He laughs under his breath. “That’s a dangerous thing to say to a scientist.”
“Why?”
“Because I can talk about this for hours.”
“I could listen for hours.”
I reach up and slide my fingers lightly into the curls at the back of his neck. His breath catches. “You’re brilliant,” I tell him.
His mouth opens like he’s about to protest.
“And kind,” I continue, brushing my thumb along the line of his jaw. “And ridiculously handsome.”
He shakes his head, clearly overwhelmed.
“I bet all the omegas and betas on campus have crushes on you.”
“I’m not sure the data supports that.”
I tug gently on his collar. “Come here.”
He lets me pull him down into the nest. We land together in the middle of the pillows, the blankets shifting softly around us. For a moment we simply lie there, close enough that I can feel the steady rise and fall of his chest.
Graham’s warning about keeping my omega happy rings through my brain. I mentally check in with her. She’s humming softly.
“Graham,” I say quietly.
“Yes?”
I meet his eyes. “I want this.”
His brow furrows slightly.
“With you,” I continue. “While I’m in charge and my omega’s in the backseat.”
My fingers curl into the fabric of his shirt. "This is all me."
I watch his face. I know he's going to say something about my omega, something careful and Graham-ish. So I get there first. "She agrees. But I'm the one making this decision."
He exhales slowly. “Are you sure?”
“I’m very sure.”
He doesn’t pull away when I lean in.
At first the kiss is soft, almost tentative. His mouth moves against mine carefully, like he’s still giving me the chance to stop. My fingers tighten in the fabric of his shirt, tugging him closer instead.
The hesitation melts a little. His hand comes up to my cheek, warm and steady, his thumb brushing lightly along my jaw as the kiss deepens. It isn’t frantic the way it was in the car last night. There’s no urgency pushing us forward. Just warmth. Curiosity. The slow discovery of something that already feels familiar.
When he finally pulls back, it’s only far enough to look at me. This close, his eyes are very green.
There’s a different kind of tension in his eyes now. He’s nervous.
Graham lets out a quiet breath and rubs the back of his neck, suddenly looking a little unsure of himself. “I should probably tell you something,” he says.
I tilt my head. “That sounds ominous.”
He huffs out a small laugh, but the uncertainty doesn’t leave his face. “It’s just… different right now,” he says. “When you had that spike yesterday, things were easier.”
