Page 114 of A Dangerous Proposal

“I’ll be right back, buddy,” Alex murmured. Jax blinked drowsily at him but didn’t fuss as Alex carried Madison to their bedroom.

Laying her down against the cool sheets, he hesitated for half a second before pulling the blanket over her. She was already half asleep, her eyes barely open.

Returning to Jax’s room, Alex found the toddler already asleep, his small body curled around his stuffed dinosaur, his breaths even and slow. He crouched beside the bed, brushing a hand lightly over Jax’s back, reassured by the cool forehead and the steady rise and fall of his tiny body.

Grabbing the monitor from the nightstand, he stepped out and quietly closed the door.

Back in their bedroom, Madison was muttering something unintelligible into the pillow. Her hair was damp with sweat, her arms tangled in the blanket.

He needed to do something about her fever, but he wasn’t exactly familiar with taking care of a sick person. Relying on what he’d seen in movies, Alex headed into the ensuite bathroom with a muttered curse and turned the faucet in the tub to lukewarm.

“No,” Madison mumbled immediately when he reached for the hem of her shirt.

“Yes.”

“My body really wants to.” Her fever-slurred words making his lips twitch despite himself. “Well, parts of my body do. But more parts want to die. Leave me alone.”

“I need to get your temperature down, Angel.”

Madison groaned but didn’t stop him as he stripped her. For once, her bare skin didn’t spark the usual fire in his veins. Lifting her into his arms, he carried her into the bathroom. The second he lowered her into the water, she scrunched her face.

“It’s cold,” she muttered, shifting uncomfortably.

“You’ll live.”

Madison made a noise somewhere between a whimper and a groan as he grabbed a washcloth, dipping it into the water before dragging it over her arms, her shoulders, and her chest.

Her nipples pebbled at the contact, and Alex’s grip tightened on the cloth. He grit his teeth, forcing his focus to remain clinical. She was delirious with fever. This wasn’t the time to start fantasizing about all the things they could do in a bathtub.

Madison’s eyes flew open. “Where’s Jax?”

“He went back to sleep,” Alex reassured her. He held up the monitor. “I have this.”

“Oh.” Her lashes fluttered, her body slumping again. “Okay.”

When the water grew too cool, he lifted her from the tub and patted her dry with a towel before tugging one of his T-shirts over her head.

She muttered something about Jax’s next dose as he laid her back in bed. Alex smoothed a hand over her hair, his voice low. “I’ll take care of it. You just need to rest. I’m going downstairs to get some medicine. I’ll be right back.”

Thankfully, Madison had the foresight to buy adult medicine along with Jax’s. After he popped two pills out of the packaging, he filled a glass of water. With an arm around her back, he helped her sit up.

“You’re going to get sick, Charming,” she muttered, taking the medicine.

“I think the words you’re looking for are ‘thank you.’” He tucked her damp hair behind her ear.

“Thank you,” she mumbled, then sighed heavily, resting her head back against his shoulder. “Put the baby monitor on the bedside table and turn the volume all the way up. I don’t want to miss him if he?—”

“I’m taking it with me,” he said, sliding his arm away and rising to his feet. “I’ll take care of him if he wakes up.”

“But—”

“Put down your sword, Angel. You don’t need it tonight.”

“Alex, I?—”

“I’ve got you,” he murmured. “Close your eyes.”

Rising from the bed, he took a quick shower, relieved that Madison had fallen asleep by the time he emerged from the bathroom. Taking the monitor with him, he peeked in on a sleeping Jax before heading to one of the bedrooms down the hall.

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