"I said I wanted that, didn't I?" Nathan asked, staring at her now. The second part had been a little sarcastic because he'd gotten a little off the rails but the first part had been genuine.

"Not thinking you'll do it is not the same as not wanting it," he retorted and...leaned across the chairs and kissed her cheek too. For some reason. He didn't know but it seemed like the thing to do. "I'm not a fucking dumbass."

Yes, he was. He was a dumbass who was trying hard but still a dumbass.