Page 53 of Whispers of Wisteria
“I’m fine with hugging, snuggling, and even sleeping in the same bed,” she rambled. “Sometimes even kissing,” she added, eyes flickering in my direction as her cheeks darkened. “Maybe. Light touching…”
This wasn’t where I was going with this. “Bianca—”
“But we can never, ever, ever, ever have sex.” Her shaking stopped, and her jaw locked. “Ever.”
“Bianca,” I sighed. I pressed my foot lightly on her toes—it was the only way to get her attention since she was adamantly avoiding my gaze. “You’re thinking too hard about this. You’re never going to be able to relax enough to enjoy the moment if you’re worried about what might happen,” I added.
She pursed her lips. “That doesn’t sound very dragon-like. That sounds like something Damen would say.”
Because it was, he told me that all the time.
“Do you like this?” I asked, rubbing the top of my foot up the back of her calf.
Bianca sucked in a breath, eyes wide as she stared up at me.
“Well?” I asked, even though the answer was evident from her scent.
“Yes!” she squeaked.
“What about this?” I leaned forward and tucked her hair behind her ear. I’d wanted to do this since we’d sat down, so I couldn’t help but take a moment to linger.
“It’s fine!” Her face was on fire now. “Are you sure you’re a virgin?”
I shrugged—this was only the tip of the iceberg. I’d taken Julian’s comments about my lack of knowledge quite personally.
How dare they underestimate my determination. “I read.”
“The others think you’re innocent,” she said quickly. “But you keep flirting with me when they’re not looking.”
“And sometimes when they are,” I added. “Although.” I leaned forward, cupping the side of my mouth. Bianca’s eyebrows raised in question, and a doubtful expression fell from her face as she moved closer. “Now it’s my turn to tell you a secret.”
Her eyes widened.
“I’ve never been with a girl before,” I said, my voice low. “Ever.”
I wasn’t sure what reaction I expected, but it certainly wasn’t her lowering her chin and whispering, “That’s not a secret. You told me that already.”
It was just as much of a secret as hers. But—
“I’m going to mess up. I don’t know how to be a mate, and I still don’t understand everything,” I admitted. “Pearson wasn’t around much outside of training—”
She tilted her head. “Pearson?”
“My father.” I waved my hand. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s fine. But he doesn’t understand dragons, and he was distracted. My mother disappeared and he wasn’t able to find her before she died.”
I pressed my hand flat on the table. “There’s nothing worse than a mate who leaves you, especially if you don’t know why.”
Though, that wasn’t entirely true.
We all knew why she’d left—although my father never told me to my face.
She was warm, kind, and loving—a gazelle. They had the perfect relationship, and why wouldn’t they? A predator and prey pairing was something rare and sacred.
But she wastoogentle and couldn’t handle the stress of having a dragon as a child.
I didn’t blame her at all.
“I’m sorry.” Bianca touched the tip of her finger to my hand. “What was her name?”
