Hyperion chuckled at the question. "I'm a man, love, we never plan to get into trouble, yet we constantly find ourselves in it anyway," he pointed out, grin a bit crooked as he looked down at her, wondering how many times he would have to see her before she stopped striking him momentarily speechless. She was so bloody gorgeous, and he was determined that she would be his. It was insane, to feel so strongly so quickly, and he knew there was still a whole world of things to learn about her, but never with any of the many women he'd dated had he ever felt this immediate surge of this could be it.
For all their talk of eloping already, he'd never thought he would have a woman in his life he'd seriously consider doing that with. He kept wondering if he should pinch himself for as much as he'd thought about it over the last twenty-four hours. And he did have to keep reminding himself that it had only be a day.
"Not bribery!" Hype countered in mock-outrage. "It's a token of my affection. Nancy understands." Though he could see in her expression that the gesture had gotten to her in just the way he'd hoped it would. Oh, he'd have gotten the cat a treat just for the fact that she'd led to her mistress running into him, but that ZJ was clearly taken in by the gesture made it all the better.
One eyebrow rose at those words she spoke as she took the flowers from him. "Oh, but I am, Zahara," he murmured, wanting to reach out to her, to wrap his arm around that expanse of bare skin at her midriff, pull her to him and kiss her senseless. But no. He had Plan, and he intended to stick to it.
Only then she was turning the tables on him, and he stood very still as she leaned up and kissed the corner of his mouth. Tease. But he didn't kiss her back, didn't wrap his arms around her, didn't pull her close. Later. After fun and food. "You're welcome," he managed to get out, voice a bit gruff with the effort to not give in to temptation.
As ZJ went off to put the flowers in water, his eyes followed her until the movement of ginger fluff caught his attention. Hyperion crouched down and held his free hand out to the cat, giving her the opportunity to smell him before holding his other hand out to her, palm up with the treats resting in it.