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I study him more carefully now, the slight tremor in his hands as he reaches for an energy drink. He looks like he's running on fumes, pushing himself beyond normal human limits. I make a decision then. Alex needs to stay focused, but he also needs to stay awake. And I know just how to help with both.

“Move back,” I command, rolling his chair away from the desk.

“What are you?—”

I don't let him finish. I sink to my knees between his legs, looking up at him through my lashes as my hands come to rest on his thighs.

“What are you doing?” His voice cracks slightly.

“Helping you stay awake.”

“Vesper.” Alex grips the armrests. “You don't have to?—”

“I know I don't have to,” I say, my fingers tracing patterns along his inner thighs. “I want to.” I lean closer. “Consider it motivation to work faster.”

His breathing quickens as my hands glide higher, fingers flirting with the edge of his waistband. I see it in his eyes—the flicker of conflict. Desire burning hot, tangled with something heavier. Guilt, maybe.

“This isn't…” he starts, but his words dissolve into a sharp intake of breath as my palm presses against the hardening length beneath the fabric.

“Isn't what?” I challenge, looking up at him. “Isn't something you want? You told me it was my choice.” I hook my fingers into his waistband, tugging slightly. “Well, I’m making it.”

Instead of answering, Alex catches my wrists, stilling my movements. The touch is gentle but firm, his thumbs pressing against my pulse points. “You don't know what you're asking for.”

“I'm pretty sure I do," I counter, not backing down. “Unless you're hiding something else from me?"

Alex's jaw clenches, the muscle ticking beneath his skin. For a heartbeat, we’re caught in a silent stand-off. His grip is firm around my wrists, my body lingering between his legs—close enough to feel the tension rolling off him, thick and electric.

“Vesper...” His voice holds a warning, but there's something else beneath it—a hunger he's fighting to control. “This isn't just about sex for me.”

The admission hangs between us, heavy with implications I'm not sure I'm ready to face. I swallow hard, suddenly feeling vulnerable despite being the one who initiated this.

“Then what is it about?”

His thumbs trace slow circles on my pulse points. “There are things you don’t know about me. Things we need to talk about.”

Before I can process his words, someone knocks at his door. Alex releases my wrists instantly, his expression shuttering close as he rolls his chair back toward his desk.

“Alex?" Talon's voice filters through the door. “We need to talk. Now."

Alex and I exchange a look. The moment is gone, shattered by Talon's impeccable timing.

“Give me a minute," Alex calls back.

I rise to my feet, smoothing my clothes as Alex stands. He towers over me. More than the rest of them.

“We're not done with this conversation," I tell him quietly.

A ghost of a smile touches his lips. “No, we're not. Not in the slightest.”

Talon's expression when I open the door is a mixture of surprise and something that looks suspiciously like relief. His eyes dart between Alex and me.

“Everything okay?” he asks, his tone deliberately casual.

“Peachy,” I reply, brushing past him. “He's all yours.”

VESPER

The scentof freshly baked garlic bread fills the apartment, but the only thing I can taste is anticipation. If Alex doesn't emerge soon, I might just kick his door down myself. He had said it would only take a few hours. It’s been almost a full day since I last laid eyes on him. Even the plate of food from dinner I’d left outside his door for him remained untouched.