Cassandra took a sip of her drink, the bubbles bursting across her tongue. “I have no idea,” she admitted with a sigh.
“Has he tried anything?” Reena asked.
A month ago, the question—and her answer—would have inspired some serious blushing, but Cassandra’s cheeks remained cool. She internally patted herself on the back, celebrating her newfound maturity.
“We’ve…fooled around a few times,” Cassandra admitted, the confession inspiring a montage of seductive sensations.
Tristan’s warm, wet tongue gliding across her own. His fingers pumping between her legs. His ragged growl as he’d spilled himself down her throat. The purr of his filthy words:How badly do you want to fuck me right now, Daredevil?
And here came the blushing.
Not to mention a pulsing in her veins, sharper and more urgent than any she’d yet felt. As if the drops of his magic in her blood ached to reacquaint themselves with their source.
“Smells like you enjoyed it,” Reena cooed, taking a slow sip from her tumbler. “I assume you want to do it again.”
“No,” Cassandra answered, far too quickly to be anything but a lie.
“Why?” Hella asked, taking a loud, obnoxious slurp of her fruity drink.
“What’s the point?” Cassandra said, dejected. “He’s Fae and I’m mortal. It’s literally illegal for us to be together as anything other than master and consort. And I’ve never even been with anyone before. We could never be anything serious. Plus he’s…I don’t think he thinks of me as anything more than a friend. And occasional diversion. He told me about the woman he tried to Turn. He said he’s still in love with her.”
Reena cocked a groomed eyebrow. “Were those the exact words he used?”
Cassandra thought back to that heart-wrenching night at the bungalow, trying to recall Tristan’s precise statement.
“No, not exactly,” she admitted. “I asked him if he loved her and he said he would always love her.”
Reena knocked back the contents of her tumbler, then wiggled it at the bartender for a refill. “Okay. I’m gonna give you the benefit of the doubt because you’ve been sheltered behind the walls of that Temple for most of your life. Allow me to offer a new perspective.
“First, who cares if you’re a virgin? The best assets a female can offer in the bedroom are an enthusiastic attitude, a lack of judgment, and a curious willingness to try new things.Noneof that requires an ounce of experience.
“Second, sex is a blessing. No, fuck that. It’s a High-Gods-damnedright.Now that you’ve left the order, you owe it to yourself to explore. Have some fun! You’ve earned it. And I don’t think I need to tell you that you can’t ask for a better male than Tristan to explore with. He’s gorgeous, skilled, respectful…and just the right amount of dirty.” Reena winked. “You know I’m right.
“Third, Tristan couldn’t give less of a shit about the laws against relationships between Fae and humans. He’s damn near the reason they’re in place.
“And lastly, everyone holds a special place in their heart for their first love. Regardless of whether they ended up together or not. Just because he was in love once and it ended tragically, doesn’t mean he’ll never love again. Or that he’s still holding a candle for her. Have you talked to him about it since?”
“Well, no, but—”
“Don’t you think you should?”
Cassandra leaned back in her chair, bringing her glass to her lips and taking a long, thoughtful sip. The seeds of hope in her heart bloomed to life, nourished by Reena’s proclamations.
“What do you think, Hella?” she asked.
“I with Reena,” Hella declared, before regaling her tablemates with some very long, very descriptive stories of the many, many,manylovers she’d taken over her four centuries of life. Mortal and Fae. Male, female, and every gender in between. And in numerous arrangements often including more than two individuals. In Hella’s opinion, love, and the act of making it, was a joy to be shared with as many people as possible and without an ounce of shame or guilt or jealousy.
“But what if he doesn’t feel the same way I do?” Cassandra asked Reena, then gazed across the room at Tristan.
Her partner.
Her protector.
Herfriend.
The word was losing its sting.
“Oh, sweetie,” Reena said, her honey-gold eyes softening. “There’s only one person who can tell you that. But don’t you think it’s worth asking the question? Don’t let fear hold you back from experiencing something great.”
