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

by Sable Hunter

  “Murder?” Madison parroted.

  “Apparently this one woman fed Miss Ridgeway information on another society dame to keep her off the guest list. The squealer was in our hostess’ good graces at the time and got her way. The woman who was blacklisted became furious and at the next social event they both attended, she slipped poison into the squealer’s drink.” He made a slicing motion across his neck. “Croaked.”

  “We should be on our best behavior.”

  The way she said ‘best behavior’, so genteel, so feminine–he just pounced.

  “I’ll be happy to show you my best behavior.” He playfully wrestled her to the bed, blowing raspberries on her stomach. He’d managed to pull his pants down and was about to throw her skirt up. His intent was to work his way south until he had his mouth on that sweet pussy of hers…but he forgot the connecting door.

  “My eyes…my eyes…” Cato cried. “I’m deaf and now you’ve mooned me. I’ll go blind.”

  Micah scrambled around, trying to cover his assets while Madison jumped from the bed trying to pretend she had nothing to do with his display at all.

  Avery came to see what all the hullaballoo was about and when she discovered the problem, she rolled her eyes. “What do you expect? If Isaac were with us on this trip, you’d just have to shut your eyes or look the other way. He takes his sex seriously.”

  Micah made some kind of manly grunting noise that denoted approval while Cato escaped to get first dibs on the shower.

  Madison perched on the end of their luxurious king-size bed. Every once in a while, she pinched herself to make sure she was really here. She was having the time of her life. All of this seemed just a little too good to be true. Micah seemed too good to be true. He had it all. Micah was handsome, sexy, talented–he had the world by the tail and for the life of her, Madison couldn’t think of a good reason why she was the one sitting here with him.

  “What are you wearing?” Avery asked Madison. “My dress is red. Cato’s is pink.”

  “Wear the gold,” Micah prompted. “The backless one.”

  “Oh, that sounds pretty. I just wanted to make sure. One night all of us McCoy girls went to the Cattleman’s ball and we all wore black. We looked like a gospel quartet.”

  “We’re supposed to do a reading tonight. Right?” Micah asked.

  “Yea, do you have your scene picked out?” Avery wanted to know.

  “I do. How about you?” Micah asked, making Madison wonder if he would read the scene from page 78, the one they’d acted out.

  Just the thought made her flush with arousal. Avery began telling Micah what scene she’d chosen when Madison heard her phone ring. Grabbing her purse, she stepped out on the balcony so she wouldn’t disturb their discussion.

  “Hello?” She didn’t recognize the number, but suspected it might be the temp agency. She glanced at her watch. Wasn’t it after office hours? She was trying to calculate the time difference when a familiar voice laid aside any speculation.

  “Baby?”

  “Mama?” Madison was surprised to hear from her. “What’s wrong?” There was something wrong, there had to be. Sunny Fellows didn’t usually phone to just make small talk.

  “This is my first chance to call. I had to wait ‘til Rudy got paid to get my hands on a phone.”

  The mention of Rudy made Madison uneasy. “Did he tell you what he did to me, Mama? He tried to choke me.”

  “Now, baby, don’t get excited. Rudy didn’t mean anything. He just loses his temper sometimes.”

  “He hurt me and he got Micah into trouble. How can you stay with a man like that?” Tears began to flow unbidden. “You know this isn’t the first time. He’s hurt me before and you just turned a blind eye.” Her words were accusing, her voice growing a little shrill.

  “I know, baby. I can’t help it. I love him, you know.”

  “How about me? Don’t you love me?” She hated to sound so pitiful, but this conversation was a long time coming. “Why did you call?”

  “Well…I need money. Rudy got an advance on his salary, but housing here in Fort Worth isn’t cheap. If you could see your way…”

  “No!” Madison was emphatic. “No! No more. Not another dime. I give you money and he uses it to buy drugs or liquor or…women. You know he runs around on you, Mama.”

  “You shut your mouth! He does not! Rudy loves me and he loves you like a daughter.”

