The challenge hung between them for one heartbeat. Two. Then Rome moved with surprising strength, flipping their positions until she lay beneath him on the mattress. His mouth claimed hers in a kiss that held nothing back, his body pinning hers with delicious weight.
"I prefer this view," he murmured against her lips.
His hands worked with methodical attention, removing her remaining clothes and touching each newly exposed area with thorough appreciation. His fingers traced the red lines that mapped her body—the Root-Type modifications that enhanced her thermal abilities while marking her as visibly different from normal humans.
Most men found them unsettling. Rome explored them with fascination.
"These are beautiful," he said, following a particularly intricate pattern across her ribs with his fingertips. "Why hide them under long sleeves?"
"Because most people find Root-Type modifications disturbing." She arched into his touch. "Catalyst-Types can pass as normal. We can't."
