Rowan knew that it was dangerous and that he was practically playing with fire, but every moan and groan from his lover was music to his ears. Moreover, since he knew the truth, he enjoyed this affair with the blonde all the more.

Without the mask on his face, the contrast between his blonde hair and blue eyes was even more striking, and Rowan loved to watch the strands of hair fall into his eyes whenever he tilted his head back in pleasure.

It was a mesmerising sight, and he didn't want to give it up, even though he knew it could easily kill him.

"You're not paying attention to me." The hoarse voice forced him back to the present, and his eyes met the blue ones narrowed. Rowan loved the way Matteo's voice sounded after he'd screamed his vocal cords out. He liked knowing that it was to his credit, and he enjoyed hearing him like that in the daylight, explaining to him to surrender all the more.

"You're all I focus on, Bugs Bunny," he assured him, deliberately using a nickname he knew could piss him off into absentmindedness.

"Shut up," was the reply, and a satisfied smirk appeared on Rowan's face.

Matteo looked like a feast for the eyes underneath him - sweaty, cheeks flushed and writhing with pleasure. For a moment, the sight of him a few hours earlier when he'd seen him tied up flashed before Rowan's eyes, and he began to wonder if it would be too cruel to repeat it now.

His lover clearly had other plans, however, and returned Rowan to the present with a bite that was anything but subtle. Rowan grunted like an animal and leaned down to return it, taking his bottom lip between his teeth.

"You like it rough, Bugs Bunny?"

Without waiting for a response, the black-haired man sped up his movements, and the only two sounds in the room began to take turns - the slapping of skin against skin and Matteo's moans. Rowan held on, but the blond man had long known how to work him, though Rowan hated to admit it. The moment he felt his fingers in his hair, he knew what was coming next. Matteo didn't spare him. He pulled so hard as if he needed to make sure Rowan's moan was coming all the way from his soul.

It had been months since they had started having sex together, so it was no wonder they knew exactly what worked on the other, and what to do to get the beast out of them.

Their moans were coming to an end, and Rowan sped up his movements again and one final time. Matteo's legs around his torso tightened their grip, and he slid deeper into him than before. This was it. This was the moment Rowan loved most. Those last few seconds before everything exploded.

"Fuck," escaped from pink lips that still bore bite marks on them.

"Cum for me, Bunny."

And although in their working life the blond always demanded that everyone follow his instructions, this was a requirement that he always fulfilled without complaint.

Rowan was only a step behind him and after a second, with a loud grunt, he fell on top of his lover, laying his forehead on his shoulder. Matteo's hands still hadn't left his thick black hair, so he gave him one last tug and Rowan returned the favour with a bite to his shoulder. Unlike the last one, this one was less passionate and more playful.

The next few minutes passed in silence. Their chests heaved violently, trying to return to their original rhythm, and the two lovers enjoyed the presence of the other's warm body before they would lose it.

"That was fun," Rowan assessed, deciding that this comfort had lasted too long, and he raised himself up on his elbows to roll off the blond.

The next steps were a well-rehearsed routine. Stand up, pick your clothes off the floor, and walk to the door. All without a second glance back. The stares were almost as dangerous as the feelings, and Rowan already knew he cared for Matteo more than he needed to.

Maybe if he turned over just once, he'd catch Matteo's gaze, which begged him to come back to him and give him just a hint of tenderness. But he never did.

The black-haired man crossed the threshold of the door and, pulling his shirt on, walked into the kitchen, where he spilled the remaining wine into the glasses that remained on the counter next to where he'd thrown Matteo over the cabinet an hour ago.

Instead of looking up, he silently nodded his head toward the other glass, lifting his own to his lips. It wasn't until Matteo was just in front of him that their gazes met again. Neither, however, stepped around the counter to stand at the other's side. It was almost ironic. Their worlds had always been separated, joining only in Rowan's bed. Too bad he was the only one aware of that irony.

"If you suck the energy out of me like that and then pour me wine, one day I'll fall asleep here," Matteo remarked.

Maybe it was just an innocent remark, something he'd decided to toss off casually in between talking, but Rowan froze with the glass touching his lips. It had only been a second, so he hoped the blond didn't have a chance to see how his words had unnerved him.

Not that he had any of his equipment or disguise in his apartment, but even if he did, that wasn't the source of his concern. Matteo was already so much closer to him than he would have liked, but Rowan knew he couldn't take that back or he might scare him off completely, and for some reason that thought haunted him.

"Or not."

Apparently, he paused for too long.

"Maybe someday I'll pour you some wine and you'll take me to your house," Rowan returned his words, knowing they were as dangerous to Matteo as his were to him.

"My flatmates would love it," Matteo replied almost carelessly, but Rowan knew his words had an effect on him.

"We can still have an orgy," Rowan pronounced with a cocky grin, then finished the last glug of wine.

"You're like a horny dog." The blond still didn't look fazed, and it was another reminder of how long they'd been seeing each other.

"A horny dog who loves bunnies," he replied promptly. His glass clinked loudly against the counter as he placed it directly in front of him. It was the only sound that broke the silence of the otherwise quiet apartment.

And Matteo understood immediately what that meant. Rowan never threw him out, never asked him to leave, but he always let him know he wasn't welcome there anymore.

The second glass joined the first, and maybe Matteo did it on purpose, or maybe it was a coincidence, but he positioned his glass to touch Rowan's.

"See you soon."

That was it. No more words, no goodbye kiss. Another routine they had grown accustomed to over the months.

Rowan waited until he heard the familiar sound of the door closing before he allowed himself to rest his forehead against the cool surface of the kitchen counter.

Matteo was the one thing in his life he couldn't control, and he knew he would regret it one day, but try as he might, he wasn't strong enough to end their affair.  

Fortunately for him, they weren't really meant to be together. Rowan had a higher purpose in life.