I think I can manage being collateral damage
"Your input, as always, is invaluable," Ever murmurs, trying for nonchalance, though the words catch somewhere between his dry wit and the sharp ache of her fangs in his memory. "Replicable results across multiple variables. Extended durations. Environmental controls." His mouth has gone dry.
By the time they’ve turned from the stall and his hand finds the small of her back again, Ever’s brain is calculating nothing at all. He leans in, just slightly, just enough for his hair to brush her temple, for his breath to stir beneath her ear. "I wish we could..." he begins, but the clever euphemism refuses to arrive.
His hand presses against her back, firmer now, as if holding her steady might keep him from falling apart entirely. "I wish we could test it right now," he whispers at last, voice low and uneven, before something cracks clean through him. His jaw tenses, and when he swallows, it’s with visible effort before he's shaking his head to do away with the metaphors. "I wish I could have you, right now."
By the time they’ve turned from the stall and his hand finds the small of her back again, Ever’s brain is calculating nothing at all. He leans in, just slightly, just enough for his hair to brush her temple, for his breath to stir beneath her ear. "I wish we could..." he begins, but the clever euphemism refuses to arrive.
His hand presses against her back, firmer now, as if holding her steady might keep him from falling apart entirely. "I wish we could test it right now," he whispers at last, voice low and uneven, before something cracks clean through him. His jaw tenses, and when he swallows, it’s with visible effort before he's shaking his head to do away with the metaphors. "I wish I could have you, right now."
.
