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“Oh, sweetheart,” she says with a sigh. “Sierra, you were wiggling your cute little ass against him. He was hard.”

“But am I supposed to… Anthony said it was my responsibility, and I get that I’ve been living in his house, but I really don’t like it. It hurts, and I just don’t want to be reminded of Anthony.”

“Did Anthony ever care if you liked it?” she questions.

“Liked it? No. It felt like getting stabbed by fire for five minutes straight. Sometimes it would make me bleed,” I say with a frown. “But for whatever reason, you and this insane woman in this book are happy?”

“Go back to the feeling,” she says. “Where?”

“My lower belly,” I answer.

“Sierra, honey… You were turned on,” she says. “You know how guys get hard? Girls get that funny feeling, and they get wet. Did you never feel that with Anthony?”

“Wet? Like I piss myself?” I ask.

“No, no, no. Like… It’s your body’s way of making sure you are lubricated,” she says. “So it doesn’t feel like being fucked by fire…”

“Then if it doesn’t feel painful, is it just… nothing?” I ask.

“No, sex feels amazing when it’s with someone who cares about your pleasure, too,” she says. “The main male in that book loves to give her orgasms. He loves it more than sex. TMI, but that’s how Mason is, too.”

“Anthony said…”

“He said what?” Bella asks.

“That women don’t have orgasms,” I say quietly.

“Have you told any of this to Bex?” she asks.

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I keep getting that feeling when he touches me and… I don’t know. I guess it scared me because sex with Anthony always hurt.”

“Well, try to talk to him about it tonight,” she says. “Tell him you talked to me and explain even what I said.”

“What if he laughs at me?” I ask.

“Then I’ll punch him in the fucking face,” she says, and I giggle. “He won’t. He adores you, and I think it will give him a good idea of how significant your trauma is. Which I think he knows, but this… I’m so sorry. That might be confusing, but I wish you had a different experience with sex.”

“I’ll try to tell him,” I say with a sigh.

“I’m going to take this invoice back to Beckett. You good?” she asks.

“Yeah, I’m good,” I say, forcing a smile.

Chapter Twelve

Beckett

“Bex,” Bella says, hurrying across the shop toward Mason, Ace, and me.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“I’m going to say this, and I will fucking stab anyone who laughs,” Bella threatens. “And keep it to yourself.”

“Okay…” I say slowly.

“Sierra was off this morning, and I got her to talk. She said last night and today, she kept getting a weird feeling anytime you touched her. She realized last night you were hard, and it scared her.”

“Fuck,” I sigh.