“Oh God,” Carmen said. “Alice, honey, sit down.”
Alice’s knees buckled and she collapsed inelegantly into the chair directly behind her. That was as close to sitting as she could come.
“I have never had sex with Beau,” Carmen said. “It was Bryce.”
Everyone gasped.
“Really?” Claire said. “Wow. Because, honestly, if we’re still talking virgins, I’d have pegged him as a possibility.”
“Believe me,” Carmen said. “Bryce is no virgin. And since he and Beau are twins, I figure they have identical . . .”
Maggie grinned and raised her eyebrows. “Dongs?”
Claire snorted.
Penis size didn’t interest Alice in the slightest. The way she’d nearly passed out thinking Carmen had slept with Beau, however, was something to ponder.
Maggie reached over and touched Alice’s hand. “Now that we’ve cleared All The Things up . . .” She smiled. “We’re sorry that while believing you weren’t a virgin, we said some insensitive things regarding virgins, only to figure out you were a virgin and that we were assholes—”
Claire nodded enthusiastically. “Only to discover we were wrong again, and you aren’t a virgin—”
“But just to be clear,” Maggie interrupted. “We’re still probably assholes.”
Carmen laughed. “And then I had to top it all off by insinuating I’d seen your boyfriend’s gigantic penis, when in fact, I have not.”
“So, I guess this means you really are dating Beau?” Claire said. “Like, for real?”
It was nearly impossible for Alice to tell a lie of any kind, and all of her feelings over the past three weeks rose up her throat and sat on her tongue, waiting to come out.
She might not have gone skinny-dipping with these women in high school. She didn’t get their inside jokes or understand what the heck they were laughing at half the time. But she trusted them.
Divulging Beau’s secret wasn’t a possibility, but she didn’t have to carry on the charade of their “relationship” in front of Maggie, Claire, and Carmen. She sighed loudly as Sultana wove in and out of her ankles, purring. “Y’all were right the first time—no wait—the second time.”
Claire stared at the ceiling while counting on her fingers. “So, you are a virgin?”
“No, because—”
“Virginity is a social construct,” Carmen finished.
“Correct. But I have never had sexual intercourse with a man.”
“Well, you’re going to soon, right?” Maggie said. “Because you’re dating Beau and he’s . . .”
“Kind of a man-whore,” Claire said.
The word whore was offensive, but Alice was too tired to say so. “Beau isn’t my boyfriend. In fact, we’re not even dating. He’s simply agreed to accompany me to Brittany’s wedding, and I’m helping him with something in return.”
Claire opened her mouth, but Alice cut her off.
“And I’m not at liberty to say what, so please don’t ask. We’re just letting folks think what they want to think. And anyway, it’ll all be over as soon as Brittany finally freaking gets married.”
“Aw,” Claire said with a pout. “Y’all are going to break up?”
“No, because we’re not really dating.” She thought for a moment, and then added, “But yes.”
“Um, Alice,” Carmen said. “Before you and Beau break up, you should definitely consider trying that sex with a human thing, at least once.”
“Why? Sixty-five percent of women don’t climax during intercourse. A vibrator provides a more satisfying experience.”
“There are some things you can’t get from a vibrator, though,” Maggie said.
Claire nodded in agreement. “Like warm hands that aren’t your own. The touch of another person is so . . .” Claire shivered instead of finishing her sentence.
“And then there’s the emotional connection when it’s someone you care about,” Maggie said. “The first time Travis and I had sex, we were wearing Halloween costumes, and it was anonymous. And it was freaking fantastic. It was kinky and fun, and I was so turned on I actually had an orgasm. But the second time was even better. Because we knew each other then. And the connection we shared—the love we made—well, it was mind-blowing.”
“With Ford,” Claire said. “There’s always been this sense of falling into him. I can’t tell where I end and he begins. It’s weird, and I’m not doing a very good job of expressing it. But it’s practically spiritual.”
“That was an excellent way of expressing it,” Maggie said.
“The best sex I’ve ever had is with friends,” Carmen said. “I don’t really believe in romantic love—not for me anyway—but deep emotional friendship paired with physical attraction is my jam. There is nothing like it.”
When Alice had been in Beau’s arms, pressed up against his naked body, they’d been playing and laughing and enjoying each other’s company—like friends—just moments before. But when she’d looked into his eyes, she’d had that brief sense of falling that Claire mentioned. And her skin had tingled and buzzed beneath his hands.
Sex would probably be pretty amazing.
The other women sat quietly, wearing little grins. They were all so different, yet deeply supportive of each other. Each one seemed lost in her own thoughts, yet the feeling of connection was almost palpable. Maggie smiled at her, and Alice realized they were sharing a moment of comfortable, companionable silence.
That was something friends did. And it was nice.
Chapter
Eighteen
The crickets and tree frogs started up nature’s sonata as Beau and Alice sat on the open tailgate, swinging their feet. He was doing his best to be jovial, but he couldn’t shake the shame and guilt he felt over having told Worth to lock those cows in a dry pasture. God. He could have fucking killed them. What kind of a ranch foreman penned his cattle up in a dry pasture? He longed to unload his feelings, but he was too embarrassed.
Soon, everything would rest on his shoulders. He’d thought he was ready, but this had really shaken his confidence.
“It’s so peaceful here,” Alice said. “Do you come to this spot often?”
“Every chance I get.”
A lot of the times when folks probably assumed that he was out chasing women, he was actually out here,
