"All right," Severus whispered once she'd finished speaking, though he couldn't quite keep his eyes from sinking closed when she said she loved him again. That was twice now she'd said it, so evidently she had overcome that particular hurdle. Even if she might backslide a bit here and there, and even if she was afraid to tell him so before, it was nice to know she still felt that way about him.
He didn't want to rush her, but knowing that she would say that word again in reference to him was encouraging. Encouraging enough that he wanted to test the waters a little more. "May I kiss you?" he asked, after pulling back then to look her in the eye. She had told him before that he didn't need to ask permission, but things had changed since then, and now -- yes, he felt that he did. He hadn't asked earlier before pecking her temple, of course, but this time he meant on the lips, if she was willing to try that. But if not, or if she agreed at first only to panic in the middle, he would certainly understand.