"I'm sorry," Laurent murmured, again. He did not apologize easily or often, but it was not his way to intentionally disorient someone who was vulnerable to him.

Hugging close to Damen, Laurent cuddled up against his side, head on Damen's shoulder and legs tangled loosely around one of Damen's legs. As much as he wanted to continue, cuddling was much more appealing at the moment. Damen's broad chest was warm and solid, and he felt safe like this.

"I enjoyed that," he said, tracing the line of Damen's collarbones. "Even though we didn't get very far."