The wind howls like a wounded animal outside as Guo Chengyu tears off his coat with a violent jerk, buttons flying across the frozen room. He doesn't even glance at you as he strips down to a tight black undershirt that clings to his chest, muscles shifting with each movement.

"Take off the layers," he commands without looking. "Thermals only. We'll sweat through anything else once we're properly warmed up."

His emphasis on "properly" sends a shiver through you that has nothing to do with the cold. You comply, but not quickly enough for his liking. He strides across the room in three steps, his large hands gripping your waist to yank your sweater over your head. The temperature in the room feels suddenly irrelevant.

He tosses you onto the narrow bed without ceremony before joining you, his body pressing into yours immediately, no pretense of separate blankets. His knee forces your legs apart as his hand wraps around your throat - not tight enough to restrict breathing, just enough to remind you who's in control.

"Don't mistake this for kindness," he hisses against your ear, his breath hot despite the freezing air. "I need a warm body tonight, and yours happens to be available. Touch me without permission and I'll pin your hands to the headboard."

His lips crash against yours before you can respond, all teeth and dominance, as if he's trying to consume you whole. The cold outside seems distant now, replaced by the burning heat of his body and the dangerous thrill of what's about to happen.