"Maybe not know," I admitted. "But you don't strike me as somebody who says things he doesn't mean."
Something eased in his expression as I held his gaze.
"For what it's worth, I wasn't looking for one either."
That earned me another questioning look that I couldn't even blame him for.
"We're standing in a hotel room, Thane."
"Fair point."
The corner of my mouth lifted.
"I'm not saying I wasn't hoping you'd come upstairs with me. I'm saying that wasn't the reason I walked across the bar tonight."
His eyes searched my face for a second, then he nodded. Some of the tension left his shoulders.
I stepped closer and reached for my coat. "Can I?"
He hesitated only briefly before turning his back to me.
I slid the coat from his shoulders. The wool was still cold from outside. Underneath, he wore a navy jacket that looked soft from years of use.
"That too?" I asked.
A surprised laugh escaped him. "You offering full-service coat check now?"
"Only for select guests."
He shook his head, but his smile lingered as he shrugged out of the jacket and handed it to me.
I draped both over the arm of a nearby chair. When I turned back, he was watching me. "What?"
His smile appeared slowly. Shy. A little crooked. The kind of smile that made me want to keep looking at him.
"Nothing."
"Liar."
The color in his cheeks deepened.
"You're pretty." I didn't think before I spoke.
His eyes widened. "Shut up."
"I mean it."
The flush spread from his cheeks down the side of his neck. For a second, neither of us moved.
"I'm nervous," he admitted.
The honesty in his voice hit me harder than it should have.
"Me too."
A surprised laugh escaped him. "Why? You're you. You could have anyone."
"Kieran."
