Page 34 of Mass Sins

“Careful,” he teased, “I might take that as a challenge.”

I chuckled softly and sipped the last of my champagne before putting the glass down next to his. I had only had three glasses of the champagne, and while I could easily hold my liquor, I was feeling light-headed.

To be fair, I didn’t think it was the alcohol making me feel that way.

It was Joska who kept looking at me with intensity, and so much focus. It was as if he could see right through me.

There was a beat of silence between us again, but it was charged this time. The kind of quiet that makes you hyper-aware of everything—the soft glow of the lamp, the scent of the peonies mixing with the warmth of his cologne, and the way his thumb had started to absentmindedly trace circles over the back of my hand.

“Thank you for tonight,” he said softly, his voice lower now, almost a whisper.

“You don’t have to thank me,” I replied, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. “I’ve enjoyed every minute.”

He tilted his head, his gaze flickering from my eyes to my lips and back. For a moment, I thought he might lean in and kiss me again. My heart hammered, anticipation rising in my chest. But instead, he pulled away just slightly, like he was fighting an inner battle.

“I’m trying really hard to do this right with you, Bennie,” he admitted. “I want this to work.”

I watched him closely as the things Sin and Tabor told me about Joska came back flashing in my mind. His demeaner, the way he spoke to me so sweetly, and the way he treated me were nothing like he had been described by them.

How could he have had such an incredibly intense sex life, but was being so careful with me?

I licked my bottom lip before sucking it in and biting down on it gently as I thought about what to say next. When my eyes met his again, I decided I wanted to hear about his naughty past from him directly.

“Sin has told me things about your past with women,” I whispered, hoping not to ruin the everything.

“Yeah?”

I nodded, pursing my lips.

As quickly as I started that conversation, I wanted to end it again. But I couldn’t. I had to know about that side of him. And I needed to know if I was able to keep up with it.

Chapter 13

JOSKA

She wasn’t trying to test me. She was trying to figure out if she was ready for the dark part of me. She wasn’t like the women I had been with before. Those women were with me for fun, and none of them had ever wanted more. Or vice-versa.

I had always been honest with them, making sure they knew that after a night together, I didn’t want to see them again. Because back then, I never fucked the same woman twice.

With Bennie, things were a little different.

We were dating, and though this was only our second date, we both knew there was something strong growing between us. And if things ever went further, I for sure wanted to do it all over again, every day, for the rest of my life.

I reached out to take her hand, holding it in my lap while caressing the back of her fingers. “What do you want to know about my past with other women?” I asked, showing her that I would be open to answering whatever questions she had.

She studied me with her pretty brown eyes, gathering her many thoughts. It seemed like she was fighting an inner battle, with a gleam of amusement and curiosity flashing in her eyes. “Did you really have a threesome before?”

Out of all the things I thought she would ask, that wasn’t one. I laughed and squeezed her hand gently. “Did Sin tell you that, or my brother?”

She pursed her lips and shrugged. “Both. So, is it true?”

I nodded, smiling gently at her. “Yes, it’s true. I’ve had a couple.”

“And…the women you had them with…were they, like…” She stopped and furrowed her brows. “Were they religious?”

“I don’t know. I never asked them about their religion.”

The tip of her tongue came out to lick her lips, and I watched her face closely as she struggled to find more words. She was battling with her faith again, unsure how to feel.

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