Page 25 of Clubs

“I can smell it, Anise.” Frowning, he shook his head. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“I do want to.”

“You don’t have to lie—”

“I do want to,” I repeated, snatching his hand from his side and sliding it up my skirt. The cool feel of his fingers was shocking, and not in a pleasant way. And still, I said, “I swear, I do.”

Instead of touching my pussy, he brought his hand to my inner thigh and worked his fingers up and down slowly. He made sure not to touch that sensitive spot. “Then what are you afraid of?”

“Drogo, I’m not—”

“Don’t lie to me.” The words may have sounded firm, but they were so gentle rolling off his tongue, so concerned. “If you’re not ready for this, I’ll wait. Whatever we’re doing, I’m happy. We don’t need to rush.”

“I am ready,” I insisted. “It’s just… I want this. I want to give you this part of me.” Damn, I was cheesy. “And I know you’ll be careful. I know you won’t try to, but it hurts, and I’m nervous.”

Slowly, his head tilted. “Sex hurts?”

“Well, yes.”

Anise—or I, rather—said that with such confidence, it hurt my heart.

Drogo looked just as puzzled, just as sad for her, as I was. “I know the first time does, but it shouldn’t… You’re not a virgin, are you?”

I made a noise that expressed my annoyance. “Of course not.”

“And it hurts?” Still, he looked so confused. “Every time, it hurt you? He always hurt you?”

“It hurts us all,” I said. I truly believed it, too. “It’s different for men. It doesn’t hurt you. You’re going inside—you don’t have someone jamming inside of you. Of course it hurts. But it’s okay. I want that. I want you to feel good. So don’t worry if I seem nervous. I want it.”

“Oh, ol boaluahe.” My love. What a horrible pet name. This language, it was so harsh. The opposite of romantic. Love sounded so much better than ol boaluahe. “It shouldn’t. It’s not supposed to hurt. Does it hurt when you do it yourself?”

“When I do it myself?”

Oh, you sweet child.

“When you…” Drogo let out a half laugh. At first, at least. A few seconds ticked by, and that sadness came back to his eyes, and all the humor left. “You’ve never enjoyed sex. Alone, or with someone else, you’ve never enjoyed it.”

“Women don’t. That’s what my mum said.” There was so much confidence in my voice when I spoke those words. How dare a man think they understood a woman’s body better than I did? “Stop looking at me like I’m stupid.”

Jesus Christ, she thought sex was supposed to hurt? She’d never climaxed? That’s why she was scared?

This poor girl.

Frowning, he shook his head. “I don’t think you’re stupid, Anise. I just don’t think you’ve ever been with somebody who cared about your pleasure.”

I laughed at him. It was a quiet, annoyed little snort of a laugh, still so confident that he was wrong.

He laughed as well. “You don’t believe me.”

“I think women may have told you that they enjoyed it, but that doesn’t mean that they did.”

“Well, how about I do my best to show you how good it feels, and the moment it hurts you, or the moment you don’t like it, you tell me to stop.”

Smirking, I arched a brow. “We’re betting then, eh?”

“I suppose so.” His smile was far more devious than boyish this time. “Deal?”

“Deal.”

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