Once Upon a True Love's Kiss

by Julie Johnstone

  Julianna refused to laugh at the overly serious expression on Nash's face, though her cheeks twitched with the desire. "I do believe the situation called for improvisation, so I feel safe in saying no rules of the boring and cold ton were irreparably broken."

  "Thank God," he said with mock severity, unknowingly using language many would consider brash at best. Out of the corner of her eye, Julianna saw Liza's little mouth gape open. She bent down and discretely shook her head at her daughter, so she would not let on that she'd picked up on the faux pas.

  Julianna smiled at Maggie. "We may have already met, but I didn't get the chance to tell you that I'll be teaching you some things for a while to help you become a proper little lady. Liza here can help me and learn with you. Would that be okay?"

  "Do proper ladies do anything fun?" Maggie asked.

  "Oh, yes. We sing, paint, and dance. We ride horses, and play instruments."

  "We wade in creeks with our shoes off when no one is around," Liza chimed in, making Julianna immediately blush.

  "Do hush, Liza. That is our little secret. Though, now that it's out, I do suppose we will have to do it with you, as well, Maggie."

  Maggie's big blue eyes grew even bigger. "Are there more fun secret things we do?"

  When Liza opened her mouth, Julianna tsked her. "We don't tell our secrets in front of a gentleman, Liza, dear. Take Maggie to the nursery and you may share all our secrets. I'll be up to fetch her in a bit, as I'm sure she will be growing tired from her swim."

  Maggie poked out her lip and shook her head. "I won't get tired. I want to stay all day and play."

  "We'll see," Julianna said with a chuckle before Nash helped the girls to their feet and they nosily left the parlor with the toy tea service rattling as they went.

  Julianna faced Nash, determined to fix the tone of their relationship as business only. "We should probably set the terms of my employment today, and then if you care to, we can start working together tomorrow."

  "I'd like to start today," Nash drawled.

  She couldn't help blinking in surprise. "You would?"

  He nodded. "I'm one for tackling my deficiencies straight on. I don't like to wait around for what I want."

  "Oh yes, I see," she mumbled, feeling flustered by the way his smile seemed suggestive. "Then why don't we sit and come to an agreement on what you will pay me and what sort of things I can help you learn." She motioned to the chair while she moved toward the settee.

  As she settled herself onto the soft royal blue cushions, she was surprised when Nash sat beside her instead of taking the chair she had indicated. His heat once again invaded her, and when his hard thigh brushed the side of her leg, her heart jolted in response. She attempted to glance at him surreptitiously from under her lashes, but his intense gaze met hers at once. Disconcerted with her reaction to his nearness, she nervously licked her lips. "It's not customary for a gentleman to sit so close to a lady he's not courting."

  His gaze slid slowly lower then swiftly back up. "I'm not a gentleman yet."

  The deep timbre of his voice had the strangest effect on her. She wanted to lean toward that rich voice so full of elicit promise. Heavens! She was a light-skirt at heart. A searing flush overtook her at once, and she scooted away from him to the opposite edge of the settee.

  One corner of his mouth tilted up in amusement. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

  JULIANNA'S NOD WAS MORE of a jerk of her head. Nash frowned. "I don't normally pry into other's personal business, but since I'm going to be employing you to tutor not only me, but my daughter as well, I am curious why a lady in your standing is seeking employment. Surely, you don't need the money."

  He was instantly disgusted with himself when Julianna flushed deeply. Damnation. He should have realized she was wary. He'd just inadvertently caused her embarrassment, and all because he had a strange hunger to learn everything he could about her. "I'm sorry. If I'd known that money had driven you to seek employment, I would have never asked you to explain yourself."

  Her slender hands twisted together in her lap as she glanced down. "No, you deserve to know. If I were employing someone to tutor my daughter, I'd demand to know every detail of her life."

  Nash didn't speak, afraid any acknowledgment of her words would cause her more embarrassment.

