I chuckled as I leaned in. His eyes fluttered shut and his lips parted slightly just before I kissed him. He responded, leaning into me and kissing me back with a restraint and tenderness that made my knees weak. I had one hand cupping his jaw and the other at his waist, and he felt so right against me.

There was no arousal; my body didn’t usually react like that. But my heart was beating triple time, my blood singing, and my chest bloomed with a warmth I’d only felt a few times before. He took my breath away.

I slowed the kiss, and keeping my forehead pressed to his, I swiped my thumb along his jaw. “Wow.”

He laughed and his blue-grey eyes swam as if he were drunk. “Yeah. Wow.”

I hummed and licked my lips, enjoying the thrum of sensations kissing him had given me. Like he’d done to me before, I took his hand and placed it over my heart. “Feel that? That’s from you.”

He blushed and laughed it off, sliding his hand from my heart down my arm. It took him a moment, but he eventually met my eyes and there was uncertainty in his.

“You okay?” I asked.

He nodded and looked around the room, taking in the TV, the couches, and the small dining table. “I um…” He let out a breath.

I might have thought he was nervous but it wasn’t that. He was anxious. “Want that drink?” I asked, figuring he could use the distraction. I walked into the kitchen and hit the lights before opening the fridge. “I have bottled water or lemon-flavoured mineral water, which I sometimes add vodka to? Or Corona if you want beer, and tea or coffee.”

He was still standing in the living room where I’d left him, his hand in his back jeans pocket. “Um… water’d be great, thanks.”

I took two bottles and handed him one, then picked up the TV remote. “So, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Should I start at the first episode, first season? Or do I just skip straight to season three?”

It seemed to take a second for his brain to kick into gear. “Oh, episode one, season one, of course.” He walked around to where I was and sat slowly on the sofa. “Um, you can’t be a true fan if you skip anything.”

“True.” I waited for Netflix to load and found the thumbnail I was after and hit Play. I sat beside him, on the same couch, but not too close. I leaned back, put my feet on the coffee table, and plonked a cushion on my lap. “So, Sisko is the best captain or commander, whatever his rank ended up? What about Picard, or Kirk and Spock, or Janeway? There has to be a reason you picked Sisko.”