Marcus inhales a little, surprised all over again by Dan's words, and he finds himself fighting a smile as he stands from the sofa. Even after all this time in Darrow, after people actually wanting him, after a relationship with two of them, he's still surprised by the attention and Dan's words make something deep inside him stir pleasurably.

He wants that, too, to pull Dan down onto the couch with him, to kiss him again until they're both breathless and the inevitable next step comes around, but he'd meant what he'd said. This isn't only about sex. He wants to do this properly.

"Come on, then," he says, heading for the door and then extending his hand toward Dan. "We've got a dinner reservation to make."