  A long sigh emanated from her. "It seems my husband made some unwise financial choices that have left my brother-in-law very strained for money. His wife has a babe on the way, and he cannot provide for them and for Liza and me. And I don't have enough money to live on without seeking additional funds."

  What sort of fool husband didn't ensure his wife would be properly cared for if he died? Nash ground his teeth together then spoke. "What about your family?"

  "I was an only child and my parents are deceased. I have an uncle, but he is a wretched drunk."

  Nash made a disgusted noise in his throat. Women's lack of choices was but one thing that angered him about the ton's attitudes. "You could marry," he said quietly, willing her to look up so he could see if there was any spark of interest in her eyes, despite what she had told him previously.

  Her brilliant green gaze met his, and his heart thumped as if he'd just finished a boxing match. What was this strange effect she had on him? She made him want to hope for things he knew were out of his reach.

  A small, sad smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Technically, I could. I've already had an offer."

  Something suddenly burned in Nash's chest. "I'm not surprised," he said, struggling to keep his voice calm as he imagined bashing her new suitor's face in. What the devil? He was not a jealous man, or at least he'd never been before. "I gather since you're here that you turned down— What did you say the man's name was?"

  "I didn't, but his name is Lord Cameron."

  "Are you referring to Trevelle? Lord Lionhurst's brother?"

  "Yes. Do you know Lord Cameron?"

  He did. And he used to like the man, but he found in this moment, he didn't care for him at all. Nash leaned back and crossed his ankle over his knee. "Of course I know him. He's a frequent gambler, so he is in my club quite often. Not good husband material for you at all."

  She quirked an eyebrow. "One who has a glass head should be aware of stones."

  "Troilus and Criseyde," he said, chuckling that she'd called him on his ridiculous behavior. She kept her mettle hidden mostly, but it was there, layered, he suspected, in the hardness of her bones and the softness of her flesh.

  "You know Chaucer."

  Her stare was nothing short of incredulous. He was enjoying every minute of being with her, and the way she displayed her emotions without care. "Surprised?" he asked casually.

  "I…well…yes. Yes, I am."

  "You thought me uneducated?"

  Her hand fluttered to her neck. "I suppose I assumed, but I don't really know you, do I?"

  "No, you don't." And he didn't really know her, but he wanted to very much. With every second that passed, that want grew. Soon it would be unbearable. "I think it is inevitable that we get to know each other a bit."

  She toyed with a ribbon hanging from her dress for a moment, making him wonder if she was going to respond. Finally, she gave him a shy look. Had she given that same wonderfully inviting look to her first husband when they had begun their courtship? There was that ridiculous jealousy of a dead man again.

  "Of course. You're right. It is inevitable," she agreed.

  He had to clench his teeth to keep from grinning. He felt as if he'd just won the hardest match he'd ever fought, and his prize was Julianna's willingness to let down her guard just a bit. "So you told Trevelle no, and then felt you had no choice but to seek employment?"

  "Yes, I suppose that sums it up."

  "I'm terribly sorry." Many in the ton would look down on her once word circulated that she had taken employment, and the idea that anyone should treat her with less respect than she deserved made him angry.

  "There's no need for apo
logies. The idea of working and having a completely fresh start actually appeals to me very much."

  Her admission made his breath bottle up in his chest. He forced himself to exhale. "You're not worried what others will say about you, possibly to you?"

  "No. I'm more worried about failing to earn a living and having to marry again."

  "So you will marry if you cannot earn enough to live on?"

  Her jaw hardened, and he suspected she was grinding her teeth. They sat in silence for a moment before she spoke. "I'm hoping that if I do a good job for you, it will lead to another employment opportunity, but if it doesn't work that way, then yes, I'll have to set my feelings aside and marry to support Liza. So, Nash, tell me exactly what it is you want from me."

  That was a dangerous question if ever there was one. He wished he bloody well knew what he wanted from her. He was having wild thoughts. Crazy ones. About courting her. Caressing her. Breaking down all her barriers and showing her that perhaps she could want marriage again with the right man or, better yet, the wrong man—a man exactly like him.

