Page 12 of A Dangerous Proposal

Denied what he wanted, Jax’s wails intensified and, combined with his congestion, he made a scary choking sound. Knowing nothing would calm him down, and hoping to hold off baby vomit, she quickly unstrapped him and pulled him from the seat.

“Okay, okay, you win,” she said wearily, holding him to her chest and stepping out of the car. She pivoted, intending to sit on the backseat with Jax until he calmed down.

It happened so fast she barely had time to register what was happening. Her hip caught the car door, closing it just enough for the latch to catch. Holding one hand to Jax’s head to keep the hood of his thick coat up against the rain, she pulled on the door handle.

It didn’t move.

She tugged harder, horror rolling through her.

It was locked.

That’s not supposed to happen!

She had the child-lock feature. The one the man at the dealershipsworemeant she couldn’t accidentally lock herself out.

Yet here she was, looking through the window of the locked door at the key sitting on top of the diaper bag where it had fallen.

Panic and despair clawed at her chest. It was cold, and now they were stuck in the middle of a winter downpour.

What are you doing? You’re in over your head. You can’t do this.

The insidious voice in her head whispered as tears spilled down her cheeks. She turned to hurry back to the relative safety of the store.

“I’m sorry, Jaxy,” she whispered, tucking him close to keep the rain off his face.

That woman is right. I’m a terrible mother, and it is only a matter of time before the courts agree and take Jax away.

A sob shook her, even as Jax, happy now that he was free from the evil car seat, slapped his hands to her cold cheeks and giggled.

The sweet, innocent gesture broke through her mental spiral.

You don’t have time to fall apart, Madison, she reminded herself.

He needs you.

Sucking in a deep breath, she squared her shoulders.

I can do this. Everything will be fine. I’ll use the store’s phone and call…

Who? Who could she call? Her parents?Ugh. And give them more ammunition as to why she should just give Jax up.

No, thank you.

Cami?

She waited as some teenagers exited the store, annoyed when they stopped and stared. At first, she thought the teenagers were staring at her, but then she realized they were focused on something behind her. Their eyes widened slightly before they hurried out into the rain.

Madison registered a tall, lean body striding toward her. Dressed head to toe in black, his full-length coat billowed around him. The turned-up collar framed his chiseled, bearded jaw. He looked like a dark angel ready to do battle.

And his attention was completely…totally… fixed on her.

Chapter Four

“What the fuck is she doing?” Alex squinted through the rain at the woman standing by a car that only a few moments before had been flashing its headlights as the horn sounded repeatedly. He’d only paid attention because in his world, when things were unusual, it paid to be alert.

Normally, he would have ignored the woman once he’d classified her as a non-threat, but something about the forlorn figure made him hesitate. And when she’d whirled around, clutching a small child to her chest, and ran to the sidewalk, he knew why.

Even at a distance, there was no mistaking the delicate features or the waves of pale, almost white hair currently turning a silvery hue as the rain soaked her.

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