☆ Kayden X Gareth One Shot—
The music from the charity gala was an elegant hum in the background, glasses clinking, laughter threading through the air like silk. But Kayden heard none of it.
Bathed in the soft glow of the chandeliers, he stood near the grand piano, swirling whiskey in his glass, laughing.
Not just laughing—smirking. His green eyes were alight with mischief, dimples flashing, the very picture of careless, destructive beauty.
And the bastard wasn’t smirking at Kayden.
No. He was smirking at someone else.
Some irrelevant, breathing waste of space in a suit who had leaned in too close. Who had dared to brush his fingers against Gareth’s sleeve. Who had the audacity to look Gareth in the eyes as if he were worthy.
Kayden’s jaw tightened. The ice in his untouched drink cracked under the force of his grip.
“You look like you’re about to break something.”
Kayden didn’t shift his gaze, but he recognized the voice immediately—Killian Carson.
Killian took a slow sip of his champagne, eyes flicking between Kayden and Gareth like he was watching a car crash in slow motion. Enjoying it.
Then, he chuckled. “You know, if you stare any harder, you might set him on fire.”
Kayden said nothing. His fingers twitched.
Killian’s lips curled. “Or maybe that’s the goal.”
Kayden finally turned his head, grey eyes sharp. “What are you getting at, Little Carson?”
Killian ignored the nickname and grinned. “Just wondering which sin you’ll commit first. Wrath? Or lust?”
Because at that exact moment, the man Gareth was speaking to leaned in even closer, murmuring something near his ear.
Kayden’s entire body went taut.
Killian exhaled a slow, amused sigh, shaking his head. “Ah. Wrath it is.”
It was a single, undeniable truth carved into his bones.
Gareth belonged to him. His sharp tongue, his wicked little smirks, the fire in his veins that burned through everyone who tried to touch him—all of it was his. And yet, here Gareth was, entertaining the attention of some fool who had no idea he was playing with a loaded gun.
Kayden moved before he thought, the stem of his glass snapping between his fingers.
Gareth barely had time to react before a strong, unrelenting hand curled around his wrist.
Kayden didn’t let him finish.
He dragged Gareth through the side doors of the grand hall, out into the cold night air. The moment they were alone, Kayden shoved him against the brick wall, bracing one hand beside Gareth’s head while the other closed around his jaw.
Green eyes flashed, a dimpled smirk tugging at Gareth’s lips. “Kayden, darling,” he drawled, voice dripping with mock innocence. “I didn’t know we were sneaking out for a—”
Kayden gripped his jaw tighter, forcing Gareth’s head back. His voice, when he spoke, was a deadly whisper.
“You think I won’t ruin you?”
Gareth inhaled sharply, the amusement in his eyes flickering—replaced with something darker.
Kayden’s thumb pressed against Gareth’s pulse, feeling the rapid thrum beneath his skin. “Do you enjoy testing me, my love?”
Gareth, ever the menace, licked his lips. “A little.”
Kayden’s fingers flexed. “A little?”
Gareth grinned, unfazed. “Maybe a lot.”
Kayden leaned in, their lips a breath apart, his voice dripping with something dangerous. “Do you want to see what happens when I reach my limit?”
Gareth tilted his head, lips brushing against Kayden’s in a whisper of contact. Teasing. Infuriating. Tempting.
“You’re already there, aren’t you?”
Kayden let out a slow, shuddering breath, dragging his lips along Gareth’s jaw—not a kiss, a warning.
His hands slid down, gripping Gareth’s waist, pressing their bodies together until Gareth had nowhere to escape. “I should mark you,” Kayden murmured against his skin. “Leave bruises where everyone can see.”
Gareth huffed a laugh. “God, you’re dramatic.”
Not enough to break the skin, but enough to make Gareth’s breath stutter, his fingers twitching against Kayden’s chest.
Kayden pulled back, studying the blooming red on Gareth’s throat. “Now they’ll know.” His voice was velvet-wrapped steel. Unforgiving. Undeniable. “They’ll know you belong to me.”
Gareth exhaled shakily, but he smiled.
“Oh, Kayden,” he purred, running a finger down the broad expanse of Kayden’s chest. “You say that like I don’t enjoy driving you insane.”
Kayden caught his wrist mid-motion, twisting it behind Gareth’s back in one swift, dominant movement, pressing him even harder against the wall.
“I should punish you for this.”
Gareth’s breath hitched, but his grin was pure defiance. “You should.”
Kayden’s grey eyes darkened, a storm raging in their depths. “You’re playing a dangerous game.”
Gareth leaned in, brushing his lips against Kayden’s ear, whispering like a confession.
It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t sweet. It was punishment. A clash of teeth and tongues, of heat and fury. Gareth moaned into his mouth, arching against him, soaking in the violence of Kayden’s love like a sinner begging for damnation.
Kayden pulled back just enough to murmur against his lips, his voice raw, wrecked. “Never test me like that again.”
Gareth only smiled, wicked and beautiful. “Make me.”
Kayden groaned, pressing their foreheads together. “You’ll be the death of me.”
Gareth’s grin softened, just a little. “Yeah,” he whispered. “But you’ll die happy.”
Kayden huffed a laugh, pressing another hard, possessive kiss to Gareth’s lips.