This time, he didn't have to assess the situation more than it took for her to voice her response.
It was crystal clear - there was no "yes".
It was true that it had been some time since he was involved with someone like this, not to mention a mortal - an ironic liability to his line of work. Something like this would put her most in jeopardy and draw her even closer into a world that she couldn't trust him in.
Maybe Karl. Maybe even Matt.
But not the God of Industrial Warfare.
Even so, Karl didn't budge to give her passage when she moved, his lips tightly pressed as the countdown started behind him. His hand moved from the wall to her neck, tracing lines to hold the side of her face.
Five! Four! Three!
He knew she told him no, it wasn't going to work, but his lips gravitated towards her anyways, portraying an attraction that wasn't going to go away any time soon, regulations or not. Mortal or immortal, undercover or reality.
Skin slid against skin as the whole world burst into applause and Karl gave into desire for the one person that he'd give anything to protect.