Devil's Bargain by Jade Lee Read Free Book Online

will?
    Shame flooded her face with heat. Had she so little self-respect that she crumpled the moment he grew angry? No! She regarded him firmly, coldly. “You are not my husband. Nor am I your slave. You have no right to my person. I have set your kitchen to rights. I have stocked your larder—with my own money, by all accounts. These tasks I have and will continue to perform. But you have no leave to my body, and you will not touch me again.” She paused to make sure he understood the level of her determination. “That is my understanding.”
    She had meant to walk away, but she didn’t. Shelingered the merest fraction of a second to level one last haughty stare at him, and in that moment’s pause, she was caught.
    “Have you ever been kissed?”
    She blinked, thrown by the question.
    “I am still your teacher, am I not?” he asked before she could frame her own question. Then he began to walk around her, forcing her to turn to see him. “That is part of our bargain, is it not? That I shall teach you how to capture a rich husband?”
    She nodded slowly, sensing a trap, but unable to fathom exactly where the danger lay. “Yes, my lord,” she finally said. “You have been hired to instruct me.”
    He released an abrupt laugh. “How clever you are with words, student. So, I am a hired employee? Very well; I shall accept that characterization for the moment. And what, do you suppose, shall be the nature of my instruction?”
    Lynette hesitated. Isn’t that exactly what she had been trying to discover? What was to happen to her? How was she to ensnare a husband?
    “You do not know, do you?” His voice was gentler now, but no less commanding. “Of course you do not know. Because you are the student, and I am the teacher.” He leaned almost casually against the wall, but she was not fooled. His eyes remained dark and focused. “And as such, you are merely required to learn.” He folded his arms across his chest. “I shall add one additional requirement: You must always be honest with me.”
    She glanced up, startled.
    “Ah, I see I have surprised you. Most tutors merely require their pupils to echo back what they havelearned. These students become parrots, mimicking their instructors’ knowledge as if it was their own. Those are bad instructors.” He was warming to his theme, straightening as he took a step toward her. “I require more.”
    He stopped and searched her face, gauging her reaction.
    She held her tongue. Not for the world could she have spoken. Her mind was in too much chaos for her to form the words.
    “In order for me to know if you understand your lessons, you must tell me what you think. What you feel .” His voice dropped with that last word, taking on a husky timbre, as if it had special meaning. But she did not understand it, nor did she comprehend the tightening in her body, the pure physical reaction to his words.
    “That is all, Lynette. I require your honesty, and that you allow me to teach you.”
    She nodded, her throat inexplicably dry. It made logical sense. But what did that have to do with his unconscionable liberties with her person?
    “Say the words, Lynette, so I know you understand. Say you agree.”
    “I agree to be completely honest with you. I shall tell you my thoughts and express my feelings to the best of my ability.” She had no fear of speaking her mind. If he wished for her honest and frank opinions, he would get them and suffer the consequences.
    “And what of my instruction? Will you allow me to teach you as you need to be taught?”
    She lifted her chin. “Of course I shall allow your instruction. It is my”—she searched for the appropriate word—“obligation to you. Because I want a wealthyhusband.” She swallowed. Indeed, the truth was that she needed to find a wealthy husband if her brother and sister were to have a chance at a real life.
    He grinned. It was the first true smile she had ever seen on his face. It made him sinfully handsome. His