“I don’t like surgery or hospitals or any of the like.”
“I had a hernia surgery last year. It was a piece of cake,” Spur told them. “Except for the food. If I hadn’t been a sick man, I would have been ailin’ something fierce after eating that slop. And then there was the pain. It hurt something fierce.”
“I really, really don’t like you right now.”
“It’ll pass.” He grinned. “Come on, darlin’. Let’s go get some refreshments and talk about your surgery. Why, I bet we could pack you a few lunches and beg the doc for an extra few painkillers and you’d be sittin’ pretty.”
“I’m not packing anything or begging for painkillers because I’m not having the surgery.”
“Of course you ain’t.” He took her arm. “But if you don’t, you’re liable to trip walking down the aisle when we finally tie the knot—”
“If we tie the knot,” she cut in.
“And how would that look to all those auxiliary biddies who love to gossip,” he went on as if she hadn’t said a word.
“I can see you two have things to talk about.” Austin kissed the old woman on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’ve got something I need to do.”
It wasn’t just a night of truth for Austin. Maddie had a few of her own to face before she moved out of town and out of his life.
Starting right now.
“IT’S THE LAST SUPPER, girl.” Madeline fed Twinkles the biscuit she’d stuffed into her pocket and scratched the dog behind the ears. The animal whimpered. “Not the last supper. Our last one together. Are you going to miss me?” Twinkles gave her an affectionate nudge before shoving her nose near Madeline’s pocket and sniffing. “I’d like to think it’s me, but I know better than that.” She stood and tugged at the dog’s leash, leading the animal back home after their nightly walk.
She’d stayed out a half hour longer tonight, not half as eager as she usually was for the walk to end. She was going to miss Twinkles.
The animal jerked on the leash and tried to pull Maddie off in a different direction and it was all she could do to hold on and keep the direction for home. Fifteen minutes later when she’d finally reached the dark house, her shoulder screamed from the effort.
After tonight, there would be no racing around after an animal that had more energy than a hyper five-year-old, no endless vacuuming morning and night.
Okay, so maybe she wasn’t going to miss Twinkles all that much.
“This way, girl.” She tugged her up onto the porch and reached for the doorknob. That’s when she noticed the rear bumper of Austin’s truck just off to the side of the house, the chrome gleaming in the moonlight.
Her heart skipped its next beat as she reached for the doorknob.
“Austin?” she called as she stepped in. No voice greeted her as she bent down to unclip the leash.
The dog rushed toward the kitchen and her doggie bowl while Madeline turned toward the staircase.
She saw the familiar boots sitting at the bottom of the stairs. A few steps up, she saw a faded pair of denim jeans, the edges frayed and worn. Another couple of steps and a white T-shirt lay in a heap.
A thrill ran through her as she mounted the steps. She paused to pick up the shirt and lift it to her nose. The familiar scent of Austin Jericho filled her nostrils and brought tears to her eyes.
Tears?
She fought back the ridiculous notion. Excitement, yes. Austin was the king when it came to turning her on, but Madeline wasn’t about to feel anything more.
She wasn’t falling for him again.
The trouble was, she had the sinking feeling that she’d already fallen. And when she saw the nude man standing in the shower, she knew it was true.
As she stood there, just two feet away, staring at his powerful, naked body, she didn’t think about how much she wanted to touch or kiss or make love to him. The only thing she could think of was how much she wanted to tell him she was sorry for what she’d said that afternoon, sorry for denying her feelings for so long, sorry for leaving him.
Instead, she murmured, “You really shouldn’t be here.”
He pushed the curtain back. “You said you could make time for sex. I’m here, so make time.”
Challenge gleamed in his eyes and she realized that it went beyond just finding a few hours. He was daring her to live up to her words, to prove that everything she’d said had been true that afternoon.
That their connection didn’t go beyond sex.
She reached down and pulled the hem of her shirt up over her head, letting the material fall to the floor beside her. She reached for the clasp on her bra, but he beat her to it, his long, tanned fingers reaching out to flick at the front clasp.
The lace of her bra snagged on one nipple, holding the cup in place. She started to shove it aside, but he stopped her. He fingered her through the lace, touching the ripe tip, coaxing it to an even greater awareness. He hauled her closer and dipped his head. Flicking out his tongue, he licked her as if she were his favorite flavor of ice cream. Over and over. Side to side. Up and down.
Finally he pulled the bra loose and tossed it aside. He stepped out of the shower and dropped to his knees to unfasten her shorts and tug the material down her legs. When she stood before him wearing nothing but her panties, he stopped again and stared at her femininity barely concealed by a skimpy pair of panties. Blond hair curled through the lace and he trailed his fingertip over the gold silk, barely touching her. But the motion was more stirring than if he’d shoved his hands into her panties and parted her wet folds.
He stroked softly until she grasped his damp shoulders to keep her legs from buckling beneath her. He leaned closer, his hot, moist breath fanning her, stirring her, making her lean on him all the more for support. He trailed his tongue over the wet material between her legs, pushing the fabric inside her ever so slightly before tracing the edge where skin met elastic. Before she could catch her next breath, he pulled her panties down and hooked one leg over his broad shoulder.
