Dark with desire

RAFAEL

Who the hell was this guy?

I couldn't shake the image from my mind… the one that hit me the second I barged into Ricardo's room. I hadn't meant to walk in at that exact moment, but damn. The sight of him standing there, naked, his cock hard and unapologetic…

Hell.

I wasn’t into men. Never had been. But for some goddamn reason, my mind refused to settle.

I exhaled sharply, rubbing my jaw as I signaled one of my most trusted men. He stepped forward, waiting for my order.

"Follow the doctor," I murmured, keeping my voice low. "Stay out of sight. Make sure he doesn’t suspect anything."

The man nodded and slipped away without another word.

I sat down, exhaling slowly. My body felt tense… more tense than it should be. I ran a hand down my face, willing my thoughts to move on, but it was no use.

Because now, as I sat there thinking about the damn doctor, my cock was already hard again.

Damn it.

My hand moved almost on its own, slipping beneath the waistband of my trousers.

My fingers wrapped around my cock, already stiff and aching, and I let out a low groan as I pulled it free.

The cool air of the room did little to soothe the fire burning through me.

I reached into the drawer beside me, reaching for the small bottle of lubricant I kept there. My fingers trembled slightly as I squeezed a generous amount onto my palm, the slickness coating my dick as I began to stroke myself slowly.

The sensation was electric, but it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.

My mind betrayed me, conjuring images I had no business entertaining. The doctor

-Ryan- his perfect, round ass, the way his muscles had flexed as he'd turned to face me.

I could almost feel the heat of his body, the way he might tighten around me if I were inside him. My hand tightened around my cock, my strokes growing faster.

I closed my eyes, letting the fantasy take over, but then, in my mind, it was no longer my hand I was thrusting into, but him.

I could see his back arching, hear the low, breathy moans he might make as I pushed deeper, claiming him. The thought alone was enough to make my hips buck involuntarily, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Fuck,"

My grip tightened, my pace quickening as I chased the release that was just out of reach. The image of Ryan's face… flushed, lips parted, eyes dark with desire… flashed in my mind, and I felt myself teetering on the edge.

With a low growl, I came hard, my release spilling over my fist as my body shuddered with the force of it.

For a moment, I just sat there, breathing heavily. I barely managed to throw it over my lap before Ricardo strolled in like he owned the damn place.

"Ric, can you fucking knock?" I snapped, still catching my breath.

Ricardo took one look at me, then at the mess I was trying and failing to cover up. A slow smirk stretched across his lips before he let out a deep, amused laugh.

"Well, well, well," he drawled, shaking his head. "Here I was, thinking my dear brother was too busy for personal time."

His eyes flicked toward my lap, making it painfully obvious he knew exactly what had just happened. "But I gotta say, Rafe, didn’t think you’d be jerking off when there are plenty of women dying to have your dick inside them."

I shot him a deadly side-eye. "You done?"

Ricardo crossed his arms, still smirking. "Not really. I mean, should I be concerned? What the hell got you so worked up that you had to handle business right here in your office?"

I clenched my jaw, my fingers curling into the fabric covering my lap. If he only knew.

"Did you barge in here just to be a pain in my ass, or do you actually have something to say?" I gritted out.

Ricardo’s smirk faded slightly, replaced by something more serious. He studied me for a moment, then exhaled. "Actually, yeah. I came to ask you something."

I arched a brow, signaling for him to get to the point.

"Why did you come back?"

That caught me off guard. My grip on the fabric loosened slightly as I met his gaze.

Ric wasn’t the type to dwell on the past, and he sure as hell never asked personal questions unless he had a damn good reason.

"Why the sudden interest?" I countered.

Ricardo shrugged. "I don’t know. Maybe because for years, you didn’t give a shit about this life. You walked away. You left me to deal with all of it. And now, out of nowhere, you’re back. No explanation. No warning."

He lifted his head. "So, tell me, Rafe. Why?"

************

RYAN

I barged into Lucas’ office, slamming the door so hard the walls shook.

“What the hell, man?” I snarled, stalking toward his desk. “You just fucking abandoned me at the house!”

Lucas barely flinched, lounging back in his chair. His fingers tapped lazily against the armrest as he eyed me with mild amusement.

“The plan,” I seethed, slamming my palms onto his desk, “was simple. I was supposed to inject him with the antidote first, gain his trust, and then find a way to inject him with the real thing… the one that would kill him. And once he was down, that’s when you and your men were supposed to storm in and finish the job. But instead?” I glared at him. “You left me to fucking rot in there.”

Lucas exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple. “Relax, Ryan.”

“Relax?” I barked out a humorless laugh. “You better have a damn good explanation, because I swear to God…”

“Something came up.”

I froze. “Something came up?”

Lucas nodded. “I was handling something more important.”

More important? What could be more important than taking Ricardo down? Ricardo was his damn rival… his enemy.

“Is he dead?” Lucas asked casually.

I clenched my jaw, my blood boiling. “No, he’s not dead. The antidote healed him.” I leaned in, my voice dropping. “He should’ve been on the floor, barely breathing. Instead, he’s walking around like nothing happened. And on top of that…” I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. “Why the hell is Ricardo a twin?”

Lucas finally sat upright, his eyes narrowing. “What?”

“You heard me.

The room went silent.

Lucas’s expression shifted. His brows pulled together, his eyes darkening as he slowly stood from his chair.

“What did you just say?”

I took a step back. “You heard me. Ricardo has a twin.”

Lucas’s jaw tightened. He looked like someone had just told him a ghost was walking around. Then, suddenly, he shot up from his chair.

“His twin is alive?”

Wait.

He knew?

I narrowed my eyes. “Wait a damn minute… You already knew he had a twin?”

Lucas ran a hand down his face. “Yeah.”

My head snapped back. “And you didn’t think to mention that little detail?”

“I thought he was dead.”

“Well, he’s not,” I snapped. “I saw him. I saw Rafael.”

Lucas swore under his breath. He grabbed his phone, pacing the room. “This changes things.”

“No shit,” I muttered. “What the hell is going on?”

Lucas turned to me, and didn't utter a word. Then, after a moment of silence, he spoke.

“Change of plan.”