“Which would make ye a good laird,” Evina murmured thoughtfully. For a laird who had wide and varied skills and knowledge was surely better than one who knew only how to run a keep.
“Mayhap,” Conran said with a shrug, and then asked, “Would ye like more? Are ye still hungry?”
Evina glanced down at her trencher, surprised to find it was empty. The short walk to the table had apparently done her appetite good at least. Hopefully it was the first step in rebuilding her strength too, she thought as she shook her head, and murmured, “No, thank ye.”
Nodding, Conran took her trencher and set it back on the tray with his own. He then picked up the tray and headed for the door to set it out in the hall for one of the maids to get without disturbing them, and asked, “Would ye like to play a game at the table? Or return to yer bed now?”
Evina hesitated. She was feeling a little tired now that she’d eaten, but wasn’t eager to return to her bed, so in the end said, “Here is fine,” as he returned to the table.
Conran merely nodded and settled in his seat, but then glanced around and suggested, “Or we could sit on the fur in front of the fireplace. We could even have a small fire if ye like. There is a chill in the air tonight. I think a storm is coming down from the north.”
“That might be nice,” Evina said, glancing toward the fireplace. She’d noticed it was a touch chilly, but had assumed it was just her, something to do with her still recovering from her injury.
Conran was up at once and moving to start a small fire, and it was indeed small, a couple of logs and a few leaves to start it. While he was busy with that, Evina stood and moved the few feet to the fur, relieved when she managed to get there without becoming more than a little breathy.
“Here.”
She glanced to him with surprise when he was suddenly beside her, offering his hand to aid her in lowering herself to the fur.
“Thank ye,” Evina breathed as she arranged the plaid she’d wrapped around her shoulders cape-style so that it covered her properly.
“What would ye like to play tonight?” Conran asked, still standing.
“Whatever ye wish,” she decided, not really caring one way or another.
“We did no’ finish our chess game. Shall we try it again?” he asked.
Evina felt her cheeks heat up and closed her eyes briefly as she recalled why exactly they hadn’t finished the game, and what he’d done to her. She’d been nervous about meeting him again after his leaving earlier, concerned that she would be embarrassed by what they’d done and her responses when he returned. But with Saidh there, she hadn’t even thought about it, until now.
“If ye like,” she said in a strangled voice.
“Evi?”
She could hear the concern in his voice, but didn’t lift her head or open her eyes. “Aye?”
“Lass.”
Evina gave a start when she felt his hand brush her cheek and jerked her head up, her eyes blinking wide.
“Are ye upset?” Conran asked with concern.
“Nay.”
“Ye’re embarrassed,” he realized, and then shook his head. “Ye’ve no reason to be embarrassed with me.”
“I’m no’,” she lied.
“Nay?” Conran asked, a smile curving his beautiful mouth, and then he ran a finger lightly over her lips and asked, “Did ye enjoy our kissing this afternoon?”
Now her face was on fire, but Evina raised her chin and said honestly, “Aye.”
“I did too,” he admitted. “Would ye like me to do it again?”
She stilled at the offer, shocked to feel her body respond to just the suggestion. Her breasts tightened, the nipples hardening, and she felt a liquid heat pool low in her belly as if he was already kissing her. Swallowing, she raised her chin a little higher and nodded. “Aye.”
“I’d like that too,” Conran said, his voice becoming raspy. “May I touch ye too this time?”
Evina blinked. Touching? She’d enjoyed his touch and caresses in both her father’s room and the field. It was just the breaching she hadn’t liked, so she nodded again, her body beginning to tingle at the thought of what he might do to her.
“Thank ye.” Conran leaned forward as he murmured the words, his breath brushing her lips, and Evina was just letting her eyes droop closed in anticipation of his kissing her when she felt his hand at her breast. Giving a start, she pushed her eyes open again even as his lips covered hers.
Sighing, Evina leaned into him, her mouth opening before he even requested entrance. Conran accepted the invitation, his tongue sweeping into her mouth as he palmed, squeezed and then caressed her breast.
Evina wasn’t really aware of either of them moving or his urging her back to lie on the furs; she was just suddenly there, her arms wrapped around his neck as he leaned over her, kissing and caressing her. This time it was his fingers that traveled her body rather than his mouth, and in some ways, Evi enjoyed this more, because it meant he never stopped kissing her. She didn’t protest when she felt him tugging her tunic open to free her breast to his touch, Instead, Evina sighed into his mouth and arched her back, lifting her breast upward in an invitation he accepted at once. She moaned as his rough hand covered her breast and he began to toy with the erect nipple.
Her eyes opened when Conran broke their kiss to lean up though, and Evina watched through droopy eyes as he peered down at her. His face was a mixture of shadow and the dancing light from the fire, and she caught her breath at how beautiful he was even as Conran murmured, “Beautiful,” in a raspy voice.
The word made her glance down at herself to see that his body was casting her in shadow from the dim light creeping through her open shutters, while the fire was painting her with the same dancing light on his face.
He shifted slightly then, moving lower to claim her eager nipple with his lips, and she let her head fall back to the floor and moaned as he laved and suckled at it. When his hand moved down to her leg, she stiffened, but he immediately released her nipple to murmur reassuringly, “Just touching.”
Evina bit her lip, but then forced herself to relax, and he rewarded her with another kiss, this one demanding all of her attention as he thrust his tongue between her lips and reignited her briefly dampened passions. When his hand began to move up her outer leg, she simply enjoyed it, secure in the promise that it would be just touching.
She had enjoyed his touching her in the field, but that had been nothing next to his touching now. His hand moved up her outer leg, around to her behind and squeezed briefly, before continuing up her back and then around to slide across her stomach, pushing her tunic before it as he’d done while “kissing” her earlier. Evina sighed and moaned by turn as his hand moved over her, and then cried out into his mouth when it slid back down, not stopping until it was between her legs.
Conran caught the sound and deepened his kisses as he began to caress her there, his fingers dancing across her damp flesh with a deft skill that soon had her raising her knees and shifting her hips into the touch. When his finger slid into her, she stiffened, and waited for the pain, but there was none. Still, she remained frozen for a moment, just experiencing his touch as his finger remained in her and he continued to caress the center of her excitement with his thumb, and then she couldn’t bear it anymore and began to shift her hips again, pushing back as he stoked her fire.