Educated

by Gray Gardner

  He hadn’t meant to shout at her and yank her backwards, but when his senses returned he realized she was trying to leave him. He quickly released her and ran his hand over his jaw a few times, breathing deeply. He had to do this right. He had to get what was going on in his jeans in check. He had to get Mary Madeline Tucker to stay the night. To stay forever. What? No, maybe through the break at least.

  She clutched her hands in front of her and drew in a breath. He was being weird but at least he’d stopped her in a semi-desperate way. Should she just ask? Yes, it wasn’t a secret what she’d been doing. She’d worked out and had essentially anger-banged him. She didn’t hate him, though. She loved everything about him. Shit, just ask! “Um,” she squeaked, clearing her throat and looking up at him. “Could I, uh, take a quick shower?”

  He exhaled so hard it blew wisps of her strawberry blonde hair off of her forehead. So that’s what was bothering her. He grinned down at her, replying, “That sounds like a great idea.”

  The shower had been interesting. She’d tried to modestly bathe herself without revealing too much and he’d lathered her up with roaming hands that eventually got her off in a quick, squealing, soapy orgasm. When she’d resurfaced from her daze and had tried to return the favor, he’d simply switched off the water and wrapped them both in fluffy navy towels, claiming that it was time to “talk.”

  The talk had been even more interesting. The arrogant professor who loved the sound of his own voice had let her express every thought and feeling and reservation she was having about… whatever was going on between them. She’d looked at him suspiciously when he’d nodded in understanding. She about had a heart attack when he brushed her hair away from her face, kissed her forehead, and then spooned up behind her under the covers.

  He loved that she’d put so much thought into their relationship. He had as well. Now he wanted to sleep on it. They’d worry about administrators, jealous students, the end of the semester, and the summer semesters later. Her apprehension certainly had validity, however, the thought of being apart from her trumped concerns of discovery.

  She awoke the next morning to a bright sun, a sweeping view of the city, and a hard, hot body pressed up against her back. Sighing and wishing she could better predict his fluctuating temperaments, she pushed her worries that still remained unresolved to the back of her mind and silently rolled over. They hadn’t quite hashed things out like she’d wanted to, but at least he’d let her talk. He’d nodded at her disquiet concerning the Honor Code and even scoffed at her fear of his superiors and his dismissal. Admittedly, his confidence made her feel better. Confidence? Yeah, it was arrogance, but he did his damnedest to appear humble for her.

  His bare chest rose and fell beneath the white sheet. Defined, a small patch of blondish brown hair curling on his sternum, mmm, delicious.

  God, how was he so gorgeous and not totally spoken for? She chewed on her lip as she mulled over the answer. Emotionally unavailable? Burned? He certainly couldn’t be unaware of the effect he had on women. If he was just looking for a quick lay, though, he sure was exerting a lot of effort on her.

  She ran the tip of her finger down his neck, clavicle, chest, and stomach, pausing just below his belly button. He definitely cared about looks. His body was tight and lightly tanned. He didn’t seem shallow, though.

  He was brilliant, too. She hadn’t known before that it was a total turn-on for her. Maybe she was some sort of challenge for him? He did think she was defiant enough to be… disciplined. He knew she was shy, had a hot temper, and was from Texas. On the surface he appeared to like nothing about her. Their attraction was undeniable, though.

  Pressing her lips together in a frown, she shook out all of those negative thoughts and focused again on the positive, a live-in-the-moment trick a grief counselor had taught her. Here she was, in a nice condo, naked and snuggled in a huge bed with a naked and gorgeous man, who had brought her home to talk as promised, and… okay, that was three positive things. She needed five.

  The sun was shining, she grinned, squinting and looking over her shoulder at the tops of the buildings surrounding them in the morning light. Okay, one more… he’d unselfishly given her pleasure in the shower the night before without seeking any for himself.

