Alex read it three times, heart pounding harder with each pass. 

Opportunity. Temptation. 

A whole night where the apartment was his, the building quiet, and the risk dialed down from nuclear to merely dangerous.

He didn’t text Dami right away. He waited until six, when the office had emptied and he was alone at his drafting table, pretending to review renderings. 

His fingers hovered over the screen.

Alex: Marcus is gone until tomorrow afternoon.

Alex: My place. 1 a.m. Bring food if you’re hungry. Don’t expect to sleep much.

The reply came in under two minutes.

Dami: Fuck yes.

Dami: I’ll be there. And I’m definitely hungry.

Alex spent the next hours in a state of controlled chaos. He showered, changed into a simple black T-shirt and soft gray sweatpants, cleaned surfaces he didn’t need to clean, 

and tried not to overthink the fact that he was inviting his brother’s best friend over for what they both knew wasn’t just takeout and conversation.

By the time 12:50 rolled around, his nerves had twisted into something electric. 

He dimmed the lights, left a single lamp glowing in the living room, and poured two glasses of the better whiskey he’d bought that evening. The same brand from the rainy night. 

A private joke. A deliberate echo. At 1:03 a.m. the buzzer sounded—two short presses, their new code.

Alex let him in. Dami stepped inside carrying a paper bag that smelled like garlic and warm bread. 

He wore a dark hoodie and jeans, hair slightly messy from the ride over, hazel eyes already dark with intent. The moment the door clicked shut behind him, the air changed. 

Thicker. Hotter.

“Hi,” Dami said, voice low. “Hi.” Alex took the bag, set it on the counter without looking inside. “You eat yet?”

“Not really.” Dami’s gaze traveled slowly down Alex’s body, then back up. “But food can wait.”

They didn’t make it to the couch this time. Dami crossed the distance in two strides and pulled Alex into a kiss that started deep and stayed there. No hesitation, no warmup. 

Just months—no, years—of pent-up want pouring out between them. 

Alex’s back hit the wall beside the door as Dami’s hands framed his face, thumbs stroking his cheekbones while their tongues slid together, hot and urgent.

“Missed this,” Dami murmured against his lips.

 “Missed your mouth. Missed the way you sound when I touch you."

Alex’s hands fisted in Dami’s hoodie, tugging him closer until their bodies pressed flush.

 “Then stop talking and do it.”

Dami chuckled darkly, the sound vibrating through Alex’s chest. 

He shrugged the hoodie off, letting it drop to the floor, then peeled Alex’s T-shirt over his head in one smooth motion. 

Cool air hit heated skin, followed immediately by Dami’s warm palms skating over Alex’s chest, thumbs brushing over sensitive nipples.

Alex gasped, head tipping back against the wall. Dami took the invitation, mouth latching onto the side of his neck, sucking hard enough to leave a mark he’d have to hide tomorrow. The sting was perfect. 

Alex’s hips jerked forward, seeking friction.

They stumbled toward the bedroom, shedding clothes along the way. 

Dami’s jeans came off in the hallway. 

Alex’s sweatpants were kicked aside just inside the door. By the time they reached the bed, they were down to boxer briefs, bodies flushed and breathing ragged.

Dami pushed Alex onto the mattress and followed him down, covering him with his larger frame. 

The weight felt incredible—solid, grounding, overwhelming in the best way. 

Their mouths met again, slower now, savoring. Tongues stroking, lips parting, soft sounds filling the quiet room.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” Dami whispered, kissing down Alex’s chest. 

He lingered at one nipple, licking and sucking until Alex arched off the bed with a broken moan. 

“Been dying to taste every inch of you.”

Alex’s hands threaded through Dami’s dark hair, guiding but not forcing. 

“Then taste.” Dami did. He explored with mouth and hands—kissing the dip of Alex’s hip, the sensitive skin just above the waistband of his briefs, the trail of dark hair leading downward. 

When he finally hooked his fingers in the fabric and tugged it down, Alex’s cock sprang free, hard and leaking. Dami’s eyes darkened further.

