My lungs felt too tight. “Michael.”
“What?” His smile turned faintly smug, like he could tell he’d landed the hit. “You asked.”
I let out a rough breath and dragged him closer without thinking, forehead nearly touching his. “I’m trying not to mess this up.”
Michael snorted. “Daniel, we just had sex for the first time and you’re already looking for paperwork to file it under.”
“It’s not paperwork,” I muttered.
“It’s paperwork,” he insisted. “Your brain is so obsessed with doing the right thing it forgets you’re allowed to just… feel things.”
I didn’t have a good comeback for that.
Because it was true.
I shifted, pulling him tighter against me, making sure he was warm. Making sure he was here. “You okay?” I asked, softer.
Michael’s expression gentled. “Yeah.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.” He brushed his lips against mine, quick and sure. “I’m more than okay.”
I huffed a laugh, relief making my whole body feel lighter. “Good.”
“Also,” he added, eyes bright, “for the record?—”
I lifted a brow. “Oh, here we go.”
Michael grinned. “You’re not as intimidating as you think you are.”
I made a sound of offense. “Excuse me?”
“You do this whole Alpha stare thing,” he said, tapping my chest like he was claiming territory, “and then you ask me if I’m okay like I’m going to break.”
“I wasn’t?—”
“You were,” he said, smug. “It’s cute.”
“I’m not cute.”
Michael’s smile widened. “You’re extremely cute. Which is going to be very inconvenient for you, because now I’m going to say it all the time.”
I tried to glare. It didn’t work. Not with him this close, his body still warm against mine, his voice soft like he had nowhere else he’d rather be.
“You’re ridiculous,” I muttered.
“I’m practical,” he shot back. “And I’m telling you the truth.”
My chest tightened again, but this time it wasn’t fear. It was something steadier. Something that felt like a hand on my spine.
I stared at him for a long moment, letting myself actually take it in. The fact that he wasn’t running. That he wasn’t flinching. That he wasn’t making me pay for wanting him.
“I don’t want to lose this,” I admitted, because honesty was easier now that we’d already crossed the line.
Michael’s expression softened, something tender flickering across his face. He reached up, cupped the back of my neck, and pulled me close until our foreheads touched.
“You won’t,” he said simply. “Not because you asked a question.”
