GAEL’s POV His eyes never left mine. His lips parted like he wanted to speak, but nothing came out. It was just shallow breaths, chest rising and falling as though the air between us had thickened. My c**k twitched harder than it ever had for Roman, harder than for anyone. Ansel’s pull was maddening; it stripped me of reason until there was nothing in my head but him, his body, the taste of what I hadn’t yet claimed. “Will you let me touch it?” The words left me before I could reel them back. He didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. I leaned in, closing the space until our lips hovered a breath apart. Still, he stood frozen, gaze locked, and with his pupils wide. I claimed his mouth anyway. Soft at first, warm and trembling, then deeper as I cupped the back of his head and yanked him clos

