Minutes blurred. Their mouths never fully parted; only far enough to gasp before diving back in. Tongues tangled and rolled, slick and hungry, tracing every corner, every secret. Saliva mixed, a thin strand glistening between their lips when they broke for half a second, only to crash together again harder.

Sophie's fingers were in his hair now, tugging, angling his head so she could lick deeper. Bruce's hands roamed, one sliding up under her top to palm bare skin, thumb brushing the underside of her breast, the other still kneading her ass in time with the roll of her hips.

They kissed like they were starving. Like the only oxygen left in the room lived in each other's mouths. Like if they stopped, the world might actually end.

And neither of them had any intention of stopping.

At this point it was clear that Sophie was hellbent on taking their relationship to the next level.

Their mouths were still fused, slick and desperate, tongues sliding in slow, filthy strokes when Sophie's trembling fingers found the first button of his shirt.

She didn't break the kiss; she just shifted her weight, thighs tightening around his hips as she worked the small disk free with one hand, lips sucking greedily on his bottom lip, then releasing it with a soft pop so she could whisper against his mouth.

"Bruce…"

Another button slipped open. Her knuckles brushed the warm skin beneath, and she felt him shudder.

"Let's do it," she breathed, voice ragged, fever-hot. "There's no need to wait any longer."

Third button. Fourth. The shirt parted slowly, like she was unwrapping something sacred. She dragged her lips along his jaw, nipping just below his ear, then back to his mouth, kissing him deeper, swallowing the low groan that rumbled out of him.

"I'm dying to make love to you, Bruce…"

Her words dissolved into another kiss, slower this time, but no less hungry, tongue curling around his like she was tasting the promise itself.

His hands slid up her back, under her top, palms flat and possessive against bare skin. "Sophie…" His voice cracked on her name, rough with want. "You have no idea how long I've…"

She silenced him with her mouth, kissing him until the words turned into a helpless sound in his throat.

The last button gave way. She pushed the shirt off his shoulders, nails dragging lightly down his chest, tracing every ridge and dip she'd only ever stolen glances at before. His skin was hot, flushed, rising and falling fast under her touch.

"I'm right here," she whispered, lips brushing his as she spoke, refusing to give him more than a breath of space. "I'm yours. Take me."

Her hips rolled again, deliberate, torturous, feeling him hard and straining beneath her. Bruce's head fell back for a second, eyes half-lidded, lips swollen and glistening.

"Sophie… baby…" He cupped her face, thumbs stroking her cheeks like he still couldn't believe this was real. "I want you so much it hurts."

"Then don't hurt anymore," she said, voice trembling with need and something softer, deeper. She leaned in, forehead resting against his, noses brushing. "I'm ready. I've been ready. Just… love me tonight."

Her fingers threaded through his hair, tugging gently so their lips met again, slower now, but burning, a kiss that said everything words couldn't quite reach yet.

"I want to feel you inside me, Bruce," she murmured into his mouth, the words raw, honest, shaking with how much she meant them. "I want all of you. Right now."

She kissed him again before he could answer, deeper, hungrier, shirt hanging open on his shoulders, her body pressed so close there was no space left for doubt.

Only want.

Only them.

Only tonight.

Just as their mouths fused again, slow, burning, lost in each other, Sophie suddenly stilled. Her lips froze against his. Her breath hitched. Her entire body went rigid on his lap. Bruce felt it the same instant she did.

A presence.

Heavy. Vast. Ancient in the way storms were ancient. A monstrous aura sweeping toward them with a speed that wasn't quite fast, but that made the entire room feel too small. Bruce's eyes sharpened.

This... This was nothing like Varek.

This aura dwarfed the guard captain like a mountain overshadowing a pebble. Solid. Immense. Absolute. If Varek was SS-Rank… this was something beyond. SSS-Rank, Bruce deduced instantly. And judging from the restrained pressure, this wasn't even close to full speed. Maybe ten percent. Maybe less. Enough to crush most people where they stood.

Sophie's breath grew uneven. Not lust. Not excitement. Fear.

Her heartbeat spiked so sharply Bruce felt it against his chest, jagged, panicked, frantic, as if old wounds were ripping open one after another beneath her ribs. His jaw tightened.

What a terrible way to ruin the mood… he sighed inwardly.

He slid his hands to her waist and lifted her gently, effortless, controlled, setting her down on the couch with a tenderness that contrasted the overwhelming danger outside. She looked small now, not in strength, but in the way someone looks when ghosts from their past suddenly step out of the dark.

"Sophie…" Bruce's voice was calm, steady, unshaken. "Don't worry. I'll handle this."

He rose to his feet, fixing the buttons of his half-open shirt without a hint of fluster. His heartbeat was steady. Grounded. Unmoving. But Sophie pushed herself up the moment he turned, shaking her head, eyes wide but burning with something fierce beneath the fear.

"No, Bruce." Her voice trembled, just barely, but there was steel beneath it. "Standing up to my father… has always been a dream of mine. Let me do this."

Bruce stilled.

For a long second he studied her, really studied her. The way her fingers curled into her own palms to stop their shaking. The way her breath dragged through her throat as if fighting an instinct older than memory. The way her spine straightened, inch by inch, as determination warred ruthlessly against trauma.

This wasn't fear of death. This was the fear of a child who'd grown up under a shadow so large it felt like a world. And yet she was rising to face it.

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