Madison's Life Lessons (9 page)

He leaned forward and for half a dozen heartbeats she thought he would kiss her. She wouldn’t stop him. Lord no! She wanted to experience the press of his lips against hers, even though she knew it would lead to an outcome she hadn’t foreseen for herself. She suspected an embrace from him would lead to a future not of her making and she still didn’t pull away.

Heartbeat erratic, it pounded like a drumbeat in her ears, as his cinnamon scented breath puffed against her mouth. The pad of his thumb landed on her bottom lip and he brushed the digit back and forth, slow enough to torment.

“Madison?” Her name came out rough and ragged, a carnal kiss.

In a rush of awareness, she recognized she stared at his wide, kissable mouth. She tore her gaze upward to meet his arctic colored eyes, but there was nothing wintry or cold about his stare. Instead, his look melted her resistance in a blast of sensual recklessness.

Madison is mine
!

That fact was painted as clearly in her eyes as if a billboard were plastered over her head. He could’ve claimed her without one objection uttered from her gorgeous mouth. She allowed liberties she wouldn’t have granted an hour before. His hand on her shoulder, his fingers kneading her nape and in her hair, and his caress against her wrist…small privileges, but he relished each one more than he would priceless commodities.

An honorable man wouldn’t take advantage of her weakness. Micah didn’t pretend to be an honorable man. He certainly held no desire to be one. Fools and losers could savor their reputation, while he raced to the finish line victorious.

Honestly, kitten, I want to kiss you
. If he said that aloud, she’d bolt. Her breathing grew choppy from his touch, but he ventured further, slipping his thumb from her bottom lip, and followed the slow drag of his hand downward to curl around her throat.
After kissing you slowly, I would nibble right here
—his pad swished over the pulse in her neck—
and savor you as long as I could get away with it
. All fucking night if he had his way.

“Madison,” he said her name again because she’d ceased paying attention and had most likely forgotten he’d said her name a few minutes ago. “You’re a trifle naïve if you truly believe what you just said. Honesty is always best? Are you positive?”

“I—Yes.” Madison licked her lips and he kicked the temptation to kiss…
Fuck no
!...ravish her aside. She
would
make the first move in their relationship. “I do believe in always being honest.”

She looked so sincere saying that garbage, Micah chuckled. “I’ll tell my clients your sentiments and see how they respond.” Her pulse licked against his thumb in an irregular cadence. “They all proclaim innocence, but none of them are.”

Creases plowed across her forehead in an adorable frown. “That doesn’t bother you?”

“Even the guilty need a defender, kitten.” Micah shifted his hand off her throat to the base of her neck. His fingers slithered through the fine strands of her hair, down to the ends, as he fantasized about taking her while he held her down with his hand wrapped in the silky mass.

“You must think me terribly inexperienced?” The vulnerability in her eyes compelled him to draw her closer, and shield her from the brutal world. He withstood the compulsion by flattening his palm against her nape.

Inexperienced? Yes, but charmingly so. It made him want to rumple her decorum more than a little. See how low he could bring her, how she would pant when he brought her to climax. Years awaited their marriage bed and he was already anxious to experience intimacies with her.

“Would you prefer to be experienced like your mother?” He’d have a small chat with Celeste promptly. Before the day ended, things would be resolved.

“God, no, but something about you makes me want to be more than I am. And it’s embarrassing exposing my greenness to you.” Even in the face of her mortification, she held his gaze. He liked that. It indicated backbone and fire. She’d need stamina to endure his livelihood.

Her words, however, bothered him. “I demand that you be
you
. I want nothing else but to experience the real you.”

“I hate to break it to you, but your legal arm doesn’t extend outside the courtroom.” She grinned. “You cannot exactly demand anything of me, especially that.”

“You’ll do as you’re told or I
will
stuff you in my trunk until you comply.”

“Good luck with that,
Mr. Dominus
,” she said with a cheeky grin. “I’ve got a healthy set of lungs.”

Damned if he didn’t love the way she teased. “In case you haven’t noticed, I out bulk you, kitten.”

She rolled her eyes and he bit his tongue to keep from laughing. “You’re so arrogant thinking brute strength would subdue me.”

“My arrogance is charming.”

“No,” she said with a firm shake of her head, but a saucy glitter resonated in her eyes.

He clucked his tongue. “Already breaking your own honesty rules. I’m disappointed in you, Madison.”

“Liar.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “You find my attempt at prevarication adorable.”

Damn right! Everything about her was adorable.

“Thank you.” Her demeanor turned serious in a blink.

He massaged the back of her neck. “For what?”

“Cheering me up and—” she looked away fast and withdrew her wrist off his thigh “—coming to my rescue.”

Micah pinched her chin gently and turned her head so he could peer into her eyes. “I am
always
here for you no matter what.
Always.
”

He would give her everything within his control, including the world worshipping her if possible. She was that important to him.

Micah drove an antsy Madison to her home. The sun blazed long tendrils of orange and red along the skyline with the oncoming sunset. The red Mazda she said had been parked in the driveway was gone. It was rather brazen of Celeste to have her lovers park their car so noticeably anyway.

“I’ll walk you to the door,” Micah said as he parked his black Porsche curbside in front of her house.

“I’m good.”

He wrapped his fingers around her arm, and waited for her to look at him before he spoke. “I’m walking you to the door. No arguments.” It was the gentleman thing to do. He would think she’d appreciate the gesture.

She nodded in agreement and squeezed his hand. “What will I say to Momma?”

“Nothing. Go straight to your bedroom and start on homework.”

