[BL]Reborn as the Empire's Most Desired Omega

The door opened without a knock this time.

Trevor stepped into the sunroom like he owned every square inch of air, light, and flooring, dressed in a dark shirt with the sleeves casually rolled and his platinum ring catching the sun like it had been cast there for dramatic effect. He paused just inside the threshold, eyes scanning the tableau in front of him, the half-finished lemon tart in Lucas’s hand, the soft linens, and the too-close figure of Benjamin LaVierre reclining in a chair like he belonged in the painting of someone else’s marriage.

Lucas, to his credit, did not jump up like a scandalized debutante. He didn’t move at all.

But Benjamin did.

He turned with a lazy smile that only sharpened at the edges when Trevor didn’t return it. "Ah, the husband arrives. Don’t worry, I was just being charming, not scandalous."

Trevor didn’t answer. He crossed the room slowly, methodically, the kind of pace reserved for inspection walks and war councils. When he reached Lucas, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to his temple, brief, proprietary, and affectionate in a way that warned off empires.

"Love," he murmured, "you forgot to lock the doors."

Lucas, eyes still on his tart, replied blandly, "I assumed Windstone would screen for invaders."

"He did," Benjamin said brightly. "He just likes me."

"Benjamin, what are you doing here?" Trevor asked while nudging Lucas for some space.

"To know the wife of my friend." Benjamin dramatically put his right hand on his head. "You run away to Saha, to Dax, from all people, and let me rot here."

Trevor didn’t budge at the nudging. If anything, he leaned further into Lucas’s space like it was a natural extension of territorial law. His tone, however, remained velvet-smooth. "I didn’t realize I needed your permission to leave the continent."