“Was it a one-off?” Lena asked very seriously, then lost it when Gen collapsed into more giggles.
Stella regarded the pair of them with an expression of disappointment. “I had no idea you two were so immature.”
“We had no idea that you are such a sexual adventuress,” Gen said, wheezing with laughter.
“It’s always the quiet ones,” Zeph said solemnly, then gave Stella a smile. “I’m proud of you. If you’d asked me, I’d have predicted you’d turn into a bird and flee the carriage.”
“I nearly did.” Stella put her hands to her cheeks. Still burning hot. She might blush for the rest of her life over this.
“But you didn’t.” Gen clapped her hands together. “Because you two are in love.”
“No, we are not,” Stella replied definitively. “This was… an exception.”
“I’ll say Jak is exceptional,” Lena quipped, snorting.
Stella ignored her. “We all know that the magical healing can be… stimulating, particularly in that way. He was uncomfortable, and I suggested he… relieve himself. As his healer, I didn’t want him to suffer.”
Lena and Gen stared at her, incredulous, and Zeph nodded, her face a picture of innocent agreement. “You were only thinking of his comfort.”
“Exactly.”
“Which is why you watched,” Zeph added, raising her brows.
“Closely enough to memorize his dimensions,” Lena pointed out.
“It was memorable,” Stella replied. Then buried her face in her hands and groaned. “Oh, Moranu! I have no idea why that happened. Why did I watch?”
“Hey, Nilly. Drink your wine.” Gen pushed the goblet against her hands, and Stella took it and sipped, the rich flavor reminding her of Jak’s heated desire filling the carriage space. “Of course you watched,” Gen continued earnestly.
“How could you not look?” Lena asked wistfully. “That had to be so hot.”
“You may be a scary sorceress and bearer of the Star of Annfwn and all that,” Zeph said, “but you’re also a woman. You’ve held yourself aloof from relationships all this time. It’s good and normal for you to have some kinky fun.”
“And Jak is an excellent choice,” Gen said, getting up to refill the wine for everyone. “There’s no finer man.”
“Except for Astar,” Zeph amended for her.
“Except for Astar,” Gen agreed, lifting her goblet in a toast.
They were quiet a moment, all aware of which man’s name remained unspoken. Lena blew out a sigh. “Rhyian is a good man, too,” she said. “But you can trust Jak. He’d die before he hurt you.”
“None of that matters,” Stella replied, “because Jak and I will not be having a relationship.”
The others exchanged knowing glances. “Does Jak know that?” Zeph asked meaningfully.
“I told him so.” Stella lifted her chin. “Several times.”
“Uh-huh.” Lena tapped her finger on her chin thoughtfully. “For the record, did you tell him this before or after he, shall we say, demonstrated what you’d be missing?”
At some point, she’d stop blushing. This was what came of being a sensitive person. “I’m not answering that.”
“Definitely before,” Zeph decided.
“This will be interesting to watch,” Lena agreed.
“We should start a betting pool,” Gen declared, clapping her hands together.
“That won’t work,” Lena said. “We’d all be betting on Jak to succeed. Who’d bet against us?”
“I would—” Stella sputtered, but they all talked over her.
“We could bet on timing.” Zeph gave Stella a mischievous smile. “I say Jak will have divested Stella of her virginity within a week.”
“What?” Stella nearly choked on her wine again and set the goblet firmly aside. “That will not happen.”
“Define virginity,” Lena demanded, then snickered. “Because her eyes sure have lost their innocence.”
“Penis in vagina,” Gen said, almost primly. “That’s the usual standard.”
“What about between two women or two men?” Zeph argued. “You can’t say they’re virgins, but a penis goes nowhere near a vagina.”
“Zeph has a point,” Lena agreed. “Penetration, full stop.”
“Even digital?” Gen frowned. “That falls more under foreplay than sealing the deal.”
“Let’s not attempt to define this for everyone.” Zeph waved that away. “We’re talking about a single case, Jak and Stella, so I say penis in vagina, standard intercourse between male and female, any position.”
“This is never going to happen,” Stella told them, but they ignored her.
“Done,” Gen said. “But I think eight to ten days.”
Lena was studying Stella intently. “Four days. Or fewer.”
“Salena Nakoa KauPo!” Stella burst out. “I am not having intercourse with Jak ever, much less in four days.”
“That’s why I say a week,” Zeph said. “But I’ll take five to eight days, to keep the spread even.”
“The guys might want in on this, too,” Gen mused. “Maybe we should give them the option to bet before we set it in stone.”
“You cannot tell the guys about this,” Stella yelped. “Especially not Jak!” She groaned, putting her hands over her heart. “No, especially not my brother.”
“I don’t know,” Zeph said doubtfully. “Jak loves to gamble.”
“But he could skew the results,” Lena countered. “Advance his seduction schedule to ensure his win.”
“Jak would not be above that,” Gen agreed.
“His seduction schedule?” Stella echoed on a squeak. “He does not have any kind of plan like that.”
They all regarded her with sympathy. “Think about who Jak’s parents are,” Lena said. “Both Jepp and Kral are masters of strategy.”
“And highly sexed individuals,” Gen said, nodding.
“I’m afraid you don’t stand a chance, Nilly,” Zeph said with mock pity. “You’re going down like a felled tree. You just don’t know it yet.”
“Four days.” Lena nodded sagely. “No more.”
“You are all forgetting that I can’t touch anyone,” Stella nearly screeched, beyond exasperated with all of them.
“I bet Jak is figuring out a way around that,” Zeph said. “I can think of a few techniques offhand. He’s a clever guy.”
“And powerfully motivated,” Gen added cheerfully.
“You’re all wrong,” Stella objected. “It’s not going to happen.”
“Willing to bet on that?” Zeph asked cagily.
“She can’t be in the betting pool,” Lena argued. “For the same reasons Jak can’t. She’ll try to skew the outcome.”
“I have a right to bet on my own mind,” Stella replied with dignity. “And, as this bet is a sure thing, then yes. I’ll stand against all three of your bets that I will not lose my virginity to Jak in any way, shape, or form.”