  “You know that’s not true, Mama.” Madison could hear a commotion. “Mama?”

  “Listen here, you little bitch.” Rudy had the phone and he was angry. “You owe me. I come to you, I ask you nicely for money and you call that fancy jerk on me?”

  “You hurt me!”

  “You don’t know what hurt is yet. You cross me one more time, little lady, and it will be the last thing you ever do.”

  The hatred in Rudy’s voice made Madison feel physically ill.

  Click!

  Madison ended the call. She just couldn’t handle it anymore.

  “What’s wrong?” Micah joined her on the patio. “I heard you raise your voice.” He could tell from her face that something was amiss. “Was it your mother?”

  “Yes.” She could see the concern on his face.

  “Has she left that idiot yet?”

  “No. Same old thing. She took up for him, defended him. My mother didn’t call to check on me, she called to ask for money.”

  “Awww, I’m so sorry, honey. You’re trembling,” he said, tightening his grip on her.

  “Rudy is still angry.” She felt him stiffen.

  “I’m going to call Destry when we get home and we’re going to see about getting a restraining order to keep him away from you. When I can’t be with you, I don’t want you too scared to get out of the house.”

  Madison turned her face into his shirt, absorbing strength from his presence. “Do you think that would work?” She didn’t want to tell Micah the details. The last thing she wanted was for him to get into trouble defending her again.

  “I know it will.” He kissed her. “Go get dressed. We’ve got a party to attend. Let’s just forget about that other stuff back home for tonight. Have a good time.”

  A little later, Madison sat listening to Micah read. Every woman in the room was just as enthralled as her. As before, he rarely had to look down at the pages. He could recite his work almost word for word. The sensuality in his voice coupled with the erotic nature of the scene he shared insured every pair of panties in the room was wet–including hers.

  Madison found herself crossing her legs, chewing on her lower lip, digging her fingernails into her palm. As he read, she moved in her seat, trying to find a little bit of relief for the ache in her pussy. When he was through, Micah sat down and Madison lost all interest in what was going on in front of her. The other authors read, but she had eyes only for Micah. Their gaze locked and the heat flowing between them was electric.

  As if he were telepathically communicating with her, Madison began to have images flow through her mind. The last time they’d made love at Micah’s he’d been insatiable. He’d warned her he was going to break the headboard and he’d succeeded. As she watched him, he gave her the slightest wink and she felt her nipples begin to throb. He touched his tongue to his upper lip and a zing of sensation made her clit swell.

  As she swam in his eyes, Madison could remember the touch of his hands on her body, how he’d primed her–readied her. How he’d suckled at her breasts and ate her pussy until she was hoarse from screaming his name. He’d risen over her, joining her hands with his and taken her. Taken her. What a mild term for such an earth shattering experience. He’d dominated her. Bucking his hips violently, he’d moved her whole body. She was hopelessly, helplessly at his mercy. And she’d loved it. Harder. Harder. Faster. Micah fucked her until she was mindless with pleasure. The bed he’d taken her on was sturdy, but every time he’d filled her, the mattress shook and the headboard slammed against the wall. With every pounding move of his body,
she whimpered his name. Over and over again–until the wood that joined the headboard to the frame cracked clean in two. The noise from the headboard splintering did nothing to mask their finish. The earthquake of their release hit them deep. Her pussy convulsed, her pleasure erupting while Micah bellowed, pumping his cum into her with one last powerful thrust.

  By the time her daydream ended, Madison was so turned on she was afraid to move. When her vision cleared, Micah was still staring at her. It was as if they were the only two people in the room. “I know what you’re thinking,” he mouthed the words to her.

  She gave him a tiny smile and shook her head, telling him wordlessly that he couldn’t possibly know.

  He nodded his head. “You want me,” his sexy lips formed the words.

  Madison felt herself blush. Nervously she looked from side to side, sure that all in attendance were aware of their erotic preoccupation. When she saw that no one looked the wiser, she locked eyes with him once more. “And you want me,” she answered back soundlessly.