His tongue rasped her then and heat flooded her body, making her burn so hot she thought she would surely melt.
She didn’t.
Instead, she stared down at the dark head at her waist and watched in fascination as he touched his mouth to her most intimate flesh and drew her throbbing clitoris between his lips.
She closed her eyes and held on as he suckled and teased and tongued until she couldn’t stand it anymore. A long, throaty moan escaped her as her climax hit her. She threw her head back and braced her arms on his broad shoulders as tremor after tremor racked her sweat-drenched body.
Several long seconds passed before her grip on him eased. He kissed her inner thigh and lifted her leg off his shoulder.
Then he stood and swept her into his arms, lifting her over the edge of the clawfoot tub and stepping into the hot spray of the shower. Putting his back to the onslaught of water, he released her legs, letting her slide down the hard, aroused length of his body until her feet met the hard porcelain.
His gaze met hers and never left as he soaped his hands. Soap-slippery fingers slid over her shoulders, circled her breasts and trailed down her abdomen.
She wouldn’t think it possible that she could be aroused again so quickly after such an intense orgasm moments before, but at the first touch of his slick hand between her legs, she felt the familiar ache start all over again.
Her focus dropped to his penis. He was long and thick and powerfully aroused and she wanted to touch him more than she wanted her next breath.
She reached down and clasped the velvet-covered steel. His sharp intake of breath echoed off the tile walls and she moved her hand, running it along his length from root to tip and back down again.
He closed his eyes, clearly relishing the sensation as she stroked him. But then his gaze snagged hers and his hand stilled her movements.
“Not yet.” He dropped to his knees again and reac
hed for the soap.
For the next several minutes, as Austin smoothed the lather over her body, she discovered how truly amazing a man’s touch could be. Relaxing yet stirring at the same time.
By the time he’d rinsed every sudsy drop from her sensitive skin and toweled her dry, she was this close to having another orgasm.
But she wouldn’t. Not without him. She reached out and stroked his massive penis. She’d never seen a man so big. It was as if the hot shower had stirred him even more. He pulsed beneath her attention, the length of him trembling when she reached out to run her finger over one bulging vein.
He groaned and swept her up into his arms. Several long, powerful strides later, he eased her down onto the mattress and followed, parting her legs and sinking in with a desperation that sent a surge of feminine power through her.
“It’s not the lotion,” he murmured. “There isn’t a drop of it on you now and I’m so hard I can’t see straight.”
Before the enormity of his words could hit her, he started to move, thrusting into her over and over in a frenzied rhythm. He was out of control, his movements so intense it was almost painful as he pushed them both toward a raging climax. Almost there. She lifted her pelvis, meeting each of his movements and relishing the rush of sensation it stirred.
He came first, his raw, throaty moan filling her ears and pulling her along with him. She quickly followed with a loud scream, her already ravaged senses exploding in a blinding orgasm that left her spent and listless for the next several moments.
It was only when she felt his warm body slide away from her that she managed to lift her head. She looked up to see him poised in the doorway.
“It’s you,” he murmured, and then he turned and walked away.
The realization of what the shower had meant hit her full force and the air stalled in her lungs. There’d been no lotion stirring his senses, driving him into a lustful frenzy tonight. He’d been hot and hard and desperate, and all because of her.
“Austin, don’t—” she scrambled to her feet “—don’t go,” but her plea came too late.
She reached the bedroom doorway just as she heard the front door slam shut. A few seconds later, his truck fired to life.
He drove away then and Maddie Hale was left with nothing but the truth to keep her company during the long, restless night that followed.
14
“WELL, WELL, if it isn’t little Maddie Hale.”
Maddie smiled at Mayor Ben Skeeter who stood behind the pharmacist’s counter at the drugstore wearing a white lab coat and a Houston Astros baseball cap. Like his wife, he wore a campaign button pinned to his lab coat with his picture on it, his with simply Reelect Mayor Skeeter printed around the edges.
“What can I do you for today, little lady?” he asked as she walked up to the counter.
“I need the biggest bottle of No-Doz that you’ve got.” She stifled a yawn and pulled her wallet from her purse.
“It looks to me like you need a good night’s sleep a heck of a lot more.”
“That, too, but it’s not a possibility right now. Cheryl Louise just got back from her honeymoon this morning, so I’m headed back to Dallas today and I’ve got a long drive ahead.”
“We’ll be sorry to see you go. Camille was so glad to have you back in town. Said seeing you again was like a brush with a major celebrity.”
Maddie smiled. “I’m really sorry to hear about her lung cancer. I hope everything goes well.”
“We’re optimistic because the doctors caught it in time. They say she’s got a ninety-five percent chance of a complete recovery once the surgery and chemo treatments are complete. It’ll just be a little rough in the meantime.”
“Give her my love and tell her I’m thinking about her. Speaking of which, I’ve got something for her.” She fished several sample tubes of The Sex Solution from her purse. “Tell her this isn’t going out to the public for another six months. She gets first dibs.”
