"You're terrible at telling me." It had to be said. Hartley pulled back, just enough to look into James' face. Time for honesty of his own too, he supposed. "I don't want you like I used to. I know you much better now. You're no longer just the most handsome guy I've seen outside of a magazine."

He was also significantly less sheltered, which helped. "So you missed out on a lot of flustering me just with a smile. Only have yourself to blame."