The Key To Micah's Heart (Hell Yeah!) (11 page)

He pulled her to one side out of the main traffic area so she could hear him. “I’ll do the smart thing here and move on from this topic. I should just warn you that your lips are far and away softer and sweeter than I’d imagined even in my wildest dreams. And I can assure you, I’ve had plenty of those dreams in the last few days. I know a guy is supposed to be a bit mysterious, but I’m going to declare my intentions right now to feel those lips of yours again before the night is through.”

Madison was on fire, she loved what he was saying and she wanted more of his kisses than anything in the world. “I guess we could have coffee first,” she suggested and he laughed.

“Deal. Coffee first…and then all bets are off.” He placed a steadying hand on the small of her back.

“Did you have a good day?” Madison couldn’t believe she sounded so calm. She’d much rather skip the food and just spend hours kissing Micah’s perfect mouth.

“It’s much better now,” he replied, rubbing a soft trail up and down her back.

Mozart’s was busy when they walked in. He moved out in front of her a bit when they walked in the front door, using his bulk to make sure she had a nice big buffer from the rest of the crowd. Madison watched the female heads turn as they moved closer to the counter. The women inside Mozart’s were practically breaking their necks to get a look at her date and it filled Madison with a feeling of pride she’d never felt before. She was the girl on the arm of the hot guy for once in her life and it felt great.

Standing in line, Micah noticed a woman glancing at him over her shoulder. She giggled and the man she was with turned around to see who his girlfriend was staring at.

“Hey, how you doing?” Micah said with a casual smile. The guy frowned and immediately put his arm around his girl. Shaking his head, Micah just glanced away. He was used to attention from women, and when he wanted it, he would just go and take it.

“You okay?” he whispered to Madison, pulling her a little closer to him. His flirtatious nature had gotten him into many scrapes over the years, but tonight his focus was totally on his date.

“I’m good,” she smiled at him.

He gave her a wink, noticing how her lips formed a perfect pink cupid bow. The kiss they’d shared had been amazing. Micah had spent a helluva lot of time thinking about her since she’d agreed to go out with him. Even his friends had noticed there was something different about him.

Jet had visited him a few days earlier to help Micah restore the engine of a hundred-year old motorcycle once owned by Steve McQueen. To say Jet was impressed was putting it mildly. A collector had already offered Micah a half million for the bike. But as excited as he was to work on it, Jet had gotten completely frustrated with him when he couldn’t concentrate on what they were doing. Later, when Micah had to meet his publicist for drinks to approve some swag to pass out at a book signing, he’d forced Jet to accompany him. “What are we? Girls?” Jet had complained. “You can’t go anywhere by yourself anymore?”

“Shut up or I’ll make you go with me to piss,” Micah had drawled, causing Jet to roll his eyes. Something about Madison made Micah do things he didn’t normally do and he couldn’t figure out why.

“Our turn,” Micah whispered once they were in front of the counter to make their selection,

“Oh, my goodness. How will I choose?”

Madison marveled at all the sugary confections behind the glass. There were all sorts of delicious looking pastries and a wide variety of coffees. She was a simple medium double-double girl herself. Madison was very friendly with her coffeemaker early each morning. Rising before the sun to start her day was more tolerable with caffeine in her system. But her simple pot produced regular coffee, not these fancy lattes and concoctions she was faced with now.

He turned to her. “You know what you want?”

Madison looked indecisive and it was now their turn at the counter. “No, not really. Choose for me?”

“Two Lake Austin blends. Two cream, two sugars, please,” Micah told the barista. “And two chocolate cannoli’s also.”

They waited patiently for the drinks and food before Micah took Madison’s hand and led her out a back door and onto a massive deck. Madison took in the view of Lake Austin. “This is so beautiful.”

“I know. I just love to come out here during the night and enjoy a cup of joe while watching the boats float up and down the river.”

They stood, leaning on the railing. In front of them a wide range of boats passed. There were small fishing boats and bigger party boats and even the lazy, romantic steamboat Madison wished to ride. Occasionally a small yacht would motor by and people would wave at the spectators on shore, knowing they were being envied by anyone watching. “That looks like fun,” she said, her eyes following the boat until it was out of sight.

With their hands still entwined, Micah pulled back from the railing. “Let’s go sit down.”

He led her to a table just off the deck built under a tall crooked oak tree growing near the water. Madison noticed a phone lying on the table. “Oops. It looks like someone is already sitting here. Let’s go find another table.”

Micah took a seat. “I don’t see anyone.”

“There’s a phone on the table.”

“So?”

“Well, that means someone was here and it’s a good chance they’ll be coming back.” Madison didn’t want a confrontation if the phone owner returned and wanted his table back.

“What?” Micah picked up the phone. “This? I mean it’s a nice phone, but who cares? I like this table.”

“Micah really. Let’s just find another table. It’s fine.” She stood up.

Micah tugged her back down. “No. The view here is perfect. I love sitting right beside the tree. Just have a seat. If the phone owner comes back, we’ll move.”

During Madison’s life she’d been a firsthand witness to too many confrontations. The last thing she wanted was for something silly to spoil their evening together. She took the seat across from him uneasily.

Micah turned the phone over on the table. “It is a nice phone though.” He gave it an inspection. “Brand new. And look. Pink, your favorite color.”

Madison took it from his hand. “Maybe you should just leave it on the table. We don’t want to be accused of messing with someone’s property.”

He got up and came around to her side of the table to sit close enough that they touched. “Let’s just take it,” he whispered.

“What? No!”

“Oh come on. You could use a new one and someone obviously didn’t care enough about it or they wouldn’t have just left it here. Open your purse.”

