niko caught the nod, a barely-there tilt of damp lashes and a subtle squeeze of their laced fingers, and felt a spark of SATISFACTION settle low in his gut. heâd just watched the great charles hampton, the undefeated champion of hit-it-and-boot-it, admit without words that they wanted something more than a sprint to the front door. smug? absolutely. heâd EARNED it.
still propped on an elbow, he let his mouth curl into that half-smirk the internet loved to hate. âeyes on me, sweetheart,â he murmured, thumb sweeping lazily across the smear of blood on charlesâ lip. âyou look like i just scrambled your operating system.â a soft laugh followed, rough around the edges but UNDENIABLY pleased with himself. âneed a status update before i declare mission accomplished.â
truth was, niko never bothered with check-ins after casual fucks, because, well, he didnât HAVE casual fucks. but charles wasnât just another notch; he was the exception sauntering around with bravado, somehow beneath him now with lashes wet and walls in ruins. it made nikoâs pulse kick, half-protective and half-proud.
he shifted just enough to keep his thigh draped over charlesâ, a territorial weight he didnât bother hiding, and tapped their joined hands against the mattress. âtalk to me,â he drawled lightly, teasing and STILL smug, but definitely listening. âhead spinning? heart still beating? or did i break your brain completely?â
a beat, then the smirk widened. âand before you fake another orgasm just to shut me up... remember, i already proved i can tell when youâre BLUFFING.â a quick nip at charlesâ shoulder punctuated the jab, more playful than gentle.
his gaze held steady, daring charles to meet it and speak. yeah, heâd stay â heâd even fetch water in a minute â but first he wanted the pleasure of hearing charles admit, in that wrecked voice, EXACTLY how he felt. crumbs of vulnerability tasted sweeter when they came with a side of bragging rights.