Page 52 of Cold Ignition

Keanu stilled.

Alexios saw the moment it hit him.

Not confusion. Not resistance. Understanding.

Then all at once.

“You really don’t get it,” Rangi murmured, voice low near Keanu’s ear. “We’re not choosing between anything.”

Alexios watched the words land.

Watched the way Keanu’s shoulders shifted—not tensing, not pulling away, but adjusting. Accommodating.

Accepting.

“We’re completing who we are,” Alexios finished.

Keanu exhaled slowly, the sound rougher now, less controlled. “And you’re sure that’s what he wants?” he asked, glancing slightly toward Rangi.

Rangi didn’t hesitate. “I know that’s what he wants.”

Alexios’s mouth curved faintly. “And I really want to fuck you.”

Keanu’s eyes flicked between them. “You always this direct?”

Rangi’s lips brushed a grin into his voice. “Only when it matters.”

Alexios didn’t soften. “And this matters.”

That did it.

Keanu’s control slipped—just a fraction.

Enough.

Alexios stepped in fully then, closing the last of the distance, one hand lifting—not fast, not forceful—just enough to give Keanu time to stop him if he wanted to.

He didn’t.

Alexios’s fingers brushed the side of his jaw, light at first, testing, reading.

Keanu didn’t pull back.

Didn’t question. He leaned into it. Choice made.

Alexios’s grip tightened slightly, thumb pressing just under his chin, tilting his head up a fraction.

“I was so fucking jealous when Rangi said he got to taste you,” he said quietly. “My turn.”

And kissed him.

Controlled.

Deliberate.

A claim made with precision instead of force. Keanu froze for half a heartbeat—then answered. Not tentative. Not unsure. He leaned in, meeting the kiss with a force that matched Alexios’s control with something hotter, something sharper.

Alexios heard Rangi’s breath leave him in a quiet exhale behind them.