Midnight Reckoning
The night was alive.
Not with music, not with laughter, but with electricity—so thick Liam could feel it pressing against his skin.
Dominic's penthouse was silent, save for the city hum below. But between them, silence was impossible.
"You shouldn't be here," Dominic murmured, voice low, tight.
"I told you," Liam said, stepping closer, "I'm staying. Whether you like it or not."
Dominic's hands hovered near Liam's waist, trembling slightly—control battling desire.
"You have no idea what this world does to people," Dominic said.
"Then show me," Liam whispered. "Let me in."
Dominic exhaled sharply, finally closing the distance. Their lips met—slow, searing, claiming yet careful. Liam's hands traced the lines of Dominic's shoulders, chest, gripping just enough to anchor himself.
Every touch, every breath, was a risk. A temptation. A temptation neither dared to resist.
Elsewhere, Marco and Noah had finally crossed their first boundary.
In the back room of a safehouse, away from prying eyes, Marco's hand lingered on Noah's shoulder.
"You don't have to hide how you feel," Marco said softly.
Noah looked at him, heart hammering. "I don't know if I can… not hide it."
Marco leaned closer, brushing lips softly against Noah's temple, then jaw. "Then don't."
Their kiss was tentative at first, slow, testing the boundaries. But once it deepened, every fear, every doubt, every heartbeat collided.
By the time they pulled apart, both were breathless, aware the world outside might be chaos—but inside this moment, it was theirs.
And in the shadows, Sebastian and Jax had found theirs.
A gunfight had forced them into the same corner hours earlier. Heartbeats had synced. Danger had forced trust.
Now, alone in the quiet aftermath, Jax's fingers grazed Sebastian's arm.
"You always look like you know everything," Jax teased, though his voice was softer than usual.
"I just pay attention," Sebastian replied, eyes dark.
Jax leaned closer, closing the distance just enough to challenge, to provoke. "I like it."
Sebastian's stoic mask cracked. Just slightly. His hand traced Jax's fingers, lingering, electric.
It was a beginning.
Back in Dominic's penthouse, the tension had transformed.
"You're reckless," Dominic murmured, voice low, dark.
"And you like it," Liam countered, smiling faintly.
Dominic's hands found Liam's face, tilting it toward his. "You make me want things I shouldn't want."
"And yet here you are," Liam whispered, brushing lips against Dominic's.
Every kiss, every touch, was a promise. Dangerous, forbidden, intoxicating.
Because midnight wasn't just a time.
It was a temptation.
A reckoning.
And for Dominic, Liam, and their friends, it was only the beginning.