Chapter 161: Chapter 161: The Intoxicating Scent of Jealousy

It was almost as if… they were a group of doting uncles or elders fussing over a young child in the family.

Julian surreptitiously cast a glance at Ethan Caldwell’s side profile. Well, he had to admit, there was a nearly ten-year age gap between them. In the eyes of these men, who were all around thirty years old and weathered by the world, a twenty-year-old university student like himself probably seemed like nothing more than a child in need of protection and pampering.

Julian and Ethan stepped into the dedicated private elevator. The confined and intimate space of the metal cabin immediately enveloped them, sealing them off completely from the hustle and bustle of the world outside.

Just as Julian reached out his hand, intending to press the button for the basement garage so they could head home, the large hand of the man beside him moved faster, intercepting his wrist. Ethan did not select the basement level as Julian expected. Instead, he deliberately reached up and pressed the button for the very top floor.

“Is something wrong, Ethan?”

The sudden, abrupt shift in the man’s demeanor took Julian Sterling completely by surprise. He turned his head, his eyes widening slightly as he looked up at Ethan Caldwell, seeking an answer in the older man’s expression. However, the man did not offer a verbal response. Instead, with a sudden surge of strength that allowed for no resistance, Ethan moved forward, using his imposing stature to press Julian firmly against the wall of the elevator cabin.

Thud.

Julian’s back collided with the cold, metallic surface of the elevator wall.

The sound of the impact reverberated loudly within the confined space, sharp and startling. However, despite the alarming noise, there was no actual pain. Ethan, ever the protector even in his moments of aggression, had moved with lightning speed to cushion the blow. His large, thick palm had slipped behind Julian’s head and back just a fraction of a second before impact, shielding the younger man from the hard steel. The sensation was not one of pain, but of sudden, overwhelming confinement. Nevertheless, the sheer unexpectedness of the ambush caused a soft, involuntary sound to escape Julian’s throat.

“Mmph…”

That quiet, startled protest was almost instantly transformed into a muffled whimper. Before the sound could fully form, the man had already lowered his head, swooping down to capture Julian’s rosy, parted lips with his own, sealing them shut in a dominant conquest.

It was rushed. It was urgent. It was undeniably aggressive.

The kiss Ethan Caldwell bestowed upon him today carried a flavor entirely different from his usual affectionate displays.

It still retained that underlying sense of cherishing, the gentle caress that Julian had come to know and love, yet threaded through it was a fierce, jagged vein of possessiveness. It felt as though Ethan were trying to punish him for some unknown transgression, or perhaps, he was struggling desperately to restrain a beast within himself. The kiss was restless, tossing and turning between tenderness and ferocity, saturated with a heavy, dark desire that spoke of carnal pleasure and raw need.

The man kissed him as if he wanted to devour Julian whole, to swallow him down into his belly so that they would never be parted. His arms, strong and unyielding, tightened around Julian’s frame like bands of iron, as if he intended to embed the younger man directly into his own flesh and bone. The tip of the man’s tongue was rude and invasive, prying open Julian’s dental arches with little patience. It swept inside, entangling with Julian’s tongue in a wet, heated dance, sucking and teasing with a lingering intensity that refused to let go.

Ethan’s breath was hot and heavy, laced with the rich, smoky aroma of premium whisky. It was a spicy, intoxicating scent that seemed to seep directly into Julian’s pores. As that alcohol-tinged breath puffed against his face and filled his mouth, Julian felt his own mind beginning to haze over. His thoughts, usually so sharp and clear, began to slow down, dragging through a mental molasses. It was as if he were getting drunk merely by osmosis, intoxicated by the very essence of the man pressing against him.

“Mmph… Ethan… ah…”

Julian tried to force out a few syllables of protest, his voice weak and trembling, but every sound was ruthlessly swallowed by the man dominating his mouth. Ethan’s hand clamped down on his waist, pulling him in with such force that their bodies were flush against one another, leaving not even a sliver of space for air to pass between them. The contact was absolute. Julian could feel the powerful, rapid thudding of the man’s heart against his own chest, a frantic rhythm that mirrored the chaotic beating of his own.

And, of course, it was impossible to ignore the other physical evidence of the man’s state. The scorching heat radiating from below, the hard ridge of Ethan’s desire pressing insistently against Julian’s thigh, told a story of arousal that words could never capture.

Logically, Julian knew that the elevator was only descending a single floor. It should have been a journey of mere seconds. Yet, in the suspended reality of that kiss, it felt as though an eternity had passed. Time seemed to stretch and warp, elongating the moment until the world outside ceased to exist. It had been long enough for Julian’s initial shock to melt away, replaced by a rising tide of arousal. He found himself thoroughly kissed into submission, his body responding instinctively to the man he loved.

Slowly, his resistance faded. Julian’s arms floated up, circling the man’s neck. His slender, fair fingers slid into the neatly trimmed hair at the nape of Ethan’s neck, gripping the strands as an anchor. He shifted from a passive recipient to an active participant, opening himself up to the invasion, gradually being swept away by the man’s torrential passion.

Ding.

The elevator’s arrival chime rang out, crisp and clear, shattering the thick, ambiguous atmosphere that had enveloped them like a fog.

The metal doors slowly slid open, revealing the corridor beyond. Only then did Ethan Caldwell pull back, though he did so with palpable reluctance. He separated from Julian’s sweet, swollen lips, drawing out a thin, glistening thread of silver fluid that connected them for a brief second before breaking. The man’s eyes were dark, incredibly dark, resembling a bottomless abyss where no light could escape. Within those depths, Julian could clearly see a storm of desire still raging, churning like violent waves in a pitch-black ocean.

Ethan said nothing. He didn’t need to.

Without a word of explanation, he simply shifted his grip. His strong hands moved to cup Julian’s buttocks, lifting him up effortlessly. In a face-to-face embrace, a posture that left Julian clinging to him like a koala, Ethan carried him out of the elevator. He strode purposefully down the hallway, heading straight back toward his own private suite.

This was the very same room where Julian had met with Lucas Hill earlier that evening to discuss business. Fortunately, the service staff at The Ebony Lounge were nothing short of exceptional in their efficiency. In the short time since they had left, the room had been completely reset. The space had been meticulously cleane. There was no longer any trace of the tea and pastries that had been there before. The lingering scent of food had vanished, replaced by the subtle, soothing fragrance of sweet orange essential oil, creating an atmosphere of relaxation that clashed ironically with the tension radiating from Ethan.

Click.

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