"I thought you were trying to get my attention," I tell her, laughing quietly. This is still a new situation and I'd worried that I'd overstepped a boundary and maybe kissed somewhere that was off limits. I'd spent far too much time ignoring people that were in obvious need back home, I didn't want to do that now even if what Raven and I were doing right now was radically different than what took place back in Blackcliff.

"Everything is fine," I repeat, nodding. Right now, I believe that, I believe her. The constant swirl of guilt and tension that I carry around seems a distant memory and I take a deep breath to revel in that before smiling again.

I drop another kiss against her lips before dragging my own lips down her neck again, returning to where I was before she called my name and I thought she'd needed something. I keep her words in mind, that everything's fine, that she doesn't want me to stop and use those as encouragement to finally sneak a hand the tiniest bit up the side of her shirt so my fingers can press against the skin of her side. She's warm. Maybe she's warm everywhere and I go no further than that, wanting to make sure that's fine before I think about more.

Her shirt is soft under my lips and I move back and forth across the top of her chest, expressing appreciation and care and compassion and just flat out passion as best as I'm able with my mouth and lips.