LEARNING CURVES
Page 17
Cal stared back at her, eyes wide.
His hand would no doubt stain her white button-down. But she didn't care one bit. She wanted nothing more than for him to take possession of her in every way imaginable right now, and if he left handprints in the process, so much the better.
She lifted his other hand.
"Honey, you don't have to—"
And positioned it just over her left breast.
"Oh, Maddy."
She closed her eyes, her senses attuning to Cal's touch as his palms soothed her frustration and thrilled her senses. Her anger dissipated faster than it had arrived, leaving behind an acute hunger for Cal and a lingering fear that he wouldn't return her love.
Her eyes flew open as Cal started to pull his hands away from her body. She searched his features for a hint of his feelings, but he only stared down at her white shirt and the two handprints he'd left behind.
And then he smiled.
"I can't believe you." He settled his hands at her waist and stepped closer. "You've got a wild streak a mile wide, woman, and I don't think it has anything to do with the leather miniskirt."
Her heart rate kicked up a hopeful notch. "See? I'm not just a doctorate and a dissertation, Cal. I want more in my life than that."
He nodded, absorbing her words. "Like Sunday brunches?"
"Definitely."
"And an occasional night on the town?"
"Next time I'll be glued to your side."
His palms clenched her hips and pulled her to him. "Honey, I love the way you think almost as much as I love you."
Her heart paused and her whole body quieted to be sure she'd heard him correctly.
"You love me?" She wanted it to be true. She couldn't imagine the kinds of rewards Cal's love would bring. She'd never met a more generous-hearted man.
"I love you, Madeline." His gaze connected with hers, assuring her how much he meant it. "And I love your bulky clothes and your glasses and all those fancy, smart words you use."
He bent his head to hers for a long, hungry kiss. "And the way you taste," he murmured, trailing his lips down the column of her throat.
Her skin tingled and tightened, eager for more than he could give her in his driveway.
"I want you, Maddy." His body pressed up against hers, revealing exactly how much he wanted her. "I want nothing more than to head upstairs for a trial wedding night—"
"Wedding night?" A little spectrum of fanciful visions from girlhood arose in her mind. Orange blossoms and lilies, a long, lacy veil, and falling into the arms of a man who would love her no matter what.
She pulled back to see if he was kidding.
"You heard me, gorgeous. I hope you're in the mood for a white dress because I don't intend to compromise your respectable reputation any longer than I have to." His hands kneaded the notch of her waist. "But Allison and I come as a package deal, you know. Two Turners for the price of one."
She practically toppled him over when she jumped into his arms. "Yes!" Marriage to her closest friend and only lover sounded absolutely right. She'd belong to a family of people who hugged and kissed each other for no reason, a family who supported each other. Maybe with their combined efforts, they'd inspire her father to open his arms a little wider, too.
Madeline squeezed Cal's shoulders, overwhelmed with the payoff of her risk today. By baring her soul to Cal, she'd won the love of a man who'd never let her go.
She giggled. "And I'll get a sister in the deal! I've always wanted a sister."
He pressed his lips to her forehead with gentle reverence. "That's settled then. We're heading down the aisle before Christmas and I'll just learn to survive two geniuses in the same household, I guess."
An idea pounced upon her. She framed his face with her hands. "If we are married, we can both teach. You don't have to quit!"
He cuffed her wrists in his hands and locked them in place. "No. I'm taking the next two years off to spend time with my family."
She wanted to tell him that he didn't need to make sacrifices for her sake, but he silenced her with a kiss.
Only when she was too dazed to speak did he come up for air.
"Maddy, I meant what I said about concentrating on the home front until Allison's eighteen. And now that I'll have a new bride to please…" He pulled her arms around his neck and grinned. "I'll be way too exhausted to hold down two jobs."
He kissed her, long, slow, and meltingly, until Madeline recalled their whereabouts and pulled back a step.
"Let me just go call Allison to tell her we are going for a drive," Cal suggested, refusing to let go of her hips. "Better yet, I'll call her from the cell phone. Maybe we could go back to your place."
She frowned. "I don't know, Cal, you're really a mess."
He tugged her toward him again. "I'll wash up before we—"
"Why don't I just run you through the car wash again?" She pulled him toward her car.
She wasn't sure if he groaned with impatience or approval, but either way, she had a plan to show him how fun marriage could be.
She winked at him over her shoulder as she unlocked her car door. "Don't worry, I know from experience the pink bubbles are a real turn-on."
* * *
THE TENNESSEE LEDGER
MATING SEASON OPEN FOR VANDERBILD STUDENTS
NASHVILLE—Visiting professor Dr. Madeline Watson-Turner will speak on her popular book, The Mating Season, this Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the Vanderbilt auditorium. The lecture is open to the public and will include Dr. Watson-Turner's commentary on her extensive research in the area of human mating rituals.
Dr. Watson-Turner, a professor at the University of Louisville, is using the spring semester to tour campuses nationwide to discuss her New York Times bestseller. "Ever since The Mating Season hit the shelves, I've been inundated with questions regarding my research techniques for this study," she says. "I'm hoping the book tour will inspire other sociologists to tackle the projects of their dreams—even if they seem a little off the beaten path."
Certainly The Mating Season has been the kind of project dreams are made of for Dr. Watson-Turner. The book has gone into a fifth North American printing and is now in production overseas.
"I owe much of the book's success to my husband," Dr. Watson-Turner says of her entrepreneurial spouse, Cal Turner, who is in Nashville this week opening his twenty-fifth "Perfect Timing" business. "He's not only been a source of inspiration for me, he's left a lasting fingerprint on the canvas of my work."
* * * *