Cormac gently rubbed small circles on her back, aching for the touch. He wanted to do more especially now, but he knew he couldn't. She'd never allow him anyway. She'd be proper and she'd push him away, regret him. The thought protruded into his mind, unbidden along with the idea that he should take the risk. He should pull on his lap, kiss her, stroke her skin. But instead he laid his hand flat on her back, trying not to push her forward as he wanted to.
He slid his hand out of her hair and then threaded it through the soft locks again, enjoying the texture between his fingers. When she pulled her head up a little to speak, he wished she hadn't. He had been enjoying the feeling of her skin against his neck, of her breath against his skin. But he laughed at her words anyway, feeling slightly heady from the kiss. He probably would have laughed at anything she said now. "Probably a good thing," he whispered in return, stroking her hair. He closed his eyes, holding her as much as he could in their position with the table between them and the awkward angle of his chair. It was good enough for him. He'd take what he could get and right now, this was all even when he wanted more.