Page 143 of The Hyena’s Guardian

Theron frowned faintly.

“No one has ever done that before.”

The quiet admission settled somewhere deep inside him.

Without a word, Theron lifted the towel and worked it gently through Matt’s damp hair, slow, careful strokes that chased away the lingering chill. Matt simply stood there, eyes half-closed, accepting the care without trying to interrupt it.

Only after Matt was warm did Theron reach for a second towel.

Matt watched him dry himself, his gaze following every movement with quiet appreciation. There was no embarrassment in his eyes anymore. Only affection. Only want.

“Bed?” he asked softly.

Theron met his eyes and nodded. “Yeah.”

They left the bathroom together, stepping into the small room where the only light came from a single lamp beside the bed.

Theron stopped at the foot of the bed. His hands hung at his sides, uncertain. He'd spent so long learning how to take, how to claim, how to fill the space he was given. But this, this was different. Matt wasn't asking him to take. Matt was offering something Theron didn't know how to name.

Matt noticed. Of course he noticed. He crossed the room, his bare feet silent on the concrete floor, and stopped in front of Theron. Close enough to touch. Close enough that Theron could feel the heat radiating off his skin.

“You don't have to know what to do,” Matt said softly. “You just have to be here.”

Theron's jaw tightened. “That's the part I'm not good at.”

“I know.” Matt's hand found his chest, palm flat over his heart. “But you're learning.”

Theron let out a breath. Slow. Measured. His hand came up to cover Matt's, fingers threading between his. “What do you want?”

The question hung between them. Heavy. Honest.

Matt's gaze didn't waver. “I want to surrender to you.” The words came out steady, but Theron felt the slight tremor in his hand. “I've never done that before. Not really. Not with anyone I trusted.”

Theron's heart stuttered. “Matt…”

“I trust you.” Matt stepped closer, pressing his body against Theron's, warm and solid and real. “I want to give you that. All of it. But I need you to take it slow.”

Theron's hands found Matt's waist. Gentle. Grounding. “I can do slow.”

“Good.” Matt's smile was soft, almost shy. “Because I'm not going anywhere.”

Theron leaned in and kissed him. Not the desperate kiss from the cave, not the searching kiss from the shower. This one was careful. Reverent. A promise made with lips and tongue and the steady pressure of his hand cradling Matt's jaw.

Matt melted into him. His hands slid up Theron's chest, over his shoulders, fingers curling into the damp hair at the nape of his neck. He made a sound, low, pleased, that vibrated against Theron's mouth and sent heat curling through his gut.

Theron walked him backward, one step at a time, until the backs of Matt's knees hit the mattress. He pulled back just enough to look at him, at the flush spreading across his cheeks, the way his chest rose and fell with quickened breath, the trust in those warm eyes.

“Lie down,” Theron said, offering an invitation rather than giving a command.

Matt did. He settled onto his back, the sheets cool against his skin, and looked up at Theron with an openness that made his chest ache.

Theron followed him down. Braced himself on one arm, his body hovering over Matt's, close enough that their breath mingled. He didn't rush. He let himself look, at the curve of Matt's lips, the line of his throat, the way his hands rested loosely at his sides, waiting.

Theron turned his head and pressed a kiss to Matt’s palm before lowering himself, his mouth finding the hollow of Matt’s throat. He tasted salt, warmth, and the faint tremor of Matt’s pulse beneath his lips.

Matt tipped his head back, offering more. Theron followed the line of his throat with slow kisses, moving across his collarbone and down his chest. His lips brushed the hard plane of Matt’s stomach before settling against the jut of his hipbone.

Matt’s hands fisted in the sheets. His breath came in shallow gasps, his body arching into every touch. Theron felt the power of what Matt offered him. It was not control. It was trust, complete and unguarded, and Theron would do nothing to break it.