Page 66 of A Dangerous Proposal

A sudden rush of dizziness hit hard, and the ground seemed to tilt beneath her feet. Madison swayed, her breath catching, but before she could stumble, Alex’s arm locked around her waist, holding her firmly against him. “I’ve got you,” he murmured.

Jax chose that moment to wail, expressing his displeasure at the disruption of his evening routine and abrupt jostling when Alex had caught her.

Madison tried to straighten away from him, to take Jax. But her knees felt like jelly, and Alex’s arm only clamped around her harder, holding her securely against him. It struck her then—He was still holding Jax effortlessly in his other arm, balancing the toddler while supporting her body.

My home, just like my life, is in a complete shambles and here’s Alex holding us both up in the middle of it.

A nervous giggle escaped her lips, distracting Jax.

Alex lifted a dark brow. “Care to tell us what’s so funny?”

Madison lifted her hand to cover a snort. “Just thinking about wholly accurate metaphors.”

Alex looked confused, but Jax screamed again, drawing his attention. “That’s too loud.”

His tone wasn’t harsh, but astonishingly, Jax closed his mouth, and then gave Alex one of his devilish smiles before opening his mouth wide to scream again. Instead, of a shriek he let out a loud, long breath like a silent scream. Closing his mouth, Jax grinned from ear to ear, clearly delighted with his joke.

Alex laughed his whole face transformed. “This kid is a genius.”

And then, to Madison’s complete shock, he gave the toddler a loud kiss on the cheek, sending Jax into peals of laughter.

Chapter Twenty

Alex poured two glasses of wine, watching Madison from the corner of his eye as she settled onto the couch.

Jax was curled up on the other end, dead asleep, his little hand clutching a stuffed dinosaur that fortunately had been in his diaper bag. The kid had knocked out the second he was full and warm, oblivious to the world.

Madison was a different story.

She had barely spoken since they’d arrived. She looked completely exhausted, but there was still something fierce in her expression, and he fought the urge to smile. It was one of the things he admired most about Madison. There was a thread of absolute titanium running through her.

Life had thrown her a lot of blows over the last couple of years, but she was still standing. His gaze drifted to Jax. She was still loving and caring for him with her whole heart.

He rubbed at the burning sensation behind his sternum and glared at the glass of wine.

This is why I don’t drink wine. Heartburn.

Alex set down the full glass and poured himself a vodka.

A vivid picture of what could have happened to Madison or Jax if she’d interrupted the burglary appeared in front of him,causing him to splash the liquor on the bar. By the amount of damage, the crew that had broken in was either full of rage or sent to send a message.

Lifting his glass, Alex swallowed past a sudden tightness in his throat, and his chest clamped around his lungs.

What the fuck?

He mentally shook himself to expunge the unfamiliar feeling. It’s normal to feel bad for someone vulnerable, like a woman alone with a small child.

But the feeling wouldn’t leave him.

Fear.

No matter how much he tried to deny the physical reaction currently wracking his body, he knew what it was.

Pure, unadulterated fear.

An emotion Alex’s father had conditioned out of him in childhood. Fear was useless. You either fight and survive, or fight and die. There was no point wasting energy worrying about it. But he’d never had someone he cared about before. His gaze fell to the two people who had somehow wormed their way into his life, rearranging it.

Care,he reiterated to himself.

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