Bella would have never in a million years believed she would be so visibly affected by attention from a gentleman, but then again there had never been one who had been so forward about it. Her cheeks flushed pink and her lip fell from between her teeth and tightened into a bashful, tight smile for the moment. The tension was just too much — and then he'd went and touched her on the face. Oh Merlin, her senses were now completely overloaded.

His efforts seemed to be very intentional, which made her feel even more feminine and weak — in a good way. Despite the fact that she rivaled him in height, she felt utterly small and at his mercy. Mr. Crouch had specifically told her he had no intention of getting himself attached to her, and she'd responded with a similar sentiment. That, however, was the farthest thing from her mind when his breath touched her face and he turned the question on her.

Her impulsive behavior made a stellar appearance in that moment, when the tension between them completely broke. "I'm thinking that you're so short," she breathed. "Which, coincidentally, makes it much easier to do this."

And with that, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.