[Smut ahead.]
"I thought not."
Arik moved without warning.
One moment Liam was straddling his lap; the next, his back struck the mattress, and Arik was over him, broader shoulders blocking the morning light as one large hand pinned Liam’s hip firmly against the sheets.
Liam gasped at the sudden change, fingers twisting into the cool fabric beneath him.
"You bastard," he breathed, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes as the intensity overwhelmed him. "How much bigger did you get?"
Arik kissed the corner of his mouth, but there was nothing gentle in the grip holding him still.
"Only a little," he lied.
Liam glared through the wetness in his eyes. "Liar."
Arik’s control was fraying visibly now, his jaw tight and his molten-gold eyes burning as he pressed closer, forcing Liam to feel the full weight and strength the Gate had given him. His fingers dug into Liam’s hips, possessive enough to leave marks, while his mouth moved roughly along Liam’s throat.
"Arik—"
"I know."
"You clearly don’t."
A low growl vibrated against Liam’s skin.
Arik caught both of Liam’s wrists in one hand and pushed them above his head, holding him there while the other tightened around his waist. The movement was demanding, almost punishing, yet the bond remained open between them, carrying the question Arik refused to voice gently.
Liam answered by arching toward him.
That was enough.
Arik kissed him hard, swallowing Liam’s broken gasp as his restraint finally snapped. The bed shifted beneath the force of him, the headboard striking the wall once, then again.
Liam’s eyes squeezed shut.
"Look at me," Arik ordered.
Liam forced them open.
Arik’s expression was fierce, hungry, and almost unbearably possessive, but his grip loosened the instant he saw real discomfort cross Liam’s face.
"Tell me to stop."
Liam pulled against the hand restraining his wrists, not to escape, but to drag Arik closer.
"I told you to hurry."
Something dark and pleased entered Arik’s smile.
"Then hold on, my love."
That was the only warning Liam received before Arik drove into him with enough force to steal the breath from his lungs.
The stretch was overwhelming, a burning fullness that hovered at the edge of pain before dissolving into pleasure so intense it was almost agonizing. Liam’s body, already pushed close to its limit, struggled to accommodate the size and force of him.
Arik gave him no time to recover.
His hips snapped forward again, then again, establishing a punishing rhythm that sent the headboard striking the wall in a steady beat beneath Liam’s broken breaths. Whatever patience Arik had forced upon himself vanished beneath weeks of denied hunger, leaving only the raw, desperate need of a man who had finally been given permission to stop holding back.
Liam’s fingers curled helplessly inside Arik’s grip while his free hand caught at Arik’s back, nails dragging across sweat-warmed skin as he tried to anchor himself against sensations that threatened to tear every coherent thought from him.
Tears slipped from the corners of his eyes, tracing hot paths across his temples.
"Arik," he gasped.
The name broke into something dangerously close to a sob when Arik found the angle that made white light burst behind Liam’s eyes.
"Gods, Liam." Arik’s mouth pressed against his throat, his voice rough and nearly unrecognizable with pleasure. His grip tightened again as another hard thrust dragged a helpless sound from Liam. "You feel so fucking good."
"Deeper!" Liam moaned and Arik grinned like a mad man.
"You know, I never got the chance to be lost in you, Liam." Arik’s heavy breathing brushed Liam’s neck. "Every time we did it was under some strain, but now... now you are mine."
Arik’s words, raw and possessive, sent a shudder through Liam’s entire body. The truth of them settled in his chest, heavy and exhilarating. There was no danger, no desperate rush—just this room, this bed, and Arik, who embraced him with a ferocity that left him breathless.
"Then get lost in me," Liam challenged, his voice hoarse with desire. He tightened his legs around Arik’s waist, using the leverage to pull him even closer, to take him deeper. "Show me what it’s like when there’s nothing holding you back."
Arik’s response was a guttural sound, half growl, half groan. He braced one hand beside Liam’s head on the mattress, the muscles in his arm cording as he shifted his weight. The new angle allowed him to drive deeper, hitting a place inside Liam that made his vision blur with pleasure.
"Like this?" Arik panted, his molten-gold eyes burning into Liam’s. "Is this deep enough for you?"
Liam couldn’t form words, only a desperate, keening cry as Arik set a rhythm that was both punishing and perfect. The headboard’s rhythmic pounding against the wall was the only measure of time, a frantic beat that matched the thundering of Liam’s heart.
The bond between them was a wildfire, no longer carrying gentle questions but a torrent of raw, unfiltered emotion. Arik’s overwhelming possessiveness, his desperate hunger, his profound relief at finally having Liam like this—all of it crashed over Liam’s senses, amplifying his own pleasure until he felt he might shatter apart.
"You have no idea," Arik groaned, his forehead dropping to Liam’s shoulder. His hips snapped forward with renewed urgency, each thrust harder than the last. "No fucking idea how long I’ve wanted this. Just you. Like this."
His free hand slid from Liam’s hip to his chest, fingers splaying wide over his heart. Liam covered Arik’s hand with his own, their fingers intertwining.
"I’m here," Liam managed to gasp. "Arik, I’m right here."
Arik lifted his head, and the look in his eyes stole Liam’s breath. It was fierce, hungry, and almost unbearably tender. The raw desire was still there, but beneath it was love and devotion.
"I know," Arik murmured, his voice softer now, though his body continued its demanding rhythm. "Gods, do I know."
He shifted slightly, changing the angle, and Liam cried out as his prostate was struck. His cock, trapped between their bodies, throbbed with every thrust, leaking against his stomach. The coil of pleasure in his groin became almost painfully tight.
"Arik," Liam begged, his nails digging into Arik’s back. "Please... I’m so close..."
"Come for me, my love," Arik demanded, his voice a low growl against Liam’s ear. "Let me feel you. All of you."
He released Liam’s hand, only to grip his hips with both hands, pulling him into each thrust with bruising force. The change in position allowed Arik to drive even deeper.
Liam’s orgasm crashed through him. His back arched off the bed, a silent scream tearing from his throat as pleasure exploded through every nerve.