[ He knows without question that he would do everything possible to assist her in moving forward and placing her past where it belongs: in the past. In some way, it is easier for him to envision assisting her with her needs than it is for him to attempt addressing his own. But that is indeed where the notion that they are partners and a pair comes in. They make up for what the other lacks. ]

They did, and I should have maintained it more than I have. [ He did the best that he could, but it still feels as though he could and should have done more. ] The very least that I can do is to see it restored to how it once was, with- with your assistance.

[ He notes the way her breath catches, and he zeroes in on that sound and that reaction. Strangely, or perhaps not so strangely, she is what causes him to react: not his own feelings or instincts, but hers. His own breath seems to be increasing in speed, as if his desires are heightening his senses and his reactions. ]

How do I want you? [ Somehow, his tone manages to sound deep and breathless at the same time, but he presses on even as he tries to determine just how he wishes to have her. ]

Give me an order. [ He realizes that might sound odd, and she has already given him one with her request to tell her what he would have her do. But his mind is spinning with so many possibilities that he cannot settle on just one. ] Tell me what you want, and I will do it.

[ And by way of addressing her last statement, he shifts just enough that he can place his mouth against the nearest part of her that he can reach, and he lightly presses his teeth against the spot. The goal is not to break the skin, but to tease. ]