Just Married...Again (12 page)

Eureka!

Michael discovered right away that it was not going to be easy to fall asleep. Maddy, on the other hand, had drifted off with no trouble. This only proved her offer to share her bed had been of a humanitarian nature and not an invitation to love.

He gritted his teeth, wishing he could will a certain part of his anatomy to call it a night so he could finally get some rest. But taking into account how long it had been since he’d known the pleasures of a woman, specifically his wife, he could hardly blame his poor erection for doing what came naturally.

Maddy shifted in her sleep, and Michael groaned inwardly when her behind brushed that part of him that was already giving him trouble.

It was going to be a long night.

After what seemed an eternity, although in truth was only twenty minutes if the alarm clock was at all accurate, Michael slipped out of bed and made his way down the hall to the living room. Rambo had joined his sister in Danny’s sleeping bag, dragging Michael’s jeans in with him. One leg stuck out of the top of the bag as though protesting the overcrowding inside. Michael could only shake his head and wonder what went on in the minds of dachshunds.

He stirred the fire, added another log, and sat in the chair, shivering and wishing he had a blanket. It struck him as odd that he was waiting for the cabin and one part of his body to heat up while another part of his body was having a devil of a time cooling down. He regretted his decision to toss Rambo his jeans, but he suspected all hell would break loose if he tried to retrieve them. His other clothes were in a suitcase somewhere; the last time he’d seen it Maddy had been lugging it down the hall toward the bedroom to make room for the firewood in the living room. He’d probably wake up everybody, including the dogs, if he tried to find it.

He couldn’t hold his eyes open anymore. The sofa looked inviting. He grabbed his coat and lay down, only to discover it was a good six inches too short. He tried to get comfortable but couldn’t. Finally, he got up and made his way back toward the bedroom and climbed into bed. Maddy was still sleeping peacefully. He scooted closer, drawn by her smell and the warmth of her body. He longed to pull her into his arms, but he knew better. Instead, he tugged the blankets to his chin and closed his eyes. He felt himself drift off.

He was only vaguely aware of Maddy turning over. She inched closer and buried her face against the front of his sweatshirt. One hand came to rest on his crotch.

Michael’s eyes shot wide open.

She moaned softly in her sleep. Her hand pressed closer.

Michael gritted his teeth. He could feel the warmth of her touch through his boxer shorts. Once again, his body sprang to life. She was still sleeping soundly; he could tell by her steady breathing. Her fingers reached inside the opening of his shorts and closed around him.

His self-control shattered. He was a dead man.

Michael sucked in his breath and prayed Maddy wouldn’t wake up and come to her senses anytime soon. She began to stroke him ever so slowly. He closed his eyes and gave in to the sheer pleasure of her touch. Very gently, he slipped one hand beneath her pajama top and found her breast. He smiled when he discovered her erect nipple, and he wondered if she was having a sexy dream. She snuggled closer. He could feel her breath at his throat. Unable to resist, he dipped his head and pressed his lips against hers. Much to his astonishment, she parted her lips.

He snapped his head back. “Maddy?”

“Kiss me, Michael.”

He didn’t have to be told twice. Reclaiming her lips, he crushed her to him. The kiss was slow and thorough, his tongue gently exploring the petal softness of her lips. He had not forgotten how good she tasted or how sweet; yet it was like kissing her for the very first time. No, it was even better because he loved her.

Maddy lay there, head spinning, stomach swirling wildly as Michael’s kisses turned hot and hungry. What in the name of heaven did she think she was doing? What had started out as something dreamy and intimately tender, a soothing balm for her tired and lonely soul, now threatened to burn out of control. She should put a stop to this madness, but each smoldering kiss sent a sweet ache through her body and left her craving more.

She felt Michael unbutton her pajama top and knew she was powerless to stop him. And when his lips appeared at her breasts, she closed her eyes and welcomed the warm gentle tug of his lips. As he teased each quivering nipple his hands massaged her breasts, sending currents of desire through her. His hair-roughened jaw grazed the tender skin and added to her pleasure. His touch was knowing and possessive, and Maddy’s body responded eagerly. She felt transported to a soft and wispy place of feelings and sensations. Something coiled low in her belly, leaving her both anxious and eager for his next move.