  She held her breath as he sighed in his sleep and rolled to his back. Her eyes widened at the tent under the sheets. A wicked thought jumped into her mind as she scanned his body again, settling on his face to make sure he really was asleep. Yeah, she could come up with six positive things this morning for sure.

  Mait Frasier was a man who rarely wanted for anything. So when the little minx Mary Madeline had repeatedly thwarted his usual advances (and not-so-usual) he’d resorted to exhibiting true emotion… a new concept for him when it came to women. And recently all that left him with, unfortunately, was the memory of her sweet smile, big blue eyes, and a raging hard-on. This morning was no different. It strained against his pajamas as he gripped it, ready to relieve himself, by himself, yet again.

  He yawned and stretched his arms over his head, blinking in the sunlight as his thoughts became more organized. He looked at the empty space next to him. She’d slept there with him, all night… right? It seemed like a distant memory and maybe even… a fantasy? They hadn’t even done anything. He suddenly felt empty as he stared at the space next to him.

  Then, just as suddenly, he felt a warm, soft wetness around his erection. Out of pure shock he jolted upright, the sheets flying forward and revealing a naughty little strawberry blonde head between his legs. He gasped and grinned as he tried to catch his breath. Like he’d said: naughty.

  “Oh fuck,” he groaned, as she gripped him and took as much of him in her mouth as she could. He turned his head up to the ceiling, closing his eyes and willing himself to not come in the next five seconds. This was too good. His breath hitched again as she sucked and squeezed a little too hard, only to relieve him with a pleasurable swirl of her tongue. God, for someone who’d been married and had probably only given blowjobs on birthdays she certainly knew what she was doing.

  “Fuck, Mary,” he gritted through his teeth. He would be humiliated if he came in 60 seconds like he had every other time he’d been with her. He leaned back on one hand and weaved the other through her long hair.

  “You can fuck Mary now or when I’m done here,” she softly said, looking up at him. “Your choice.”

  He almost came at those few words and the sight of her looking up at him, eyes big and smoldering, lips pink and plump. He wanted to hold off a little bit longer. Gripping the back of her neck and hooking his hand under her arm he yanked her upwards. He fell back onto the soft pillows as she squealed and giggled, landing on his chest.

  Her lips immediately sought his as she straddled him and grabbed his scruffy hair, golden in the morning sunlight. She felt wild and she loved it. She and Sam had been in love. They made each other laugh, enjoyed each other’s company day in and day out, and had cared for one another deeply.

  But this was so… different. She’d never felt this way with a man before. She wanted to do really dirty things to him, with him, for him. She wasn’t afraid of being reckless with him, telling him her deepest needs, or having him discover them on his own. She loved it.

  As the kiss deepened he felt too far from the rest of her body. Gripping her hips he very slowly eased her onto him, both of them desperately gasping for air. He filled and stretched her, loving her little moans, her pouty lips, her determined gaze. His hips lifted gently at first but soon he couldn’t stop himself from pumping deeper and deeper inside her.

  They both finished in under two minutes with licentious moans and uninhibited repetitive name-calling. Mait loved the way his name sounded as she lustfully called out. He loved how her perky breasts bounced as she rode him. He just loved her.

  What? No, he just loved what she did to him. Right? He loved how he felt around her. God, he needed to keep it together.

  Mary sighed with contentment as she
laid on his chest and caught her breath. Now this was living. This was what she’d been missing out on. She could get used to waking up every morning like this, feeling like this, loving every minute of it. Her mind briefly flashed to her life in Austin, where she’d be in less than two years, after graduating, and she suddenly felt sad. The only reason she felt like this was because of Mait Frasier. She had a feeling they could just sit side by side and she’d still feel so content. Damn it.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  Oh God, he had the sexiest husky morning voice. She licked her lips and propped her head up on her hands, as she still lay sprawled on his chest. “Seconds.” She grinned, raising her brow.

  “I’d love nothing more, kitten,” he chuckled, swinging his hand around and smacking her ass. She squealed and frowned as he continued. “But I have two administrative meetings today before all of the grown-ups leave for their Spring Breaks.”

