Read Madison's Life Lessons for Free Online

you think you’re to blame for his early passing, you’re wrong. Very wrong. It was Jack’s bad choices and improper actions that brought about his death.”
    Madison stared at Micah. She shivered and not from the cool breeze, but his wintry gaze. His sensuous mouth flattened with displeasure. She never wanted that look turned on her. “That sounds very insensitive.”
    “That’s not the way I intended it.” Micah’s attention shifted to Jack’s burial site. “Jack’s father is running for Mayor and Jack left his family in a precarious situation. Not only was Jack hunting illegally, he was trespassing. All matters I’m delegated to settle with as little scandal as possible.”
    Madison shook her head, appalled by the idea that Jack’s father worried more about his political career than the loss of his son. Could she expect anything different from her father in a similar situation? Doubtful.
    “I see the repugnance in your eyes. Humans are inherently cold natured. It’s cases like this that give me no expectation of humanity’s survival. But when I look into your innocent blue eyes, I see the hope for the world staring back at me.”
    She tried to interpret that in a platonic way, but came up with nothing so innocent. Her hands grew sweaty, and she would’ve ripped her gaze off his, but she worried it’d show her disequilibrium to his attention.
    Something of her greenness must have shown, because he said, “My apologies for my forwardness.”
    He lifted his hand to swipe his hair off his forehead and she caught his wrist. Shocked by her impulsiveness, she stared at her fingers wrapped around his wrist, suspended mid-air between them. The touch of his skin against hers smoldered along her pulse points and moved low into her belly. Their eyes met, she snatched her hand away and she whispered, “Leave it.”
    Micah’s glacial eyes grew a shade darker and blazed with satisfaction. With one spontaneous act, she’d expressed her awareness of him and she could kick herself for it.
    “Are you ever going to tell me your name?” he asked, his voice having grown whiskey-rough. Such a sensual sound that made her knees wobble and her hands shake.
    “I don’t think I should.” She flattened her palms against her thighs so he wouldn’t notice them shaking and cast a quick glance in Momma’s direction. Momma primped at her reflection in the car’s rearview mirror. She turned back to Micah and executed a one-shoulder shrug. “It sorta feels like if I tell you my name, it’ll somehow invite power over me.” A crazy notion, she knew, but true nonetheless.
    A wide grin showed off his perfect straight teeth and Madison almost lost all thought. His full-blown smile inspired giddiness, like she’d located the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Or as giddy as the schoolgirl she was with a handsome older man turning all his charm on her. Sheesh, he could be lethal to her untutored passions. Madison was unsure how to handle her awkward emotions, and was equally unsure if she read Micah’s behavior wrong.
    “There is power in a name. Certain names hold more power than others.” Micah pushed off the tombstone and she tilted her head back to maintain eye contact. What a novel experience to look up at someone. Made her feel small and in need of protecting. Micah captured a lock of her hair, and caressed it between his fingers before tucking it behind an ear. Madison shivered. “Until you privilege me with your name, I’ll give you a nickname…how does kitten sound?”
    That sounded more like an endearment than a nickname. “I don’t think that’s very appropriate.”
    She knew it wasn’t! If Daddy found out—
    He winked. “You’re fault.” That’s what Daddy would say too. “You won’t trust me with your name and I have to call you something.”
    They didn’t run in the same circles so the plausibility of them bumping into each other again was slim.
    “Are you flirting with me?” Madison almost