“I don’t have any homework.” Madison tapped her temple. “Photographic memory. No joke.”

Beautiful and intelligent, his wet dream.

“Pretend, kitten.” A half grin hit his lips before he could stop it and he winked. “It’s a little different than lying, so you should be able to manage it.”

Madison offered up a small smile and nodded.

Micah opened his car door, got out and strode around to open hers. Madison stared at the house as she stood, biting on her bottom lip. He wished he could help her nibble on it. When she peeked at him, anxiety stark in her over-bright eyes, he realized she had no idea how she affected him. Watching her discover her sexuality would be a strain on his restraint, but he anticipated the adventure.

He reached in and plucked her backpack and purse off the passenger floor. She took them and inhaled deeply. “Let’s do this.”

“You’re not meeting the executioner, Madison,” he said as they approached the front door.

“I’m afraid of what she’ll say if she corners me.”

Too bad he couldn’t alleviate her worry and tell her he’d have the situation in hand shortly. He said nothing instead.

Before she opened the door, he stopped her. “Promise to call me if you need me?”

Madison nodded. “Okay.”

“This call didn’t count as the one you promised earlier.” He chucked her beneath the chin. “I’m still planning on having our captivating conversation.”

A hesitant smile touched her lips. “I’m still looking forward to telling you I told you so when you’re bored to tears.”

“Sorry to disappoint, kitten, but that isn’t going to happen especially now that I know along with that sassy mouth you’ve got brains too. A photographic memory—Mmmm—that’ll make for riveting conversation.”

“You don’t think it’s intimidating?”

If he were less of a man with a self-ego problem, he might. “No.”

“You’re weird, you know that?”

Micah ran his hand across his jaw. “I’ve been called many things, but weird isn’t one of them. It’s definitely the nicest though.”

She shook her head and opened the door. He watched as she disappeared inside. The door closed and he stepped down the stairs. Over his shoulder he glimpsed the house, an older home, maybe twenty years, but very well-kept, and in an older section of town. The lawn was well tended and the bushes sheared evenly. He bet inside the home was overly tidy too.

As he walked toward his vehicle, he pulled out his cell phone. He tapped out a text message and hit send. Rounding the backside of the car, he tucked the phone in his breast pocket and glanced at the house. A single light came on upstairs. Madison’s bedroom. He’d bet his station in life on it.

He slid into the leather seat, cranked the car and shifted into gear. Time to take care of personal business.

***

Madison scrambled up the stairs to her bedroom, thankful she didn’t cross Momma’s path along the way. Locking her door behind her, she tossed her book bag and purse on the floor near her desk and collapsed on the bed with a loud sigh. She stared at the ceiling. Micah Dominus. Every nerve ending in her body screeched he was trouble, but…
I kind of don’t care
.

That was bad news for her because Micah Dominus enjoyed getting his way too much. No man should be so spoiled. He wanted only friendship. She wasn’t sure she could remain emotionally uninvolved. Especially not after today. No one else had ever been there for her the way he had, not Momma and definitely not Daddy. Time would be the judge, because after today, there was no way she wouldn’t make that phone call he wanted. And if he wanted to see her again, she held no doubt she would agree.

From the conference room window Micah watched Celeste enter his office and sashay down the hall toward him. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a fashionable style and hair-sprayed into submission. Her skintight red designer dress showcased her sultry curves while remaining on the side of classy and upstanding. But just barely. Micah wasn’t fooled. He knew her level of depravity better than most.

He opened the door when she neared and motioned for her to enter. As he shut the door, her snooty preacher’s wife voice grated along his nerves. “Summoning me to a meeting is brazen, even for you, Micah.”

His hand remained on the doorknob, as he turned to face her. Holding her stare, he locked the door. The grate of metal against metal was loud in the near silence. Her gaze fell to his hand and her fair complexion paled even more.

She notched her chin proudly and mutiny blazed from her blue eyes as she lifted her gaze to meet his. “I’m guessing this isn’t a social call.”

Micah kept his voice neutral and took a step toward her. “No.”

He slapped her. Hard enough that she cried out as she slammed into the conference room table and chairs. She palmed her face with one hand and moaned. As she pushed up with her other hand, Micah tangled his fingers in her hair and braced a hand beside her head on the table.

“Micah—”

“Silence!” He bellowed against her ear. “Before I’m tempted to commit further violence against you.”

Using his weight to trap her body beneath his, he twisted his wrist and wrenched her head at a rough angle so she could see him over her shoulder. He knew she would feel the strain in her muscles tomorrow from the odd position.

“Madison told me she caught you with the deacons.” Celeste started to say something before she saw the temper he knew shone in his eyes. Her teeth snapped together and she squelched any words she might’ve uttered. She further satisfied him by lowering her gaze.
As a submissive should in the presence of any dominant
. “She also confessed the verbal abuse suffered by Bruce. You’re whoring about and she’s being blamed for the unwanted attention men show her? Really, Celeste, that double standard pisses me off.”

“She
is
to blame, Micah. They sense her—”

Celeste cried out as he rotated his hand in her hair, more than was necessary. As a sign of surrender she flattened her palms against the table, but he didn’t relax his cruel hold. He relished her pain as his other hand curled around her throat. She deserved worse for what she’d done to Madison. As a silent threat, he added pressure in minute increments, so she could appreciate the full extent of being strangled.

Not until she gasped for air did he speak. “Unless you desire the bald fashion statement—or
worse
—I’d recommend you keep your trap shut.” One more word out of her mouth and he might skin her.