Page 39 of A Dangerous Proposal

“Wait.” Madison ripped her hand away, and for a second Alex thought she’d changed her mind, but she only grabbed her purse and waved to her friends. Catching his hand again, she smiled up at him. “Let’s go, Charming.”

Liev must have contacted his driver because Alex’s car was waiting at the curb. Alex immediately pushed the button to put up the privacy partition.

“Where are we going?”

“A suite I keep in the city.”

“Okay.”

He waited, expecting her to say something else, but Madison remained silent, turning her head to look at the city lights slipping past the window.

By the time they reached the residential entrance to the hotel, Alex wondered if she’d changed her mind. But when she allowed him to intertwine their fingers, he felt something ease inside him.

Alex had half expected her to refuse to come in with him, but she didn’t hesitate as they crossed the small lobby. He nodded at the doorman behind the security desk and pressed his thumb to the panel that activated the elevator.

Madison leaned back against the mirrored panels, watching him. The silence was full of tension, the electricity crackling between them. He would have paid a great deal to know what thoughts were going on behind those gorgeous eyes.

She wore a slight smile, but there was something fragile about her expression that had alarms ringing in his head. The soft ding of the elevator as it reached his floor sounded, and he used his thumb again to authorize the doors to open.

Madison’s brows shot up as she scanned the wide-open space in front of her. Large windows showcased the city beyond, but the cement floors and industrial lighting were at odds with his other home.

“Fancy.” She walked to one of the black leather sofas and turned to lean her hips against the low back.

She licked her lips nervously, and her chest rose with an unsteady breath. He knew his continued silence was making her uncomfortable.

“Are you just going to stand there?” The challenge in her voice was clear, but there was also a vulnerability that did something unexpected to him.

“Would you like some tea?”

Her smooth forehead furrowed. “What?”

“Tea?” He strode toward the kitchen island. “I think I have some herbal in here.” Alex turned his back to her.

There was no mistaking the look on her face and what she was offering. He wasn’t a good man by any stretch of the imagination but having sex with her like this would be a mistake.

Madison would regret it in the morning.

You.

She’ll regretyou, a voice hissed in his mind.

He silenced it. How she felt about him didn’t matter. To get what he wanted, Alex needed her to trust him.

Every rational thought and good intention evaporated when he turned back around, mug in hand, to see Madison lowering her dress to her waist, her breasts completely exposed.

For a moment, he could only stare. His throat went dry, and his grip on the mug tightened until his knuckles turned white. The vision of her perfect creamy breasts, topped with mouthwatering rose nipples, would be burned into his brain until the day he died.

His eyes drifted lower, and he caught a glimpse of the gentle curve of her stomach and the blue fabric clinging to her hips as she tried to shimmy the tight dress down further.

“Fuck,” Alex muttered under his breath. He squeezed his eyes shut, tipped his head back, and willed himself to breathe.

Fabric rustled again, and when he opened his eyes, Madison was standing completely nude in front of him, the soft glow of the overhead light catching on her curves and her silver heels. She stood before him without a trace of shyness, her chin lifted in quiet confidence.

“You’re exquisite,” Alex rasped.

Madison stared back at him, her pupils wide and welcoming. His mind urged him to take control, but his body seemed locked in place, overwhelmed by her beauty and the sheer force of his reaction to her.

Her pupils were wide, dark pools of heat and want as she stared back at him, her lips parting slightly.

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