Excerpt of Love Lessons by Cheryl Holt

Abigail Weston is twenty-five years old and still unwed.
For a brief period of time, she was engaged at age
seventeen, but her fiancee died before they were married.
Shortly after, her mother died, as well, and she retired
to the country, where she’s spent the past seven years
raising her younger sister, Caroline, to adulthood.

Caroline is now seventeen, herself, and ready to make her
debut. She and Abigail have come to London to stay with
their brother, the Earl of Marbleton, and Abigail will
chaperone Caroline through the whirl of social events that
make up the London Season. She will also guide Caroline in
her selection of a husband.

As Caroline prepares to enter the marriage market, she
begins to ask questions of Abigail--questions about the
sexual side of love--and Abigail quickly realizes that she
has no basis of knowledge for providing the young woman
with the kind of information she needs to succeed at the
physical requirements of matrimony.

Abigail has heard a man’s name bandied about in whispers
by the women with whom she visits, and the more she hears
of his amorous exploits, the more intrigued she becomes.
Supposedly, he is a passionate, skilled lover who has
women flocking to his side, but he also has the reputation
for being extremely discreet in his personal affairs.

A wicked idea, completely foreign to her character, starts
to form, and she decides to approach him to see if he
would verbally tutor her in the loving arts. Naively, she
believes they will be able to meet innocently, coming
together to talk about sex and pleasure without the
necessity of any type of physical contact.

What she has not considered, however, is that her body has
been unknowingly pining for a man’s sexual attentions.
From the very first moment she contacts James Stevens, she
lights a fire she has no means of extinguishing.

James is the notorious owner of a renowned gambling
establishment who exists on the fringes of London’s High
Society. He’s bored and looking for something that will
put some excitement back into his life. When Abigail
clandestinely meets him and makes her bizarre request that
he teach her about sexual relations, he’s completely
titillated by the erotic possibilities. As a man who’s had
extensive experience with women, he recognizes the special
chemistry that sparks whenever she is near, and he is
captivated by what could become of an illicit liaison.

They are physically attracted to each other in the worst
way, and temptation is impossible to resist. They begin
meeting secretly, and step by step, Abigail is drawn into
the world of passion James opens for her. With her entire
being, she begins to anticipate their assignations, and
she can hardly endure the lackluster days that pass with
terrifying slowness in between each encounter.

As they spend time together, it becomes apparent that
their physical craving has blossomed into an emotional
bond, as well. However, they both realize any future is
hopeless.

How well will Abigail learn the skills her tutor teaches
her? Will she find the courage to throw off Society’s
shackles so that she can be with James in every way?

Will James shed the bonds of his past, giving up his life
of debauchery and dissipation in order to become the
husband Abigail deserves?

Join Abigail and James as they venture down the carnal
path of desire, only to find the route to everlasting love.