  He needed a wife and damned if she didn't seem to be the perfect candidate. To know—to really know—he needed to test the water, or rather her lips. A simple kiss could tell him all. Was it dangerous to play such a game or was it foolish in the extreme not to try?

  He shifted in his seat, his blood coursing almost painfully through his veins. "I want my first lesson, of course. Assuming your instruction takes the better part of the next month, I'll pay you five hundred pounds if that's acceptable?"

  A hiss of breath escaped her. "That's too much."

  Not to him. He wanted to give her some stability and time, and that amount would not even nick his fortune. "Are you implying you are not worth it?"

  "No, no. I'm worth it."

  "Perfect. Then we're in agreement."

  "What would you like to work on first?"

  "Kissing."

  Her lips parted, but she quickly closed them. "I beg your pardon?"

  "You heard me," he said, memorizing the way she tilted her head to the right and furrowed her brow when she was wary.

  "Why kissing?"

  He plucked a nonexistent piece of lint from his trousers in an effort to appear indifferent. "I've been told I kiss with a great amount of passion. I'm convinced after hearing what you told me about not touching ladies in public or sitting to close to them, that my carnal urgings would frighten a proper lady. I need to be taught just how much to restrain myself. But if you're not up to the task, I suppose I can hire another tutor for myself and you can simply instruct my daughter. Your pay will remain the same, so you need not be concerned about that. It's entirely your decision."

  After Forever: Chapter Six

  JULIANNA STILLED, POSITIVE HER HEART MUST have stopped in her chest. He was trying to lure her into a seduction by challenging her. Her thoughts hurtled around in her head as if someone had shaken her senseless. Nash's challenge to kiss him had suddenly struck her witless. Why else would she still be sitting here on this settee so close to this man who exuded a raw sort of masculinity? If she had any intelligence, she would jump up and storm out of the room or slap him across his face for his obvious disrespect. There wouldn't be a better time than this moment to put him in his place. Or perhaps she should let him kiss her and prove his charms held no lure for her.

  "Lock the door," she said, shocked at the words coming from her lips.

  Nash smiled in a wolfish way that told her he thought she was overcome by desire for him. The click of the lock reverberated through the room.

  As he strode back toward her, her heart thundered in her ears. She couldn't believe she was going to do this, but the man really did need to be knocked down a peg or two.

  He sat and faced her, looking at her for a long moment before speaking. "Have you ever kissed any man other than your husband?"

  "No," she said through cold lips. She was starting to doubt her plan. There was an odd tingly feeling building in her stomach again, and it felt entirely too much like anticipation. She moved away from him a bit, but he came closer and slid his arm around her so that his powerful forearm pressed snugly against her back. His fingers curled gently around her shoulder and instantly started to rub in a slow, dizzying circle. His face came so near hers, she stared, mesmerized, at a very small, light scar near his upper right eye, wondering how he had come to get the wound.

  He shifted a fraction closer, then spoke. "I'll start very slow and gentle, so I don't scare you."

  "I don't scare easily," she managed to reply. Though the way his warm breath had fanned her face when he spoke made her tremble.

  He moved his hand slowly up her shoulder, his fingers caressing intimately through her hair and brushing across the length of her neck with a sort of reverence that shocked her. Strong fingers curled at the base of her skull and brought her face closer to his. She expected him to first give her a peck as Henry had often done before taking her mouth with more aggression and passion, which had often left her reeling to catch up to Henry's obvious increasing desire.

  Nash began rubbing his fingers in tiny circles, so that the slide of her hair against his fingertips hummed in her ears, and her scalp prickled in a manner that left her feeling drugged. He brought his lips to hers and brushed them softly over her sensitive skin in a long, sensual stroke that caused her lips to tingle like her head. She thought to lean back to take a deep, calming breath, but his fingers tightened their hold and his lips came to hers once again. Yet it was his tongue, not his lips, that made contact with her this time. It traced over the upper and then lower one.

