Vinny stayed in Matthew's office long after the market below had quieted. The guards had left, the lights dimmed slightly, and the only sound was the faint hum of the city outside, a soft echo of the chaos they both thrived on.
Matthew was still seated behind his desk, pale green eyes fixed on Vinny like a predator examining the scent of another predator. There was something in Vinny that drew him, something sharp, alive, and untamed. Every inch of him radiated confidence and danger. And Matthew… he hated how much that intrigued him.
Vinny took a slow step forward, closing the distance just enough that the desk was no longer a barrier. He didn't touch Matthew, didn't make the mistake of showing weakness. But he let the space shrink, letting Matthew feel the weight of his presence.
"You think about locking me up," Vinny said softly, voice low, teasing. "Keeping me in your estate. But why? So you can watch me? Or so you can try to control me?"
Matthew's jaw tightened. "Control is… necessary. For men like you."
Vinny tilted his head, smirk playful, eyes glinting. "Necessary… or enjoyable?"
Matthew didn't answer immediately. Instead, he leaned back in his chair slightly, studying him. His pulse was steady—well-trained, always controlled—but beneath that calm exterior, there was something stirring. Something sharp and urgent.
Vinny took another step closer. Close enough that the faint heat of his body brushed against Matthew's as he leaned over the edge of the desk. Just enough to test the alpha without giving himself away.
"You're… precise," Vinny said quietly. "Careful. Calculated. Dangerous. I like dangerous men."
Matthew's hand twitched near his coat pocket. He wanted to assert control—to show Vinny who truly ruled here. But he didn't. Not yet. There was a thrill in letting Vinny come closer, in letting him feel the pull of dominance and desire all at once.
Vinny's eyes roamed over him slowly, deliberately, as if memorizing every detail. Every sharp line, every tense muscle, every trace of danger in Matthew's expression. He could see the flicker of something beneath the calm surface, something Matthew refused to admit.
"I can see it," Vinny murmured. "The way you want to… claim me. But you're careful. You're always careful."
Matthew's gaze hardened, and yet there was an undeniable spark in his eyes. "And you? You think you could handle being claimed?"
Vinny smirked, a slow, lazy curve of his lips that made Matthew's pulse stutter for the briefest moment. "Maybe. But right now… I'm just enjoying the view."
He leaned in just slightly closer, letting the faintest whisper of his cologne—spicy, dangerous, intoxicating—brush Matthew's senses. "The danger… the control… it's all very… thrilling."
Matthew's hands clenched lightly on the desk. The heat of Vinny's proximity was maddening, teasing a part of him he rarely allowed to awaken. He wanted to reach out, to claim, to dominate. But he didn't. Not yet. He had to make Vinny crave the next move.
Vinny noticed the slight tension in Matthew's jaw, the way his fingers flexed ever so slightly. He let a low laugh escape, soft and teasing. "You're enjoying this… more than you'll admit, aren't you?"
Matthew's green eyes flickered dangerously. "Perhaps."
Vinny leaned even closer, just enough that their chests nearly brushed. The air between them was thick, charged, electric. Every alpha instinct, every unspoken desire, hummed in that small space.
"You're very… controlled," Vinny said softly. "Calculated. And yet, I can see the fire underneath. I can feel it. You're dangerous, Matthew. Dangerous in a way that… I want to test."
Matthew's hand twitched near the edge of the desk again, fingers brushing the hilt of his dagger—a subtle warning, a reminder that he was still the predator here. But Vinny didn't flinch. He thrived on danger. Thrived on the pull, the tease, the delicate balance of power.
"You like to test limits," Matthew murmured, voice low. "You're reckless. Bold. Foolish. And I… I don't forgive foolish."
Vinny smirked, leaning just a fraction closer. "Good. Then maybe I like being around men who don't forgive. Men who demand everything… even from someone like me."
Matthew's pulse quickened imperceptibly. He was aware—painfully aware—of the tension, the tease, the thrill. And he hated how much he wanted to cross the line, wanted to dominate, wanted to control… wanted to feel Vinny give in.
But Vinny wasn't giving in. Not yet. That was the thrill. That was the game.
Vinny's eyes sparkled with dangerous amusement. "Do you always keep your prey waiting this long?"
Matthew's lips twitched with the faintest smirk. "Prey? You're not prey, Rossi. Not yet."
Vinny's laugh was soft, low, teasing. "Good. I wouldn't want to be anyone's prey… unless it was worth it."
Matthew's green eyes burned with intensity, silent and fierce. And Vinny, just for a moment, let himself feel it—the pull, the raw energy between them, a predator and a predator, circling, testing, challenging.
"You're insufferable," Matthew said quietly. "But… dangerously tempting."
Vinny's grin widened. "Then I'll take that as a compliment."
He took one more step closer, just enough that their shoulders brushed lightly, the heat between them undeniable. Matthew didn't pull back. Didn't strike. Didn't dominate. He let Vinny linger… let him tease, let him inch closer, knowing that every moment Vinny stayed in that space, the tension only built.
Kieran Hale, watching from the doorway, murmured under his breath with a smirk: "Oh… this is going to be delicious."
Vinny didn't move away. He stayed close, dangerous, teasing, magnetic. He wasn't starting his real plan yet. He wasn't revealing the fire he carried, the revenge he had been planning for years. That would come later. For now… proximity, teasing, control—this was the game. And he was winning.
The Mercato del Muerte below was still alive, still dangerous. But tonight… the real danger was in that office. In the unspoken war of desire, power, and dominance between two alphas, one predator trying to test the other.
Vinny smirked, letting the tension linger. Letting Matthew burn just slightly at the edges, frustrated and intrigued.
This was only the beginning.
And the fire? Oh… the fire was coming.