She prepared two cups of coffee and then sat down at the table. They both sat silently for a few moments, sipping from the steaming mugs.

“Jessica, we didn’t get off to a great start but I hope by now you understand what needs to be done,” Alex said in what he hopped was his most reasonable tone.

She held her head high and he knew he’d won the battle. She had defiance in her eyes, with a hint of defeat. He was overwhelmed with gratitude. He didn’t want to be away from his son for any length of time.

“Okay Alex, it looks like you’ve won this round. I’ll go ahead with this farce of a marriage but I’m telling you it’s not a real one. I’ll let you protect your family name and when the time is appropriate I’ll file for divorce,” she said with a strength that impressed him.

“There will be no divorce,” he stated. “We’ll make it work out because I don’t want to be away from my son. I never planned on marrying anyway so it’s not like I’m missing out on something else by being with you,” he added.

His words made her wince. He was basically telling her he could stand to be married to her because marriage meant nothing to him. She didn’t feel the same way. She’d always wanted to get married but had given up because all the men she’d dated had been willing to marry her only to access her money.

She knew Alex in no way needed her money. However, he still needed her for something other than herself. She guessed she was bound to end up in a loveless union. It would tear her apart but as a mother sacrifices were expected of you.

There was nothing she wouldn’t do for her son. Her only regret was their union wouldn’t be real and she wouldn’t be giving Jacob any siblings. She’d been an only child and had always wanted to have many kids when she was in her own relationship. She loved her son so much and the thought of never having that feeling of carrying a child inside of her again, of looking at her newborn for the first time, was almost enough to bring her to her knees with the pain coursing through body.

“Alex, I’m exhausted. Can you come back tomorrow and we will figure out all the details. Jacob is still waking up a couple of times each night and I wasn’t able to take a nap this afternoon.”

“I’ll sleep in the spare room. I want to be here when Jacob wakes up,” he said, once again with that voice of authority.

Jessica was far too tired to argue with him any further. The thought of him sleeping only one wall away from her, was enough to cause her stomach to tighten. She figured she would need to get used to it as they would reside in the same house soon. She knew he wouldn’t go for her staying where she was now. The entire reason he wanted them married was so he could be with his son and protect his family name.

“I’m going to bed,” was all she said, as she left the table.

Alex stayed where he was for several minutes after she left. He was barely able to stay awake himself but the thought of her in bed just down the hall was playing havoc with his senses. Their one time together had been in a dark elevator and over far too quickly. He would be able to bring them both so much more pleasure in a comfortable bed.

His groin strained against the zipper of his jeans. He groaned aloud and then headed towards her bathroom for a cold shower. He wouldn’t be taking them nightly. Once they were married, they wouldn’t be sleeping in separate rooms. That was the only thought keeping him from entering her room.

Alex was awakened by the whimpering sound of his son. He looked at the clock, noticing it was three in the morning. He was instantly alert. He walked into Jacob’s room and gazed down at him in the crib. He was so tiny and fragile. Jacob started kicking his legs in excitement as soon as he spotted Alex, which filled him with warmth.

Alex picked him up, feeling he had a full diaper. He was grateful for the days he’d babysat his beautiful niece. He’d learned how to change her so he knew what to do with his son. “You ready to get out of that yucky diaper?” he cooed to his son.

Jacob answered him with a giggle and kicked his legs some more. Alex changed him, then moved to the rocking chair and cuddled him for a while. Jacob’s temperament changed after about ten minutes though and he looked as if he was going to start throwing a fit again. Even after only a day with him, Alex knew his son wanted to be fed.

“Let’s go wake your mom. I certainly can’t feed you,” Alex said to Jacob with a little chuckle. He stepped into her room with the light softly shining in from the hallway. His breath was taken away by her unguarded, peaceful expression. In sleep she seemed so young and innocent. She didn’t look like she could possibly be old enough to be a mother.

Jacob started wiggling in his arms, reminding him that it was time to eat. That snapped Alex out of his trance. He walked over to the bed and sat down. The movement woke Jessica and she sat upright. “What’s wrong?” she asked in a panic, getting ready to jump up.

“It’s okay,” Alex said, while placing a hand on her shoulder in reassurance. “Jacob woke up and he’s hungry. I already changed him, so if you feed him, then I will burp him and put him back to bed,” he explained.

Jessica was still disoriented but held her arms out for her child. “You don’t need to stay. We do this every night,” she pled. She really didn’t want him there with her body exposed. In the middle of the night it would be so much harder to not throw herself at Alex. She didn’t need to show him how much he still affected her.

“I want to be with him. If you got some of that bottle stuff then I could take over the night feedings,” he said hopefully. Jessica had to smile a bit at his lack of knowledge over the name, formula.