  Something inside of her constricted at her core, and she found herself pressing closer, wanting to feel more of what he could do with his lips. His mouth captured her upper lip again and pulled softly before moving to her lower lip to do the same. Suddenly, she felt her hands on his shoulders, curling against the corded muscles there. When had she raised her hands?

  The thought fled as his mouth came fully over hers, hot, searing, and stoking a fire she had not realized had been ignited. Yet she could not deny in this moment that she burned. As his lips massaged hers, she moaned, and his tongue delved into her mouth to touch hers, beckoning her to let go, if only for a second. As their tongues swirled and she savored his taste and the heat of his mouth, she felt as if he were a drug that she wanted to drink her fill of. His kiss grew deeper, demanding her to reveal the secrets she had hidden within.

  Things she had long wanted to do with Henry, but dared not, suddenly surfaced in her mind. She pulled away to trace Nash's full, soft lips with her tongue as he had done to her and then kissed her way across his whiskers to his neck.

  Madness.

  This was utter madness, yet she could not stop. She teased at his neck and then sucked with an eagerness that shamed and shocked her. His shoulders tensed under her fingertips, and the notion that she was causing this man to come undone made her blood sing. A deep groan came from him right before he pulled her head up and claimed her mouth for a ravishing kiss that sent her reeling.

  His hands locked behind her back as he crushed her to his chest, and his heartbeat crashed against hers. "Julianna," he groaned, breaking contact. "You're unraveling me."

  "Mama!"

  The door rattled, and then a knock came.

  Julianna jerked back and gasped. The shock of what she had been actively and eagerly participating in came crashing over her. She jumped up on weak legs and stared down at Nash for one moment. His glistening gaze told her he knew how he'd affected her. She swept her trembling hands over her hair while trying to decide what to do. Lying, which she detested, seemed the only and the safest choice.

  "You don't kiss with too much passion at all." Her words wobbled as she spoke. She took a deep breath and continued. "This is one lesson we can move on from. I'll be departing now. You can expect me tomorrow at precisely ten, and we can work on conversing."

  "Sounds titillating." Nash's voice held the rumble of barely
checked laughter.

  The mere word titillating leaving his lips made her knees quake more. Blast the man. Julianna had to put a steadying hand on the settee. "Conversation is not meant to titillate," she said, before striding to the door, desperate to escape the room and the man that had made her senses reel in a way Henry never had.

  "Oh really," Nash called behind her. "Then I've definitely been going about conversing in the wrong manner."

  She squared her shoulders, determined to show the blasted devil he'd not affected her one bit, but as she stepped into the corridor and glanced at the two little girls standing by a portrait of Audrey, Julianna cringed. She had been attempting to leave the home she was staying in. How utterly humiliating. She turned to demand he go and found him directly behind her—in kissing range. The errant thought made her grind her teeth. A knowing smile tugged at his lips. So help her, if he said one word to point out her ridiculousness—

  "Come along, Maggie," he crooned to his daughter while sidestepping Julianna. "It's time for Papa's nap."

  "But, Papa, you don't nap," the child responded, slipping her hand in Nash's.

  He boldly met Julianna's gaze. "I will today, poppet. My lesson with Lady Barrows was quite exhausting. She's a superb teacher."

  Julianna clenched her teeth so hard a sharp pain shot through her jaw, but as Nash led his daughter toward the front door, it was impossible not to stare in wonder at his powerful body. She could feel her anger being replaced by the far more dangerous emotion of desire.

  She did not want to desire this man who exuded confidence with every move he made. Too much of it. From here on out, she had to make sure to keep things between them strictly business. No more kisses. Or touches. Or glances. Though glances really would be nearly impossible to avoid. If she looked down too much, she'd trip. No, she would definitely have to look at Nash, but that didn't mean she had to appear friendly. She'd practice appearing frosty in the looking glass tonight. She snorted at her nonsensical train of thought. He'd reduced her to ridiculousness with one kiss.