WHEN Wulfric opened his eyes, all he saw was the inside of his open virtual pod and the dull ceiling above. Confusion clouded his mind for a split second before the memory crashed back in. Hot, seething frustration flooded through him. One moment he’d been living the best experience of his life, then the next he was ripped away from it without warning.

What kind of cruel joke was this?

No, there had been a warning. He just hadn’t cared. Why would he? His heart was racing because he was kissing Aster, for crying out loud! If his heart gave out from sheer happiness, so be it.

He knew VirtualNet had safety protocols. If the system detected abnormal bodily functions, it would forcibly log the user out. The virtual pods constantly monitored things like heart rate and brain activity. Wulfric had never given it much thought before. With his elite physique, what could possibly trigger such an emergency logout? Yet here he was, kicked out by the system for the first time in his life… because he’d gotten too excited while kissing Aster.

But who could blame him? That kiss had been everything. Aster’s lips warm and eager against his, the way his body fit perfectly in Wulfric’s arms, the little sounds he made when Wulfric deepened the kiss. Every second of it had been overwhelming in the best way, lighting up every nerve in his body like fireworks. Of course, his heart had gone wild. How could it not when Aster kissed him like that?

And now here he was, lying in his pod like some overexcited teenager who couldn’t handle a simple make-out session. The frustration burned through him, not just at the system, but at his own body for betraying him at the worst possible moment. He’d waited so long for this, and some stupid safety protocol had ruined it. His fingers clenched against the pod’s padding, the memory of Aster’s mouth still fresh enough to make his pulse kick up all over again.

No, this wasn’t acceptable. He needed to get back immediately. What if Aster thought he’d logged out on purpose because he regretted their kiss? Though realistically, Aster probably knew better. It was clear Wulfric had been anything but reluctant. If this had happened in real life, his… enthusiasm would have been painfully obvious.

Speaking of which… he glanced down and took in the very noticeable problem straining against his pants. Apparently, his heart wasn’t the only part of him that had reacted strongly.

Wulfric shook his head and immediately reached to close the pod lid, desperate to get back to Aster. But the second his fingers touched the controls, a bright warning message flashed across his vision.

[WARNING: USER’S HEART RATE STILL ELEVATED.

ADDITIONAL PHYSIOLOGICAL ALERT: DETECTED ABNORMAL SWELLING IN GROIN REGION. RE-ENTRY TO VIRTUALNET RESTRICTED UNTIL VITAL SIGNS STABILIZE.]

“What the fuc–!!”

***

Astrid blinked several times, but Wulfric remained gone. The other just vanished. What the hell? He sat up, already planning to send Wulfric a message through their VirtualNet friend connection. They had already added each other, like any normal people meeting up in a virtual space would.

As he reached to open the message panel, his thoughts drifted back to what just happened. They’d kissed. It might have been in the virtual world, but it still happened. This had been his idea to begin with. It might not have been the best thought-out plan, since it could make him seem like a tease, but he had simply gone to do the first thing that came to his mind.

The truth was, he’d wanted to kiss Wulfric for a while now. He just hadn’t been brave enough to try it in real life.

And maybe his hesitation was for the best. Because judging by his own reaction to the kiss, Astrid wasn’t sure he’d have stopped Wulfric if things had gone further.

The memory of the kiss played vividly in his mind. The way Wulfric’s lips had slotted against his with perfect urgency, like they’d been made to fit. He remembered the rough scrape of teeth when Wulfric got too eager, the way his own fingers had automatically tangled in that soft white hair to pull him closer. Most of all, he remembered the dizzying realization that he wanted Wulfric with the same reckless intensity Wulfric probably felt for him.

That was the problem, really. The kiss had been over too soon, but the want it stirred hadn’t faded. If anything, getting just that small taste made the craving worse. Now he kept imagining how it might have gone if the other hadn’t suddenly disappeared. Where Wulfric’s hands might have wandered, what noises he could’ve drawn out of him if given more time. The thoughts were dangerous, because they made Astrid consider doing something stupid, like trying this again where it actually counted: in the real world.

Astrid sighed. At this point, maybe he should just forget about waiting until he won a Best Actor award to give Wulfric an answer. They had already crossed a line, virtual or not.

He shook his head. That was a problem for his future self. Right now, he needed to figure out why Wulfric had suddenly disappeared.

A knock at the door made Astrid look up. Had Wulfric teleported outside during their kiss? But that didn’t explain the knocking. This was Wulfric’s island, he wouldn’t bother with formalities here. Yet according to Wulfric himself, no one else should be able to access this place. Unless something went wrong with the system, it had to be him. Only one way to know for certain.

Astrid pushed himself off the couch and walked to the door. When he opened it, he found himself staring not at Wulfric, but at a man who commanded attention just by standing there.

The other was tall, with a build that struck the perfect balance between lean and muscular. His long black hair cascaded down his back like spilled ink, contrasting sharply with pale, flawless skin. His features were so striking they seemed unreal. But it was his eyes that truly caught Astrid off guard. A deep, vivid red that seemed to glow with their own light.

V-Valentine Davis?

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