Secret Confessions: Down & Dusty — Maree

Secret Confessions: Down & Dusty — Maree

Elizabeth Dunk

www.escapepublishing.com.au

Secret Confessions: Down & Dusty — Maree
Elizabeth Dunk

Welcome to the heart—and heat—of Australia…

They say that no one has secrets in a small town—these women prove them wrong.

Eight brand-new stories from some of Australia’s hottest writers in Australia’s hottest genre. From the bar stools of the local pub to the wide open plains of the biggest stations in the world, these tales travel the dusty roads to the heart of Australia and the women who understand how to work hard—and play even harder.

In the latest in the wildly successful Secret Confessions series from Escape Publishing, the women of Down & Dusty invite you into their lives—and their bedrooms.

Maree Haraldson has done all the right things as Milpinyani Springs’ only teacher—she’s good at her job, the children and parents have accepted her, she’s even become a local at Lucky’s pub. Now it’s time for Maree to do something right for herself, and that means finally seducing the school groundsman Brad Williams into her bed. Maree has always been a woman who goes after what she wants, but a small community means there’s no place to hide if Brad turns her down, and Maree has been out of the seduction game for a long time. Her small schoolroom is safe and comfortable, but life isn’t meant to be lived on the sidelines. With the rodeo in town, Maree is ready to step up, take her risks, and throw her hat into the ring of love.

Secret Confessions: Down & Dusty

Reading order

About the Author

Elizabeth Dunk is the alter ego of Nicole Murphy. As Elizabeth, she writes sizzling contemporary romance and erotica, often set in the country. Her erotica collection
Release
, published by Escape Publishing, features another hot cowboy, along with other men all eager to shower their women with pleasure. Elizabeth’s latest novel-length publication is
Much Ado About Love
, with Escape Publishing.

As Nicole Murphy, she writes science fiction and fantasy, both short stories and novels, generally with a good strong romance plot. Her latest publication is the
Jorda
science fiction romance trilogy, published by Escape Publishing.

Elizabeth/Nicole lives with her husband Tim and their beloved budgies Freddy and Pinky in Queanbeyan, outside of Canberra, Australia.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Kate Cuthbert for suggesting I take part in this continuity, to Tracey O’Hara for leading things and to my fellow writers—Rachael Johns, Cate Ellink, Mel Teshco, Jackie Ashenden, Rhyll Biest, Fiona Lowe and Eden Summers—for the fun of putting together the world of Milpinyani Springs and the inspiration.

Thanks to Sandra Antonelli, always championing the role of the sexy older woman—this one is for you, Sandra!

To the readers who support me and all the Escape Publishing authors—it’s because of you that fun things like this happen!

To teachers everywhere—go on, you deserve some fun too!

Contents

About the Author

Acknowledgements

Episode 7—Maree

Bestselling Titles by Escape Publishing…

Episode 7—Maree

The sound of the car door slamming rocketed Maree to her feet. She’d been a mix of fear and anticipation since lunchtime. Now, her stomach was awash with emotions and her feet didn’t want to move her anywhere.

She could picture Brad Williams sauntering across the yard, heading to the bottom of the steps to talk to her. Tall, tanned, rangy limbs that she’d seen pop with muscles on more than one very happy occasion. He would push up the rim of his Akubra to look at her with light blue eyes that she fancied could pierce her soul and collect her innermost thoughts and desires.

She should be out there, leaning against a post, trying to look provocative. This time, when he asked her if there was something she needed, she’d invite him in to the classroom and tell him she needed his cock.

But Maree stood at her desk, glued to the spot. Her heart thudded, her palms grew clammy. She was going to back out. She wasn’t going to do it.

She waited, knowing he was standing at the bottom of the steps, wondering where she was. Then he’d shrug and move on to do his work and her moment would be lost.

Get out there,
one part of her body screamed.
You used to do this all the time, remember? Get out there and seduce the man.

I can’t
, screamed the other part. The part that was too aware that she hadn’t done this for years, was approaching fifty, had two grown children and that Brad was so much younger than her. The part that was afraid of being knocked back.

Maree wiped her clammy hands against her trousered thighs.
Do it. You know he’s more likely to accept than reject. Most men do when you ask.

That was more than twenty years ago. When you were hot.

I’m still hot.

For your age, sure. So go for an older man. Don’t go for Brad.

But she didn’t want any other man in Milpinyani Springs. From the moment he’d arrived on that first day, introduced himself as the groundsman for the school and looked at her with those blue eyes, she’d been hooked.

It was Brad, or it was continuing to become intimately acquainted with her vibrator. And dammit, the only reason her vibrator worked so well was because she fantasised about Brad while using it. She wanted him.

This time, her feet moved. Slowly, but with determination, she left the classroom to begin her search.

Brad was around the back of the library—the only other building in the school that was still in use—watering the garden. Maree took a moment to look at him. Akubra pulled over his blond hair. Plaid shirt clinging to his back. Sleeves rolled up to reveal his strong, tanned forearms. Maree watched the tug and pull of the muscles of his thighs and buttocks under the pale, thin denim and sighed at the thought she might soon have her hands on all that.

She took a deep breath and called out, ‘Brad?’

