“Was that your button?” he asked once I was, presumably, where he wanted me.
“Think so,” I said, grinning up at him.
“Sorry,” Xander said, with a smirk that said he wasn’t sorry at all. All the same, he plucked the remaining buttons open one by one, taking care not to lose any more. “I’ll sew it back on.”
“You know how to sew?” I asked.
“I can just about stretch to buttons.” He grinned back at me. “Can you not sew a button?”
I shrugged. “My tailor does it.”
Xander dissolved into laughter, shaking his head, but he was still smiling at me, eyes dark and full of promise. “Your tailor. You really are something.”
“Sexy?” I asked, full of hope.
“Oh yeah, definitely that,” Xander said, his gaze dropping as he eased my undershirt out of my pants too, looking at the exposed strip of skin like it was everything he’d ever dreamed of.
I gasped as he slid his hand under the fabric, shoving it up as he explored, touching me like he couldn’t imagine doing anything better with his evening.
“You brought me flowers again,” he said, glancing up at me. “Starting to think it might mean something.”
“Means I like you,” I said. What was the point in lying to him? I liked him. He’d been so brave today that I could barely believe it, and I liked him a little more for that, too.
I was starting to think I liked him the maximum amount, but now was maybe not the time to say so.
“Means you like me enough to learn floristry,” Xander said, still trailing his fingers over my skin, apparently determined to torture me now. “I think that’s more than anyone else ever has.”
“You deserve more,” I said, because he did. So much more. Xander was so sweet, he’d been so brave for me today without me even asking for it.
Thatmeant something, too.
Aside from anything else, it meant Xander deserved the world.
“I’ve got what I want,” he said, swooping down to kiss the tip of my nose. “You’re right here. That’s all I want.”
I tilted my head up to catch his lips, letting myself run my fingers through his hair, indulging in the feel of him, the smell of cinnamon and sugar andXander, under all of it, warm and masculine and comforting.
“Kinda just figuring out that you like kissing me as much as I like kissing you,” Xander murmured between kisses, treating me to another one.
“More, maybe,” I said, rubbing my nose against his, eager for more contact. “I could do this all night.”
“You could?” Xander asked, backing off just far enough for me to see his raised eyebrow.
“I could,” I said, brushing my thumb over his lips. “We can, if you want. Or not. We can lie here and talk about our day. You can kick me out and have some peace and quiet.”
Xander shook his head. “Rather have you here,” he said.
I smiled up at him. “I’d rather be here,” I said. “But I don’t need anything from you to want to be here. You’ve got that, right?”
“I’ve got it.” Xander nodded. “With you, I’ve got it. And uh. Same applies to you, obviously. I’m just happy you’re here.”
“I know,” I said, sliding my fingers into his hair again.
“But umm,” Xander added, “I did, uh… grab some things, while I was getting groceries.”
Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. Was Xanderblushing? That was usually my kind of thing.
I watched as he opened up the nightstand drawer and pulled out…
