13. Dante
13
Dante
S ebastian walked ahead, his pace measured as he led Dante deeper into the mansion. Quiet corridors stretched between them, a stark contrast to the lively murmur of the party outside. Ornate sconces cast warm light onto the marble walls, illuminating the intricate patterns in the marble floor beneath their feet. Dante glanced at the oil paintings that lined the hall, each frame gilded and perfect, a shrine to Blackthorn wealth and legacy.
“You know, you sure do know how to leave a party without anyone noticing,” Dante said.
Sebastian glanced over his shoulder. “It’s a skill.”
Dante followed as they turned down another corridor, this one narrower, its decor shifting from grandiose to personal. The walls were lined with family portraits, the faces familiar from the party. Younger versions of Sebastian, Rylan and their siblings stared back, their expressions frozen in practiced smiles. His gaze lingered on one image—a teenage Sebastian standing stiffly in a tailored suit, his silver-gray eyes distant even then.
“Your mother loves her portraits, huh?” Dante said, nodding toward the frames.
Sebastian slowed. “It’s about appearances. Everything here is.”
They stopped outside a carved wooden door, its surface polished but showing subtle signs of age. Sebastian pushed it open, stepping aside to let Dante in first. “Welcome to my past.”
Dante stepped inside, his boots landing softly on the plush rug. The room was smaller than he’d expected, cozy but meticulously organized. A large desk stood against one wall, its surface cleared except for an old brass lamp and a set of neatly arranged pens. Shelves lined another wall, filled with books whose spines bore titles on history, magical theory, and strategy. A queen-sized bed, perfectly made, sat under a window that overlooked the gardens.
“What’s this?” Dante asked, stepping closer to a small shelf lined with trophies and framed certificates. “Sebastian Blackthorn, top of his class. ‘Excellence in Arcane Studies,’” he read aloud, and grinned. “Teacher’s pet?”
Sebastian leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed. “Something like that.”
His gaze shifted to the photographs tucked beside the awards. Most were of Sebastian and his siblings, their expressions polite but distant. One image caught his eye—Sebastian in what looked like a fencing uniform, a silver medal hanging around his neck. “You fence?”
“Used to,” Sebastian said, his tone neutral. “It was expected.”
Dante glanced back at him, brow raised. “Expected? You don’t strike me as someone who does what anyone expects.”
Sebastian pushed off the doorframe, stepping further into the room. “This place has a way of shaping people. You learn how to fit into the mold, or you break.”
Dante studied him for a moment, the composed exterior contrasting with the room’s tightly controlled details. The space was a reflection of Sebastian’s upbringing—polished, precise, and suffocating.
“Looks like you didn’t do either,” Dante said finally.
Sebastian’s lips curved into a smile. “Maybe.”
Sebastian stepped toward the window, his hands sliding into his pockets as he glanced outside. The golden glow of the garden lights reached the edges of the glass, softening the distant laughter from the party below. “I always thought I’d leave this place for good,” he whispered, his gaze distant. “But some things have a way of holding on, no matter how much you want to let go.”
Dante leaned against the desk, crossing his arms. “Families are complicated,” he said. “Trust me, I get it.”
Sebastian turned, his expression softening. “You seem like someone who knows exactly who he is. Where he fits.”
His laugh was low, almost bitter. “Yeah? If that’s what it looks like, I’ve been fooling more people than I thought.”
Sebastian tilted his head, stepping closer. “You’re telling me you don’t feel like you belong? Because I’ve seen the way you move, the way you command a room without trying.”
“It’s different,” Dante said. “Belonging isn’t the same as duty. I know what I’m supposed to do. Doesn’t mean I’m always comfortable doing it.”
Sebastian studied him, his attention sharper now, more focused. “What makes you uncomfortable?”
His breath hitched as Sebastian moved closer, the space between them shrinking with each step. “People. Expectations. Letting someone down.”
Sebastian stopped a foot away, his gaze steady. “You’re not letting anyone down tonight.”
The words hung between them, heavy and charged. His pulse quickened as Sebastian reached up, fingertips skimming against the edge of his collar. “I’ve wanted to get you out of this since I saw you tonight,” Sebastian said roughly. “So sharp, so polished. So damn sexy in this uniform.”
His breath came faster, his chest rising as Sebastian leaned closer. “I want to mess you up so bad,” Sebastian growled, his silver-gray eyes darkening with something raw.
The confession sent a jolt through Dante, his control slipping. He reached out, gripping Sebastian’s tie and pulling him closer, their breaths mingling. “What’re you waiting for?”
Sebastian didn’t hesitate. His lips crashed into his mouth, their kiss fierce and unrelenting. Dante groaned against him, his hands sliding up Sebastian’s chest, clutching at his lapels. Sebastian’s hands found his waist, fingers digging into his jacket.
The room blurred, every detail falling away except for the heat of Sebastian’s body against his own. Dante’s back hit the edge of the desk as Sebastian pressed into him, their kiss deepening, rough and desperate. Sebastian’s hand slipped to his collar, tugging the stiff fabric loose, his lips moving down to the edge of his jaw, then lower, to the curve of his neck.
“You’re driving me crazy,” Sebastian murmured against his skin, his tone equal parts frustration and need.
His fingers tangled in Sebastian’s hair, his breath hitching as he pulled him closer. “You’re not exactly making it easy for me, either.”
Sebastian chuckled, low and wicked. “Good.”
Sebastian’s lips were pure sin on his, plundering his mouth with a fiery hunger that left him dizzy and gasping for breath. The heat between them was a living, breathing thing.
