Cheryl Holt by Love Lessons Read Free Book Online

think you are being very wise.”
    “You do?” She was pleased and startled.
    “Yes.”
    She was so elated to have his approval that she felt as if all her bones had suddenly turned liquid. “Do you think it is possible for a woman like Caroline to enjoy what will unfold in her marriage bed?”
    “I’m certain of it.”
    “I had always suspected as much”—she nearly slid to the floor, her relief was so tremendous—“despite what I have heard over the years. Will you teach me the details so I may share the information with her when the time is right?”
    “Of course, I will,” he responded without equivocation, “but upon one condition.”
    Her heart sank. Would he now speak of blackmail? Of terms? “What is it?”
    “I will go to great lengths to ensure no one discovers that we have met. However”—he sipped his drink pensively—“should our liaison be exposed, it will cause quite a scandal.”
    “I’m aware of that fact.”
    “If the worst should happen, I will make no move to save your reputation. I will fight no duels in your honor. I will not marry you. I will do nothing.”
    “I understand.” She nodded firmly. “I am a woman fullgrown. As this has all been at my instigation, I would expect no reparations from you.”
    “Then we are agreed?”
    “We are agreed,” she repeated, standing, and he towered over her so closely that she could have reached out and laid her palms on his broad chest. She liked having him here, liked being shamefully alone with him, liked smelling him and seeing the way he caressed her with his eyes. They roved brazenly, across her face, her breasts, her stomach. She should have been uneasy with his bold regard, but she wasn’t. There was approval in his assessment that made her feel feminine and beautiful.
    “Do you own this house?” he asked.
    “No. I have only let it so we would have a location to carry out our discussions.”
    “How long is your lease?”
    “Six months.”
    His brow rose, and he laughed, a full, rich sound that made her pulse accelerate. “Were you anticipating need of protracted tutoring, or were you thinking you might prove a slow pupil?”
    “It was the shortest lease I could negotiate.” She smiled in return, being forward and flirtatious. In his company, new behaviors were popping up every second!
    A dimple creased his cheek, making him look like the devil himself come to call. “All right, then. I propose that we meet twice a week. Monday and Thursday afternoons. For the next month.”
    “Eight times.” She sighed, thinking that
eight
times was not very many! There was definitely a part of her character she had never recognized before, because she craved this bit of stealthy adventure, this notorious secret to keep between the two of them. Mostly she relished being so improperly sequestered with him, but despite what she had done so far, it went against her nature to act immodestly, so she couldn’t propose a longer tryst.
    “Eight times will be fine,” she concluded.
    “If we decide that’s too few, you’ll still have this place. We can extend our appointments.”
    She couldn’t believe her surge of excitement: a drowning woman thrown a rope! “I would like that,” she admitted, pretending a calm she hardly felt.
    “Along the way, should you need to cancel, just send a note ’round to my office.”
    “And if
you
should need to cancel,” she echoed, “I would prefer that you not contact me. I will simply come here to learn that you have not arrived.”
    “As you wish.”
    “ ’Tis safer. For both of us.”
    “Yes, it is,” he couldn’t help but acknowledge. “Well, then . . . are you ready to begin?”
    Her heart pounding, her skin heating, she squirmed with anticipation. “Yes, I’m ready.”
    In all actuality, she felt as if she’d been
ready
her entire life.

CHAPTER
THREE
    “Do you have any idea of what occurs between a man and a woman when they are alone together?” James stood next to the sideboard,