For Leathan, the teasing was about intimacy. Never having been comfortable with discussing feelings or even really being all that smooth with the dirty talk (or even the innocent version of dirty talk) he had fallen into the habit of using teasing to let a girl knew he cared. Had he known that the habit had driven Sarah near to distraction with annoyance shock would have been his reaction. And no girl that he'd ever dated had ever seemed to be annoyed by it.

So, when Charlotte peeled herself from him and moved across the room, he was instantly perplexed.

For a long moment he said nothing to her question before he stood and moved across the room following her lead in pouring himself a drink. Holding up the crystal cut highball, he swirled the golden liquid before setting it down untouched, his voice strangely quiet as he answered her.

"I needed to see you. Needed to know you were okay. I'm feeling a bit like it was unecessary," his eyes slid to her face, "now."

It was clear by his expression and his tone that he didn't, for one moment, mean by that statement that he felt she was okay. Far from it. It was clear he was worried, deeply, about her.