suggestion. She hadn’t been allowed from her sickbed yet, so she’d sat up and he’d stacked furs and bolsters behind her to support her, and they’d set the board on her lap. Conran had then settled on the side of the bed, one foot on the floor next to the bed, and the other curled under the upper leg of the first as he faced her. It left her unable to escape his gaze in any way except to drop her eyes to the chessboard on her lap as she considered his suggestion. She had enjoyed his kisses. But that’s what had led to the other stuff that had led to the pain, she reminded herself. Her mind immediately argued that he was promising kissing only, and that might be nice.
Biting her lip, Evina struggled with herself briefly, and then gave one very small nod. It was all that was needed. His breath leaving him on a relieved sigh, Conran leaned across the chessboard, and pressed his lips gently to hers.
Evina remained still at first, just enjoying the featherlight brush of his lips over hers, but then his mouth pressed more firmly, and his tongue slid out. Closing her eyes, she opened her mouth to him and sighed as he filled her. It was as nice as she recalled, his tongue exploring and stirring a fire in her belly that had her moaning and easing forward, trying to get closer.
She was vaguely aware of the chessboard and pieces sliding from her lap and toppling off the bed to the floor as her arms crept around his shoulders, but Evina paid it little attention. Conran had all of that. Or his lips did, and the things he was doing with them as his mouth slanted over hers, first one way and then the other.
When his mouth broke from hers, Evina opened her eyes and stiffened slightly, but he was pressing kisses across her cheek. She gasped in surprise and shifted as his lips reached her ear and sent new swirls of excitement spinning through her. Conran’s mouth moved down her neck next, and he kissed, nibbled and scraped the sensitive skin lightly with his teeth.
Evina moaned and let her head fall back, her hands moving to cup his head now as he made his way down to the top of her tunic. She shuddered when he ran his tongue lightly along it, aware that she was panting, and beginning to shift her legs restlessly, and then his mouth lifted again. She opened her eyes and lifted her head, expecting and even eager to have him kiss her lips again, but instead his mouth came down on her uninjured breast, finding the nipple and beginning to suckle it through the quickly dampening cloth of her tunic.
“Oh!” Evina gasped, her hands clenching in his hair.
Conran lifted his head at once to glance up. Voice soft, he murmured soothingly, “’Tis all right, I’ll no’ touch ye. Kissing only.”
“Aye, kissing,” she breathed, and then bit her lip as he urged the loose neckline of her tunic off one shoulder with his mouth. When it dropped away to reveal the breast he’d been kissing through the gown, Conran claimed her nipple again, this time without the damp cloth in the way.
“Oh, God,” Evina cried, arching into the caress, and then shaking her head at the unbearable pleasure that coursed through her as he took most of her breast into his mouth and let it slowly slide out, his teeth lightly scraping the tender nipple as it escaped. He didn’t claim it again though, but instead laved the underside of her breast and then began to kiss his way down her stomach.
Panting with mounting excitement, Evina glanced down with confusion to see that the other shoulder of her tunic had somehow slipped off her shoulder. The tunic now lay around her waist, leaving her bare from her belly button up. Even as she noticed that, Conran lifted his head and kissed her lips again. This time his mouth was demanding and the kiss almost violent with need. Evina responded in kind, her arms tightening around his shoulders as he tugged away the pillows and furs propping her up and urged her to lie back.
The moment Evina was lying flat, he tore his mouth from hers and made another pass down her body, stopping to lavish her breast with attention, before continuing down her stomach. Conran’s kissing and nibbling stopped where the tunic and furs started, but then