 “Look at you.” He wrapped a calloused hand around the base and stroked once, slow and firm. Alex’s hips bucked. 

“So hard for me already.”

“Dami—” 

The name came out as a plea. Dami leaned down and took him into his mouth. The heat was blinding. Wet, perfect suction. 

Dami didn’t tease; he went deep, hollowing his cheeks, tongue working the underside with devastating skill. 

Alex’s head fell back against the pillow, a guttural groan tearing from his throat. 

His fingers tightened in Dami’s hair as pleasure coiled tight and fast.

Dami hummed around him, the vibration shooting straight to Alex’s spine. He bobbed his head, taking more, relaxing his throat until his nose brushed dark curls. 

One hand cupped Alex’s balls, rolling them gently while the other stroked what his mouth couldn’t reach.

It was too good. Toe-curling, mind-melting. Alex’s thighs trembled. 

“Slow—fuck, slow down or I’m gonna—” 

Dami pulled off with a wet sound, lips shiny. 

“Not yet. I want this to last.” He crawled back up, kissing Alex deeply so he could taste himself on Dami’s tongue. While they kissed, Dami shoved his own briefs down and pressed their cocks together, wrapping a big hand around both. 

The slide was slick with precome, hot and perfect.They moved like that for long minutes—slow rolls of hips, deep kisses, whispered curses and praises. 

Dami’s free hand roamed, pinching a nipple, stroking Alex’s side, gripping his thigh to pull it higher around his waist.

“Want to be inside you so bad,” Dami growled against his mouth. 

“But not tonight. Tonight I just want to feel you fall apart for me.”

Alex nodded frantically. 

“Then make me.” Dami shifted, settling between Alex’s spread thighs. 

He took both of them in hand again, stroking faster now, thumb swiping over the heads on every upstroke. 

His mouth returned to Alex’s neck, sucking another mark while his hips rocked in time with his hand.

The pressure built relentlessly. Alex’s breath came in short gasps, nails digging into Dami’s back. 

Every stroke sent sparks racing through his body. Dami’s low groans mixed with his own, the sound of skin on skin filling the room.

“Come on, baby,” Dami whispered, voice wrecked. 

“Let me see it. Come for me.” The endearment—soft, possessive—pushed Alex over the edge. 

Pleasure crashed through him in waves, white-hot and devastating. He came with Dami’s name on his lips, spilling over Dami’s fist and across his own stomach. 

Dami followed seconds later, groaning deeply as he pulsed between them, adding to the mess.

They stayed locked together, breathing hard, foreheads pressed tight. Dami’s hand gentled, stroking them through the aftershocks until it became too sensitive.

Eventually Dami rolled to the side, pulling Alex against his chest. They were sticky, sweaty, breathing in tandem. 

Dami pressed a lazy kiss to Alex’s temple. “Food’s probably cold,” he murmured, amusement threading through his voice.

Alex laughed softly, the sound surprised out of him. “Worth it.”

They cleaned up quickly in the bathroom, then returned to bed with the takeout bag. 

Sitting cross-legged on the sheets, naked and unashamed, they shared cold pad thai and garlic bread straight from the containers, 

feeding each other bites between kisses that tasted like soy sauce and satisfaction. Afterward, they lay tangled together under the covers.

 

Dami’s head rested on Alex’s chest, one arm draped possessively over his waist. Alex’s fingers traced idle patterns over the phoenix tattoo on Dami’s ribs.

“This feels dangerous,” Alex whispered into the quiet.

“It is,” Dami agreed, voice sleepy but serious. 

“But it also feels right. Like I’ve been waiting for you without knowing it.”

Alex’s heart clenched. He pressed a kiss to the top of Dami’s head. “We still have to be careful. Marcus… the family…”

“I know.” Dami’s hold tightened. “But tonight? Tonight you’re mine. No secrets in this bed.”

They fell asleep like that—bodies entwined, hearts beating in sync, the stolen hours stretching soft and golden around them.

For one perfect night, the flame burned warm instead of destructive.

Tomorrow, reality would return. But for now, in the quiet dark, Alex let himself believe it could last.