  “Let’s give these authors a hand, ladies!” Miss Ridgeway’s voice broke the spell.

  As people rose from their chairs, Madison lost sight of Micah. She stood, trying to catch a glimpse but a dozen or more women stood in between them, blocking her view. Knowing they would want books and swag, she went to the table assigned to him and gathered up what he’d need. Hurrying to him, she eased to the back of the stage and brought the box to his side.

  “Here you go,” she offered.

  Micah gave her a wink of thanks and proceeded to take care of his fans. Madison returned to his table and handed out bookmarks, pens and calendars to anyone interested. She’d had so much fun being with him. Every night she’d slept in his arms. They’d made love so many times she’d lost count. And even though sharing him with his fans was hard, she was so proud of him Madison could hardly contain it.

  “Hey, beautiful. Ready to go?”

  His voice covered her skin with chill bumps.

  “Yea, sure. Let me pack up.”

  He stilled her hand. “The publisher’s rep will get it. Take a second and go say goodbye to Avery and Cato.”

  She gave him a quizzical glance. “Goodbye? They aren’t traveling to Boston with us?”

  He gave her a smile full of wicked promise and trailed a finger down her cheek. “We’re not going to Boston. I’ve had all of this fun I can stand.”

  “Okay.” She didn’t want to leave without telling them how much she’d enjoyed the time they’d shared. “I’ll be right back.”

  “I won’t move.”

  Madison ran to the other two women, giving them hugs, promising that they’d get together once they were all back in the Austin area. Upon returning to Micah, she accepted his outstretched hand. “This has been wonderful. Thank you, Micah.”

  “Oh, it’s not over. We’re not going to Boston, but we’re not going home–not yet. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

  “What?”

  Her eyes lit up with joy and he couldn’t resist claiming a kiss. “I’ve got a hankering for French food. What do you say?”

  “We’re going to a French restaurant?” she asked, giving a smile. “That sounds like fun.”

  “I can promise you it will be.” He hooked an arm around her neck and drew her close, whispering in her ear. “The restaurant’s in Paris…France.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Paris…

  “I can’t believe this.” Madison held onto Micah’s hand with both of hers. “A couple of weeks ago I’d never flown anywhere. I’d never really been anywhere before. You’ve taken me to so many wonderful places and now we’re winging our way to Paris!” She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed hard enough to make him grunt. “I honestly don’t know what to make of this.”

  “Flying with you has become one of my favorite things.” He leaned near her to add. “Especially when you fly apart in my arms.”

  Madison laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m so happy.”

  Paris!

  She just couldn’t believe it. All of her life she’d been drawn to movies and books about the City of Lights. Falling in love in Paris was one of the things she’d always dreamed about. So many of her dreams had come true, but this wouldn’t be one of them. Madison Alicia Fellows was already hopelessly in love.

  She felt his mouth brush her forehead. “You need to get some sleep if you can. We’re going to be in the air for quite a while.”

  “Okay, I’ll try.”

  Micah had barely given her time to breathe after he’d decided to come to Paris. When the man made up his mind to do something he was unstoppable. She was just glad she had a passport. The only time she’d been out of the country was for a brief trip into Mexico and her passport just happened to be one of the valuables she’d kept hidden in her bag.

  Who would’ve thought she’d become a world traveler?

  “Do more than try. I want you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when we arrive. We’re going to take the city by storm.”

  “I want to see everything, but Paris is for lovers.” She yawned. “Remember that.”

  “Really?” Micah chuckled. “I was planning on abstaining until we got back to the States.”

  “You’re funny.” She yawned again.

  Madison couldn’t put her finger on it, but something was different. For the past two weeks they’d been surrounded by strangers, at times they’d been alone but most of their days had been filled with interactions between the authors, their publisher and the reading public. Only in bed had they been able to find the privacy they’d hungered for. From the very beginning there had been magic when they touched. Lately there was a sense of urgency, like Micah was trying to store up as many memories as possible. She just prayed their time together wasn’t coming to an end. Not yet.