He turned his head, pinning her with those blue, blue eyes. ‘Afternoon, Ms Haraldson.’ No matter what she said, Maree couldn’t convince him to use her first name. ‘How do you manage to look after those little bug—, I mean brats, and still look so good?’

His voice was soft, a bit gravelly, and Maree had no problem whatsoever imagining it whispering huskily in her ear as he undressed her and did marvellous things to her body.

‘I could ask you the same question,’ she said. ‘If you can call cattle brats.’

Brad laughed, a warm rich sound that turned Maree’s insides to jelly. ‘Some days you can. Anything in particular you need me to do?’

So many things she needed from him. Particularly when he said it like that, deeper, slower, like the words had meaning. Had his gaze dropped from hers to check out her breasts? The thought sent tingles through her, centralising in a throb between her legs.

‘Yes,’ Maree said softly. ‘Yes, there is.’

How to say it? How to make him want what she wanted?

‘It’s something very personal. Very special.’ Brad smiled, and Maree took that as encouragement to keep going. ‘Something that only you can do for me.’

‘I’m here to do whatever you want, Ms Haraldson.’ The way he drawled her name made it delicious, spicy, hot, not distancing. ‘Any way you want it. Any time you want it.’

Maree’s knees almost gave way at the heat in his voice, licking over her, turning her own desire from warm to scorching.

‘Brad, I want you to fuck me.’

Brad turned off the hose, dropped it and stepped toward her. ‘Say that again,’ he said in a soft, low voice that wrapped Maree in a cocoon of need.

‘Brad, I want you to fuck me.’ She felt strong, sexy, ready for whatever came next.

‘I’m glad to hear it,’ Brad said, then he had his arms around her and was pulling her tight against his chest. Maree lifted her head and smiled as his lips came down onto hers.

Fire raced through her system, sending her every sense into overdrive. The scrape of his hair-roughened cheek against her face. The buttery sweetness of his lips. The hardness of his chest, pressing against her breasts. The firm grip on her buttocks pressing her tight against him.

Lips parted, Maree welcomed the thrust of his tongue into her mouth. He must have had a butterscotch on the way over—the taste of the lolly filled her and Maree knew she would never suck innocently on the sweet again. Her entire body was soft, pliant, willing to take whatever he wanted to give her. She moaned into his mouth, hoping he understood how desperate she was becoming.

Brad lowered his other hand to her buttocks and lifted. Maree wrapped her arms and legs around him to ensure she didn’t lose the lock on his lips—the man kissed like a god, and he was steering her to heaven.

She felt bumpy hardness against her back—the wall of the library—and then Brad was pressed tighter against her, imprinting the front of her body with the planes of his. He angled his head; Maree opened her mouth more at the silent command and his tongue thrust deeper, claiming her, making sure she understood exactly what he wanted to do to her.

Her pussy throbbed, her clitoris tingled, and Maree wanted to rub herself against him, to start to build some of the glorious friction she needed, but, jammed between his hard body and the building, she couldn’t move. So she had no option, but to tear her mouth from his.

‘We need to go inside,’ she gasped as he took her withdrawal as permission to slide his mouth over to her ear, nibbling on the lobe before heading down her neck. ‘I need to get you naked. I need to be naked. I need you inside me.’

‘Whatever you say, Ms Haraldson.’ His voice was a deep, throaty growl and Maree’s insides melted. He stepped back, letting her down onto her feet carefully before releasing her. Maree grabbed his hand and pulled him around to the library door.

The room was dark, with the dry, almost musty smell of many books. Maree knew exactly where she wanted to take Brad, and dragged him past the shelves to the reading area. Here were a whole lot of pillows for the children to sit or lie on while they read. After today, Maree was never going to look at this room the same way again.

She spun around. ‘Hurry. I’m so ready for you.’ She started to fumble with Brad’s shirt, her fingers shaking.

Brad put his hands over hers, his touch sure and still. ‘We don’t have to rush this, Ms Haraldson. Not when we’ve been waiting for so long.’

‘That’s why we need to rush,’ Maree said. ‘I’m sick of just thinking of you when I make myself come. I want you to do that.’

Brad shuddered. ‘You do have a way with words,’ he murmured and then he kissed her. Maree forgot about getting him naked in the glory of his mouth, his taste, the way it drew lust from her body.

When he stepped way, she mewed like a kitten in distress. ‘Hush,’ he murmured. ‘I’ll take care of you. Don’t worry.’

He unbuttoned her blouse, his fingers having no problems. It fell to her feet. Brad smiled, tracing a finger along the edge of her bra. ‘If I’d known this was what you wore under your shirts, I’d have found a way to get your clothes off you sooner.’

Maree blushed. Normally, she wore very sensible bras, but as part of her seduction plan, she’d put on the only sexy bra and panties she owned. Black silk and lace. She’d had to wear a black blouse to hide it from the children.

‘This is just for today. Just for you.’

Brad’s eyes blazed. ‘What a woman.’ He gave her a deep kiss that ended much too quickly, then he went to her trousers. Maree kicked off her shoes and let him pull the black linen down.

‘Very, very nice.’ He lightly drew his finger along the top of the black lace thong. So close to where she needed him to touch her, yet so far away.

He stepped back and looked her up and down. ‘I want to remember this. How beautiful you are. How sexy and strong and hot.’