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By the time he drew back, I had forgotten there had ever been a differential.

“I believe,” he said, resting his forehead lightly against mine, “we’ve identified the problem.”

* * *

We ate dinner together, talking easily until, almost without noticing, the plates were empty and twilight had settled beyond the windows. We cleared the table.

Alexander put another log on the fire and Winston immediately reclaimed his place in front of it with the satisfaction of someone convinced this was how every evening should end. I found a book on the coffee table and managed perhaps four pages before realizing I hadn’t taken in a single word.

Beyond the windows, the city carried on as it always did.

Then Alexander crossed to the piano. He never announced he was going to play. He simply lifted the lid, sat down, and rested his hands on the keys for a moment. I had come to recognize that pause. I knew it almost immediately.

Point of No Return.

Our music. I set my book aside. He wasn’t performing. He never was. He played with complete focus. At one point, he missed a note and didn’t stop. He simply smiled to himself and kept going.

The fire settled softly behind me. Winston lifted his head before deciding the music required no intervention and returned to his nap. I watched Alexander’s hands move across the keys. Only a week ago, I might have convinced myself I was just admiring the precision of them, the confidence, the years of practice. But I knew better. I simply liked watching his hands. When the final note came, he let it linger for a heartbeat before the room fell quiet again. He did not turn around.

I crossed the room, resting my hands on his shoulders. He leaned back into me, his head tipping until he could look up at me. Something in his face was completely open, the way it only was when he’d stopped guarding it.

For once, I didn’t think about whether I should. I didn’t audit the impulse or talk myself out of it. I just wanted him, and so I let myself have him. I turned him toward me on the piano bench and knelt in front of him. He went still, watching me, his jaw tight. I ran my hand along the length of him and he was already hard against my palm. I freed him from his trousers.

Slowly, I lowered my lips and licked the precum that was already gathered at the tip. He shuddered. I took the head of him into my mouth, running my tongue in circles. A growl escaped him. I looked up, holding his eyes as I took him deeper. I felt my own arousal build at the sight of it.

His hand came into my hair, not guiding, just holding on, as though he needed something to keep hold of. His breath had already lost its rhythm. I hummed against him and fought the urge to reach down to pleasure myself, but I didn’t. Instead, I reached for his hand where it rested against the back of my head, pressed it there, telling him without a word that he could move me however he wanted.

He understood. His fingers tightened in my hair, and for the first time all evening, he took what I was offering. He began moving me against him, his breathing heavier, his hips rolling up to meet my mouth, setting the pace himself now and letting himself have what he needed.

He controlled the rhythm and nothing else. His breath had gone ragged, his hand trembling where it fisted in my hair. His body tensed as he came.

“Emilia,” he said, sounding wrecked. I stayed with him through it, taking everything he gave me.

* * *

Alexander

Emilia fell asleep before I did.

I remained awake for a while, listening to her breathing until I was certain she would not wake if I moved. Winston was at the foot of the bed, his favorite spot when it was time to sleep. My phone vibrated once on the bedside table.

Marcus. When convenient. I have a concern about the elevator protocols.

I looked at Emilia again before slipping from the bed. She shifted once beneath the blankets, then grew still.

Good. I told Marcus I was available. I dressed, closed the bedroom door without letting the latch catch, and went to meet him. He was already outside the penthouse. We sat in the chairs near the entrance.

“Have there been any more sightings?” I asked.

“No, sir.”

“No movement?”

“None.”

I nodded once. “Walk me through it.”

“The perimeter remains secure. Additional coverage is in place around Aurora. Residential access remains controlled.”