Page 114 of When We Ignite
Henry gave me an approving nod. “Way to go, E. I honestly think you have no idea the power you have over him. It’s insane how much you make him bend.”
“I don’t.”
Henry gave me a pointed look. “Ash thinks you’re the hottest man to ever walk the face of the earth. And, I mean, I’m not saying you’renotattractive—you clearly are. But you’re tailor-made for his tastes, and Ash is such a sucker for that. You could ask him for anything, and he wouldn’t be able to say no.”
I thought about that for a moment. “Except be in a relationship with me,” I muttered.
“Pretty much everything except that, E,” he said with a sympathetic shrug. “And honestly? You’ve been the closest anyone has gotten him there in a long time.”
“I don’t really think that’s true,” I said, taking another sip of my drink.
“You have him wrapped around your finger,” he insisted.
“No, I don’t.”
“No? Then test this—whenever you want to win an argument with him or get him to do something, just take your clothes off.”
I snorted. “That simple?”
“That fucking simple. I bet he won’t be able to say no,” he said confidently.
I shook my head. “I have another question.”
“Go on, Padawan.”
“About sex,” I said.
He smiled, sliding his elbows closer to the table.
“It’s...weird for me. I never even considered it, and Ash only wants it to go one way.”
“Yeah, he does,” Henry said, catching on immediately.
“How about you?”
Henry’s expression shifted, his humor fading into something more serious. He gave me a pained look and shook his head. “I don’t do it either.”
“How come?”
Henry sighed, leaning back in his chair. His hand went to the back of his neck, and for the first time, I saw him uncomfortable talking about something.
“I don’t have the best story for you, E. I don’t want to scare you off.”
“Please. I don’t have anyone to talk to about this.”
He drained his drink, stared at the table, then nodded. “I know it’s good, okay? I’m careful when I top, and I make sure it’s good. Just like Ash probably does. But...I had a really bad experience, and I’m a little traumatized. So, I don’t do it.”
“What happened?”
Henry looked away, visibly uncomfortable. He shook his head, then shrugged. I could tell I’d touched a nerve and was about to back off when he exhaled loudly and spoke.
“I was dating this guy—a friend of Oli’s from college—when I was still a senior in high school. I thought I was so fucking cool,” he said with a bitter laugh. “One night, he talked me into it. I’d never had sex with a guy before. He was this terrible combination of inexperience, a big dick, and way too many tequila shots. He didn’t prep me. Didn’t have lube or condoms. He just...went for it. I tried to tell him to stop. He kept saying it’d get better, but it hurt like hell the whole time.
“When he was done, I went home, realized how bad it was, and called Ash. I’ve never seen him that mad. He took me to the emergency room. A week later, I heard he and Oli beat the guy to a pulp. I never talked to him again, and his family didn’t press charges,” Henry said quickly, almost robotically, like he was trying to detach himself from the memory.
My stomach churned as I stared at him, horrified. “Shit, Henry. I’m so sorry. That sounds awful.”
“Yeah. It was. That’s why I’m not into inexperience. No offense,” he said, swallowing thickly, his leg bouncing under the table.
