The afternoon meeting ran longer than expected, but when Guàn Jǐngchén finally stepped through the penthouse door, the tension in his shoulders melted the moment he saw Lin Yuè waiting for him.
Lin Yuè stood barefoot in the entryway wearing nothing but one of the CEO's white dress shirts — the hem brushing mid-thigh, sleeves rolled up messily, top three buttons undone to reveal the delicate line of his collarbones. His messy black hair was still slightly damp from a shower, and his big doe eyes lifted with that familiar shy softness.
"Welcome home," Lin Yuè said quietly, voice gentle.
Guàn Jǐngchén dropped his briefcase without a second glance and crossed the distance in three strides. He cupped Lin Yuè's face with both hands and kissed him — slow at first, then deeper, hungrier. The kiss tasted like relief and possession. His tongue traced the seam of Lin Yuè's lips until they parted, and he swallowed the soft sound the younger man made.
"You have no idea what you do to me," Guàn Jǐngchén murmured against his mouth, backing him toward the bedroom. "Coming home to you like this… wearing my shirt… looking like you were made for me."
Lin Yuè's hands slid up the CEO's chest, fingers working open the buttons of his suit jacket. "I wanted to surprise you."
"You succeeded." Guàn Jǐngchén's voice had dropped into that low, dangerous register that always made Lin Yuè's knees weak. He lifted Lin Yuè effortlessly, hands gripping the back of his thighs, and carried him to the bed.
He laid him down gently but with clear intent, crawling over him until their bodies aligned. The white shirt rode up, exposing the smooth skin of Lin Yuè's hips and the faint marks from previous nights. Guàn Jǐngchén's eyes darkened at the sight.
"Mine," he whispered, almost reverently, before lowering his head.
He started at Lin Yuè's neck — slow, open-mouthed kisses that turned into gentle sucking, leaving faint red marks that would bloom into bruises by morning. Lin Yuè tilted his head back with a soft whimper, fingers threading into the CEO's dark hair. Guàn Jǐngchén moved lower, unbuttoning the shirt with deliberate patience, exposing inch after inch of pale skin.
When he reached Lin Yuè's chest, he took one nipple into his mouth, tongue circling slowly while his hand teased the other. Lin Yuè arched with a broken moan, hips twitching upward instinctively.
"Jǐngchén… please…"
The CEO hummed in satisfaction, the vibration sending sparks through Lin Yuè's body. He continued downward, kissing and licking a wet trail over the younger man's stomach until he reached the waistband of the simple underwear Lin Yuè wore. With a single smooth motion, he pulled it off, leaving Lin Yuè completely bare beneath him.
Guàn Jǐngchén's gaze was hungry as he took in the sight — flushed skin, trembling thighs, and the obvious evidence of Lin Yuè's arousal. He wrapped a large hand around him, stroking slowly from base to tip.
"Look at you," he murmured, voice thick with desire. "So pretty. So sensitive. Every time I touch you, you react so perfectly."
Lin Yuè's breath hitched, hips bucking into the touch. "Don't tease…"
Guàn Jǐngchén leaned down and took him into his mouth in one smooth motion — hot, wet, and deliberate. His tongue worked skillfully while one hand held Lin Yuè's hips down. The younger man cried out, fingers tightening in the sheets, thighs shaking as pleasure built fast and intense.
Just before Lin Yuè could tip over the edge, Guàn Jǐngchén pulled back. He quickly shed the rest of his own clothes, revealing the hard lines of muscle and the obvious proof of his own desire. He retrieved lube from the nightstand, coating his fingers generously.
"Relax for me, baby," he whispered, pressing one slick finger against Lin Yuè's entrance.
Lin Yuè exhaled shakily as the finger pushed inside, then another, scissoring gently but thoroughly. Guàn Jǐngchén watched his face the entire time — every flutter of lashes, every bitten lip, every soft gasp.
When he finally replaced his fingers with himself, sliding in slowly inch by inch, both of them groaned. Guàn Jǐngchén buried his face in Lin Yuè's neck, breathing hard.
"So tight… so perfect… you were made for me."
He set a deep, steady rhythm — not frantic, but intense and claiming. Every thrust dragged against that sensitive spot inside Lin Yuè, drawing broken moans and whimpers from his lips. Guàn Jǐngchén's hand wrapped around him again, stroking in time with his movements.
"Look at me," the CEO commanded softly.
Lin Yuè forced his eyes open, golden-brown gaze glassy with pleasure and emotion. Their eyes locked as the pace quickened. Guàn Jǐngchén's thrusts grew deeper, harder, until Lin Yuè came first with a sharp cry, spilling over the CEO's hand and his own stomach.
Guàn Jǐngchén followed moments later, burying himself deep with a low, guttural groan, hips stuttering as he filled Lin Yuè.
They stayed connected for a long time afterward, breathing hard, bodies slick with sweat. Guàn Jǐngchén pressed soft kisses to Lin Yuè's face — eyelids, cheeks, swollen lips — while murmuring praises.
"You're everything," he whispered. "I don't know what I did to deserve you."
Lin Yuè's eyes stung with unshed tears. He pulled Guàn Jǐngchén down into a slow, emotional kiss, clinging to him as if letting go would make everything disappear.
In that moment, wrapped in the CEO's arms, Lin Yuè made a silent promise to himself:
He would protect this — this warmth, this safety, this love — for as long as he possibly could.
Even if the truth was coming.
Even if it would break them both.
End of Chapter 22