“Why, mighty obliged. I know she’ll love them. She’s got bottles and tubes all over the house at home. A cosmetic junkie, that’s what I call her. Oh, I almost forgot.” He pulled the cap off his head and slid it across the counter toward her along with a black marker. “I would be really appreciative if you could give me your John Hancock. I’m asking everyone who comes into the store to sign it for her. I thought it might make her feel a little less isolated since she can’t come in herself right now. If she sees who comes and goes, she might actually feel like she’s here. Besides, she loves the Astros.”
Maddie signed the hat and slid it back across the counter.
Her attention was riveted on his shiny bald head before dropping to the election button that bore his image. He sported a full head of salt and pepper hair on the button.
He grinned and rubbed the top of his scalp. “This is for Camille, too. She had her first chemo treatment a few days ago and her hair’s already started to fall out. I didn’t want her to feel so self-conscious, so I shaved mine off. She laughed so hard when she saw me that I think she actually forgot about her own for a few minutes. She said my head could double for her bowling ball.”
Maddie grinned. “It sounds like you’re keeping her spirits up.”
“It’s the least I can do. For the past forty-eight years that little lady has been busting her tail for me, working twenty-four/seven here at the drugstore while I see to my commitments in town. She’s never complained either. She says that’s what marriage is all about—teamwork.” He plopped the cap back on his head.
“Here you go.” Maddie slid a five across the countertop as he bagged up her No-Doz.
“Your money’s no good here.” He handed her the bag and winked. “You have a safe trip. We’ll all miss you.”
Not half as much as Maddie was going to miss everyone. She wouldn’t have admitted as much two weeks ago, but things had changed since then.
Madeline Hale had finally stopped running from her past and come home. She’d faced her grief and her guilt and her fear, and she’d survived.
Thanks to Austin.
His image appeared in her mind the way he’d been last night, his dark, powerful form standing in the bedroom doorway, his dark eyes glittering in the moonlight.
“It’s you.”
His deep voice echoed through her head and stirred a pang of longing so intense she wanted to cry.
But she’d cried too much already last night. She’d tossed and turned and agonized as she’d faced the fact that he’d spoken the truth.
She believed him, but however much she wanted to stay, she couldn’t. Even though she’d fallen helplessly in love with him.
Because she’d fallen in love.
She’d tried to convince herself these past years that she’d traded her small-town, boring existence for big-city life complete with parties and concerts and excitement because she actually liked all that stuff. No more. She was through pretending to be something she wasn’t.
No more running from her past, from the shy, wistful, unsophisticated romantic who’d written sappy love letters and fantasized about happily-ever-afters.
While she’d matured and learned to look at the world from a sophisticated perspective, deep down she was still every bit that young romantic. Sex was fine. Great. But it wasn’t enough. She not only wanted the hot nights, she wanted the morning afters. The good times and the not-so-good times. She wanted a man who would tell her how beautiful she was even if she’d lost all her hair. A man who loved her enough to shave his hair just so she would feel a little less lonely.
She wanted love. Real, true, till-death-do-us-part, forever and ever love.
While she knew Austin had genuine feelings for her—the physical attraction between them blazed hotter than anything she’d ever felt before—he’d never once mentioned the L word.
Stay. That’s all he’d said. But he hadn’t said why. He hadn’t given her one good reason, except that they had great chemistry.
While the sexy, confident
woman she’d become wanted desperately to stay and see if the chemistry would lead to more, the shy, insecure girl that still lived and breathed inside her wouldn’t allow it.
While she’d been fortunate enough to see her fantasy turn into reality for a few hot, steamy nights, deep down she feared that was the most she could ever hope for. She’d learned a long time ago that shy, naive, geeky good girls never ended up with hot, hunky bad boys like Austin Jericho.
Only in her most private fantasies.
She would rather leave now with her memories than stay and see the lust fade.
That would be like watching Austin walk away from her at the football game that time, straight to Big Boobs Barbara. He’d killed her ego that night and Maddie wasn’t about to hang around and risk another crushing blow.
Particularly since she had something much more precious than pride at stake this time. She had her heart.
“I’M NOT SELLING you my land.”
Austin glanced over his shoulder to see Miss Marshalyn standing behind him. With her conservative yellow pantsuit and her white patent-leather handbag, she looked as if she should be at an afternoon tea rather than smack-dab in the middle of Cherry Blossom Junction on a rocking Friday night.
“I didn’t think you would.” He took a sip of the beer he’d been nursing for the past few hours since calling it a day at the ranch and heading here rather than his house. A routine he’d started after discovering that Maddie Hale had left town without so much as a goodbye.
Of course, he’d had more than one beer that first night. He’d had more than he could count, but it still hadn’t been enough to kill the memory of her in his arms. His bed. His life.
He’d ended up with a vicious hangover the next day, but it hadn’t stopped him from coming back that night. He’d stayed within his one-beer limit, however, having already learned the night before that he couldn’t drown her memory.
But he could do his damnedest to avoid it, and so he’d kept coming back, trading the quiet solitude of his house for the blaring country music and neon-lit surroundings.
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