“I meant I made enough stew to feed both of us.”
That was a different story. The way I was raised, it was perfectly acceptable to eat someone’s home cooking, but another thing entirely for them to purchase a prepared meal for me. I didn’t know why, I didn’t make the rules, just tried to follow them. That rule was in the same rule book with don’t wear white after Labor Day, and insults should be followed with a ‘bless her heart.’
I gladly followed her upstairs to the apartment she kept above the shop. Halfway through the meal, she dropped a bomb on me.
“So, I have to know. Is it Alex or Roan?”
I sputtered through my slurp of stew. “What?”
“Which one are you dating? I’ve been dying to know, but I didn’t feel like it would be polite to ask. But you’re here, in my home, eating my stew, and you keep coming around. You obviously want to be friends—and so do I!”
Smiling, I nodded. I did want to be friends. “Neither of them. Well, both.”
“Both?” Her eyes widened.
“Not like that, I don’t think. Not yet, if ever.”
She grinned evilly. “Why not?”
“You know how the Supay practice polygamy?”
She finished her stew as she nodded, eyes on me.
“Alexander said they don’t have the market on it, and that they want to date me. But I’m not getting sexy vibes off of them, not really. They’re hot, and they’ve been beyond nice to me, but they’re not throwing off any flirtations or anything to make me think they’re serious.”
She frowned. “Dannan men are like that. In our culture it’s typically the women who are the aggressors.”
My jaw dropped. “No way. I had no idea!”
“Yeah, if they told you they’re interested, they’ll back off until you make the next move.”
“Oh crap, I wish they’d told me. They probably think I’m totally not interested. I am, I just don’t want some heavy relationship right now.”
“Do a little flirting. I’d say you’ll find they respond in kind. Plus, you know what they say about Dannan men in bed. It’s all true.”
“I donotknow what they say about Dannan men in bed!” If she didn’t spill it, and soon…
“I forget you’re not just new to the Dannan, but to the entire Unseen world. The Dannan men are known all over our world for their performance, but it’s not what people think.”
“What is it?”
“I’ll let you find out on your own. We are always sworn to secrecy. It’s a big game, really, making people guess what it could be.”
“So when a woman sleeps with a Dannan man, the woman willingly keeps the secret?”
She snorted. “Trust me, you will too. It’s more fun that way.”
“And it’s that good?” I couldn’t imagine anyone making me come harder than my ex had, and I’d tell anyone about sex with him. Toward the end it had been him getting off and leaving me wanting more anyway, but in the beginning it had been amazing.
“I’ll keep that in mind if the opportunity presents itself.”
“If it does, don’t be a prude. We live for a very, very long time. Millennia. The oldest of us remember the time when the gods walked the Earth, and they visited the Otherworld of our goddess Danu. Not many that old still walk the Earth, but there are a few.”
“I read about them in a book in Alexander’s library. They’ve lead fascinating lives.”
“My point is that sometimes we have sex just to have sex and there’s no shame in that. The last thousand years have been ridiculously prudish for humans. They used to be much more open and fun.”
“How old are you, Kelly?”
