swallowed her tongue for asking such a bold question.
Micah stuffed a hand into a jean pocket and stared at her a long time. Sheesh, with his penetrating stare, she felt like he could read every want she tucked away deep in her soul. “You’re a pretty girl, why wouldn’t I flirt with you?”
Until recently, no one seemed interested in her. Suddenly, everyone gawked at her. Micah gazed at her with emotions she couldn’t identify, but they melted her wariness. She felt safe and significant in his regard, a heady experience when she received nothing but ridicule from her father and disdain—until today—from her mother. She’d felt the same weird notion from him on Christmas morning and it made no more sense now than it did then.
“You’re too old to flirt with me and I don’t need my ego fed, Mr.—” She sent him a pointed stare.
“Dominus. Micah Dominus.” He chucked her chin and her pulse spiked. She took a step back, away from his too potent demeanor, as he said, “You know my name. The polite thing is for you to give me yours.”
Her lips twitched and she bit back the grin. “I don’t think so, Mr. Dominus. My daddy warned me about talking to strangers and you’re a stranger.”
Micah didn’t object. Instead, he procured a business card from his back pocket and held his hand out, offering it to her. “If you wish to alter my ‘stranger’ status, call or email me anytime. No romantic pressure, just friends.” His concentrated gaze said they’d be ‘just friends’ so long as she desired their relationship to remain platonic. When she didn’t take the card, he cocked a questioning eyebrow at her. “I don’t bite, kitten.”
The familiarity of his endearment buzzed across her skin and warmed the base of her spine. Madison licked her lips. Indecision warred with good sense. Instinct warned her to walk away now without accepting his offer. Impulse screamed at her to take the card and live on the wild side.
Finally, she accepted his offer and shivered when her fingertips brushed his. Micah invited no other contact, his expression unreadable as they stared at one another. Madison swallowed hard, wagged his business card at him and said, “I make no promises.”
He nodded. “Fair enough.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Dominus.”
“I’ll see you later, kitten.”
The idea of seeing him again left her all sorts of nervous. She attempted an eloquent turn, wobbled a little on her high heels, and walked across the cemetery toward her mother’s Mercedes. Senses tingling, she thought he watched her leave. She resisted the compulsion to glance over her shoulder and determine if he did.
Life Lesson Ten
Madison controlled her pace as she walked toward Momma’s car, squelching the urge to bolt. Micah watched her. She felt his stare. Crazy, yeah, but his gaze was that intense. Kind of hypnotic, she wanted to stare into his blue eyes until she either became lost in them or found salvation. More crazy from a normally level-headed girl.
The business card against her palm prickled her skin, totally opposite of the way the man affected her. He left her all ooey-gooey inside. With Jack she’d been comfortable and at ease. His one-time kiss hadn’t been exciting and she hadn’t been eager to repeat the embrace. But Micah… Dear God just thinking his name left her jittery and unsure. And definitely wondering how his kiss would feel.
Would she grow breathless like one of the many romance books described? The ones she kept hidden from her daddy under her mattress. Or she might forget herself and go too far, like a bunch of those heroines in those romance books. That wasn’t an option. She had plans to vacate her daddy’s control as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Getting involved with a man wasn’t part of the plan.
She shook her head and hastily stuffed the card into her black purse. She’d have to find some way to evict Mr. Dominus from her mind because he was way too old for her. To that