There was no sudden mood swing. Ryland settled into the daring idea that Kethaias was finally going to do something about the attraction between them before they both went mad playing this game. Kethaias' voice was a low, pleased rumble, teasing him about what he might do.<br/><br/>Ryland stretched, the line of his body taut against the press of Kethaias' lips to his neck. "Ye-es," he said, and hoped for a bite. Something. The hand was gone, sliding down, and Ryland's stomach hitched at the tickling pressure. He tried to wriggle upward, to help it along its path to where he obviously wanted it, his hips lifted in a plea.<br/><br/><i>You don't think you're caught at all, do you? You think you've caught </i>me.<br/><br/>"The lure is in your jaws, but whether you've taken the hook remains to be seen." He squirmed, though, to make his point. He wasn't going anywhere, and they were trapped on a boat, with Kethaias running obsessive hands over him, threatening him.<br/><br/>The threats weren't unappealing.<br/><br/>What did he deserve? The aching he'd caused? Ryland huffed his own amusement. One of his hands was still cupping Kethaias, and now he was kneading, tracing the shape of him through the fabric. The other had gone back to his hair, the silky strands, where he could wind his hand around another braid before letting it unfurl from his wrist.<br/><br/>As he recalled, he'd had this on offer nearly the whole time he'd known Kethaias. If anyone had made him ache, it was Kethaias himself in the denial, in the wanting of<i>more </i>than this.<br/><br/>At least they weren't spoiling it now.<br/><br/>Ryland stroked the back of Kethaias' neck, urging him on. "Am I being punished?" It was probably a good thing Kethaias was busy at his own neck, because Ryland couldn't help his grin. Aching indeed, under his hand.<br/><br/>He almost missed the way Kethaias' cheek brushed his skin as his lips curved.<br/><br/>His hands stopped. The one at his neck smoothed around to his shoulder, to try to push him up, to<i>see. </i>"Are you<i>smiling </i>because of me?" He sounded delighted. "Wait, wait, let me see. That's not fair. It still counts!"