“Micah, no.”

He slid the phone screen open. “Look. It’s brand new. You need a new phone, don’t you?”

“I could use one, I guess. But I’m certainly not going to steal it.” She grabbed at his hand. “And neither are you. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

He gave her a grin that made her heart turn over. “Look at this, Madison. There are no actual buttons, just a touch screen. And look, the five works.”

A group of men came walking towards their table. Madison was sure one of their girlfriends owned the phone and they were going to be angry when they saw Micah messing with it. “Can we just go, please?”

“Hang on. I want to see who it belongs to.” Micah slid up the contacts list, but Madison was busy watching the group of men who were almost at the table. “I don’t have my glasses on. Can you read that name for me, Fellows?”

Micah held the phone up for her to see and Madison looked at the screen. There was only one name on the screen. “Madison Fellows?” Her name was there on the screen, her phone number right underneath it. “But…but…?”

Micah put it in her hand. “I guess it’s your phone.”

Madison looked at it. She’d forgotten all about the men she’d been worried about a few moments ago. “You got me a new phone? How? Why?”

“Yes. I bought it. Why? Because I think I saw your current phone in an exhibit of dinosaurs at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. A caveman was holding it up in the air trying to get a signal.”

Holding it delicately in her hand, she thought she might cry. Madison had never owned something like this. Everything she’d ever owned was second hand. Hell, she’d taken the bus to meet him because her old rattletrap car had died on her. Biting her lip, she played with the screen, moving things around and looking at all the fancy icons. “I can’t accept this, Micah. Thank you very much, I love it. But I know how much these things cost and it’s too much.”

“Nonsense. I hate to throw salt in my own game here, but I didn’t pay full price if that’s what’s bothering you.”

She placed the phone on the table. “Whatever you paid. It’s still too much.”

“I’m not asking you to put-out for it or anything.” He said the words with such a smirk on his face that she knew he was joking.

“Oh, really? Thank God.”

They both laughed. What he didn’t know was, that he didn’t have to buy her gifts, she was already more than eager to give herself to him.

Micah took her hand out of her lap, holding it in his, rubbing his thumb gently on her palm. “Listen. Just take it. You don’t have to do anything for it. You don’t owe me anything. Just put it in your purse. Take it home and think about it.”

“Okay.”

They drank their coffee and ate the pastries, speaking casually of their day. Finally, Micah reached across the table and grabbed her bag. “I’m just going to put the phone in your purse.”

“Okay,” she said softly.

He could tell she wanted it, but she didn’t know how to accept. Madison knew about how much a gift like this would cost and even if he hadn’t paid full price, he’d still given more for it than she would ever be able to pay. “I have to confess one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I lied. I do want something from you.” He’d wanted her body from the moment she’d agreed to go out with him, but he would wait. The kiss had been pure heaven to him, but Madison was special and he’d stall the physical stuff to make sure she knew he valued her. “First.”

“First?”

“Yeah. There are a few things, actually.” At her surprised look, he chuckled. “What can I say? I’m greedy. First, I want you to promise you’ll start texting with me. I know you’re busy with work and you can’t afford to be on the phone with me all the time. I don’t want you getting in trouble, so we’ll text instead of talking.”

“Well. First.
If
I decide to keep the phone, I will agree to your request.
If
I decide to keep it.”

“Your
if
may be non-negotiable. But that’s fine.”

“Why is it non-negotiable?”

“Let’s deal with my other demand and then I’ll explain.” Madison was so lost in his eyes that all she could manage was a nod of approval. “I want a kiss.”

“A kiss?”

“My other stipulation. I want a kiss on the cheek and I want it right now.” He offered the left side of his face.

Madison’s head was swimming. He’d given her a very thoughtful present and he looked incredible. Her whole body was trembling with the need to be touched. Madison lost all her inhibitions. She placed her right hand on the side of his dear face and put just enough pressure on it for him to turn and face her fully. “I don’t want just cheek.” Before she chickened out, she planted a kiss right on his full lips. This time, jaws came unhinged and their tongues met ever so briefly.

Micah’s desire for her flamed too brightly and for a moment he forgot himself. Moving his hand to her knee, he allowed his fingers to slip beneath the silky material of her black skirt. Madison’s legs parted at his touch and briefly he pressed the palm of his hand between her thighs. The heat that he found there almost burned his fingers. “
Fuck
, baby.”

When he said that, Madison jerked–not away from him, but her whole body shook. Realizing what he’d done, Micah pulled both his hand and his lips away from her. “I’m sorry.” What a fool he’d been. Touching her like that had been the one thing he’d promised himself he wouldn’t do tonight, but his attraction to her was just too powerful. “I didn’t mean to do that. I’m so sorry.” He moved a good two feet away from her.

Madison was still breathless from his kiss and that incredible quick caress of his big hand on the front of her panties. “It’s okay, Micah,” she whispered.

He took a deep breath. This girl had him acting in ways he’d never acted before. Micah was a master at keeping his cool, but tonight he was seriously in danger of losing it. He never made stupid mistakes, especially when it came to women, but Madison had him flustered. He’d give anything to put his hand back down on her pussy, the heat he’d felt in that brief moment had turned him inside out. Now all he could think about was slipping his hand inside of her silky panties and tasting her from the tips of his fingers. Underneath the table, his cock was hard as a rock. Thank God his pants were tight or the tent in them right now would’ve warranted police intervention in such a public place.

Madison had never been an exhibitionist and she’d always liked to think she was a classy girl, but right now her body was begging for more of him. If Micah wanted more, she was willing to give it to him.
Please don’t regret this, Micah
, she said to herself.