“No, I like our nighttimes,” she said simply. She figured it was dark enough she could feed her baby without having to cover him up. She liked to watch his precious face as he ate. She could gently caress his head and sooth him. He liked it too and would fall asleep quickly after he burped. When Jacob made a little growling noise followed by gulping sounds, Alex let out a quiet laugh, making Jacob jump. Surprisingly he stayed latched on and slurped away.

“My son likes his food,” Alex stated proudly.

Jessica smiled at Alex for the first time in the dim room. Her face had lost the guarded expression. He couldn’t help himself; he needed to have physical contact with both her and his son. He scooted a little closer on the bed so his shoulder was pressing against hers, then reached his hand up and brushed the soft strands of hair on his son’s head.

Their eyes were still locked together and he couldn’t resist reaching towards her. He gently touched his lips to hers. Her taste was exquisite and pleasure shot all through his overheated body. He wanted her so badly. He most likely would’ve taken her if his son wouldn’t have been attached to her.

She pulled back, her breathing uneven and looked down at Jacob’s head. His hand was still resting there and the edge of his thumb was touching her breast. She sucked in another sharp intake of air and twisted, so his hand would have to drop.

She pulled Jacob to her shoulder and quickly covered herself as she started to burp him. “Let me do that,” he said, while he gently took Jacob and placed him over his own shoulder. Jacob gave a loud burp and started rooting at his shoulder, looking for more food.

Alex knew there wasn’t any way he could sit and watch her feed his son. He wanted her far too much to sit next to her in the bed any longer. “I’ll let you finish up,” he muttered as he left the room. Two more nights, he told himself as he prepared for a restless night. He would be lucky to get even another few minutes of sleep with the way his body was on fire.

Jessica breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Alex leave the room. She still had tingles zipping through her body where he’d pressed up against her. She knew he was simply trying to be a part of everything but she didn’t think she had the willpower to resist him. She’d been so lonely and so in need of affection.

She would be glad when the newness of the baby wore off and he backed off a bit. If he kept coming into her room in the middle of the night she would end up grabbing him and having a repeat performance of their night in the elevator.

How could one night with a man imprint him so deeply into her soul? She looked at their son and sighed. But Jessica had to be honest with herself and knew it was about so much more than just their son. Alex was dynamic in a way no other man even came close to being. He was intriguing and gorgeous beyond what any man should be gifted. He’d made her laugh and burn in only a few hours’ time.

She finished feeding Jacob, placed him in bed and fell into a much needed deep sleep.

Chapter Three

Jessica was exhausted. Alex had been back for three days and he refused to leave the house. He’d been amazing with their son though, so she had to give him credit for that. He’d even gotten up in the middle of the night so he could change and burp Jacob once she was done feeding him.

After the first night he’d maintained his distance, thankfully because she didn’t think she could handle anymore late night touching. Every time she was within breathing distance of Alex, her insides twisted into knots and all she wanted to do was reach out to him. She fully blamed the post partum baby hormones.

Today was the day of her wedding and she felt like she was going to have a panic attack. She had to keep telling herself it would all work out for the best. She went through her morning routine with Jacob, then she was whisked away to the wedding site.

“I’ll take Jacob for you so your mother can help you finish getting ready,” Joseph offered her.

Jessica jumped at the sound of Joseph’s voice. She hadn’t heard him walk up. The man sure moved quietly for a guy his size, she thought.

“I would appreciate that, Joseph. He’s had his breakfast so he should be in a good mood for a while,” she said.

“You look beautiful,” Joseph told her and then bent down and placed a kiss on her cheek before heading out of the room.

Jessica’s mother came in and put the finishing touches on her before they got into position. The walk down the aisle went by in a blur and the next thing she knew the preacher was speaking.

She was standing at the altar, next to a man she barely knew and was closer to having a panic attack than she’d ever been in her life. He looked so handsome and yet so aloof. She was wishing for some divine intervention to stop the whole circus. Maybe he’d come to his senses and tell her he couldn’t go through with it, or maybe her father would stand up and free her of the obligation.

None of that happened. Suddenly, the preacher was pronouncing them man and wife. Alex then took her into his arms. The rest of the world disappeared as his mouth fastened onto hers. She’d expected a chaste kiss but she was wrong. He coaxed her mouth open and then slipped his tongue inside.

Her knees went to jelly and she would’ve slid to the floor if it hadn’t been for his arms supporting her. When there was laughter from the guests and a lot of throat clearing he finally pulled away and she was left to stand with one of his arms around her, staring blankly at the mass of people.

“You have plenty of time for the honeymoon later,” she heard someone call out.