Free Rude Awakening by Sam Crescent, Natalie Dae Page B

said. “I think so.” She bit her bottom lip.
    His heart sped up. “If you’re not certain…”
    “No, no, I’m certain. It’s just… You’re only going to be my teacher, right?”
    A glut of sadness and disappointment pooled in his gut, but he smiled reassuringly and said, “Yes, if that’s how you want it to be.”
    He frowned at what he’d said. Hadn’t that been the whole idea, him being her teacher then sending her on her way? Why, then, did it sting when she’d made that point clear? Did he want more from her, was that it? Oh, he’d been wanting a sub like her for some time, one who was willing to share her likes and dislikes with him instead of just being a yes-girl. But was he ready to become more seriously involved? With someone as broken as Ruby?
    He was surprised to realise he was.
    She sipped her wine then lowered the glass. “It’s probably best that way, right? I mean, you’re some hot-shot solicitor. You wouldn’t want the likes of me hanging around for too long, and I—”
    “Is that what you think?” He took a step forward and placed his fingers on her arm, wanting to touch yet not wanting to scare her with a full-on grip to her biceps as he would have done to any other woman.
    “Well, stands to reason I’m not your type. We get on and all that, but… Look, I’ve got a runaway mouth on me, what with my swearing, and there’s no way a bloke like you would want some common piece on his arm permanently. So yes, it’s probably best that you teach me, make me understand what it’s really all about, then I’ll bugger off and leave you to it.”
    “I don’t want you to bugger off,” he blurted.
    She widened her eyes and clutched her glass tighter, droplets of condensation trickling over her fingers. “Oh.” She turned away then, head bowed, a frown firmly in place, and walked out of the room.
    He’d gone too far, too quickly, hadn’t he? Suddenly unsure whether to follow or give her space, he gulped some wine and considered the best course of action. Nothing had surprised him more than the speed with which he’d become attached to her. He thought about her leaving after her training was done and knew it would hurt. Was it her vulnerability, often covered with her brash words and fake bravado, that made him want to take care of her? Was it the way she was a breath of fresh air in that she said things exactly as she saw them, not thinking of how it might sound to him?
    He supposed it was. And the latter? He was pleased she felt able to do that, because it obviously hadn’t been allowed with her former Dom. She was honest, not out to snare him for his money, and he appreciated that trait after recent relationships had ended with the women revealing themselves to be gold diggers. Ruby was eager to learn, and he, in turn, was eager to teach. Until she expressed the admission she didn’t want to bugger off either, he’d tell himself she was his pupil and nothing more.
    Whether he believed his own lies remained to be seen.

    * * * *

    She sat before him on the rug, legs crossed, hands in the space between them. Her knees, shins and feet were on display, her negligee pooled beneath her fingers. She’d closed her eyes as he’d instructed, and the fire crackled behind her, drying her hair into crinkles.
    “Now tell me what you want,” he said. “The ultimate fantasy.”
    Her eyes flickered, and she parted her lips as though she was about to say something but had thought better of it. Or she wasn’t brave enough or ready to tell him what he wanted to know.
    “It doesn’t matter that I’m sitting in front of you,” he said. “The lamp doesn’t show you too much—you’re kind of in shadow. Pretend you’re alone.”
    “It’s difficult because I bloody know you’re there!”
    He smiled, holding back a chuckle. “If you want to learn…”
    “All right, all right, keep your hair on!”
    Laughter barked out of him before he could stop it, and she smiled, the self-conscious