  “You do realize that I’m a grown-up, too,” she huffed, trying to look exasperated but failing at hiding her smile.

  “That’s debatable.”

  “You’re awfully saucy this morning,” she smirked, rolling off of him and leaning on the edge of the bed, her long hair cascading down her creamy, slightly muscled back.

  He grinned at his pink handprint splayed across her ass as she stood and slipped on one of his white t-shirts she’d spotted on the wicker chair next to the bed. His mind suddenly flashed to a future of waking up like this every morning, her looking incredibly sexy wearing his shirts, him in an insatiable state of arousal. It made him feel… hopeful.

  “Just trying to get a rise out of you so you’ll do something naughty,” he admitted, pulling on a pair of chambray boxers as they both headed into the large bathroom.

  She threw a frown at him as he laughed and handed her a spare toothbrush. They brushed their teeth and looked at each other in the mirror, Mary suddenly looking down thoughtfully as she rinsed.

  “S-sorry about those.”

  Mait frowned and looked around to find what she was apologizing about. His gaze finally settled on the faint bruising on his arms and shoulders. Ah yes, her temper tantrum at the gym.

  “You’ll be paying for that tonight,” he stated, trying to hide his amusement as he turned to look down at her.

  She actually looked contrite as her eyes couldn’t quite look into his. “But I said I was sorry and…” her quiet voice trailed off.

  “And?” he asked, taking his best professor stance as he crossed his arms over his chest.

  “And you already hit me with that awful paddle,” she mumbled, cheeks turning pink as her gaze remained locked on the floor. That thing was huge and it had really hurt.

  He rubbed his jaw and his heart rate sped up. She was adorable even when she was arguing with him. He steeled himself and tried to sound commanding. “I didn’t hit you. I spanked you, and only as a tactic to get you to calm down and listen to me. We haven’t addressed that hot temper of yours yet, though. It’s going to get you into real trouble one day with someone who isn’t as forgiving as me.”

  “It doesn’t sound like you’re being very forgiving right now,” she pouted, scratching an imaginary itch behind her ear.

  Pressing his lips together to hold back a smile, he took a breath and stated, “You are always immediately forgiven after I spank you. I hope you know that.”

  She winced every single time he said any form of the word “spank” and it was the cutest thing. He knew he shouldn’t make her wait all day and anticipate what was coming to her, but he really had to get moving. He turned and disappeared into his closet, walking out a couple of minutes later in jeans and a navy polo with dark gray Adidas tennis shoes. He found her looking pensively at her crumpled up tennis outfit on the floor. She didn’t want to put on dirty clothes but didn’t know how to ask him if she could borrow something of his. Cute.

  “I should be done by lunch,” he began, running his fingers through his hair a couple of times as he looked in the mirror. “Why don’t you run your clothes through the laundry, then I’ll come get you and take you home so you can get changed and ready for cocktails and dinner… and I guess I’ll just have to let your little outburst last night slide, too.”

  “Really?” she grinned, looking up at him hopefully.

  “Yes,” he nodded, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. He’d do whatever she wanted to get her to smile like that at him. Would people soon start describing him as a big ol’ teddy bear, the way his sister described their dad? He wasn’t totally opposed to the delineation and accredited it to the bouncy blonde head walking along with him to the kitchen.

  He poured them both a cup of coffee and sighed as he checked his watch. He wanted to talk more but he had to go. She was smiling now. He’d forgone her punishment. He had the feeling, though, that once she discovered what they were doing that evening she’d quickly earn another one.

  “Stop the car!” Mary demanded at the top of her lungs, grabbing for the door handle even though they were traveling at 40 mph on their way to an old neighborhood on the other side of town.

  “You can’t jump out while we’re moving!” Mait pointed out, thankful for the lock control on his door panel. She continued to pull at her door handle anyway as she glared over at him. Well, so much for harmony and happiness.

