A Secretive Deal with My Billionaire Boss (by Gregory Ellington) novel Chapter 454

Alexander

I turned to Madison, ready to pull her toward my bedroom. Finally, after all the interruptions, all the waiting, I could have her exactly how I wanted.

But she moved toward the living room instead.

I followed, confused, watching as she settled onto the couch and grabbed the remote. She started flipping through channels like we had all the time in the world.

"What are you doing?"

She glanced up at me. "Finding something to watch."

"Why?"

"Because." She kept scrolling. "We need to wait a bit."

I sat beside her, my hand finding her thigh. "Wait for what?"

"For Ethan to actually fall asleep." She stopped on some cooking show, then kept going. "Sometimes kids don't sleep immediately. They close their eyes, seem tired, but the second you think they're out, they pop back up asking for water or saying they heard a weird noise."

"So we're waiting."

She settled on a home renovation show. "It's better this way. Trust me."

My hand slid higher on her thigh. "How long?"

"At least thirty minutes." She placed her hand over mine, stopping its upward progress. "Sometimes longer, depending on how tired he actually is. Maybe forty to be safe." She turned her head, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Can't you wait forty minutes?"

I leaned closer, my mouth near her ear. "I've waited five years. Forty minutes is nothing. But you know I'm not a patient man."

"I know that very well." Her voice dropped lower. "Believe me, I remember exactly how impatient you can be."

"Then why are we sitting here?"

"Because we have a kid now." She squeezed my hand. "We can't just fuck whenever we want. We have to be careful. Make sure he's actually sleeping. Be responsible adults who don't traumatize their child."

"Fine." I grabbed the remote from her hand. "Let's watch a movie then."

"What kind of movie?"

"Does it matter?" I scrolled through the options, stopping on some romantic comedy. "This work?"

She studied the screen. "Sure. Why not."

I hit play, then pulled her closer. She settled against my side, her head resting on my shoulder. My arm wrapped around her automatically, my hand finding her hip.

The movie started. Some predictable plot about two people who hated each other but would obviously end up together by the end. I didn't give a fuck about the story.

Madison's warmth against me was distracting. The scent of her hair. The soft curve of her waist beneath my palm. The way her breathing had changed, becoming slightly faster.

My hand moved in slow circles on her hip, just casual touches that felt anything but casual. She shifted closer, her hand landing on my thigh.

"This movie is terrible," she said after ten minutes.

"Want to pick something else?"

"No. We can keep watching."

We watched in silence for a few more minutes. The leads were now stuck in an elevator together, forced to confront their feelings. How fucking convenient.

Madison's fingers traced patterns on my chest through my shirt. Lazy circles that made it hard to think about anything except her touch.

"You're distracting me," I said, my voice low.

"Am I?" Her fingers kept moving, tracing the buttons of my shirt. "That's unfortunate."

"You're doing it on purpose."

"Maybe." She tilted her head up, those eyes meeting mine. "Or maybe I'm just comfortable."

"All of it. Every single piece." My hand slid higher. "But especially that black lace. Keep thinking about ripping it off you with my teeth."

She made a small sound in her throat. "That's expensive lingerie."

"I'll buy you ten more."

"So wasteful."

"So worth it."

On screen, the two leads were now dancing at some fancy party. The woman wore a ridiculous dress covered in sparkles. The man couldn't take his eyes off her. At least that part was realistic.

"This movie is really bad," Madison said again.

"Completely terrible." I kissed her temple. "Want to turn it off?"

"No. We're watching it now. Might as well see how it ends."

"Let me guess. They confess their love and kiss in the rain?"

"Probably." She laughed. "Or maybe a dramatic airport scene where he stops her from leaving."

"Airport scenes are so overdone."

"But effective." She tilted her head to look at me. "Would you chase me to an airport?"

"Yes." The answer came without hesitation. "I'd chase you anywhere."

She laughed, the sound light and teasing. "Yeah. Alexander Knight chased me and stopped me from resigning from Carter Enterprises. Also stopped me from leaving New York." Her fingers traced my collarbone through my shirt. "You already have a track record."

"That's all in the past."

"Yes, it's all in the past." She bit her lip, something shifting in her expression. "But what about now? Would you stop me? If I decided to leave?"