Page 90 of Clinically Bewitched
“Oh, that...” She smiled unashamed and giggled. “No.”
My world tilted.
“No?”
“No.”
“You’re a virgin?”
“Well, technically yes, but I don’t really like that word because it has all these patriarchal connotations about purity and worth and—”
“Athena.” My voice came out strangled. “We’re married. We had a wedding night in Vegas. I thought… I was certain we…”
Understanding dawned on her face.
“Oh no, we didn’t. We kissed, but that was it. I was telling the truth when I said you passed out pretty quickly after we got back to your room, and I just held you while you slept. Then, in the morning, you were so panicked about the whole marriage thing that I didn’t want to bring it up.”
“We never consummated the marriage?”
“No.”
“We’ve been married for almost two weeks and we never…?”
“Nope.”
I stared at her.
She stared back, completely unbothered by this revelation.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
“I tried to! But you kept kissing me and telling me to stop talking.”
“Because I thought—” I ran a hand through my hair. “I thought we’d already done this. I thought Vegas was just a drunken blur, and that you’d—”
“Nope.” She giggled again. “I was saving it.”
“Saving it.”
“For the right moment. For when you were ready. For when you stopped fighting the universe and just... let yourself feel.”
Of course she was.
Of course.Because Athena didn’t do anything halfway. Didn’t rush or force or demand. She just trusted. Trusted theuniverse. Trusted me. Trusted that everything would happen exactly when it was supposed to.
“I’m your first?” I asked slowly.
“Yes.”
“Your only?”
“So far, yes.” She grinned. “Unless you’re planning to stop now, in which case I’m going to be very disappointed and probably have to have a serious talk with the universe about its timing.”
I kissed her.
Hard.
Possessive.