His fingers carded through Sebastian’s hair, tugging, and pulling as he returned the kiss with equal fervor. His heart hammered in his chest, his brain fogged with lust as Sebastian’s hands roamed across his body.
Sebastian’s skilled hands slipped beneath his jacket, tugging it off his shoulders Dante pulled out his arms, never letting their lips part, and pushed off his jacket the rest of the way, letting it fall on the desk behind him in a heap.
Dante’s shirt was next, buttons popping under the force of Sebastian’s urgency. The cool air of the room caressed his bare chest, causing goosebumps to break out across his skin.
Their erections were trapped between them, straining against the fabric of their pants as they rubbed and rutted together. The friction was maddening, a delicious torture that had His hips bucking and his breath coming in desperate, panting gasps.
Sebastian’s fingers fumbled with his belt, undoing it with trembling hands. Dante helped him, as Sebastian did the same with his own belt.
“ Fuck ,” he breathed, “you’re driving me fucking crazy .”
Dante couldn’t help but grin as he finally saw Sebastian’s calm facade crack. And the sight of his silver-gray eyes burning for him and heaving chest was enough to make his knees weak.
“I want to feel you,” Dante said, his voice guttural with need. “Let me touch you…”
“ Gawd , baby, don’t say those things…” Sebastian groaned.
Their mouths crashed together as they hungrily sought each other out. His hands roamed over his hips, gripping the waistband of his pants, and tugging them down just enough, his erection springing free and slapping against his stomach just as Dante freed Sebastian’s cock from his briefs.
As they explored each other’s mouths, his hands wandered, one snaking down to grip Sebastian’s swollen, rock-hard cock, stroking him in time with their grinding hips. He could feel every ridge and vein along Sebastian’s thick shaft, every twitch, and pulse as he grew harder in his hand. His other hand reached up to tug at Sebastian’s nipple, teasing it to a stiff point between his thumb and forefinger.
“Fuck!” The wind weaver’s breath hitched as Dante touched him, his hips bucking as he chased his pleasure. With a growl, Sebastian kissed down his neck, nipping and biting at the sensitive flesh, to mark Dante, to claim him in the most primal way possible.
“Oh, fuck, Dante,” Sebastian panted, his breath hot against his ear, “you feel so fucking good.”
Dante moaned as Sebastian’s lips trailed lower, leaving a trail of bruises in their wake. “You like that?” Dante asked, strained with desire. “You like it when I touch you like this?”
They were both panting and gasping as they rubbed against each other. The room was filled with the sound of their heavy breathing and the slap of skin on skin. It was primal, uninhibited, and filthy in the best possible way.
Dante could feel his release building, his balls tightening. Sebastian’s hips were bucking wildly against him now, his breath coming in desperate gasps—
A loud burst of fireworks erupted outside, the sudden noise jolting Dante back to reality. His breath hitched, the haze of heat and need evaporating as clarity crashed over him. The closeness, the rawness—it was too much, too fast. His hands shook as he pushed against Sebastian’s chest, creating space between them. “Shit,” he said, stepping back. “I—this is—”
Sebastian’s hands fell away immediately, his expression shifting from passion to confusion. His hair was mussed, lips swollen, his shirt half-untucked. “Dante?” he asked, his tone edged with uncertainty.
His mind raced, heat rising to his face as he glanced down at himself. His uniform was a mess—buttons undone, his shirt hanging loose. And he couldn’t bring himself to meet Sebastian’s gaze. His mind raced, panic setting in as the realization hit him—he’d been making out with another man. The memory of Sebastian’s hands, his lips, the way their bodies had pressed together— Gawds, what am I doing?
He fumbled to straighten himself, jerking his shirt back into place and smoothing his jacket with trembling hands. The neat lines of the fabric felt wrong now, too tight, like a costume he didn’t belong in.
“I can’t,” he said. “This isn’t—this shouldn’t have happened.”
Sebastian took a step closer, his hand lifting before he seemed to think better of it. “Dante, wait. It’s not—”
“I need to go,” Dante interrupted, avoiding Sebastian’s gaze as he tucked his shirt back into his trousers and fastened the buttons with quick, jerky limbs. The weight of Sebastian’s stare pressed against him, but he couldn’t look up. “I just—I need air.”
He turned toward the door, his chest tight, and his pulse pounding. The urge to escape overwhelmed him, the room suddenly suffocating despite its size.
“Dante, please,” Sebastian said again, softer this time. Guilt clawed at him as he imagined the look on his face.
“How’re you planning to get home?” he asked, his tone low but pointed. “I drove you here.”
Dante hesitated, his hand already on the doorknob. He hadn’t thought that far ahead, but he couldn’t stay. Not with the heat of embarrassment crawling up his neck and the weight of Sebastian’s gaze pressing against him. “I’ll get a taxi,” he said, the lie coming quickly. “Whatever. I’ll figure it out.”
Sebastian took another step forward, his hands curling into loose fists at his sides. “You don’t have to—”
“Don’t,” Dante interrupted. He shook his head, his chest tightening further. “I can’t do this right now.”
Without waiting for a response, he turned the knob and stepped into the hallway. The cool air hit him like a slap, but it did little to quiet the storm in his chest. His boots struck the marble floor with uneven steps as he hurried away. What the hell was that? What the hell is wrong with me?
But he didn’t know if he was more upset that he didn’t stop what happened, or that he did… Either way, his throbbing dick sure had something to say about it.