Lessons in Love by Victoria Sinclair

of his mouth against her own. She allowed her lips to part slightly, and his tongue darted between them, sending a jolt of pleasure washing down to her groin. She moaned slightly, and without warning, he broke away, and she was left staring at him with a mixture of surprise, desire and disappointment washing through her, her body burning where he’d touched her, and an insatiable longing within her unfulfilled. He shook his head slowly, took a deep breath and ran a hand roughly through his hair.
    ‘I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened,’ he said quickly, and turned away, walking into the night. She stared after him in shock, turned numbly in the direction of her car and crossed the road, her body running on auto pilot.
    She sat down in the driver’s seat and shook her head, trying to clear away the memory of what had just happened, but her body betrayed her, burning from his touch and filled with an unquenchable desire. She turned the key and started the ignition, remembering what his last words to her had been: ‘I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened.’ No, it shouldn’t have. But she couldn’t regret it. In that brief moment he’d shown her exactly what it could be between a man and a woman. But he was her lecturer. She couldn’t entertain any juvenile fantasies of anything more happening between them. It was simply impossible.
     
    Nicholas raked his fingers through his hair, furious at himself. What had he been thinking? The answer to that was simple: he hadn’t been. His out of control hormones had taken over and he’d acted on pure animal instinct. He was a man who prided himself on his self-control and common sense. He’d believed himself immune to the raw animalistic behaviour intrinsic to so many men when it came to women. Of course he felt lust and desire, that was natural, but he’d always, always, been able to keep it under control, never surrendering to his needs until the time was appropriate. That is, until now. 

Chapter Four
    The phone rang, startling Emily out of her study. She frowned in annoyance, loath to stop now, just when she was getting into the flow of it. She sighed and put the book down.
    ‘Hello,’ she said, picking up the receiver.
    ‘Hello, Emily.’ The voice was deep and male, and for an instant Emily’s heart jumped into her throat before she recognised the voice on the other end.
    ‘Sam!’ she exclaimed, feeling a little foolish. Along with Sonya and Andrew, Sam had been one of her best friends in high school, and she hadn’t spoken to him for a good couple of months. ‘It’s great to hear from you.’ And it was. It had been too long since they’d caught up.
    ‘There’s a series of seminars being held at the University, and I’m coming down for the week. I thought it would be a good time to catch up, especially now you’re out there. Do you have any free lunch hours?’
    ‘Sure, Fridays are good for me.’
    They arranged to meet at the University Bistro, and as Emily placed the phone down, she smiled in pleasure. Now there was a man who didn’t send out mixed signals! Sam was a down to earth Aussie guy, and Emily loved him for it. Unfortunately, all her feelings for him, and his for her, were completely platonic. They’d had an abortive attempt at a relationship at fifteen, and had returned to being great friends thereafter.
    The bistro was crowded when Emily arrived, but she soon recognised Sam’s blond head and widely grinning mouth. She waved to him, and he responded in kind.
    ‘Emily,’ he said, standing up from his chair. ‘It’s been a long time. You look great. I guess university life must be agreeing with you.’ She smiled ruefully at him.
    ‘Not as much as I’d hoped,’ she confessed, sitting across from him.
    ‘Trouble with lectures?
    ‘No. Lecturers, more like it. Or, one in particular.’ She didn’t want to tell Sam all the details of her sordid relationship with Nicholas, or at least, what there’d been of it, but she