Kip covered his face with his hands. “Orholam take me now. I’m ridiculous.”
“I told you already: you’re adorable.”
“A woman doesn’t want to take a man to bed because he’s adorable.” It just came out.
“This one does.” Just as fast.
And suddenly Kip’s mouth was very dry.
“We’re going to take care of your little problem,” she said.
“My … huh?” It was like she was speaking another language. What’s she mean? His inadequacy? Awkwardness? Embarrassment? Total hopelessness?
“Your virginity.”
“Oh!” Orholam, did she have to say it out loud? What if someone was passing in the hall? Surely the word ‘virgin’ must draw ears more than any expletive. “Yes, yes, of course,” Kip said. “I mean, yes! I would really like that.” He hitched his backpack up on his shoulder. “Believe me, I’m looking forward to nothing more.”
“Now.” She locked the door, glanced at his bed, smiled. And though her words were bold, there was something shy about that smile, and certainly about the flushed cheeks that accompanied it. Pinker than before. Definitely pinker.
But Kip the Lip had absolutely nothing to say.
“After all,” she said, “boat’s not going to leave without me, right? Now get naked.”
The sound that came out of Kip’s mouth was not a squeak. Dammit.
Kip looked at the door again, longingly. Naked? Here? In full light? He wasn’t as fat as he used to be, he knew that … but he’d seen Tisis naked. Amazing how keen the memory can be for such things. She was gorgeous, and he was … he was the fucking turtle-bear.
Maybe ‘fucking’ is an inapt modifier.
And that made him think of a turtle-bear, copulating.
Ah!
I can’t stop thinking. I’m with a beautiful woman who wants to make love, and I’m standing here like a complete non-copulating turtle-bear, thinking.
Maybe if she kissed him again his head would go all gooey and thought would cease in the pink happy cloud of being wrapped up in her, but, ‘Get naked’?
“Wait, wait,” she said. “You’re right. I can tell you’re thinking it through, and you don’t want to reject me, but just in case something goes wrong before we get on the ship tomorrow. We shouldn’t. My sister would kill me, anyway. Not that she’s been chaste—the hypocrite.” She threw the insult out like only someone who’s very close to their sister could. A recognition, but not a condemnation. “But she’s always meant to sell me dear, she says, ‘You don’t hand over the goods until they hand over the gold,’ and I’m sure she’ll ask, even if everything turns out perfectly. And she can always tell when I’m lying. I can wait one more day. You can wait, right? I didn’t mean to tease.”
“Huh? Huh?” Kip said. I’m right?
“Blame me. I’m capricious. Sorry. Tomorrow. Either we’ll rent a room at the Crossroads, or we’ll just have to make do with the captain’s cabin on our ship. In some ways, a big room is a waste, anyway, don’t you think? I know I’m not going to want to leave bed for a long while.”
“I, I,” Kip stuttered. Huh? What? The blood wasn’t going back to all the right places fast enough.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make this up to you, I promise,” she said, and she put her hand on the front of his trousers.
When the great thunderstorms of spring passed over the Jaspers, lightning often struck the top of the seven towers of the Chromeria. This was that. A thousand times that.
“Oh,” she said, “definitely interested.”
The thing that made it ridiculously charming was that she was blushing furiously as she did it, like she was being terribly naughty and couldn’t believe her own brazenness. But she also hadn’t taken her hand off.
“Kip, I know we didn’t get the best start, and that’s my fault, but—”
There was a knock on his door.
Tisis snatched her hand back guiltily, but quickly recovered. She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Now, see what I saved us? That could have been awkward,” she whispered.
Kip was still speechless, still blinking bleary-eyed as if he’d been dunked in a big sudsy tub of I-can’t-believe-this-actually-happening and some soap of I-am-actually-going-to-have-sex was still in his eyes.
But some wiser part of him was detached. We’re children, both of us, playing at being adults, putting on shoes that are too big for us, and being surprised when we stumble.
Tisis whispered again, and this time she was simply herself, earnest and a little scared. “Kip, whoever it is, don’t let them know I’m here.” She moved into the lee of the door.