  “What are we going to do in Paris?” she asked, needing to clear her mind of any doubts.

  “What do you want to do? We’re only gonna be there a couple of days, so be selective.”

  “Oh, I know. I’m surprised you could get away from the ranch as long as you have. We’ll have to thank Saxon for looking in on Thunderpunch.”

  “Oh, we will. I’ll buy him a new mouse pad or something geeky for his time.”

  He put an arm around her, pulling her closer to him. Holding her filled him with contentment. Anytime he felt out of focus or the least bit down, all he had to do was look at Madison and her smile lit up his world. Habits of a lifetime die hard though, so Micah hadn’t let himself think beyond today. Even though his relationship with Madison was only a few months old, it was longer than he’d ever been with a woman…unless he counted Leah. But his relationship with Leah had been all about sex. And his relationship with Madison….

  Holy shit!

  Talk about a moment of self-revelation!

  Micah looked up for a stewardess. He needed a drink. Seeing no one in sight, he dry-scrubbed his face, willing his heartrate to settle down. While the sex with Madison was out of this world, his feelings for her went beyond the physical.

  He liked her.

  He enjoyed her.

  He loved the way they were together.

  Was he in love?

  Whoa!

  Let’s not rush into anything, Wolfe, he lectured himself. All he knew was that he wasn’t ready to let her go. And he didn’t have to. There was no one standing over him anymore telling him who to be friends with, who to like or who to love.

  Madison stirred in his arms and mumbled. “Can we go up in the Eiffel Tower? And to the Louvre? Stroll along the Seine and eat cheese?”

  Her sleepy questions took him by surprise. “Yes, yes, and cheese?” He couldn’t help but laugh. “We’ll do anything you want to do. For now, let’s get some rest.”

  Madison tried to sleep, she really did. Maybe she dozed off for a while, it was hard to say. Mostly she listened to a CD she’d bought at the airport to teach her a few simple French phrases. The words sounded pretty on Madison’s tongue,
but she didn’t know how they’d sound when she tried to speak to a native Parisian. “Un café au lait, s’il vous plait.” Coffee with milk, please. Yea, she could say that. At least she wouldn’t get a caffeine headache. She grinned to herself. All of this seemed too fantastical to be real. She’d close her eyes for a minute or two…just a minute.

  “Wake up, sleepy head, we’re here.”

  She opened her eyes, stretched, gave Micah a kiss, then turned to glance out the window expecting to see French countryside. Instead, all she saw was night.

  “It’s dark!”

  Their flight from Savannah left in the early morning hours and with the ten-hour flight and the six-hour time difference, they’d reached Paris about the time the sun set the next day.

  As their plane circled the city, Madison gasped. “Look, I can see the Eiffel Tower!” She marveled at the beautiful sight, the tower was lit up in blue lights. Soon she’d be gazing at the city from atop this iconic landmark.

  Once they landed, Micah arranged for them to have a small car. “Do you know how to drive here? Which side of the road do they use?” She’d seen enough European films to know some drove on the opposite side of the road as Americans.

  “I tend to take my part out of the middle anyway, we’ll be fine.” As Micah pulled away from the airport, he handed her a slip of paper and pointed at her phone. “Download these apps so you can be my navigator.” She did and he gave her an address, spelling the words for her when she had a problem with the pronunciation.

  The hotel he’d chosen was gorgeous, Le Jardin de Cluny, just a few steps from Notre Dame Cathedral and with a beautiful view of the Pont de l’Archevêché, the Archbishop’s Bridge.

  Madison climbed from the car, held her arms out as if to embrace the world and spun in a circle. “Oh, Micah. It’s all even better than I dreamed.” She couldn’t stop looking at everything. As soon as they’d checked in, she grabbed Micah’s hand. “Let’s not waste a minute.”