The Education of Madeline (10 page)

What in the world? Eppie didn't know how to swim! What was she doing down by the creek, and why was she wet?

Within minutes, Teague came strolling out of the woods with his hair wet and his chest bare. In fact, he was wearing only his trousers, and they were half buttoned.

Madeline's stomach sank to her knees as she pondered the possibility of why Eppie and Teague were both wet and in the creek together. She couldn't come up with a plausible reason, and her heart squeezed tighter and tighter as a pain ripped through it.

Teague was supposed to be hers. For a month, anyway. How could he be with Eppie when they had just had the most incredible, pleasurable experience of her life less than twelve hours before?

Her tea threatened to come back to haunt her as her stomach rolled. A tear snuck out from her eye. She snapped it away angrily and headed for the kitchen.

Eppie was not there. Madeline stomped to her room instead and pounded on the door.

“Eppie!”

The door opened, and Eppie stared out at her in surprise.

“Madeline?”

“Why…what…how could you, Eppie?”

A sob burst from Madeline's throat, and she clamped her hand over her mouth to stop it, but it was too late. Her heart was already on her sleeve.

“Oh, Madeline,” said Eppie as she pulled her into her room and shut the door. She stood in her chemise, which was wet, and hugged Madeline. She shook like a newborn foal as she felt the first pains of love tear through her.

“I fell in the creek because I was yelling at your man. He saved my life.”

Madeline barely heard her through the roaring in her ears.

“What?”

“I didn't do nothing with that big ol' Irishman. He's too big and too white for me. I wanted him to leave you alone. Oh, Madeline, I was afraid this would happen. He's already breaking your heart!”

“You tried to scare him off?”

“Yes, I surely did! He wasn't budging though. Stubborn cuss.”

Madeline stepped back from Eppie and started to laugh through her tears. He hadn't been with Eppie at all. She was trying to warn him away from a relationship that Madeline had paid for. Eppie, of course, had no idea. The idea that she'd tried to warn him away sent Madeline howling with laughter.

“It ain't that funny!”

Madeline laughed and hugged her friend again. “Oh, Eppie, what would I do without you?”

Eppie started to laugh, too, and both of them nearly hurt themselves. Madeline got a stitch in her side and had to sit down on the bed.

“You want to keep him?” Eppie asked as she changed into dry clothes.

Madeline wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

“I would love to keep him, but he's mine for only a month, Eppie. And I'm going to savor every minute of it. It's all I'll have for the rest of my life.”

Eppie looked at her doubtfully.

“Please just let me have this time with him. I promise my heart won't be broken. Bruised, yes, but I won't let it be broken.”

Eppie nodded. “I think you're bug-eyed crazy, but it's your life, so it's your choice.”

“Thank you.”

Madeline hugged her one last time and then left the room. After a quick wash of her face, she was going to find Teague. It had been far too long since last night. She needed to feel him, taste him, touch him.

Love him.

T
eague was damp and irritated. By the time he got back to the carriage house and his room, his feet and the bottom of his clean pants were as muddy as the towel. He walked up the stairs, leaving dirty footprints, and threw his dirty clothes and the towel in a pile on the floor.

Glancing down at himself, he yanked off his pants, wiped his muddy feet on them and threw them in the corner, too. That left him with one set of clean clothes for the week. And it was only Tuesday.

Naked, he padded over to the hooks on the wall that held the clothes Maddie had bought for him.

“If I ever doubted the existence of a God, I could never do it again after seeing you like this.”

Maddie's voice should have startled him, but it didn't. It was as if he knew she would be there. Unashamed, he turned to face her. She stood at the top of the stairs. For some reason, her dress had wet splotches on it. It was a hideous shade of brown to begin with and made her look like a dull bird.

“You need to wear brighter colors.” She nodded and walked toward him. “Thanks, by the way. I didn't know me being naked would bring thoughts of the Almighty to your head.”

She smiled, and Teague felt his temperature spike. Maddie was beautiful. She couldn't help but see the evidence of his arousal. It literally pointed right at her.

Two feet from him, she stopped, hesitation clearly on her face.

“I want to touch you, but I don't know how. Teach me, Teague.”

He closed the distance between them. Her body heat mingled with his. He breathed deep and smelled her unique scent again. All woman, all Maddie.

“Lesson number four,” he said.

 

Madeline's knees were knocking together, and her heart was pounding. Her hands literally itched to touch all that flesh.
All that flesh.

