That only confused Billy further. Only muddied the whole situation. If Mike had pressed on, insisted on making the kiss happen, Billy knew what to do. It would mean Mike was truly the evil thing he'd shown in that hotel room and Billy could have slammed that lid back on in a flash. But instead, Mike showed remorse. Awareness. Tenderness. Not the sort of things one expected to find in a mobster.

He needed to act fast. Especially since Mike apparently didn't know what to do. He was already seeing ways he could spin this and use it. What he could do to get the time he needed to get himself back together without compromising the mission. Carefully, he reached up and took Mike by the wrist. He deliberately pushed the hand back toward Mike.

"The first thing you need to do," he said, keeping his voice soft, still letting that fear show through, "Is to stop touching me. Just for tonight. It's...it's making everything worse."