The Education of Madeline Read Free Page A

but found herself reading the same passage over and over. Just as she was about to get up and go check on her guest, he appeared in the doorway.
    Madeline had initially thought he was an average-looking man, albeit a big one. She was unprepared to find out she had been very wrong. He was anything but average.
    Underneath the grit and grime was a man with thick, wavy black hair and a rugged face nearly hewn from granite. He had incredible cheekbones and a strong jaw with full lips. The clean clothes hugged him like a second skin, accentuating the sheer size of his chest, shoulders, and arms. She couldn’t bring herself to look any lower than that or she might embarrass herself.
    â€œMr. O’Neal.”
    â€œMiss Brewster.”
    His deep voice vibrated through her. She wanted to press her ear against his chest and feel his voice.
    â€œPlease sit down.” She gestured to the large sofa that sat across from the fireplace. As he walked toward the sofa, she found her eyes straying to his behind. His perfectly formed behind. When he sat down, she almost asked him to stand up again.
    Stop it! Business first!
    Madeline sat up straight in the wingback chair and pressed her hands together on her lap. She looked at his feet.
    â€œI have a business proposition for you, Mr. O’Neal. Please listen to its entirety before you give me a yes or no answer.”
    â€œI can do that,” he responded.
    She took a deep breath and continued. “First, let me say that you are welcome to stay in the house for as long as you need to. My house is always open for those in need. In addition, I am willing to pay you to teach me certain skills I am lacking.”
    Mr. O’Neal nodded.
    â€œAs I’m sure you gathered, I am unmarried and…untried by a man. My marriage prospects are virtually nonexistent, and I…I want to learn everything you can teach me about the intimacies between a man and woman.”
    She let loose a shaky breath and finally looked him in the eye. He didn’t look shocked. In fact, he looked almost amused.
    â€œYou want me to bed you?”
    â€œNot just bed me, Mr. O’Neal. Teach me everything there is to know, or at least to the extent of your knowledge. And I am willing to compensate you five hundred dollars after a month’s…work.”
    She had thought she was nervous before, but now an entire colony of butterflies was dancing in her belly. He smiled. Then he chuckled.
    Madeline almost lost her composure. She stood abruptly.
    â€œI see that your answer is no. I won’t bother you again about it, Mr. O’Neal. Please be kind enough not to mention it to anyone.”
    She held herself together with sheer will as she turned to leave the room. A large hand on her arm stopped her. She turned to look up into Mr. O’Neal’s face. He no longer looked amused. In fact, his pupils had widened in his incredible blue eyes, and his mouth had compressed into a thin line.
    â€œI didn’t say no.”

Chapter Two
    M adeline’s heart was pounding so hard, she thought it might burst from her chest any second. She found that her voice had deserted her, and her mouth was as dry as cotton.
    He didn’t say no.
    But that didn’t mean yes, either.
    â€œPlease sit back down, Miss Brewster.” He gestured to the chair and waited until she sat before he sat back down on the sofa.
    â€œI thought at first you were joshing me. Trying to see how much trouble a drifter could get into. Then I realized that you wouldn’t do such a thing to a man you had just saved from a hanging.” He looked at her with a serious expression on his face. “You are a pretty woman, Miss Brewster. Why would you throw away your virginity on a no-account drifter like me?”
    Madeline cocked her head and regarded him for a minute before answering.
    â€œPretty? I think you mean that, Mr. O’Neal.”
    It seemed odd to be so formal after what she had just proposed,