Blacktail Deer Plateau guys and dolls

The male's blood pressure spiked when she shouted - they were at the rendezvous point, and anyone could hear. It made him anxious as hell, but he kept a cool head and rolled to his side, propped up by one elbow - a more passive position than he'd been in before. He didn't speak, but watched her pace away, brows creeping up his forehead at her reaction. He'd not meant for her to yell - perhaps snap at him, or brush him off and walk away. But not yell.

While he'd thought, at first, that only fear had caused her this distress, Murdock now wondered if he'd misread her emotions. Perhaps she was more affected than he'd realized - the heavy breathing could be explained that way. But he didn't want to take any chances on that, and either way, he'd given her an out. She'd stopped him.

"As you wish," said Murdock with a respectful dip of his head, with no small amount of regret souring his tongue. If he'd ever had a chance at Pema, he feared he'd ruined them by acting rashly. Perhaps he was simply getting to be too long in the tooth to play these sorts of games.