Elira's hands stayed on his chest, the pressure was firm enough to keep him seated on the edge of the bed, and for a second she only looked at him as if she was still deciding whether she was actually going to follow through.
Ray did not help her. He rested his hands on the mattress beside his thighs and waited with a smile still at the corner of his mouth.
"You already said it," he told her. "Now do it."
She exhaled, then climbed onto the bed and straddled his lap, the soft green dress bunching high on her thighs. The movement was less graceful than she probably wanted.
Her knees sank into the mattress on either side of him, and when she settled her weight the heat of her pressed against him through the thin fabric still between them.
A small, startled sound left her at the contact as her eyes widened, then narrowed as she forced herself not to pull back.
"Like that," Ray said quietly. "Do not apologize for it."
