Page 108 of The Redemption of Remy St. Claire

When she reached for his briefs, he stilled her hand and took care of the job himself.

Feeling a little exposed, she pointed to the bed. “It’s kind of chilly…”

“It is.”

He was humoring her, but she didn’t care. She’d feel more secure under the blankets. With him by her side, she’d feel reassured.

She dove under the covers, but he made his way into bed with more finesse and slid in beside her. As he moved to pull up the covers, she stilled his hands. “May I…?”

He nodded and watched through hooded eyes as she reached out to stroke him intimately. She’d read a few romance novels and had paid attention in Sex-Ed class, so she believed she had some idea of what to expect. The reality was more intimidating. His skin was soft and smooth, but the rest was hard and unyielding. When she stroked him again, his breath hitched. “Does that hurt?”

He cocked his head.

“I mean…you know…is it uncomfortable?” As soon as the question was out of her mouth, she regretted it. What was she thinking?

“I’ve never thought of it as uncomfortable.” He held her hand steady against him. “It feels good. Plus, I know how amazing relief feels.”

“You mean an orgasm.”

“Yeah, an orgasm.”

Pulling her hand away, she wrinkled her nose. “I’m talking too much, aren’t I?”

He chuckled, pulling the blankets up around them. “There’s no question you can’t ask that I won’t try to answer. Give yourself a break. I reckon you’re curious, and that’s fine by me. I told you, Remy, we don’t have to do anything. No expectations—remember?”

“Won’t that be painful for you?”I need to understand.

He chuckled again. “Nothing for you to concern yourself with. It happens from time to time that I might go to sleep or wake up with an erection. I mean, I sleep with a beautiful woman every night, so it’s bound to happen. What matters is what I do about it.”

“Do you…you know…”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is there a good answer to that? If I sayyes,then you might think I have sex on the brain all the time. If I sayno, then you might think I’m going around uncomfortable because of you.”

“Just answer the question.”

“Yes, counselor.” His grin was wicked. “Yes, I have masturbated a few times since we got married. I told you, I’m a red-blooded man. I live with an attractive wife. But I’m telling you this to be honest and for no other reason. If I wanted to, I could stop.”

“And if I don’t want you to stop? I mean... Oh God, Rusty, what am I doing? What am I saying?” She closed her eyes in humiliation.

He snagged her chin, but didn’t force her to open her eyes. “Marriages can go through rough patches. Sometimes sex isn’t appropriate or wanted. If either party wants to self-release, there’s nothing wrong with that. Orgasms help with lots of things. Stress relief, pain, cramps…”

Her eyes flew open. “You’re saying…”

“That some women use orgasms to relieve menstrual cramps.”

“I don’t know anything, you know.” She ducked her head but kept her eyes open. “My mother and I never talked about this.”

“I had three sisters, as well as parents who were open about sex. We talked about it. I also had a good Sex-Ed teacher in school.” He hesitated, his smile lessening.

“I told you, I was a virgin when I got married. We bought books, watched videos, and, well, experimented. I took two main lessons from those experiences. First, fun in the bedroom is critical for success. You can’t take yourself too seriously. It’s just sex.

“Sometimes everything will go great, and it will rock your world. Other times, you’ll bash teeth when you’re kissing, your parts won’t do what you want them to…well, I’ll leave it to your imagination. Instead of getting stressed about it, you roll with it and laugh.”

“And the other lesson?” This was definitely a weird topic.

“Communication. Non-verbal helps when you’re in the moment, but verbal works also. I need to know what you’re thinking. What you’re feeling. And I’m not just talking about sex. If we have good communication outside of the bedroom, then it’ll feel natural to talk candidly while in bed.” He paused. “Does this make sense?”

She nodded because she understood. She was a born communicator. Her job depended on being able to articulate things. So, if she could get over her embarrassment, she should be able to express herself clearly.

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