Page 34 of Pawns of Fate
“I’m not a virgin,” she declared, placing her hands on herhips.
“No prudes here.” Ava raised her glass.
“I’m not joking! I’ve had—” Rose inhaled as she decided how much she wanted to speak to Ava about this. She’d never talked with friends about the physical side of romantic relationships. “I’ve had a few lovers before.”
“Do tell,” Ava said conspiratorially. She leaned forward.
Rose blinked. She hadn’t expected Ava to ask for details, but couldn’t back down now.
“Well, there was the knight at the Dahtey Castle last year. He was a little more mature, which was quite nice.”
“Older men are so charming!” Ava gushed.
Rose tossed a pillow at Ava, who caught it with a surprising amount of ease for someone who’d drunk several glasses of wine.
“I had relationships with a few other men while I was… visiting their castles, never at the Robson estate. My uncle and aunt madethatimpossible.” She glanced over at Ava, who was still hanging on her every word. “I lost my virginity to an Ojoh warrior when I stayed with them five years ago,” she added tentatively.
“Tell me more aboutthat.It sounds so romantic, falling in love with a desert warrior!”
“Well, I was only twenty years old at the time.” Rose leaned into the plush couch cushions. “Camillus, that was his name, was quite young too, and he had just finished training to be a full-fledged warrior. He had his first armband.”
“What does that mean?” Ava interrupted.
“It’s how they show their rank as a warrior. They start with one and add more as they prove themselves in battle or defeat more powerful monsters. Camillus loved showing off his armband to me. He was becoming the best fighter in the whole village, though it was a tiny village, so that wasn’t much of a claim,” Rose said. She grabbed another slice of cheese.
“Camillus? What a pretty name.” Ava sighed, lost in a daydream.
“All of the Ojoh names are like that.”
“How long did you see him?”
“Just a summer. I only stayed with the Ojoh for five months that year. It was my first trip as collateral and, thankfully, short. I was quite sad when he ended things, but it was for the best. We had to sneak around the whole summer because we were both apprehensive about our families finding out. They never would have approved. It could have derailed the negotiations.”
“That’s still romantic. And fun. Sneaking around with your first lover! I lost my virginity to my childhood friend. It wasn’t nearly as romantic as what you’re describing.”
“I don’t know. The Ojoh Desert sounds more romantic than it is. Mostly, it’s just hot and full of rocks, sand, and monsters.”
“Hmmm.” Ava tapped her wineglass with a well-manicured fingernail. “You’ve never been to the Imperial City, have you? It’s crowded, and there’s no privacy. We used to have sex in my parents’ pantry if you can believe it.”
Rose laughed. “No, you didn’t!” She wiped a tear from her eye.
“Yes, we absolutely did. Logistics and shame rarely stopyoung love. It’s a good memory, even if sex with York is worlds better.”
Rose could hardly believe Ava had opened up so much. Of course, she had, too. Her heart felt strangely warm at the shared vulnerability.
“Of course, you’ll know all about how great sex is with a Sharp man after your wedding night.” Ava grinned like the cat who’d caught the canary.
Rose, not for the first time, wondered how much further she should let this conversation progress. Talking about old lovers they’d never meet again was one thing. Talking about sex with Nicholas was another.
“All of his previous lovers seemed satisfied, you know. I’ve only met two of them. Both were insufferably conceited and tried to lord theirnoble heritageover me.” Ava mimicked the previous lovers by sticking her nose up as high in the air as it could possibly go. “That blew up on them when Nicholas dumped them.” She hooted with laughter.
“Ava! You can’t tease me about that! It’s too… private!”
“Sorry, sorry.” She shrugged. “I thought it would be good news that your husband is an experienced lover.”
“I’m not drunk enough to hear that,” Rose replied, then poured another glass. “But perhaps by the end of this bottle, I will be.”
Chapter 11
