Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath

You could just tell she was feeling hurt.

Hull raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

Susanna rolled over in bed, clutching the comforter around her. Her voice was muffled. "Nothing. I'm fine."

But she was obviously not fine.

Hull sighed. “Look, I know women from Portis City have all these big ideas about, you know, waiting for the right moment..... maybe even saving it for their wedding night. But come on, that's old-school stuff. Are people really still that conservative?"

Susanna's eyes went wide. "Are we really having this conversation?"

Seriously. Was this the kind of thing you just talked about so casually?

Well, whatever, she had bigger things on her mind right now.

Hull, seeing she wasn't answering, started rummaging through the medical kit, snapping on latex gloves. "Alright, pants down."

Susanna sat up, alarmed. “I can do it myself.”

Just the idea of him telling her to take her pants off made her freeze up.

"Or I could ask the housekeeper to help, if you'd prefer," Hull offered.

"You sure about that?" he added.

Susanna hesitated. Was she? No way. If the housekeeper got involved, she'd die of embarrassment. "I'll do it."

So, she braced herself, cheeks burning.

Hull gave her a look-intense, unreadable. Susanna squirmed under his gaze.

“Um..... what's with the look?" she mumbled. "Can't I just do it myself?"

completely unfazed. “Feeling

glared. "Is

what was with this guy? He talked about stuff like this the way someone might ask if you wanted more mashed

could be in bed, Susanna would've started to wonder if he even

thing—when it came to

"I've

Susanna groaned.

Like he was saying he'd

matter-of-fact. Like none of this fazed him

to the last bit of dignity she

With one swift move, he just pulled

had time to protest—she was

the pillows, Susanna muttered, “Our deal was just one time,

was

again. "I

sat up,

you do!

you, I'd get to see

seen her. I

was enough to make her

truth about her family,

had happened, she was

over dinner, Ronald turned to Stella. "You know Susanna spent the whole afternoon at the

almost dropped her fork. "She did

idea," Ronald

called, her voice trembling as she talked about

out practicing with

tone softened, pride shining through. “She's a lot

Ronald nodded. "Yeah."