This is why she didn’t protest when he removed her pajama bottoms and panties.

Michael stroked her thigh and smiled when he heard Maddy’s breath quicken. He’d learned long ago where his wife was most sensitive, and he hadn’t forgotten during their months of separation. He scooted down beneath the covers, skimming his lips from the valley between her breasts, across her stomach, to her navel. Once there, he drew lazy, erotic designs with the pointed tip of his tongue that soon had Maddy squirming and moaning on the bed.

Unable to resist the pleasures that waited, Maddy opened herself to him. She would probably regret this night later, but for once in her life she was determined to enjoy the moment and let tomorrow take care of itself.

Michael’s body responded immediately to her show of passion, and it was all he could do to bring himself under control. He felt hot all over; beads of moisture clung to his forehead despite the cold. Blood raced to his loins, filling him until he thought he’d burst from his need. He paused long enough to dispense with his shorts, then swept her legs open and positioned himself over her. He raised his head slightly, kissing her eyelids, the tip of her nose, her chin. Their breaths mingled.

“Maddy, I never thought we’d ever—”

She shushed him, placing a finger against his lips. She didn’t want to think about what they were doing, didn’t want to analyze it. “Don’t say anything, Michael. Just love me.”

He didn’t have to be told twice. He entered her with one powerful thrust, sinking into her softness, filling her completely. The pleasure was beyond anything he’d ever known. “Don’t move,” he whispered, knowing he would explode if she did.

Maddy bit her bottom lip as she willed her body to lie still and feel him pulsing and throbbing inside. He kissed her, and his tongue made stabbing motions between her lips, sending erotic messages to the rest of her body and blocking all coherent thought. She arched high against him.

Michael cursed under his breath. Why did she have to feel so good? He plunged deep. She cried out softly and wrapped her legs around him.

Maddy climaxed twice before Michael finally allowed himself to let go. As he emptied himself into his wife he knew there was absolutely no way he was going to let her get away from him a second time.

Michael waited until Maddy fell asleep before leaving the bed to check the fire. He added a couple of logs and smoked a cigarette, as he waited for the fire to take hold. In the semidarkness of the room, he continued to think.

He could feel his stomach churning with anxiety.

He was scared but hopeful.

They’d made love. That had to mean Maddy still cared.

Would she consider a reconciliation? If not, perhaps he could convince her to postpone the divorce long enough to see if they could work out the kinks in their relationship. They could still maintain separate residences if she preferred. He wouldn’t rush her and risk losing her permanently.

Yes, that’s what he’d do, talk her into waiting, say, six weeks, or eight at the most. He would look for another job right away, one that didn’t require him to put in seventy or eighty hours a week. They would start doing things together. They could take a vacation or maybe a second honeymoon. He would learn to like her dogs, especially Rambo, even if it meant buying a new pair of jeans every week.

They would discuss children.

He lit another cigarette. Children. Man-oh-man. He didn’t know the first thing about kids. He could learn, of course. He could read books and watch videos and talk to the guys at work that had kids. If Maddy wanted a baby, then it was up to him to prove he could be a good father.

He glanced at his cigarette. He’d have to stop smoking. With Maddy being the health nut she was, she’d never permit smoking in the house with a baby around.

His mind made up, Michael tossed his cigarette into the fire, stirred it, and added a log. He hurried toward the bedroom, hoping to get a quick nap in before he had to get up and tend the fire again. He wondered how pioneers had ever managed to do all they did during the day when they’d had to get up so much during the night to tend the fire.

Maddy didn’t stir when he climbed into the bed once more. He found her, much to his delight, warm and naked beneath the covers. He pulled her against him, nuzzled his face in her hair, and for the first time in months, fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Morning came much too quickly. Michael was jolted awake when Maddy’s dogs jumped on the bed and pounced on him. Rambo shoved his long snout in Michael’s face and growled.

“Hush, Rambo,” Maddy said sleepily. When the dog persisted, she turned over to see what the problem was. Her jaw dropped open when she found Michael beside her. “What are you doing here?”

