Page 85 of A Dangerous Proposal

Alex widened his eyes with mock innocence. “What do you mean?”

James muttered something under his breath and took a deliberate sip of his drink, but Cami just laughed, shaking her head.

Jax let out a frustrated whine, his tiny face scrunched with exhaustion. His patience with the adults clearly gone.

Alex crouched and lifted him, settling him against his chest. Jax made a tired, grumpy noise but almost immediately collapsed his weight and stuck his fingers in his mouth.

“Are you sure you want to take him tonight?” Madison’s brow wrinkled. “He’s probably over tired, and he hasn’t been sleeping well.”

“It’s your wedding night, Mads. He’ll be fine. Besides,” she said, taking Jax from Alex and pivoting to hand him to James. “If he screams, then it’s good practice for James.”

Alex tensed. He hadn’t realized they were taking Jax, and it made him… uncomfortable. Jax took his new position in stride, however, clearly comfortable with Bloom, and Alex relaxed.

James patted the toddler’s back, and when he looked up, he gave Alex a begrudgingly reassuring nod.

“Come on, Cam. I have a feeling we’re on borrowed time with the little guy.”

“Okay.” Cami leaned in to give Madison a tight hug, and Alex just barely caught her quiet whisper. “What you said inside earlier... I think you’re right.”

Madison stepped onto the terrace, a glass of wine in one hand, a vodka for him in the other. Alex had removed his suit jacket, leaving his dress shirt open at the collar and his sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms. It was deliberate, and when Madison’s eyes were immediately drawn to them, he did his best to keep the smile off his face.

Alex took a slow sip of his drink, letting the burn settle in his chest as he stood on the back terrace, watching her. She was barefoot now, her gauzy white dress pooling on the ground as she leaned against the stone railing, staring out at the darkened garden. “The day was… better than I expected,” she said after a beat, her voice quiet.

Alex took another sip before nodding. “Agreed.”

It was as if neither of them seemed to know what came next. Which was odd. They’d fucked before, talked before… Why was tonight different? He refused to entertain the concept that it was their wedding night and therefore special. It was just a night, he told himself.

Madison suddenly cut through the silence, her tone light, but he heard the edge beneath it. “How come you don’t have guards? In movies, guys like you always have security following them around.”

“I don’t like people in my space,” Alex admitted. “I can protect myself. And you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Madison smiled, the unexpected brightness of it grabbing him by the throat. “I wasn’t. But nice to know.” She paused. “You don’t mind having a housekeeper multiple times a week?”

“Angela is family. I’ve known her since I was small. But even she doesn’t live in.”

“You don’t trust her?” Madison frowned.

“I don’t trust anyone in my home.” His mouth quirked. “Except you apparently.”

A delicate flush covered her cheeks, and he could tell she was pleased by his admission.

“You’re worried they’ll spy on you.” Not a question. “That’s why you don’t let anyone get close.”

Alex’s jaw tightened at her eerily accurate observation. His expression cooled. “Exactly.”

She frowned. “That sounds awful.”

“You get used to it.” He took another sip of his drink, his gaze flicking toward the horizon. “My mother saw the guards as a mark of how much my father valued her.”

“Was it?” Madison tilted her head.

Alex’s lips twisted. “Who knows who they reported to. My father? His wife… my brother?” His laugh was humorless. “She never saw that she only existed in a pretty cage.”

Her expression changed into something softer. Sympathetic.

He didn’t like it.

Didn’t like the way she was looking at him.

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