Kiss the Sky

4

Slade’s frown deepened as he glanced at me. “I’m not sure this is an appropriate conversation for us to have.”

“It’s fine,” I said, waving it away. “I know you all had other women before you met me. I’m interested in learning everything about your pasts. Or whatever you’re willing to share with me, anyway.”

The men all hesitated and remained silent, but then Jasin spoke up. “Fine, I’ll start. My first time was with one of my brother’s friends. She was older than me and taught me how to please a woman.”

“How much older?” Slade asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Only a few years. I think she was secretly interested in my brother, but he preferred men and I was the closest she could get.” Jasin shrugged. “Both of us knew it wasn’t anything serious, and we made each other happy for a while before she married someone else.” He took a sip of water and gestured at Slade with the jug. “But if you’re so righteous, tell us your story.”

Slade stared down at the untouched food in front of him. “My first time was with a girl in my village. We grew up together and it seemed natural we would be married one day. Neither one of us knew what we were doing during that first time. But we figured it out together eventually over the years.”

“What happened to her?” I asked, unable to stop myself.

His green eyes focused on me. “We never got married, if that’s what you’re asking.”

I had a dozen more questions, but Slade’s tone implied he had nothing more to say on the matter. I sighed and turned to Reven. “And you?”

“You don’t want to hear my story.”

“Well, now we definitely do,” Jasin said.

Reven glared at him. “Fine, but it’s not all fond memories like your stories.” He ripped off chunks of his bread and threw them into the ocean without care. “I had to get by on the streets somehow after my parents were killed, and I discovered people will pay to have s*x with young men. Quite handsomely.”

Stunned silence met his words. I had no idea his parents had been killed, only that he’d told me he’d gotten his swords from his father, and I never would have guessed he’d spent part of his life doing something like that. There was so much more about his past—and everyone else’s—that I wanted to uncover. But I had a feeling Reven’s would be the darkest…and the hardest to c***k.

“I’m sorry,” I said, brushing my hand against his, where it rested on the deck.

He yanked his hand away. “Don’t be. I’ll do whatever it takes to survive. You should know that by now.”

“On that cheerful note, what about you, Auric?” Jasin asked.

Auric had been silent the entire conversation, and now he brushed crumbs off his lap. “That’s not something I wish to discuss with the group.”

Reven arched an eyebrow. “It can’t be any worse than my story.”

“Maybe he’s still waiting for his first time,” Jasin teased, and Reven snickered in response.

Slade shook his head. “Leave him alone.”

“I’m only trying to get to know my companions better,” Jasin said, spreading his hands wide. “If we’re going to be stuck together for the rest of our lives and sharing the same woman, we need to be able to talk about these things.”

Auric stood and cast a sharp glance at Jasin. “You may be comfortable discussing these matters with everyone, but I am not. And I’d prefer if you respected my privacy in this matter.”

He walked away and slipped below deck, while Jasin called out, “Auric, wait! I didn’t mean anything by it!”

I shot Jasin a harsh look before going after Auric, while Slade just shook his head again. Every time I thought the five of us might be getting closer, something like this happened. I was beginning to think sharing four strong-willed men was never going to work out.

3

Auric

I

raked a hand through my blond hair, which had grown longer than I preferred over the last few days, while emotion churned inside me. I shouldn’t have reacted that way—now they’d all suspect there was a reason for my vehement response. Perhaps I should have made up a story to placate them, but I couldn’t lie to Kira. And she’d have to learn the truth eventually.

Kira came through the hatch and joined me below deck, her lovely face showing concern and her red hair a little wild from the wind. “I’m sorry about all that. Please ignore Jasin. He’s simply trying to get a rise out of you. You know how he is.”

I turned toward her and frowned at the worry in her eyes. Perhaps the time for truth was now. “I know. The problem is…he’s right.”

“What do you mean?”

I drew in a deep breath. “I’ve never been with a woman before.”

She blinked. “You haven’t?”

I rested my hands on her upper arms and gazed into her entrancing hazel eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I was waiting for the right moment, but it’s hard for me to admit that I am lacking the knowledge or skills I require. Especially in something I wish to become an expert at.”

“You don’t need to be ashamed. Until the other night, I was inexperienced as well.”

“Yes, it’s probably fortunate that Jasin was the first one and not me, even if it made me jealous knowing he was claiming you.”

She slid her arms around my neck and pressed a soft kiss to my jaw. “Don’t be jealous. Soon we’ll reach the Air Temple and then we will be bonded too. We can become experienced together.”

“It’s not as simple as that,” I said, shaking my head. “A man is easy to please, but a woman…a woman takes skill and practice to satisfy. At least, that’s what I’ve learned from the books I’ve read on the subject.”

Her lips quirked up in an amused smile. “Books?”