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Chapter 45:Painted In Desire
publish date:
2026-06-22 07:33:29
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Every Shade Of Desire (short story collection) Chapter 58:The Night Before Deployment
Mateo stood at the kitchen counter, spoon stirring coffee that neither of them needed. The mug was warm in his hands, but his fingers still felt cold. Sam’s bags were by the door — packed tight, labels written in that neat block print he always used. The clock on the wall ticked louder than usual. 10:07. Eight hours until Sam had to leave for the base.Sam leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching him. Mateo felt the look like a hand on his shoulder. He stirred the coffee again even though it was already mixed. The spoon clinked against the side of the mug. He set it down. Picked it up. Set it down again.“You don’t have to make coffee,” Sam said. His voice was quiet. The same voice that had told stories across late-night phone calls for six years. The same voice that had laughed at Mateo’s terrible jokes during deployments when the connection was bad.“I know.” Mateo turned around. Sam hadn’t moved. His shoulders looked tight under the old gray t-shirt he always wore when he
Every Shade Of Desire (short story collection) Chapter 57: Overtime With Him
Eli stood in Rowan’s kitchen three weeks later, watching him chop vegetables like it was the most normal thing in the world. The knife moved steady. Rowan’s sleeves were rolled up, forearms flexing with each cut. Eli’s tie was already loosened, jacket somewhere on the couch. He leaned against the counter, beer bottle cold in his hand, and tried not to stare too obviously.Rowan glanced up. “You’re quiet tonight.”Eli shrugged. “Long week.” He took a sip, set the bottle down. His fingers tapped the counter once, twice, then stopped. He stepped closer instead. Rowan put the knife down. Their eyes met. Eli reached out, brushed a stray piece of onion off Rowan’s shirt. His hand lingered.Rowan caught his wrist gently. “Come here.”Eli went. Rowan pulled him in, kissing him slow. No rush this time. Just mouths moving together, hands sliding under shirts, breathing each other in. Eli’s fingers found the buttons on Rowan’s shirt, working them open one by one. Rowan’s hands slid down Eli’s ba
Every Shade Of Desire (short story collection) Chapter 56: Overtime With Him
Eli followed Rowan into the apartment without saying much. The door clicked shut behind them and the city noise outside faded to a low hum. Rowan’s place smelled like coffee and whatever cologne he wore that always lingered in the courtroom. Eli noticed the half-empty mug on the counter, the suit jacket thrown over the back of a chair, the way the lights were already dimmed like Rowan had planned for this.Rowan turned to face him. For a second neither of them moved. Then Rowan stepped closer, hand coming up to loosen Eli’s tie the rest of the way. His fingers brushed Eli’s throat. Eli’s breath caught. He reached out and tugged Rowan’s shirt from his trousers, palms sliding under the fabric to feel warm skin.Rowan pressed him back against the kitchen counter. Their mouths met again — deeper this time, less frantic than in the office but no less hungry. Rowan’s thigh slid between Eli’s legs, pressing up. Eli groaned into the kiss, hips rolling forward. Rowan’s hands gripped his waist,
Every Shade Of Desire (short story collection) Chapter 55:Overtime With Him
Eli sat at the long conference table long after the last signature had dried. The room smelled like cold coffee and expensive suits that had been worn for fourteen hours straight. Loose papers still scattered across the polished wood. Briefcases half-packed. The city lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows flickered like they always did at this hour, indifferent to the fact that four months of war had just ended with a few pen strokes.He should have left with everyone else. Instead he stayed, tie loosened, sleeves rolled up, staring at the settlement agreement like it might rewrite itself if he looked hard enough.The door clicked open behind him.Rowan.Eli didn’t turn around right away. He heard the familiar sound of Rowan’s shoes on the carpet, the soft exhale as the other man closed the door. The room felt smaller with just the two of them in it.“You stayed,” Rowan said.Eli finally looked up. Rowan stood near the window, jacket off, shirt unbuttoned at the collar. The city
Every Shade Of Desire (short story collection) Chapter 54:Faerie Contract
The final note of the gathering’s music faded into the trees, and the contract dissolved like mist at dawn. Cian felt it in his bones — a quiet release, the weight of obligation lifting. No more summons. No more binding words on ancient paper. He stood alone for a moment among the glittering guests, fiddle still warm in his hands, then slipped away from the lights without a word to anyone.He walked the familiar path through the in-between forest. The trees seemed to know him now. Leaves rustled softly as he passed, as if whispering secrets to one another. Golden light bled into silver between the branches, shifting and dancing with every step. His heart beat faster the deeper he went. He wasn’t called. He was choosing.Aeron waited in the deepest glade, the one where the light pooled like liquid amber and the moss grew thick and soft. He stood near the ancient oak, cloak draped loosely over his shoulders, silver eyes catching the strange glow. When he saw Cian, something in his postu
Every Shade Of Desire (short story collection) Chapter 53:Faerie Contract
The final note of the evening’s performance still lingered in the air when Cian slipped away from the gathering. His fingers ached pleasantly from the strings, and his heart hadn’t quite settled. The forest path felt narrower tonight, the trees leaning in as if they knew something he didn’t. Golden light bled into silver between the branches, shifting with every step he took deeper into the in-between.He hadn’t been summoned. That was the part that made his stomach twist. He was simply walking, fiddle case slung over his shoulder, boots quiet on the moss. Part of him hoped Aeron wouldn’t be there. Another part — louder, more honest — hoped he would.Aeron was waiting in the small glade where the light pooled like liquid amber. He stood with his back to a ancient oak, cloak draped loosely over one shoulder, silver eyes catching the strange glow. When he saw Cian, something in his posture changed. Not much. Just a slight straightening of his shoulders, a slow tilt of his head.“You cam
Every Shade Of Desire (short story collection) Chapter 20: The Lighthouse keeper
Cara stepped off the supply boat onto the narrow dock and the wind immediately whipped her hair across her face. The island felt smaller than the photos suggested. Eleven acres of rock and grass and one tall white tower cutting into the grey sky. She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder an
Every Shade Of Desire (short story collection) Chapter 17:Bent By My Rival
Three weeks of this hell.Three weeks of Jonah’s chaos bleeding into her space. Three weeks of pretending the taped line on the workbench still mattered. Three weeks of catching herself staring at his hands, his mouth, the way his jaw flexed when he was focused. Three weeks of going home wet and an
Every Shade Of Desire (short story collection) Chapter 16:Bent By My Rival
Nadia pushed open the lab door at 6:45 exactly. The quiet was supposed to be hers. The clean workstations, the ordered tools, the space where she could think without anyone breathing down her neck.Jonah was already there.Of course he fucking was.His side of the lab looked like a bomb went off. S
Every Shade Of Desire (short story collection) Chapter 14: Wrong playlist
The car ride was torture. Forty minutes of stolen glances and hands almost touching on the seat between them. Mara’s apartment building came into view and her heart was already racing so hard she felt dizzy. The second the door clicked shut behind them, everything exploded.She shoved him against t
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