"I'm evaluating the situation," he corrected, though nothing had shifted in the past 48 hours, and truthfully, it was a bold-faced lie. He'd already assessed the risks and concluded that the situation was a mess—mostly a disaster. Moreover, he was actually staring.
"Sleep?" he gently teased, a warm affection in his deep voice despite the persistent crease in his brow since they'd been stuck in this situation. "No thanks, I'd prefer to keep staring."
After a beat he added, "Just to make sure you don't take a nip at me." And of course it sounded light and non-plussed but there was an unspoken question there that he wasn't ready to ask.
!!!
"Sleep?" he gently teased, a warm affection in his deep voice despite the persistent crease in his brow since they'd been stuck in this situation. "No thanks, I'd prefer to keep staring."
After a beat he added, "Just to make sure you don't take a nip at me." And of course it sounded light and non-plussed but there was an unspoken question there that he wasn't ready to ask.