Michael thought she’d never looked prettier, with her hair tousled, her face flushed from sleep. “You invited me,” he said, talking out of the comer of his mouth. “Hiya, Rambo.” The dog snarled. “Has anybody ever talked to you about your morning breath, pal?” This time the dachshund showed his teeth.

“Stop teasing him,” Maddy said.

“Teasing him? I was lying here perfectly still, minding my own business. I think your pet could use a lesson in manners.”

“Rambo, get down!” Maddy ordered.

The animal refused to budge. Maddy sat up in bed, then shrieked and dove beneath the covers when she realized she was naked. “What did you do with my clothes?”

“I threw them on the floor next to mine,” he said. “Don’t you remember?”

Maddy opened her mouth to answer, but bit back her reply when Danny peered into the room. His eyes widened in surprise. “I was looking for Rambo and Muffin,” he said. He glanced from Michael to Maddy, then to the pile of clothes on the floor. “Does this mean you guys made up?”

Michael was annoyed by the interruption. “If you want the dogs, come get them before Rambo takes my nose off.”

Danny hurried over to the bed and grabbed both animals. “I added some wood to the fire,” he said. “Y’all take your time. I know you have a lot of, uh, talking to do. I’ll stay out of your way. Just pretend I’m not here.”

“It would be a whole lot easier pretending if you weren’t standing there gawking and flapping your jaws,” Michael said.

Danny grinned and left the room, carrying a dachshund under each arm. It took some doing, but he managed to pull the door closed behind him. Michael climbed from the bed, unabashed in his nakedness as he crossed the room and locked the door.

Maddy was unable to tear her eyes away from the tempting male physique. For a man who was supposed to take off a few pounds, he looked surprisingly fit and sexy. His thighs and hips were lean and powerful, his chest still as broad as she remembered, and covered with thick, brownish-black hair. The sight of his partial erection made her tummy flutter. She blushed and looked away.

He climbed beneath the covers once more and reached for her.

“Michael, we need to talk,” she said, trying to squirm out of his arms. It was like trying to squeeze through steel bars. “About last night—”

“Last night was wonderful,” he said.
“You
were wonderful.”

“Yes, but—”

He silenced her with a long kiss.

Maddy suddenly forgot what she was going to say. As the kiss deepened, it was all she could do to think at all, much less provide an intelligent argument as to why they shouldn’t be doing what they were doing. Michael nudged her thighs apart slightly with one hair-roughened knee and pressed against her intimately. She knew she was a goner.

Michael pulled the covers aside and feasted his eyes on her breasts. “God, you’re beautiful. You take my breath away, Maddy.”

She closed her eyes as he fastened his lips around one nipple. She shivered with delight and plunged her fingers through his hair. The muscles low in her belly seemed to contract with each gentle tug. “Danny’s just in the next room,” she whispered in warning, at the same time gripping his head, so tightly he wouldn’t have been able to move had he wanted to.

Michael’s reply was muffled. “He’s got a whole stack of detective magazines.”

“He might hear us.”

“You weren’t worried about that last night,” he replied, moving to the other nipple.

Maddy blushed as she recalled the events of the previous night. What had come over her? Could it have been the wine? She seldom drank alcohol, maybe half a glass of champagne at a wedding, and even that much made her tipsy. The only reason she’d brought a bottle of wine to begin with was in case she had trouble falling asleep alone in a strange place.

No, the wine wasn’t solely responsible for her actions the night before, even though it had left her feeling a bit amorous. She had simply been lonely and cold and craving human contact after months of having none.

“It was the wine,” she said, deciding to use it as an excuse anyway, so he wouldn’t think she lacked control.

He raised his head, and his gaze found hers. “Bull, Maddy. You knew what you were doing.” He nipped the underside of one breast playfully, and then kissed his way down her rib cage to her stomach. “Why not admit it?”

She would have protested, but his tongue found her navel and her thoughts skittered to a halt. Talk about being putty in a man’s hands - she gave new meaning to the phrase. Michael had only to give her that come-hither look of his, and she was lost. She moaned aloud when he swept her legs apart.