The silence that took the room felt like a physical weight, and Marissa sighed with relief when Edward waved a dismissive hand. "I need to think. Come back in an hour, all of you."
Marissa swept toward the door, not bother ing to help rouse her mother first. Her mother could handle herself Marissa, on the other hand, felt beset and bewildered, and she meant to escape while she had the chance.
She moved quickly enough to slip past Harry and steal from the room first, but Jude was there to open the door and offer a quick bow. By God, if he cracked a smile, she thought she might slap him. But Jude had controlled his amusement, and his face was serious when he rose.
"Would you have a few moments to spare, Miss York?"
"Oh, for God's sake! Yes, fine."
She followed him into the library, and rounded on him as soon as he closed the door. "How could you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You... you laughed! As if my utter humiliation were a farce."
"Marissa," his pleading tone didn't match the grin
starting to spread over his face. When she growled, he only smiled wider. "How could I not laugh?"
"It wasn't funny."
"Oh, mon con: It was the funniest thing I've ever heard."
"Jude!" she cried, stomping her foot before she realized she'd done it.
"I'd kiss you now if I wasn't sure that you'd bite me."
She would. She'd nip that obnoxious smile right off his face.
"Now I know why you're so good at it. Kissing. You've had loads of practice."
She was going to scream. She was going to stomp her feet and throw a tantrum and maybe toss a few books while she was at it.
"Do it," Jude said.
"Do what?"
"Whatever it is that's got your eyes blazing. You're throwing off sparks, cherie."
"You shouldn't encourage me," she scolded, but once again, his encouragement had freed her. Her frustration fell away, as if she had kicked and screamed. She slowly lowered herself to the chair behind her.
Jude poured a glass of sherry and curled her fingers around the glass.
"Thank you. I can't believe this is happening. Again."
He dropped into the matching chair and crossed his legs, as relaxed as ever. "Care to explain what did happen?"
"With the men?"
"Yes," he said with a smile. "With the men."
She shook her head, but she so wanted to speak of
it. She'd never told anyone, and it had been torture to hold it in. "Won't you be... jealous?"
"Do I seem the jealous type?"
"No, you don't, and that's another thing I don't understand about you."