Think nothing of it, please. [ He knows he will have to continue to reposition himself when his back begins to ache, but that is fine by him. What he wants is to know her through touch and exploration. ] I want- I mean to say, I would like to just enjoy these moments with you. [ Especially since part of him still believes that their time together will be short.

He will not allow anything to interrupt them, not even his own physical limitations or injuries. In his mind, they pale in comparison to his goal of learning more about her, so even if she does leave, he will at least have the memory of their time together to sustain him.

She rocks against him, and he thinks his senses all but flee from him then. But then she begins to touch his ear, tracing it lightly with her fingertip, and a sigh he had not known he was holding in escapes him. He relaxes further into the bed, knowing he is placing more weight on his still-injured back than he should, but he cannot help it.

Injured or not, he is more relaxed now than he can ever recall being, and he isn't about to fight against that relaxation. ]

I- Forgive me if this is premature, but I... [ His voice wavers, not with hesitancy but with emotion. ] I love... [ Why is it so hard to properly voice what he feels? ] I love you.