Tess was expecting rage, but was glad that she was wrong as he held her close. It had been a while since she had been held close to someone. Not to mention she felt safe and protected from things around her. She was always forced to grow up, always forced to look after herself,and since then, she would do as asked.

His reaction to her touches surprised her. She wasn't the kind of girl that ever got that reaction, hell she was careful when touching an individual, always light and never with real meaning. But it made her feel powerful and wanted. She let out a shy smiled and kissed him softly. Pulling away she kissed his cheek then his neck and pulled back.

"We can be casual you know, I'll be there when you need me and when you heal we'll...we'll see how it goes."

Dorian kissed her back, not wanting to push her too hard without knowing how far she really wanted to take this. It felt like his world shifted in an instant, though, when she kissed his neck. It was soft, not asking for anything. But he couldn't hold back a low groan.

"Please don't do that again." He closed his eyes, hands holding the top of her arms a little too hard. He tried to control his breathing. "That is, unless you want to push those casual boundaries in a book store."

He couldn't help the smirk that slid easily into place. While it was fun to taunt her, he was completely serious. There was only so much he could take from a woman that he felt so strongly for. He relaxed his grip and looked at her, pursing his lips.

"But really...casual could be good. I just...can't deny how I feel when I'm with you. And I don't want to."

Tess blushed and pulled back eyes wide; the noise surprised her. She was surprised at the reaction, but sat across from him shyly. She nodded at his words not wanting to make it more awkward than it already was. She was surprised by his grip, but relaxed as much as she could.

She shook her head, cheeks even redder than before at his smirk. He was gaining confident again and a smile tugged on her lips. She was relieved that he was alright about the situation, she couldn't jump in the relationship. It had been a while and it frightened her.

"I'm not asking you to...just give me some time. You..you need to get better"

Dorian pulled back, afraid he'd scared her. He'd always been a physical person, better with showing than telling how he felt. But he did like the blush in her cheeks, so he didn't regret his reaction too much. He moved his hands down to hold on of hers, tracing the small lines in her palm. Trying to focus on that, he swallowed. "I know I do. And I'm trying."

And he was. Talking to Alec had helped. Not in an affirming way, but more of a confrontational, 'I'll fight against everything you believe' kind of way. Funny thing was, it helped. It made Dorian more sure of things. More certain that he wanted to see where things went with Tess. He'd always been a stubborn ass, why stop now?

Looking up at her through his lashes, he smiled softly. "So does casual mean I can kiss you?" He wanted to know where to draw the line, so he didn't overstep it...too far at least. "I just don't want to screw up."

Tess giggled and bit her bottom lip. He was so...casual about it, but yet asked for certain boundaries to make her comfortable. She looked down at their hands and pulled back slightly so she can sit more properly.

"I think that you can kiss me if it's an opportune moment" she said smiling.

She found it humorous, but she understood that he wanted her to feel comfortable and she took that in stride. It meant that he respected her, and she appreciated that.

Dorian matched her shy smile. He was willing to do just about anything for opportune moment after opportune moment. But he knew that wasn't how he should act. He moved his hand up, linking his fingers through hers, delighting in the feeling of her small hand in his larger one.

"What constitutes as an opportune moment, to you?" He moved his hand up to caress the inside of her wrist lightly. He knew they weren't jumping into anything, but he wanted to know her more. What she liked, what she didn't, if she was ticklish. He may be putting his eggs in one basket, like Alec said, but he figured it was a way to work towards moving on.

Speaking of, he raised an eyebrow. "So, any idea what i need to do to work towards healing? Cause I'm new to this."

Tess was amused at how they were working as if this was a business proposal, but she went along with it, playing with his fingers as he grabbed her hand. She smiled softly at his question and looked up at him.

"When you know the timing is right" she teased. "Sometimes you just feel that it's right, and well..I'd like a bit of a surprise"

She shyly gazed his direction and shivered as he caressed her wrist. She tugged her wrist and giggled softly. At his question she tilted her head and thought.

"Therapy? I know that Victoria is a counselor for..well for students but maybe she can help?"

Dorian smiled brightly at her reaction on her wrist. She tugged away, but he only moved further up, caressing the inside of her elbow lightly, delighting in her shiver. His smile slid into a smirk when he looked into her eyes.

"You may not want to leave it open to interpretation like that. I could make anything the right time." He let his other hand wrap around her neck, pulling her to an inch away from his lips. "Especially with you."

After a long look at her lips, he pulled back. He never felt like he needed a reason to kiss someone. For him, kissing was second nature. A way to show the person how you felt when words failed you. He never just kissed to kiss, every one meant something. At her mention of talking to Victoria, he sighed.

"It's not that I think I don't need help, I'm not that stubborn." He paused to think. "Well...actually I am that stubborn. But I just don't like the idea of opening up to someone else."

Tess rolled her eyes, so he was still the pompous arse. She smirked and shook her head, still not pulling away from his contact. It was comforting and she liked it, so she leaned forward to get in a more comfortable sitting position.

Her eyes widened as she was soon pulled down to meet him. Her cheeks flushed immediately surprised at how smooth he was and how she wasn't in control any longer. Her eyes began to close, that is before he pulled back leaving her dazed and confused. Once she came back to her senses she nodded.

"Then you work on yourself" she replied. "And when you're ready...we'll see."