Her cheeks flush. “That would be dangerous.”
“Very dangerous.” I reach over, brush a strand of hair from her face. Let my fingers linger at her jaw. “Is this okay?”
She nods, and I close the distance between us.
The kiss starts soft. Tentative. Just a brush of lips, giving her space to pull back if she wants. She doesn’t. Instead she leans in, her hand coming up to rest on my chest, and I take that as permission to deepen it.
She tastes like wine and tiramisu. I cup her face in my hands and kiss her properly—slow, thorough, savoring every second. She makes a small sound against my mouth, something between a sigh and a hum, and warmth spreads through my whole body.
“Milo,” she whispers against my lips.
“Mm?” I don’t stop kissing her. Her jaw. The corner of her mouth. That spot just below her ear.
“We should...” She trails off when I find a sensitive spot on her neck.
“Probably.” I pull back just enough to look at her. Her eyes are soft, her cheeks flushed, her lips pink from kissing. She looks dazed. Beautiful. “You want me to stop?”
“No.” She says it immediately, then seems surprised by her own honesty. “I mean—I don’t know. This is...”
“A lot?”
“Yeah.” She lets out a shaky breath. “I’m not usually... I don’t usually...”
“I know.” I press my forehead to hers. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for. I meant what I said at dinner. We’ve got time.”
She’s quiet for a moment. Then she kisses me again—quick, sweet, almost shy.
“One more,” she says. “Then you should probably take me home before I forget to be careful.”
I smile against her mouth. “Would that be so bad?”
“Milo.”
“Okay, okay.” I steal one more kiss—longer than she probably intended—then make myself sit back. “Home it is.”
The rest of the drive is quiet, but it’s a good quiet. Comfortable. Her hand finds mine on the center console, and she doesn’t let go until we pull up outside her apartment.
I make myself get out. Walk around. Open her door like a gentleman.
She takes my hand and leads me up the narrow staircase to her door. When she turns to face me, back against the wood, the look in her eyes almost undoes me.
“I had a really good time tonight,” she says. “Best date I’ve ever been on.”
“Yeah?” I step closer. Close enough to catch the lavender in her scent. “Me too.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“I never just say things.” I brush her hair back, tuck it behind her ear. Let my knuckles graze her cheek. “Everything I say to you, I mean.”
“Milo...” She’s barely whispering now.
“I want all of you, Tessa. Not just the heat. Not just the biology. Everything—the spreadsheets, the color-coding, the way you forget to eat when you’re stressed. I want the mornings and the boring stuff and the arguments about where to put the throw pillows. I want it all.”
Her eyes are shining. “I want that too. I just... I’m scared.”
“I know.” I lean down, press my lips to her forehead. “That’s okay. We’ve got time. We’ve got Ben and Elijah. We’ll figure it out together.”
“But right now?”
