Page 48 of Her Ex's Father
She watches me another moment, then bites her lip, hesitating. “Can I tell you something without you… I don’t know. Without you retreating?”
“Try me.”
Her cheeks are already pink. “The hormones are… making me restless.”
I frown. “Restless?”
She lifts her chin, brave in her embarrassment. “Horny.” The flush on her cheeks deepens, but her body is all silk—draped toward me, breasts pushed out, lips parted.
The word cracks the air between us. For a moment all I can do is stare. Then a laugh rumbles low in my chest, darker than I mean it to. “Christ, Madeline.”
“I’m serious,” she blurts, then groans and covers her face. “God, why did I say that out loud?—”
I catch her wrists, tug her hands gently away. “Because it’s true. And because you wanted me to know.”
Her breath hitches. “It’s actually really annoying,” she complains in a whisper. “I’ve never been so…” Shaking her head, she takes a deep breath, and I can’t help dropping my gaze to her breasts again. The shirt she’s wearing is thin, comfortable, doing nothing to hide the swell of her slight curves.
I step closer, shadows swallowing us both, and lower my voice. “I could take care of that. Right now. You’d forget everything else.”
Her pupils widen. She sways almost imperceptibly toward me. My restraint thins to a thread. This is what got us into trouble in the first place…
The scent of her—vanilla, warm skin, something sweet I can’t name—pulls me down like gravity. My hands slip around her hips, tugging her ever closer, closing the gap between us.
I’m an inch from her mouth when the slam of the front door shatters it.
“Madeline!”
Derrick’s voice.
She jerks back, startled. My chest hardens like stone, heat curdling into rage.
And when my son strides into the room—uninvited, unannounced, eyes already sharp with trouble—I know the fragile moment I just had with my wife is gone.
For now.
Chapter 17
Madeline
The restaurant at Bronson Hall glitters like a crown jewel in the heart of Aspen. It sits low and sprawling in the belly of the resort, paneled in dark walnut and glass, glowing with chandeliers that spill warm light over the tables. Guests murmur over their cocktails, polished silverware flashes against crystal glasses, and the mountain view through the broad windows is dusted in stars.
It’s beautiful, and easy to see why the company spread like wildfire through the luxurious cities of the world.
I tug at the skirt of the dress Stella helped me pick before I knew I’d be marrying Benedict, trying to quiet the gnawing unease in my stomach. It’s short, cocktail, a muted gold with a square neckline. Shows enough of my legs that I wonder if it would tempt him…
Tonight is not about me, I remind myself. It’s about Ben—about family, about… appearances. He didn’t say it outright, but I know. Ben wants to make this… civil.
My chest tightens at the thought of Derrick. The last time I saw him was yesterday, right before I was going to let hisfatherdebauch me in the middle of the living room.
The thought of Benedict’s sultry offer tugs something deep inside me, sending a shot of electricity from my core to my nipples. I ignore the thread of arousal, shaking my hair out over my shoulders.
Derrick showed up unannounced, eyes sharp as soon as he saw just how close we were standing. I’d been half-embarrassed, half-furious at his timing. Now, sitting at a table in his father’s empire, I feel the whole weight of the Bronson family legacy pressing down like the chandelier overhead.
“Stop worrying,” Caroline murmurs at my side. She’s stunning in a simple black dress, her dark hair swept back to show off diamond earrings that could pay off a mortgage. Not hers; a gift from Ben, I’m sure. Caroline and her son live somewhere on the property in a little cottage, comfortable and private. I haven’t interacted with her much since the wedding. She catches me fiddling with my napkin and lays a cool hand on mine. “You’ll give yourself wrinkles before your thirties.”
I laugh lightly, though it doesn’t reach my stomach. “I’m already thirty, Caroline, but thank you. I just… I don’t know what to expect.”
“You expect Derrick to behave like an adult. And you’ll be disappointed.” She lifts her wineglass and takes a long sip.