  He’d come home to her sweet face, kissed her, taken her home, fixed her lunch in her enormous kitchen, then instructed her to change into smart casual attire for their late afternoon and evening. Almost a perfect day… until he’d informed her that they were pulling onto the highway because they were going to his parents’ house for drinks and dinner. If looks could kill, then he was certain he’d be a corpse face down in the mud-filled ditch on the side of the road.

  But he wanted to take her to his home. For some reason, he couldn’t wait to have her as his date at one of the Frasier family dinners. He’d really never brought anyone home… well, a girl, anyway.

  “I can’t believe you tricked me into doing this,” she growled, abandoning her escape attempts and crossing her arms across the tight navy V-neck she’d paired with navy skinny jeans and dark green skinny belt. Her nude Stuart Weitzmans tapped on the floor mats.

  “You know you owe my mother an apology.”

  Her mouth fell open as she turned and looked at him with contempt. “I… you… you’re making me apologize to your mother for calling her a cunt and then you’re making me eat dinner with her?”

  “You’ll think twice before using that word again now, won’t you,” he kind of asked, mostly stated. He fought down his smile.

  She huffed and looked at the passing rows of trees. He was right, but she’d never admit it. God, she’d rather eat razor blades than have to stand in front of that woman again. And on top of it all she’d have to act repentant. It would be acting because she wasn’t sorry. Not at all. But things were kind of looking good for her and Mait and she didn’t want to screw things up so early. Not like their relationship could really go anywhere given their current circumstances. Nonetheless, if he wanted contrite she’d give it to him.

  Her stomach turned as they rolled past a hundred yards of neatly trimmed hedges and pulled into a gray stone driveway. A lawn that was big enough to be called a field appeared on either side of them, boasting newly planted spring landscaping and ancient trees towering over the road in neat rows. Then the house came into view.

  Of course there was a spouting fountain in the middle of the driveway with expensive sporty cars parked around it. Of course there were gray stone steps leading up to a gray stone terrace that looked like it wrapped around the house. Of course the house itself was a light gray stone, three stories tall, and bigger than the White House. Of course.

  “Now there’s going to be my parents and…” Mait paused mid-sentence as he held her door open and looked towards the house. He turned and looked back into the car, finding her slouched in her seat, covering her face with her hands instead of jumping out and followi
ng him inside.

  “I’m feeling sick,” she mumbled.

  He smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry, they won’t bite.”

  She sighed and let her hands slide down, then sort of rolled out of her seat, her heels plopping onto the ground.

  “How come you told me to dress smart casual when you’re wearing jeans and tennis shoes?” she grumbled, slowly following him around the circular fountain and up the steps. She was looking for an argument, desperately searching for anything to get her mind off of what she was supposed to do in the next few minutes.

  “I’m making a statement,” he replied, pausing at the top of the steps as she sluggishly ascended.

  Frowning, she let her hand rest on the stone railing, then looked up at him. A statement? Was he trying to somehow rebel against his parents and their rules? Like not dressing up for dinner? Or bringing a trampy southern girl to the house? “Uh, am I part of that statement?” she probed, raising a wary brow.

  His smile never left his face as he shook his head and walked down a couple of steps to stand in front of her. “I just want you to meet them in… a different setting than a stuffy society function.”

  “Why do you even want me to meet them?” she whined, following him up the steps again, this time guided by his hand as he reached around behind him and held her wrist.

  “I honestly can’t answer that,” he sighed, wondering himself. It just felt like the right thing to do, though, like the next step. Meet the parents. That’s what normal couples did, right? And they were a couple… right? Certainly not normal, though.

  Chapter 14

  Mary’s reticence, while adorable per usual, was beginning to wear on his confidence. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea, especially if she wasn’t in the right frame of mind and might try something desperate. He took a deep breath and shook his head, peering down at her as she stood behind him, staring off to the side of the house and absently shifting from foot to foot. No, deep down, it felt more than right.