"Next time you'll wait for my experienced orders...", you growled over your shoulder.

A soft laugh pressed against your back.

"Sorry.", Jayce breathed a kiss on your shoulder.

You pulled a face, slid out of bed and rubbed your back.

"I can already feel that I'm going to be sore tomorrow..."

Jayce just smiled sheepishly. While he straightened his shirt, you collected your clothes from the floor and slipped into them.

A quick glance in the mirror and you realized that you looked horrible. Anyone would be able to guess at a glance what had happened in this room. Maybe it would be possible to sneak out of the party early.

Furtively, you glanced over your shoulder at Jayce. Maybe you could continue at your place. He straightened his sleeves.

"Should we fix the bed?", he asked. "We've left... marks."

Your gaze fell on a few stains left on the ruined sheets. For the first time, a quiet moment had arrived and there was enough time to look around.

You had landed in a bedroom, tastefully decorated and cozy. Long strands of fabrics hung in a dome from the ceiling. If you had to guess, it would have been too big for a guest room.

You were also standing right next to a dressing table full of perfumes. There was a familiar smell in the air.

"I think we should get out of here as quickly as possible.", you let a hand run through his hair to fix it as best as possible.

He frowned.

"But there will be a next time.", hope wavered in his voice.

One look into his eyes was enough to tell you that you were in deeper than you had planned. And yet you had to smile.

"Anything is possible.", you breathed a kiss on his forehead. "Come on. We shouldn't get caught."

Nodding, Jayce let himself be pulled to his feet and walked after you like a little puppy, your fingers intertwined.

Discrete you slipped through the door as unobtrusively as you could in your condition and scurried down the corridor in the opposite direction from where you had come.

Jayce held your fingers tightly in his. His breath tickled the back of your neck. You had gotten a good distance along before a shadow crept across the floor.

Startled, he jumped behind a curtain and pulled you with him.

"How romantic.", you laughed softly.

A large hand suddenly placed itself on your mouth.

"Shh!", his warm breath caressed your cheek. "We don't want to get caught."

"Not yet..."

Carried by his strength, your back pressed against his chest. Your butt nestled against his crotch. It was like he was the line of a puzzle and you were nestled into your rightful place. The beat of his heart pounded between your shoulder blades as you both listened with bated breath.

The shadow continued to crawl across the floor, stopping just short of the window and watching the night sky turn colorful. The person stepped closer to the window to get a better look.

Your hand found its place on Jayce's thigh. As if by itself, he took it and squeezed it gently. You held your breaths.

If anyone saw you like this now, it would all be gone. No one would support you if they knew how close you really were. Not on friendly terms. At least not any more.

What you had felt in that moment had been far more powerful. You still thought you could feel him, the weight of his body on yours, the way he had merged with you.

The memory was enough to send a shiver through your body. Goosebumps crawled up your arms. Jayce seemed to be able to feel it. His breath shuddered briefly.

At that exact moment, another rocket exploded in the sky, swallowing up the sound. You couldn't have been luckier than you were that night.

Satisfied, the person outside the window moved on and disappeared without seeing you.

"We'll have to be more careful next time.", you muttered more to yourself than to him.

Jayce snorted in amusement.

"Next time we'll hopefully be in a nicer place.", he kissed the back of your neck. "In a familiar bed, for example. Without guests."

"Or in Medarda's territory...", you hurriedly pulled him on.

A tingling sensation had spread up your neck. It was electric, biting into your (S/C) skin and making you burn. Every breath of your left hand fed this fire and made your thoughts dance.

You almost missed the exit.

Jayce stopped, one hand around your waist. You exchanged a quick glance. You quickly adjusted his tie before your hand came to rest on the door handle.

But he suddenly put both hands on your cheeks and pulled you into a kiss.

"I'm glad you came to me.", he whispered. "Otherwise today wouldn't have been as beautiful as it was."

Life tasted like honey at that moment.

Or liquid gold?

Whatever it was, you had never tasted it so intensely before.

And suddenly you were hooked. So addicted that you put a hand on the back of his neck and smiled.

"Stay with me tonight.", you requested. "My bed is big and my arms are lonely."

Jayce's eyes wandered over your face. The green sparkled with silver stars.

"What does that mean?", he finally asked.

"Us.", you kissed him. "If you want it, then it means us together."

Swallowing hard, he licked his lips. A wide grin twitched at the corners of his mouth but he held back. Then a gentle nod followed before he opened the door with you.

Golden light flooded your eyes. For a moment, the world drowned in color. Music numbed numbed senses, mixed with laughter and voices whispering rumors to each other. The air was heavy with perfume.

But all you could think about was your fingers subconsciously detaching from Jayce. No one was allowed to know.

Not yet.

You didn't want people to think you'd manipulated him, used him for yourself. Then you would have been no better than Medarda.

Jayce glanced back at you hesitantly as your hands were enveloped in cold air. Gone was the familiar warmth, the feeling of security. Instead, a thousand eyes were on you.

Taking a deep breath, you lifted your chin and found yourself at the party, standing high up on the edge of a staircase.

Jayce was already two steps ahead. He had turned towards you and was waiting.