Wild Hearts by Susan Mallery

town. But she couldn’t seem to resist, not even when he moved his hand back down her body, toward her most secret place.
    He continued to kiss her, as if distracting her, but she was aware of him pulling up her skirts. He slipped his hand under the yards of fabric and settled it on her thigh. There was only the thinnest layer of delicate cotton between his skin and hers. Between his fingers and her very center.
    She had to know. That was her weakness, the need to discover if what had happened that single night so long ago had been real or merely a trick of her imagination. Was her body truly capable of the erotic pleasure that had made her scream into her pillow? If anyone could help her find the answer, it was Zeke.
    His fingers drifted across her thigh, then slowly, oh, so slowly, moved between her legs. Still kissing her, he dipped in deeper, as if searching for something. As if—
    He brushed against a place that sent fire burning all through her. Her breath caught as he rubbed that spot again, then circled it.
    Wanting poured through her. Her clothes were too tight and there were too many of them. She longed to rip herself free and be bare before him. To feel more, to spread her legs wide.
    Instead, she kept her eyes closed and continued to kiss him as if he wasn’t really touching her there and pushing her closer and closer toward a place she didn’t understand.
    Zeke touched her with a sureness that allowed her to relax into all he was doing. He moved faster, taking control of her until she had to drop her head back and concentrate only on what he was doing.
    Around and around until she was flung off the edge of the earth and falling into a surging, wonderful world of sensation. She clung to him, not sure exactly what was happening but never wanting it to stop.
    And then everything righted itself. She was back on the blanket, in Zeke’s arms, his hand smoothing down her skirts. Blushing, she forced herself to open her eyes.
    She’d thought he would be smiling or giving her that look of male superiority that she found so annoying. Instead, his expression was serious and maybe a little tender.
    â€œMy Alethea,” he whispered.
    She swallowed. “I don’t know what to say.”
    â€œThen we will be quiet together.”
    â€œBut we…you…”
    â€œShh.” He brushed her hair off her forehead. “Nothing happened. You are as you were.”
    She supposed that was true. They hadn’t lain together as married people did. But what’d he’d done to her had been so intimate. So perfect.
    Why had he done it? Because he had wanted to? Could she trust him?
    Did it matter? If she’d already given her heart to him, then it was a little late to be worried about something like trust.

Chapter Seven
    Alethea spent the rest of the weekend wanting to see Zeke, but he was nowhere to be found. She kept peeking behind her at church, then hoped to see him in the dining room Sunday evening. But she did not.
    On Monday after school, one of her students yelled that someone was coming up the slight rise toward the schoolhouse. A man. Her heart jumped in her chest, then returned to normal when Timmy said it was the mayor.
    Was Zeke avoiding her? she wondered as she smoothed down the front of her skirt, then went to greet her visitor. Did he regret what had happened? Was he ashamed of her?
    She supposed she should be feeling a little shame herself. To allow a man who wasn’t her husband to touch her like that. But she couldn’t summon the emotion. Being with him felt too right. In his arms, she was completely herself. There was nothing to hide. She loved him. The true question was how did he feel about her? There was no way for her to know if he’d acted as he had because he cared about her or because of the bet with his friends.
    Something to think about later, she told herself as the mayor entered the schoolhouse and greeted her.
    After they’d politely