She sensed, rather than saw, the way he studied her.
A small giggle broke the tension.
Jax, completely unaware of the charged atmosphere, was holding out a piece of banana toward Alex, his tiny fingers sticky with mashed fruit.
Madison held her breath, waiting. Alex had been sweet with Jax so far, but she knew having a messy toddler in his life was all new. After a long moment, Alex crouched beside the highchair, tilting his head as if considering the offering.
Then, with a completely straight face, he took the banana and popped it into his mouth.
Madison’s eyebrows shot up.
Jax squealed, giggling so hard his entire body shook.
Alex chewed dramatically, then made a face, shaking his head. “That’s terrible.”
Jax howled with laughter, slapping his hands against the tray. Madison pressed her lips together, swallowing down the smile threatening to break free, as warmth flooded her chest.
The man is a menace.
“You want coffee? Pancake?”
Alex glanced up at her. “Just coffee.”
Madison slid the mug across the counter, and their fingers brushed as he took it, a flare of awareness shooting up her arm. She seriously needed to get a hold of her hormones. She was acting like a horny teenager.
Alex’s dark hair was messier than normal, as if he’d repeatedly run his fingers through it, but he was still the most attractive man she’d ever seen, and he’d just eaten a nasty piece of banana to make Jax smile.
Damn it!
Alex took a sip of coffee, watching her. “I called the lawyer this morning.”
Madison blinked. “You did?”
He nodded. “Told her that money is no object, and that it is extremely important to us that we get the outcome we expect. She got the message. I’ll also be putting out feelers,” he continued. “See what other pressure I can put on Felix and the Senator. Plenty of people owe me favors who have nothing to do with my family. They’ll be discreet.”
Her chest squeezed with guilt, and she exhaled slowly, staring down at her coffee. “I’m sorry. For what I said last night. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like that.”
An unreadable expression crossed Alex’s face. “You had every right to be upset. I won’t let you down, Madison. Youcantrust me. I just have to be careful.”
Madison nodded, swallowing against the lump in her throat.
“Besides, if I’m dead, I won’t be of much use to you.” He smirked and took a sip of his coffee.
Her stomach lurched as the sudden reality of what he was saying sunk in. The thought that his brother might… that he could be gone…
“I don’t want you to defy your brother.” The words came out in a rush. Alex’s smirk faded slightly. “I understand how fragile this is. And I need youalive. Jax needs you.”
She lifted her gaze, meeting his fully for the first time that morning.
Alex’s shoulders relaxed. “Truce?”
“Truce.” She nodded, placing her empty mug on the counter.
To her surprise, Alex sank into the chair closest to Jax’s highchair.
Madison placed the cut-up pieces of Jax’s pancake on his tray and handed him a plastic fork. “He doesn’t really use one yet, but the books recommend introducing it.”
She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to explain, but when she turned back with her refilled mug, she was shocked to see Alex helping Jax hold the fork properly. Her chest ached as she watched him—this dangerous, scary, and far-too-handsome-for-anyone’s-good man, helping a toddler bring a fork to his mouth with a quiet “good job, little man.”
