CHAPTER 305: CHAPTER 305: THE ONE IN CONTROL

The manor was quiet when they returned, the hush of night broken only by the muted hum of security stationed discreetly beyond the gates. Inside, the air carried the faint, familiar warmth of cedar polished into old wood and the lingering traces of Lucas’s favorite blend steeped in the library earlier.

Trevor didn’t release his hand as they crossed the marble hall. He didn’t rush, but there was an unmistakable intent in his stride, each step guided toward the wing that was theirs alone.

By the time they reached their rooms, Lucas’s smirk had faltered into something softer, his green eyes glinting with anticipation he didn’t want to hide. Trevor closed the door behind them with a quiet click, the world outside sealed away.

The room was dim, lit only by the glow of a lamp turned low. Beyond the wide windows, the capital glittered faintly, but here the only light that mattered caught against Trevor’s platinum ring as he reached up, sliding his blazer from Lucas’s shoulders.

Lucas tilted his chin, trying for mischief but landing closer to breathless. "You know, we could’ve stayed on the terrace. Saved the driver a trip."

Trevor’s laugh was low, threaded with heat as he let the blazer fall, forgotten, to the floor. He bent, his lips brushing Lucas’s temple the way they always did when his composure cracked. "And let the city listen?" he murmured, voice rougher now, violet eyes molten in the dim. "No. You’re mine, and I don’t share."

Lucas swallowed, his retort faltering as Trevor’s hands settled at his waist again, pulling him close with a swift move.

Lucas moved first, pushing Trevor until his back met the edge of the bed; a surprised rumble caught in his throat before it slipped into laughter, low and warm.

"You’re enjoying this too much," Lucas muttered, though his mouth was already pressing against Trevor’s, the kiss insistent, claiming. His hands slid up over the white shirt, fingers curling against the firm lines of his chest, pushing until Trevor eased back onto the mattress.

Trevor didn’t resist. His grin broke easily, wide and unguarded, as he watched Lucas lean over him, green eyes glinting with determination and mischief alike. "Of course I am," he murmured, voice roughened by desire but edged with unmistakable affection. "You finally decided to stop pretending you’re not in charge."

Lucas’s reply was swallowed in another kiss, deeper this time, his weight settling firmly as his hands slipped down to Trevor’s sides, tugging the shirt loose from his waistband. The fabric pulled and shifted, clinging to Trevor’s shoulders until Lucas pushed it open, palms smoothing over the heat of his skin.

Trevor let his head tip back, his grin refusing to fade even as his breath caught. He loved this, loved the way Lucas leaned in with sharp intent, loved the brush of clever hands, and loved being seen and touched not as the Grand Duke, not as the man who held power and titles, but as the mate who belonged entirely to him.

"Dangerous," Trevor whispered between kisses, though the smug curve of his mouth betrayed him. "Completely dangerous."

Lucas bit lightly at his lower lip before pulling back just far enough to smirk down at him. "And still you can’t stop smiling."

Trevor’s violet eyes glowed warm and certain, his grin softening into something almost reverent. "Because you undo me every time."

Lucas’s smirk lingered as his hands slid down, slowly tracing the edge of Trevor’s belt with fingers that teased more than they worked.

Trevor’s breath caught despite himself, the gleam in his violet eyes sharpening. He didn’t move to hurry Lucas along; he only watched, his grin curved like he was savoring every second of surrender.

Lucas leaned down, lips brushing once against Trevor’s collarbone before he spoke, voice low and mischievous. "You wear too many layers."

His fingers made quick work of the belt, the soft rasp of leather slipping free cutting through the quiet. The sound was sharp, intimate, making Trevor’s grin deepen as Lucas tugged it loose and let it fall aside.

Buttons followed next, methodical, one by one, Lucas’s fingers sliding over each undone gap to press lightly against the heat of his skin. His green eyes lifted once, catching Trevor’s, daring him to break first.

Trevor didn’t. His head tipped back against the pillows, breath low, eyes molten. "You’re taking your sweet time," he murmured, though the strain in his voice betrayed him.

"That’s the point," Lucas countered, tugging the fabric apart until Trevor lay beneath him in nothing but his trousers, the white shirt discarded and forgotten at the bedside.

Trevor shifted, the movement lazy, indulgent, his grin refusing to fade. "And you accuse me of being smug."

Lucas leaned down, kissing him again, his hands already sliding lower, to the clasp that held Trevor’s trousers in place. When he pulled back just far enough to smirk down at him, his voice was little more than a promise.

"You haven’t seen smug until I’m finished with you."

Trevor laughed, low and delighted, violet eyes glinting with raw excitement. "Then don’t stop."

The clasp gave with a soft metallic click, and Lucas slid the zipper down with infuriating slowness. The sound was subtle, but in the quiet room it may as well have been thunder.

Trevor’s breath deepened, violet eyes fixed on Lucas as though nothing else in the world existed. His scent stirred with it, that potent dominance usually kept caged spilling out in faint waves, cedar, steel, sharp as power itself, but threaded now with something softer, warmer, meant for Lucas alone.

Lucas inhaled sharply, caught off guard by the rush of it, his pupils dilating as it wrapped around him. He smirked anyway, leaning down to press his lips against Trevor’s jaw, his voice low. "Trying to sway me with pheromones now?"

Trevor’s laughter was rough, breathless, but unrepentant. "It isn’t intentional. You’re pulling it out of me."

Lucas tugged the trousers down inch by inch, his hands firm but teasing, sliding the fabric lower while his lips trailed heat along Trevor’s throat. "Good," he whispered against his skin. "You should come undone for me."

Trevor’s fingers flexed against the sheets, gripping fabric he could have torn apart without effort but didn’t. He let Lucas lead, let him tease, even as his chest rose and fell faster, his control strained beneath the weight of his own pheromones. The air grew heavy with them, intoxicating, every breath Lucas drew searing into him with raw heat.

And still Lucas didn’t falter. His smirk curved wickedly as he pressed his palm against Trevor’s hip, sliding the trousers lower, his green eyes gleaming with mischief and something sharper, something possessive. "You smell like you’re begging."

Trevor’s grin broke wide, helpless and unrestrained, his voice low and reverent even as it shook. "Only for you."