"No," she agrees, lighthearted acknowledgement as she leans back and draws Lakshmi back with her on the bed, so she herself is against the pillows and she can still have her hands roam over her Rani, fingers dipping under the neck of her dress so the warmth of her palm and press more certainly against her breast. "But—"

Her earlier worries rear up again, and the hand pauses, draws back. "Is it wrong for me to want you so much right now?"

Should she stop? Should she ease away? Her mouth hangs close to Lakshmi's, so that they might share the same breath and she could steal a kiss so easily, if she weren't trying to hold back.