Xion stared into those dark, smoldering eyes, so dangerously close to him that he could even count those silver eyelashes.
A bead of sweat rolled down despite the freezing cold, tracing the curve of his slender neck. Darius’ gaze followed it with the sharp focus of a predator.
Before it disappeared entirely, the Archduke leaned in, his warm breath ghosting over Xion’s feverish skin. His tongue swept over the damp trail in a lazy, long lick, sending a jolt of fire through Xion’s veins.
A soft gasp slipped past his trembling lips before the flustered healer could stop it. Heat surged through him, instincts screaming for him to move, to pull away. But he couldn’t.
Not when he was practically sitting on Darius’ lap!
His knees were on either side of the Archduke’s thighs, straddling him, their faces so close that Xion could feel the brush of breath every time Darius exhaled.
But that wasn’t the worst of it. Oh, not even close.
The true horror, the undeniable sin, was his hand — his damn, traitorous hand resting right atop Darius’ hardened arousal.
Xion’s throat went dry, his blue eyes wide with obvious panic.
What was he even thinking before he...
A surge of mortification flooded his face. His cheeks flared crimson as he tried to move his hand away. But Darius moved faster.
His grip closed around Xion’s delicate wrist, while his other hand wrapped around his waist, keeping him exactly where he wanted him
"Xion..." Darius drawled while taking an audible drag over that raven black hair. His half-lidded eyes brimmed with naked lust as he gently kissed Xion’s temple. "You’ve already touched it. Why not touch a bit more, hmm?"
That made Xion’s fingers twitch involuntarily, accidentally brushing over the searing heat beneath the fabric.
In response, a husky groan rumbled from Darius’ throat, falling against Xion’s pink ears, turning them blazing crimson.
His entire body locked up, his pulse thundering so loudly he could barely hear anything else.
But Darius was persistent. He leaned in close, his lips grazing the shell of Xion’s ear. "You’re not pulling away now..." His low baritone voice was husky and edged with rough need.
"N-No, I didn’t mean t-to..." Xion stammered, but the words fell flat over his trembling lips. His hand was still trapped, pinned against the rigid heat of Darius’.
"Oh?" Darius’ lips tilted into a smirk, and he dipped his head even lower, pressing his lips to the sensitive curve just beneath Xion’s ear. "But you touched me first, Xion. You started it."
His hand wrapped more tightly around Xion’s wrist, moving it unhurriedly against his arousal.
That slight movement earned Xion a sexy groan and a dark chuckle. Before he could process it, Darius’ teeth sank gently into his earlobe, just enough to make him whimper.
"Baby is sensitive here." Darius was shamelessly pleased to find it. And he was going to find some more of those delicious spots.
Flustered, Xion was burning up from the inside out, and he knew, damn it he knew, that it was his fault.
Heat coiled up his arm, and he cursed himself for the thousandth time.
As to how exactly Xion ended up in this precarious situation threatening to burn his sanity...
That... well, that started just a few hours ago, beneath the dazzling lights of the teleportation array.
The healer stood bundled up in a heavy fur-lined brown cloak, the thick material nearly swallowing him whole.
His hood was so large that only the tip of his chin was visible.
Darius, on the other hand, looked like the cold was nothing more than just a fleeting inconvenience. He was wearing a black coat, very similar to Xion’s but unlike his loose one, Darius’ was fitted to perfection.
With a heavy bag over his broad shoulders, the Archduke looked like a valiant soldier ready to go to war and bring victory.
While he... "I look like a kid trying to hide under a bear’s skin."
That made Darius snicker.
Xion huffed, his breath puffing out in white clouds. "I’m serious," he muttered, tugging the edges of his hood down his nose.
"I might just roll down the mountain and no one would notice. They’d just think a bear got lost."
Adjusting the straps of his bag, Darius grabbed the fumbling healer by the shoulders, steadying him. Then he pulled the hood up so those pretty eyes were visible once more.
"Don’t worry. I will catch you if you fall."
"What if I fall again?" If he really slipped that would be disastrous.
Darius pinched the fluffy cheek. "Then I’ll catch you again. And if you fall again, I’ll just pick you up. Easy."
Slightly flustered Xion, "... Fine, you win for now."
Then, to avoid the naughty hand causing havoc over his face, he tilted his head to the side. Nonetheless, in the next second, Darius leaned in and kissed the cheek offered to him.
"Can’t I kiss my lover?" Darius shrugged, perfectly choking the blushing kitten.
Xion, without another word, pulled the hood back down until his face was entirely covered. It was a silent protest against the Archduke which honestly just made him look childish.
"What are you doing?" Darius couldn’t help but ask, clearly amused by Xion’s way of hiding. It was so adorable.
"It’s warm this way," Xion defended, though he had to admit it did feel a bit... excessively hot.
The fur-lined fabric reached his ankles. He might trip on the edge of it if he didn’t step carefully. But Darius, being the absolute menace he was, chortled.
"... If you keep teasing me, I’ll get angry." Xion huffed, then to sound more menacing he even added. "Really angry."
Darius honestly hadn’t seen his kitten get angry before. If that time counted when Xion killed a bunch of insects, he was sure he could handle it.
However, it was better not to tease anymore. There was a long road ahead. He had the privilege of taking things step by step.
The Archduke held Xion’s gloved hand in his own, carefully wrapping the smaller palm to keep it warm. "Okay, let’s go."