From Tumblr: Anon Ask - About Rumple's sexual prowess in A Bed of Thorns

[nym_wibbly]

Was it only a romance novel idea when you had Rumple become such a skilled lover for Belle? Or did you have specific backstory in mind for how he learned that?
~ Anonymous

There’s an element of the romance novel gloss to it, certainly, but Rumple’s able to make Belle so happy (and so orgasmic) by being incredibly attentive to her signals and her body (after his fuck-awful bad start!). He’s happy for her, going through this process of discovery, even if he’s dubious about her wanting to go through it with him. I’d factored in a bad breakup in Rumple’s backstory, both with Baelfire’s mother and with a much more recent partner, as the Dark One, that left a space in the backstory for Cora. He’s not strongly motivated by sex, but he is deeply passionate. And romantic, despite himself. When he loves someone, on any level, he falls hard and finds it hard to hold back. He’s got enough experience to calmly take Belle’s inexperience in his stride.

Attentiveness doesn’t take skill on the part of a lover, or even an emotional investment - just willingness to make the effort. Rumple’s had enough practical experience to be confident of what to do, but some of his behaviour with Belle is new to him as much as to her. He’s never felt so safe or comfortable with a lover before (which is saying something, given how vulnerable/exposed he feels as his connection with her deepens.) He’s less comfortable showing Belle the ropes - he’d really like to let her lead as she finds out by herself, to be her willing accomplice rather than some sort of ‘teacher’, but not-knowing-stuff frustrates the hell out of her! Once he realises that she’s embarrassed about making a fool of herself rather than unsure about sex, he’s there to show her how to get the most of out it.