Chapter 102: "I Want You So Bad."

An awkward silence fell between them, their eyes locked in a tense, unbroken stare for nearly a minute before Vincent finally cleared his throat.

"I came to see how you slept and ask what you want for breakfast so I can have it delivered. And don’t tell me strawberries for breakfast."

A brief, involuntary chuckle escaped Bryce.

He caught himself almost immediately and pressed his lips together.

"Smoked salmon, waffles, and a smoothie. A strawberry smoothie," he answered, naming whatever came to mind without giving the choice any real thought.

He was not thinking about food right now.

If anything, he was simply trying to give Vincent an answer quickly enough to make him leave.

The longer Vincent stayed there, standing within reach and filling the room with that intoxicating scent, the harder it became for Bryce to ignore the temptation in front of him.

Vincent hesitated, studying him for a moment before pulling out his phone. He began placing the order while still standing there.

Bryce could hardly conceal his disbelief.

How long was he planning to stand there?

Vincent finished the order, slipped his phone back into his pocket, and looked at him again.

The attention made a question escape Bryce’s mouth before he could reconsider it.

"Is there anything else?"

Vincent did not answer immediately. His expression shifted as though he were weighing whether to say what was really on his mind.

"I don’t know if it’s all in my head, but... I smelled your scent strongly a few minutes ago. Strong enough that it almost dragged me into a rut, which is unusual." His gaze remained on Bryce. "Are you feeling anything unusual?"

Bryce stared at him, stunned.

So his scent could affect Vincent like that?

For a moment, the realization displaced every other thought. He had assumed that the sudden wave of desire that had overwhelmed him earlier was something happening only to him.

Now Vincent was telling him that his scent had nearly driven him into a rut as well.

"Really?" he asked, carefully arranging his face into an expression of complete innocence. "I feel completely fine. Do you still smell it?"

"Yes, but not as strongly as before."

"I’m sorry about that. I..." Bryce began.

"There is nothing to be sorry about."

Vincent’s interruption was gentle, but the words that followed left Bryce far less prepared.

"If anything, I’d like to smell it every second of every day."

Bryce went completely silent.

Of all the things Vincent could have said, that was the one he absolutely did not need to hear while he was already struggling to keep his own reactions under control.

It felt as though Vincent had woken up that morning determined to dismantle whatever walls Bryce had managed to build around him.

"It really smells good," Vincent continued, his voice growing more strained despite the composure he was trying to maintain. "You smell really good. I... I feel good just having your scent in my lungs."

In that moment, Bryce realized just how close to the same precarious edge Vincent was standing.

There was something in his words and the way he spoke them, a restrained hunger that made him seem like someone ready to devour what stood before him, held back only by the last thread of his self-control.

’You smell good too. Your fucking scent is driving me mad,’ Bryce thought inwardly, the words never making it past his lips.

Vincent’s eyes widened suddenly, surprise flashing across his face before something else appeared behind it, something that looked unmistakably like excitement.

Bryce’s heart skipped.

Had Vincent heard his thoughts?

The thought sent a jolt through him.

That was impossible.

Their connection had not been restored, so there was no way Vincent should have been able to hear anything inside his head.

Bryce searched his face, trying to make sense of that sudden reaction. Maybe he had simply misread the sudden change in Vincent’s expression.

That possibility vanished when Vincent took a step toward him.

"What did you say?"

Bryce’s stomach twisted.

"Say?" He forced out the word, his voice suddenly clumsy. "I didn’t speak."

The denial sounded unconvincing even to him.

Vincent stepped closer, his attention on Bryce sharpening into an even more intense focus.

"I heard you in my head just now."

There was no accusation in Vincent’s voice. If anything, there was an almost desperate need for confirmation, as though he needed Bryce to repeat the words so he could be certain he had not imagined them.

"Come on," Vincent urged, moving closer. "Tell me I heard it right. Say it again."

Bryce swallowed. "What did you hear?"

Vincent stopped beside the bed, close enough that his scent reached Bryce with renewed intensity.

"That I smell good too," he said, watching Bryce more closely. "And that my scent is driving you mad."

Bryce’s mind went blank.

Vincent held his gaze, waiting.

"Did you say it?"

Bryce did not answer, and his silence only seemed to make Vincent’s restraint increasingly difficult to maintain.

Bryce watched the man’s hands tremble at his sides, the slightest movement betraying the struggle he was fighting to keep under control.

"Come on. Say it again," Vincent murmured.

His fingers curled tightly into fists, as though the pressure alone might give him enough control to hold himself back.

This time, Bryce let the words leave his lips, in his real voice, quiet but unmistakably honest.

"It’s not just your scent driving me mad. Everything about you now is driving me insane. I..." He swallowed before finally admitting, "I want you."

The instant the confession left Bryce’s lips, Vincent leaned forward, caught hold of him, and pressed their mouths together in a kiss that was gentle despite the urgency behind it.

Bryce shivered at the simple contact. He tried to pull back, but Vincent refused to release him.

"I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet," Bryce murmured against his lips.

"It really doesn’t matter..." Vincent replied.

He kissed him again, his chest rising and falling heavily as he lowered himself onto the bed beside Bryce.

"Vincent, I don’t think we should do this right now. Dave is also right under this room."

Vincent groaned softly against his lips, the sound carrying more frustration than reluctance.

"What are you planning with the three of us?" he asked, shifting closer to Bryce as though he could not resist the need to feel his body against his, even for a moment.

Bryce did not answer because he had no answer to give. Instead, he moved closer as well, instinctively closing the space between them until their bodies met in a tight embrace.

Even without doing anything more, the simple closeness of their bodies stirred an unexpectedly intense wave of pleasure through them, making it increasingly difficult for Bryce to remember why he had been trying to keep distance from Vincent in the first place.