I think I can manage being collateral damage
A breath of laughter hitches in his chest, quiet but genuine, his lips curving into the faintest smile at her reply. It’s not the words that undo him so much as the tone; the warmth layered over mischief, her restraint wrapped in suggestion. His hand stays where it is, firm and unobtrusive, but he doesn’t pull away just yet. "I suppose it would be irresponsible," he murmurs, as if he’s the one needing convincing. "Abandoning a schedule. Losing control of the variable environment." The words are scientific, sterile even, but there’s no mistaking the glint in his eye as he says them.
With a soft click of his tongue, he glances toward the next stall. "We'll take detailed notes," Ever says at last, a little wry, a little breathless. "And reconvene on the question of...inappropriate suggestions in a more private testing environment. How does that sound?"
Then, as though the moment never crackled with heat at all, he adjusts the samples in his hand and starts toward the next display, clearing his throat. "Do you see anything here you’d like to touch, Isla?" The aviator smiles innocently down at her. "Within reason, of course."
With a soft click of his tongue, he glances toward the next stall. "We'll take detailed notes," Ever says at last, a little wry, a little breathless. "And reconvene on the question of...inappropriate suggestions in a more private testing environment. How does that sound?"
Then, as though the moment never crackled with heat at all, he adjusts the samples in his hand and starts toward the next display, clearing his throat. "Do you see anything here you’d like to touch, Isla?" The aviator smiles innocently down at her. "Within reason, of course."
.
