'We have not done this in earnest until this moment,' Laurent told him. 'But tenderness, yes. There was not much time, but we stole moments when we could.' Laurent's head tilted as he considered. 'The first time was not so tender.'

The pads of his fingers felt cool, as if brushed by Damen's tongue, and though Laurent wanted to reach for more he found he did not want to move away, not even for the chocolate or cheese or his own glass of wine. He wanted to touch Damen's hair, the soft fall of it where it curled against his neck. He wanted to push it back, to perhaps press his lips to the skin revealed beneath. His eyes tracked the long tendon his mouth might follow.

'You were expecting something more Veretian?' he asked. 'More whips, perhaps, or chains.'