Sweet heaven, but he was a beautiful man. Covered in taut, tanned skin from his rugged face, down his broad shoulders and chest. His arms were strong and covered in the same dark whirls of hair that kept that massive chest warm.

His stomach looked like a washboard, and it had an arrow of that dark hair that pointed straight to his cock. Lord, but the man was huge. Much larger than the pictures in the book and much, much harder. The pictures in the book showed it limp and hanging to one side. Aroused, Teague was a sight to send even the birds twittering.

His legs were long and muscled. Even his feet were perfect.

Teague was beautiful. And he was hers. Like a little girl on Christmas morning, she couldn't wait to touch him.

He took her hands and brought them to his chest.

“You did pretty well last night. Just start where you were and do whatever comes naturally. There isn't anything that's wrong between two people who—who are enjoying each other. The only rule is if you don't like something, say so.”

Madeline nodded and swallowed back her cowardice.

“Touch me, Maddie.”

Taking a deep breath, she ran her hands around his chest. His small nipples pebbled almost instantly. She ran her fingertips around the flat circles. They weren't as soft as her own, but they were much softer than the rest of him.

She moved her hands in wide circles around his chest, the crisp hair sliding beneath her skin. She remembered how it felt against her skin and shivered. His skin was slightly tacky from his bath in the creek, and he smelled of fresh air and man.

Her hands followed the curve of his shoulders and probed the muscles in his arms. He stood as still as a statue, but she could hear his breathing and feel his pulse racing. Her eyes strayed to the ever-growing member between them.

“You can touch it.”

Madeline licked her lips, and she saw it jump. Her eyes flew to his. The pupils were wide with arousal, and his nostrils flared as he breathed. She did that. She was responsible for making this man aroused. The power of that realization gave her courage she would not normally find.

One hand cupped his balls while the other closed around his shaft. A shaky breath burst from his throat. His skin was soft here like his nipples, but he was as hard as a block of wood. His balls were large and covered with lighter brown hair than his chest. They were firm and warm in her hands.

He swayed slightly on his feet when her hand tightened on him.

“Can you get on the bed?”

He nodded and then stumbled over to the bed and lay down. She looked at six and a half feet of man waiting for her, and a pulse of arousal beat so strong it made her completely wet between her legs, made her nipples pinch up harder than Teague's cock, and took her breath away.

He was better than any Christmas present. He was
hers
.

“Get undressed,” he commanded.

Without acknowledging the order as such, Madeline undressed to her chemise and stockings. She pulled off the chemise and saw Teague's eyes widen.

“Where did you get red garters?”

She smiled. “A woman has to have her secrets.” She leaned down to take them off, but Teague stopped her.

“Leave them on.”

The idea of having sex with Teague in her stockings and garters was more than exciting. She actually felt a trickle of her own arousal slide down her thigh.

Madeline walked over to the bed and looked at him with a question in her eyes.

“Straddle my legs and kneel on the bed. You can touch me as long as I can take it.”

She did as he bade. The cool air caressed her heated core. Her hands moved up his thighs to his cock again. She examined him from top to bottom, touching, caressing, and measuring. As she explored, his balls grew tighter and tighter.

“You're going to have to stop now, Maddie, or this will be over before we start.”

She didn't quite understand that but immediately removed her hands.

“Now move up and take me inside you. You're going to learn to ride me.”

Madeline hadn't realized women could be on top, but the thought was as tantalizing as it was exciting. She moved herself up until she was just over him. His eyes were nearly black, and a sheen of perspiration dotted his brow.

“Take my cock and put it inside you.”

She spread her legs a bit wider and took him in her hand. When the head of his cock met with her skin, it jumped in her hand.

“Oh, my God, you're so wet. Put it in, Maddie. Ride me, girl.”

He slid in slowly, inch by inch. She wasn't sure how to do this, so she did it slowly.

“Your nipples are begging me to touch them.” His hands reached up and began rolling the nipples between his fingers. She clenched deep down inside, and he groaned.

“Yes. Yessss….”

She finally had him entirely inside her, and the feeling was indescribable. She was not only full, she was as aroused as she had ever been in her life.

“Now move.”

Madeline looked at him helplessly. She was finding it hard to focus, with the pulses of pleasure radiating throughout her body.

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her up slightly. The friction between his cock and her pussy echoed through her.

“Up and down, darlin'. Up and down.”

She understood the rhythm immediately. When she started moving up and down, the pleasure was intense. He pulled her down, so she braced her hands on either side of his head. As she rode him, he captured a nipple in his mouth.

