The kiss started as a slow, deliberate question, one that Ryan already knew the answer to.

He brushed his lips against hers, testing the frantic, shallow rhythm of her breathing.

Iralis let out a soft, trembling sound, her hands hovering uncertainly near his chest before she finally gripped the fabric of his shirt.

She was stiff, her entire body wired with the kind of nervous energy that came from stepping off a cliff in the dark.

Ryan didn’t rush her. He didn’t use the bruising, dominant force he used to shatter Diana, and he didn’t feed the feral, competitive fire he used with Zara.

He knew exactly who he was holding.

He slid his hands slowly around to the small of her back, pulling her flush against his body. He opened his mouth over hers, coaxing her lips apart with a gentle, sweeping pressure.

Iralis gasped, her eyes fluttering shut. The moment his tongue swept inside, tracing the warm, sweet line of her lower lip, the tension in her shoulders broke.

Her fingers curled tightly into his shirt, anchoring herself to him as a heavy, intoxicating heat flooded her chest.

It was clumsy at first—she hesitated, unsure of the rhythm—but Ryan guided her with absolute patience. He tilted her head, deepening the kiss, showing her exactly how to follow his lead.

Ryan murmured against her mouth, his breath warm on her skin. "Don’t overthink it. Just let go."

"I don’t know how," she whispered back, her voice remarkably small, stripped entirely of the confident systems architect. She opened her eyes, looking up at him with a raw, heartbreaking vulnerability. "Ryan, I’ve never... I haven’t done this before."

She didn’t need to spell it out.

The way she held herself, the nervous tremor in her hands, the absolute lack of pretense—it all painted a clear picture.

She had spent her entire life buried in servers and code, locking the rest of the world out. He was the first man she had ever allowed this close.

A fierce, protective warmth bloomed in Ryan’s chest.

"I know," Ryan said softly, his thumbs brushing soothing circles into her sides through the thick fabric of her college sweatshirt. "And you don’t have to know how. I’m going to take care of everything. You just have to trust me."

"I do," she breathed, the confession slipping out instantly.

He kissed her again, slower this time, letting her taste the deep, steady reassurance in his mouth.

Her hands slid up to his shoulders, her body finally beginning to relax, melting into the solid, unyielding heat of his chest.

Ryan pulled back just enough to look at her. "Where is your bedroom?"

Iralis swallowed hard, her dark eyes wide. She pointed a trembling finger down the short hallway of the apartment.

Ryan didn’t make her walk. He slipped one arm behind her back and the other under her knees, lifting her effortlessly off the floor. Iralis let out a soft, surprised squeak, her arms wrapping instantly around his neck to secure herself.

The heavy college sweatshirt bunched up, but she didn’t try to pull it down. She just buried her burning face in the crook of his neck, her heartbeat hammering a frantic, rhythmic tattoo against his collarbone.

He carried her down the hall and stepped into her bedroom.

It was simple, neat, and bathed in the soft, amber glow of a small bedside lamp. A heavy duvet covered the bed.

Ryan set her down gently on the edge of the mattress. She sat there, her knees pressed tightly together, looking up at him as he stood in front of him.

"You’re shaking," Ryan murmured, his hands moving to the hem of her oversized sweatshirt.

"I can’t help it," she whispered, her hands resting nervously on her thighs. "It’s just... it’s a lot. You’re a lot."

"I know." Ryan caught her gaze, holding it steady to ground her. "Raise your arms."

She obeyed, lifting her arms above her head. Ryan gripped the thick cotton and pulled the sweatshirt smoothly over her head, tossing it onto a nearby chair.

Underneath, she was wearing a simple, dark sports bra.

Her skin was pale and flawless, flushing a deep, beautiful pink under his gaze. She instinctively crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly painfully aware of how exposed she was.

Ryan reached out, gently wrapping his large hands around her wrists.

He didn’t yank them away; he applied a slow, firm pressure until she yielded, letting her arms fall back to her sides.

"Don’t hide from me," Ryan said, his voice dropping into a low, velvet rasp. "You are beautiful, Iralis."

Her breath hitched at the compliment. It wasn’t a line.

It was a fact, stated with the absolute, unwavering certainty that only he possessed. The blush spread down her neck, warming her chest.

He leaned down, pressing his lips to the sensitive skin just below her ear. Iralis gasped, her head falling back as a sharp, localized spike of heat shot straight down her spine.

Ryan took his time, kissing a slow, deliberate path down her neck, across the delicate line of her collarbone, and into the soft plunge of her cleavage.

Her hands found his shoulders, her fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt as she tried to anchor herself against the overwhelming, dizzying sensations.

"Ryan," she whimpered, her voice cracking. "Oh, my god. It feels..."

"Good?" he supplied, his breath hot against her skin.

"Yes," she sobbed softly, completely overwhelmed. "So good."

He moved his hands to the waistband of her oversized sweatpants. He hooked his thumbs inside the elastic and slowly drew them down her hips, bringing her simple cotton panties with them.

Iralis lifted her hips slightly, allowing him to slide the fabric all the way down her long, bare legs, until she was sitting on the edge of the bed wearing nothing but her bra.

The cool air of the bedroom washed over her, but the heat radiating from Ryan’s body kept the chill at bay.

She looked up at him, her chest heaving, completely vulnerable and entirely his.

Ryan unbuttoned his dress shirt, pulling it off and tossing it aside.

The hard, heavy muscles of his chest and abdomen were on full display, the faint, fading bruises on his ribs a silent testament to the violence he navigated outside these walls.

Iralis couldn’t look away. The sheer, physical reality of him—the broad shoulders, the dark, intense eyes—was magnetic.

He stepped closer, easing her backward until she lay flat on the mattress. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He crawled over her, bracing his weight on his forearms so he didn’t crush her, his body hovering just inches above hers.

"I’m going to take this slow," Ryan whispered, his lips brushing against hers. "But I need you to tell me what you want."

Iralis looked up into his eyes. The fear was completely gone, incinerated by a deep, aching need she had never known existed.

"I want you," she breathed, her hands sliding up to cup his face.