Free Mad Love (Hearts Are Wild): Hearts Are Wild by Rhian Cahill Page A

been
surrounded by people older than her. Not that she’d ever really
interacted with those her own age before that. Her parents had her
on a strict study regime that didn’t allow for socializing with
other kids.
    There was no frame of reference for her
interaction with Toby. She didn’t know what to think or what to do
or how to act.
    She’d never felt so out of control.
    He overwhelmed her. Took her to places she’d
never dreamed of and had her wanting more—craving more.
    Which is where the other part of her came in.
She didn’t understand why a man like Toby would want
her
.
Sex aside, which she was smart enough to know any guy would take,
no matter who offered, why did he want to be with her?
    With a sigh, she flicked her indicator on and
prepared to turn onto her street. Another quick glance in the
mirror showed Toby right behind her.
    The idea of spending the rest of the day with
him sent a thrill through her. Excitement with a twinge of fear
zipped along her nerves and buzzed in her ears. The urge to smile
and
frown as her mind fought over whether to be happy or
not about the coming hours confused her more.
    How could she have two conflicting emotions
about the same thing?
    It was times like these—not that she’d had
them all that often—that she wished she had a best friend. Or any
friend. She’d lived almost twenty-seven years without any real
friendships. She had acquaintances, during school and later at
work, but no one close enough to share things with, confide in. The
two men she’d dated in her early twenties didn’t count. One lasted
a total of four dates and the other four months.
    Neither had left a lasting impression. Even
giving her virginity to Gerard hadn’t made an indent. She hadn’t
valued that as a prize or a precious gift and now she wondered why.
Shouldn’t something like that be special? Something she could look
back on with fond memories or at least some sort of emotion other
than indifference?
    Would Toby have valued that privilege?
    Pulling into the driveway of her modest
clapboard house, she shook her head and concentrated on now. There
was no point rehashing things she couldn’t change. She hadn’t
understood why she’d let things go so far at the time, rewinding
the incident now wouldn’t bring her clarification.
    A tap on her window made her jump. Turning,
she found Toby beside her car smiling in a way that had her own
lips tipping up.
    Madison might not understand what was
happening between them but she knew she didn’t want to miss a
second of it. For the first time in her life she felt
involved—alive. It was a strange feeling. Not anything like the
pleasure she got from teaching, which up until now had been her
only source of enjoyment.
    Her door opened and Toby offered his hand.
Smiling wider, she placed her hand in his and let him pull her from
her seat. She laughed when he tugged her against him and dipped her
over his arm.
    “What are you doing?” She sounded breathless
and her pulse sped up.
    He grinned. “I missed you,” he said before
dropping his head and planting his mouth on hers.
    Her lips parted under the pressure of his and
when he swept his tongue into her mouth, she stroked it with her
own. He may have started the kiss and she might not have had that
much experience with the sensual act before meeting him, but she
was a damn fast learner. And contrary to her initial beliefs about
Toby, he was a damn good teacher.
    He broke their lip lock and righted her.
“C’mon. Let’s go. We’ll be late if we don’t hustle.”
    “What are we doing again?” She led the way to
her front door.
    “The shops to grab some food, then to a
barbeque.”
    Madison glanced over her shoulder.
“With…?”
    He smiled and brushed a fingertip down her
cheek. Tapped her chin. “It’ll be fine. You’ll be fine.”
    How did he know she was worried? The man
appeared to have either mindreading powers or her forehead had
acquired an LED screen that flashed her