Page 43 of A Dangerous Proposal

“You should not.” Alex dipped his head and rubbed his cheek against hers. “You’re staying here tonight.”

“If you insist,” she gasped, as his hand slipped between them.

Chapter Thirteen

The next morning, while Madison snored softly next to him, Alex arranged for breakfast to be delivered. As phenomenal as last night was, they needed to talk, and he suspected the moment she was awake Madison would leave.

He had just finished pulling the different containers from large paper bags when she emerged from his room, one of the dress shirts he left in the closet draped over her delectable frame.

“What’s all this?” She smiled.

His gaze traced over her, his body heating. “It was supposed to be breakfast, but I think it can wait.”

She held up a hand with a laugh. “I’m starving.”

He pretended to be wounded. “So am I.”

Her shoulders shook with laughter. “You are ridiculous.”

Making their selections, Madison perched on one of the bar stools at the island to eat while Alex leaned against the countertop facing her.

Madison took a bite of a blueberry muffin and chewed slowly. Alex kept his face blank. He knew she thought she hid her thoughts well, but he watched a myriad of emotions cross herface. Finally, she cleaned her hands with a napkin and peeked up at him. “Can I ask you a question?”

He knew it was coming.

“Go for it.”

“James Bloom told me you run your family’s legal operations.”

Alex would bet the man said a lot more. He fought a smile. Madison didn’t seem overly bothered by the concept, just curious. And the fact she wasn’t afraid to ask him was a good sign that he was making headway with her.

“Bloom only knows who I am because of his own brother’s connection to me.”

“So… Why aren’t you in the family business?”

His brain raced, calculating and recalculating the different ways this conversation could go wrong.

“My father was a practical man. Time and enemies catch up with everyone in the end, and he wanted his legacy to go on.”

“That doesn’t sound practical. It sounds sentimental,” Madison pointed out.

Alex’s lips twisted. “Maybe it was a bit of both. He didn’t want his name, or what he’d earned, to be forgotten just because a rival had better aim. When I was in my early twenties, my father was still thepakhan, he decided he wanted to put the family on the path to legitimacy. He knew it wouldn’t happen quickly. He couldn’t turn his back on his enemies and expect to hold on to anything.”

Madison’s lips pressed together, and he could tell she was biting back a thousand questions. Finally, she gave in to her curiosity. “But why you? Why put you in the spotlight?”

Alex’s stomach clenched, but his voice stayed light. “I’m illegitimate. I can never challenge my brother for his position,” he added, when she looked confused. “In order for me to headthe family’s financial position, I can’t be involved with the things my brother does.”

Her eyes dipped to the images on his bare chest, and she chewed her lip. “You can’t be involved with your brother’s… but you were in the past, right?”

Of course, she’d noticed the distinction in what he said.

“Have you ever...”

“Have I ever, what? You can ask me whatever you want. I won’t lie to you. But be sure you’re ready for the answers.”

For a long time, he didn’t think she would speak. He was taking a risk by being so open, but Madison was too intelligent. She would see through any lie or obfuscation.

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

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