged animal. Jonas hadn't done his laundry. The pile sat there in his usual lazy heap by the corner, still warm from the week's wear. Rafael's breath

Jonas arched, a moan torn from his throat as his fingers dug into the sheets. Thoughts shattered. Pride dissolved. There was only the wet heat of Rafael's mouth, the fervent hunger in every lick and pull, the obscene slurps echoing like confessions. Jonas was unraveling, falling apart under him. And Rafael? He wasn't just tasting. He was claiming. Every flick of his tongue. Every groan that vibrated against Jonas' core. Every graze of teeth. This was months of longing, silent obsessions, repressed tension, finally combusting. And when Jonas cried out, finally pushed to the edge he'd tried so hard to escape, Rafael didn't stop. He swallowed every last drop of Jonas' trembling need, eyes never leaving him. Only when Jonas lay there, ruined and panting, did Rafael rise, slowly, lips still glistening, eyes still dark. He leaned close, lips brushing Jonas' ear.

The door slammed shut behind Jonas, his bag hitting the floor with a thud. The heat in the dorm room wasn't from the weather, it was Rafael's gaze. Jonas didn't even get a word out. In two strides, Rafael was in front of him, slamming a hand against the wall right beside Jonas' head. The other curled into the front of his shirt, gripping it tight. "Did you enjoy it?" Rafael's voice was low, shaking with restrained fury. "His hand on your waist. His eyes on you like he owned you." Jonas smirked, mocking, hiding the tremble under his skin. "You mean like how that girl had her tits pressed on your arm like she wanted to devour you whole?" Rafael growled, dragging him off the wall and slamming him against it again. "Jealous?" "Possessive," Jonas hissed. "The kind that wants to bite, not whine." And that's all it took. Lips crashed. Teeth clashed. This wasn't kissing.

In the farthest corner of the library, where the dim light barely reached and the silence was thick enough to muffle even a heartbeat, Jonas stood facing the towering bookshelves. His breath hitched as Rafael's presence loomed just behind him, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his body. Jonas could barely concentrate on the spine of the book he pretended to scan. His mind was a chaotic storm, every nerve on fire under Rafael's steady gaze. The subtle brush of Rafael's hand along his waist sent jolts of electricity down his spine. Jonas swallowed hard, his chest tightening, the effort to keep his composure an exhausting battle. Rafael leaned in, whispering just above a breath, "Try to keep it quiet, Jonas. I want to hear nothing but your silence." A mischievous grin spread across Rafael's lips as he pressed a hand firmly against Jonas's hip, fingers trailing dangerously low. Jonas's eyes darted nervously around, checking for a