Cormac found it easy to ignore everything outside the kiss. The restaurant was alive around them; they were talking, eating, arguing, and even laughing. But it was all muddled in Cormac's ears. His attention and all his senses were directed at Astoria and how she felt. It was good enough for him at the moment. The way her hand moved from his cheek to his shoulder, made him let out a soft moan. He hadn't meant to, but it wasn't like he could take it back. Her hand was soft, but the grip was tight and purposeful. She wanted to touch him, to be close to him. The way she acted was all the permission he felt he needed this time around. This was permission. This was her permission to him as long as he didn't try to take it too far.
Surprising to him, she deepened the kiss even more. His hand stayed tangled in her hair as he responded in kind. The fact she was the one taking control and setting the pace of their progress was such a turn on for him. Most of the women he kissed or did more with let him have the control, let him set the pace, and do as he liked as long as it wasn't too far. Despite himself, he let her do whatever she wanted, just staying as he was and matching her enthusiasm and desire with his own. There was so many ways he could try to make things progress or even suggest that they go someplace else more private, but he didn't.
In the back of his mind, he made a small mental note that kissing her worked. Kissing her worked to curb the arguments and prevent both of them from talking and making things works. It was a great tactic, one that he could certainly use to his advantage in the future.