Because Reyn had already assured Selona she wouldn’t risk the scheme to catch the counterfeiters—assuming Velario apologized—and because she did not want to talk about it still, Reyn attempted to head Lisca off. “Velario and I had a fight, and we haven’t worked it out yet.”
Lisca nodded. “Considering the sparks between you two, I’m guessing you’ll need a full night to work it out.”
Reyn blinked. “A full night?”
Lisca nodded. “Angry sex to start, but make-up sex by the morning, no doubt.”
Reyn prided herself on not blushing at references to sex or what people got up to in private. She even made her own innuendos, though she didn’t speak of such things quite as bluntly as Lisca. In short, she did not act like an innocent and prudish Moialan maiden.
But as worldly as she tried to be, she had still grown up in Moial, where such talk was taboo. There was much she did not know. “Angry sex is a thing?”
“Of course. Anger is just another form of passion. I bet in the middle of yelling at Velario you were thinking about tearing his clothes off.”
“Uh, not really.” Reyn already had misgivings about sex. Hearing Velario accuse her of being a shameless flirt had not encouraged her to want to engage in such an activity with him.
“Really? I admit, I find that hard to believe.”
“I’m not really interested in anything beyond kissing,” Reyn admitted. Not that she was interested in kissing Velario. No. But this was a topic Reyn had struggled with for months. She wouldn’t mind talking it over at this point. “Sex is rather a disappointment in my experience. I’d rather stick to the enjoyable parts.”
“I take it my earlier assumption that you and Velario were already lovers is wrong?”
“I have not slept with Velario,” Reyn confirmed. Heavens, she was thinking about it, though. Sex was uncomfortable, frustrating, and dissatisfying in her experience. But she knew it wasn’t that way for everyone. And she could imagine kissing Velario. It wouldn’t be gentle or tentative, not with him. Lisca was right. Anger was a form of passion. There was plenty of . . . passion between her and Velario.
Lisca spoke hesitantly. “Reyn, how many men have you slept with?”
“Two. I thought I was falling in love the first time and learned the hard way not to mistake a man’s lust for love. He was a disappointment in more ways than one.”
“And the second?”
“Chosen specifically because I wanted to see if a different partner changed the outcome for me. It did not.” Reyn closed her eyes and admitted her theory about both experiences. “I think my lure is the problem. The men weren’t interested in me. My lure drew in them. We’ve already figured out that I employ my lure most heavily when flirting. And I flirted quite a bit with both of those men.”
“Reyn, Khiran’s natural lure is stronger than most of the lures you have ever thrown out. I admit, there seems to be some quirk to your lure that gives it more impact than the power behind it accounts for, but even so, it is not something to feel guilty about. Your lure is not to blame for those men being inconsiderate lovers. I hope you do not ignore your own desires because of a previous bad experience. Even if you had the misfortune of two bad experiences. And I feel I really ought to mention that Velario is Lhanaperan—he knows the importance of pleasing a woman.”
Reyn shook her head. “My lovers weren’t Moialan. One was Vairainian, the other Daaljene. They should have known, too.”
“I can say with certainty that Velario has never left a woman unsatisfied.”
Reyn glanced at the still closed door. Lisca must have told Khiran not to come until she sent for him. “Did you and Velario ever . . . ?”
Lisca laughed. “Heavens, no. As much as I like him, he was always Selona’s annoying cousin to me.”
“Then how do you know his skills in bed?”
“Reyn, he is the heir of Family Ferrini and likely to be our next king. Do you really think gossip that good would ever go unspoken?”
“You make a compelling case.” A case that started with a faulty premise, though. Reyn wasn’t interested in Velario. She only spent time with him because of the counterfeiters. Then again, maybe that was the best way for Reyn to decide once and for all if taking a lover would ever be worth pursuing.
Lisca had dismissed her lure, but she had also admitted that Reyn’s power did odd things. Velario had already shown himself resistant to her lure. He might be the perfect test subject.
A test. That was all Reyn wanted. A controlled situation in which she could determine once and for all if her lure had impacted her previous experiences.
It had nothing to do with how comfortable she felt draped over Velario’s shoulder when he sat at his desk in the bank. Or how much she enjoyed pressing close when they walked. Nothing. After all, she would never be so foolish as to have such urges for a man who insulted her the way he had.
“And the anger is back.” Lisca pushed the plate of cake closer to Reyn. “I’m a good listener, you know.”
Reyn smiled wryly. “I know. But I’m not a good sharer. I prefer to work things through on my own. And since I know Selona will tell you what Velario said, I don’t need to relive it.”
“Even if she wouldn’t—or couldn’t—you don’t need to relive anything that hurts you. So long as bottling it up doesn’t hurt you even more.”
“Does it feel like I’m letting things fester to you?” Keeping her worries and disappointments close had never felt detrimental to Reyn.
“No,” Lisca reassured her. “That’s why I won’t pester you. I think you have it right. Working things through on your own is how you come to terms with negative emotions. But I’m still here if that ever changes. Or if you just need someone to help you hurl insults at Velario.”
“Weren’t you singing his praises a minute ago?”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t recognize that he is not perfect.”
“I’ll let you know if I need any help with insults, then. For now, though, I think I want a distraction. Go ahead and tell your husband it is safe to come in.”
