[action]

[He tries to place her on the bed as gently as possible, but if her head bounces a bit, the gentle headbutt doesn't really slow him down. Then the soft mattress is under his hands and knees, and he's suddenly worried that hovering over her will make her feel threatened. Instead of straddling her, his knees are to one side of her, maybe that will help her feel less trapped, because he is not about to have the presence of mind to snap out of it at the first sign of her discomfort.]

I love you.

[Whispered between kisses, like a butterfly ghosting across her lips. The backs of his fingers tentatively brush against the fair olive skin of her neck, skin that is uncharacteristically soft to belong to someone like her.]