Vinny sat on the couch, staring at the shattered coffee mug. His hands were trembling slightly. The scent of coffee lingered in the air, mingling with the quiet tension that had settled like a heavy fog over the apartment.
Griffin had been gone for nearly an hour, and every minute stretched Vinny's nerves tighter. He tried to focus on something else, anything else, but his mind kept returning to the photos West had sent. Every angle. Every shadow. Every unguarded moment.
He could not breathe. Not fully.
Then came a soft click from the front door. Vinny froze. Griffin's key? No. It had to be West.
Before he could move, Griffin appeared in the doorway. His presence filled the room instantly. There was no warning, no introduction. Just Griffin, standing there, dark and unreadable.
Vinny's heart stuttered. "Griffin," he whispered. "Where—what—"
Griffin's eyes flicked briefly to the counter where the photos had been left. Then back to Vinny. "I handled him."
Vinny's stomach twisted. "Handled him? How? Is he… dangerous?"
Griffin stepped closer, closing the distance between them, dark eyes piercing. "He will learn not to cross me. He will learn what it means to watch what belongs to me."
The words carried no threat toward Vinny. Only toward West. And yet, the intensity was suffocating. Vinny felt small. Vulnerable. Desired. Possessed.
Griffin moved even closer, hand brushing Vinnys hair back from his forehead. "Do you feel it?" he whispered. "That rush? That fear? That pull?"
Vinny swallowed, unable to speak. Griffin's possessive energy was nearly tangible. The danger West represented heightened every sensation. Vinny's pulse raced, his chest tightening, and yet a strange warmth spread through him. He hated how much he craved it.
Griffin's thumb traced the line of Vinnys jaw. "Good," he said softly. "You should feel it. The world outside can wait. You are mine. Always mine. And I will protect you. But I will also claim you. Fully. No one will take that from me."
Vinny's hands clutched the edge of the couch. He wanted to resist. He wanted to escape. But every fiber of him was aware of the invisible tether Griffin had wrapped around him. The same tether that kept him alive and terrified all at once.
The sound of a phone vibrating on the counter made both of them glance toward it. Griffin's eyes darkened instantly.
West.
Vinny felt a cold knot form in his stomach. Griffin's jaw tightened. He did not move immediately. He simply stared, calculating, observing the threat, every muscle coiled and ready.
Then Griffin leaned close to Vinny, brushing lips against his temple. "Do not worry," he murmured, voice low, dark, possessive. "I will handle him. I always do. You just stay here. Safe. Mine. Do you understand?"
Vinny nodded, trembling. He did not trust himself to speak. Griffin's darkness, protective and obsessive, pressed against him in waves. It was terrifying. It was intoxicating.
Griffin picked up the phone, his fingers moving with deliberate precision. The message from West opened. The photo had changed. New angles. Closer shots. Vinny's image clear and vulnerable.
Griffin's lips curved into a small, dangerous smile. "I see you," he muttered under his breath. "I see you, West. You do not get to touch him. Not while I am here. Not ever."
Vinny watched the shift in Griffin. The warmth, the obsession, the darkness combined into a force that made him shiver. Griffin's grip on reality, on him, was total. And yet he knew Griffin would not hurt him. Not intentionally. Only claim, protect, and consume.
Griffin finally looked up at Vinny. "Come here," he commanded softly.
Vinny obeyed, stepping closer, letting Griffin pull him into his arms. The warmth of his body pressed against Vinny was nearly overwhelming. The scent, the strength, the dark possessiveness pressed into him, thrilling and terrifying at once.
"You are mine," Griffin whispered, pressing lips against the top of Vinnys head. "And no one, not West, not anyone, will take you from me. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Vinny breathed, though his heart still hammered with fear and desire.
"Good," Griffin murmured. His hands slid down to clasp Vinnys, holding him firmly. "Now stay. Safe. Here. With me. The world outside is irrelevant. I am your world. And you are mine."
Vinny's chest heaved. The dark obsession, the need, the protection, pressed against him. Every instinct screamed to run. Every instinct screamed to melt into Griffin's arms.
Because he knew. He was already too far gone.
And outside, West lingered. Watching. Waiting. Calculating.
But Griffin had already claimed him.
Completely.
Fully.
And there was no turning back.