Laurent swatted at Damen's wandering hands, giving him a stern look for it. "If you had the first idea how to be deceptive, I might suspect that you were just flattering me to get my attention onto other topics."

Extricating himself, Laurent scooted back so that they were no longer touching. He crossed his legs under himself, watching Damen's face and thinking. "Don't just start pawing at me if you want intimacy, Damen. If you want something, ask for it and negotiate for it."