Page 22 of Ensnared

Right.

Noproblem at all.

Imean, sure,I’vedelved into the racier sections of the romance shelves before, but my memories of the brief pagesIwas able to bring myself to read in no way make me more comfortable right now.Darnit!

Dominicclears his throat, his annoyance far less measured thanJasper’s. “Ifyou’re done getting off topic, she still hasn’t answered the question.”

Iscowl.

“Areyou a virgin?” he demands.

“One,”Imutter, realizingI’mnot going to be able to escape his questioning.Notorture devices needed, apparently.Ihave the backbone of a kitchen sponge. “I’veslept with one person.”

There’sa momentary silence.Jasperleans forward, concern creasing his brow. “Pleasetell meImisheard that.”

Isigh, cheeks pink, and my gaze drops back to my drink.HowcanIpossiblystillbe considered a dud in these circumstances?Thequiet rejection stings worse, in its own way, thanJaykob’sharsh judgment. “Myhusband is the only manIever slept with.Wemet when we were teenagers.”

WhenIwas so desperate for a friend.Whenhe was so desperate to be someone’s hero.Backbefore he lost everything and realizedIwasn’t worth the cost.

“Sorryyou lost him, beautiful,”Luckysays, turning from his game to look at me seriously.

Igive him a stiff smile and shrug awkwardly. “It’sfine.Imean, it’s not, not really, but it’s... well, it’s been a long time now.”

Inthe end, while his passing during the strikes was certainly sad,Ihadn’t been heartbroken.ButI’mhardly going to get into that now.

“Anal.”

Myhead snaps towardDominic.

“Ibeg your pardon?”Icechills my voice.

Herolls his eyes upward, for all the world like he’s praying for strength.

“Haveyou had anal sex before?”Heruns a hand over his jaw. “Nevermind,Ican see that’s a no.Somethingeasier, then.Hasanyone ever gone down on you?Canyou give a blow job?”

Mymouth drops open, and his sinful lips curve, though amusement is scarce in his eyes. “Yes, that’s the general idea, butIwould prefer a verbal response.”

Myjaw clicks shut, and my eyes narrow.Myone experience attempting a grand oral seduction had ended after all of five seconds, withHenrypulling my mouth off him and telling meIwas prettier whenIacted like a lady.

Ihadn’t exactly protested, though.Theclinging odor of urine had turned my stomach and left me wondering ifIwould embarrass myself further by vomiting all over his crotch.

Thatprobably wouldn’t have been ladylike either.

“No,”Imumble, decidingnotto share that detail with the class.Itake another deep draw of my sugary drink and the syrupy flavor ofSkittlesslides over my tongue.Oddly, it’s growing on me.

“Maybeit would be quicker to cover what youhavedone.Howmany times did you have sex, ballpark?Didyou doanythingother than missionary?”

Hesounds frustrated.Bah.Kingsdon’t usually need to sleep with silly, inexperienced women.He’sused to having his pick.Howdisappointed must he be?

Jasperhas settled back into the chair, but the crease in his brow deepens with my every response.

Iclear my throat.

“He...Imean, we did it from behind.Once.”Atthe silence,Imoisten my lips and huff. “Hewas deployed a year after we were married, andIleft him about two years after that.But, well, we weren’t... together... all that many times.Hewas out of the country so much...Thingswere so intense overseas.AndIthink,ImeanIknow, he didn’t really—Iwasn’t what he—”

Ican’t get the words out.

Dominictensed during my speech.Nowcontempt touches his regal features. “Youleft your man while he was deployed?”

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