His teeth grazed and teased while his tongue laved and lapped at it. Her rhythm grew faster as the pleasure built inside her. Teague switched nipples and bit down hard. She moaned and slammed down on him as a wave of pleasure washed over her.

She clenched and convulsed around him. She was blind and deaf to everything but the pleasure that had taken control of her body. As if in a cloud, she heard him shout her name and grab her hips to thrust in deeply. That thrust started her pleasure all over again. Stars danced in front of her eyes as she felt him spill his seed inside her.

Madeline fell forward to land on his chest. His big arms closed around her. She snuggled into him and clutched his shoulders.

“Hell, Maddie, you sure are good at this for a first-time rider.”

She chuckled against his skin. “I'm only as good as my teacher.”

“Oh, darlin', that's not true. You are passion come to life. All I did was wake it up.”

Madeline didn't know if that was true or not, but it made her feel ten feet tall. He thought she was passion. Her. The Black Widow. The Spinster of Brewster House. Madeline “Too Tall” Brewster.

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome. You know, Eppie is a very protective friend.”

Madeline sat up and swayed at the sudden movement. He caught her shoulders, and his eyes were full of concern.

“You okay?”

She nodded. “Eppie is a very good friend. She doesn't know anything about our…arrangement, and she won't ever know.”

His thumbs caressed her skin. “You inspire people, Maddie.”

Madeline realized he was still inside her, and he was still hard. She tightened around him, and his eyes widened.

“You're playing with fire, you know.”

She grinned. “I am an eager pupil. I love to learn.”

In a blink, she was lying on the narrow cot with Teague above her. He slowly slid in and out, gentleness replaced by the fevered dance from their first joining.

As the sun sank into the horizon, Teague and Madeline explored each other's bodies again until they were both too tired to move.

Madeline was spooned up against Teague, sated and exhausted. Twinges of sore muscles dotted her body. One big arm curled over her waist, and he was lightly snoring in her ear.

This was bliss. Complete and utter bliss. Madeline explored his hand as he slept. His fingers were long with blunt ends, the nails clipped. Small patches of dark hair sat on the skin between the knuckles. Calluses upon calluses were thick on his fingers and hands. He was so different from any man she'd ever known.

Was that the appeal? Was that what drew her to him? Perhaps initially, but that wasn't all of it. There was more. Now her heart was involved.

She had lied to Eppie. She would be heartbroken when he left. No doubt about it. But it was worth it. More than worth it.

Being with Teague was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

With a sigh, Madeline slipped out of bed and dressed quickly. She kissed him on the brow and then left the carriage house.

 

Eppie scowled at her when she entered the kitchen. She knew her hair looked mussed, and her lips were no doubt as red as her cheeks.

“I sure hope you don't catch yourself a baby.”

Eppie's words dropped like a stone in a dry well.

Baby?

The thought had never entered her mind. First and foremost because, at thirty-two, she figured she was too old to have a baby. But even if she did “catch” a baby, she was more than prepared to love and raise a child. Especially one made with Teague.

“I'm too old, Eppie. Don't be worrying about it.”

Eppie shrugged and went back to stirring a pot on the stove. “Miss Merriweather came by to drop off a pie for you.”

Madeline spotted the apple pie on the counter and smiled. “She didn't have to do that.”

“She wanted to say thank you kindly for what you did for her after her brother died. No one thought she could manage the store on her own, but you helped her prove them wrong.”

Candice Merriweather was a spinster like herself, only about five years older. She had run the general store in town with her brother until he'd died six months ago. The reverend and the sheriff had put pressure on her to sell the store and live off the proceeds.

Madeline had known Candice since they were children and had felt it her duty to assist her. So she had. She taught Candice how to balance books, how to contact suppliers, and how to negotiate the freight and price with wagon haulers.

Every week since, Candice had sent a pie to Madeline. She was truly a good friend, and a visit was long overdue.

“What did you tell her?”

Eppie smirked. “I told her you weren't here but thanked her for you.”

“Thank you, Eppie.”

She walked past her with her head held high and then ran up the stairs to the bathing room. She smelled like Teague and hot, joyful sex. Eppie surely had smelled it, and no doubt anyone else would, too.

 

Teague woke up alone. He could still feel her next to him. He pressed his nose into the pillow and breathed in her scent. Madeline was getting under his skin. He tried desperately to stop it, but each time they were together, whether in bed or not, it got worse.

He recognized the symptoms. He'd had them once before, with Claire. It seemed like a hundred years ago. He didn't remember it being as intense as this, though. This need to be with her, protect her, and touch her.