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Authors: Jessica Steele
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to the Hall by himself.
Lucy knew the instant he came into the room and her body tensed when she felt his hands warm on her back. `Relax,' the quietly spoken word reached her. 'I can't do a thing while you're trembling so badly.' Up to that point she hadn't been aware she had been trembling; it was pure fury of course that had got her into this state. 'I've said I won't take advantage-surely that bit of a kiss downstairs hasn't unnerved you to this extent?'
Bit of a kiss? She wouldn't want to know him when he really got going ! 'I've had better than that from novices,' she told him coldly, and only as the words dropped from her lips and all movement behind her ceased did she realise her words had sounded challenging. The last thing she wanted she hurriedly realised, was that Jud Hemming should give her a further demonstration that he had passed out of the Lovemaking Academy with first class honours. `I didn't mean that,' she retracted quickly, terrified suddenly at the lack of movement behind her. 'Y ... you've got me so confused I don't know what I'm saying.'
`Confused?' She heard his voice at last, quietly dropping the question into the tension-filled air.
`I ... I ... Oh, put it down to the fact that I'm not used to having a man in my bedroom,' she said irritably, and wished he would hurry up and fix her zip so they could get out of her room and the intimacy that surrounded them.
She felt Jud's hands come to rest on her shoulders, causing her head to jerk upright as his grip tightened. 'You're no stranger to bedroom scenes, though, are you?' he asked, his voice sounding offhand in her ears, as though he wasn't really interested in her reply.
`As you stated previously,' she told him, 'I still have a lot to learn.'
The sudden increased pressure on her shoulders worried her, but it lasted no longer than two seconds, then Jud's hands left her shoulders and he was once more trying to free her zip, saying coolly, 'In that case I'd better hurry up and get this job done so that we can leave your chaste little room,' and then infuriatingly, when he must know any movement she made would have her dress tearing at the seams, he added, 'If you have me in mind to be your tutor, forget it—cut your teeth on somebody else.'
It could have been his way of assuring her she had nothing to fear from him, but Lucy didn't see it like that; she knew he had taken her 'I still have a lot to learn' as an invitation, an invitation he had turned down, and her fury threatened to boil over. Then her zip was sliding up, Jud having achieved the job he set out to do, and she was left staring at the door as he went out saying, 'I'll wait for you downstairs.'
He was absolutely, one hundred per cent insufferable! Lucy thought as she collected her wrap. It was a warm night, and her wrap wouldn't be needed, but she felt in need of holding something in her hands; she didn't trust her control sufficiently to have her hands free if Jud Hemming made another crack like the last one before they reached the Hall.
Mrs Hemming came out into the hall to greet them when she heard them arrive and within a very few minutes Lucy decided she liked Jud's mother very much. How could she not like her when she was so opposite from her son, not only in looks but in manner too?
`I thought you were never going to get here,' she said after Jud had introduced them. 'Forgive my impatience, Lucy, but I've so looked forward to this day.'
Lucy summoned up a smile as she walked with the grey-haired woman, who was about her own height, into the drawing room she had been in only yesterday. She found it difficult to meet Mrs Hemming's eyes while they sipped
sherry before going in to dinner, and this upset her because she had never had any trouble looking directly at anyone before. It was guilt, pure and simple, she knew, at the deception she and Jud were practising on this welcoming woman, that kept her looking down into her lap for most of the time. She hoped Mrs Hemming
Lucy knew the instant he came into the room and her body tensed when she felt his hands warm on her back. `Relax,' the quietly spoken word reached her. 'I can't do a thing while you're trembling so badly.' Up to that point she hadn't been aware she had been trembling; it was pure fury of course that had got her into this state. 'I've said I won't take advantage-surely that bit of a kiss downstairs hasn't unnerved you to this extent?'
Bit of a kiss? She wouldn't want to know him when he really got going ! 'I've had better than that from novices,' she told him coldly, and only as the words dropped from her lips and all movement behind her ceased did she realise her words had sounded challenging. The last thing she wanted she hurriedly realised, was that Jud Hemming should give her a further demonstration that he had passed out of the Lovemaking Academy with first class honours. `I didn't mean that,' she retracted quickly, terrified suddenly at the lack of movement behind her. 'Y ... you've got me so confused I don't know what I'm saying.'
`Confused?' She heard his voice at last, quietly dropping the question into the tension-filled air.
`I ... I ... Oh, put it down to the fact that I'm not used to having a man in my bedroom,' she said irritably, and wished he would hurry up and fix her zip so they could get out of her room and the intimacy that surrounded them.
She felt Jud's hands come to rest on her shoulders, causing her head to jerk upright as his grip tightened. 'You're no stranger to bedroom scenes, though, are you?' he asked, his voice sounding offhand in her ears, as though he wasn't really interested in her reply.
`As you stated previously,' she told him, 'I still have a lot to learn.'
The sudden increased pressure on her shoulders worried her, but it lasted no longer than two seconds, then Jud's hands left her shoulders and he was once more trying to free her zip, saying coolly, 'In that case I'd better hurry up and get this job done so that we can leave your chaste little room,' and then infuriatingly, when he must know any movement she made would have her dress tearing at the seams, he added, 'If you have me in mind to be your tutor, forget it—cut your teeth on somebody else.'
It could have been his way of assuring her she had nothing to fear from him, but Lucy didn't see it like that; she knew he had taken her 'I still have a lot to learn' as an invitation, an invitation he had turned down, and her fury threatened to boil over. Then her zip was sliding up, Jud having achieved the job he set out to do, and she was left staring at the door as he went out saying, 'I'll wait for you downstairs.'
He was absolutely, one hundred per cent insufferable! Lucy thought as she collected her wrap. It was a warm night, and her wrap wouldn't be needed, but she felt in need of holding something in her hands; she didn't trust her control sufficiently to have her hands free if Jud Hemming made another crack like the last one before they reached the Hall.
Mrs Hemming came out into the hall to greet them when she heard them arrive and within a very few minutes Lucy decided she liked Jud's mother very much. How could she not like her when she was so opposite from her son, not only in looks but in manner too?
`I thought you were never going to get here,' she said after Jud had introduced them. 'Forgive my impatience, Lucy, but I've so looked forward to this day.'
Lucy summoned up a smile as she walked with the grey-haired woman, who was about her own height, into the drawing room she had been in only yesterday. She found it difficult to meet Mrs Hemming's eyes while they sipped
sherry before going in to dinner, and this upset her because she had never had any trouble looking directly at anyone before. It was guilt, pure and simple, she knew, at the deception she and Jud were practising on this welcoming woman, that kept her looking down into her lap for most of the time. She hoped Mrs Hemming
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