Page 20 of Off Limits (Alpha Billionaire)

I lowered my eyes and shook my head. “Put that blame on me too. I don’t want to wear you out. I don’t want Max?—”

She held up her hand, cutting me off. “Max gives me life. That little boy is my heart and soul. Don’t take him away from me.” She wiped her eyes.

Clara walked in just then and began making harrumphing sounds and shooed me out of the room. I stared at the closed door. Clara was overstepping, but Mother never let me try to find a replacement. I was going to have a serious chat with that woman. She didn’t rule in this house, but she certainly treated everyone as if she did. This was a tough call. Mother adored Clara, and I had to work around that.

I loosened my tie and climbed the stairs to my room. Instead of turning into my room, I turned into the nursery. I pushed the door open. Max was intent on playing with some plastic dinosaurs on the floor. Jessica looked up from where she sat next to him and folded laundry.

I put a finger to my lips indicating she shouldn’t say anything.

She nodded and returned to watching Max and doing her chores. There was something highly attractive about her doing work with my son right there. It was maternal in a way his biological mother had never been. I just stared at the two of them as the thoughts started to form. My son needed a mother.

He was so young when his left. There was no possible way he would even remember her. And if he did, it had to be fleeting glimpses of a woman who was a total stranger. Amber. I didn’t even know her, really.

I had been excited when his mother had gotten pregnant. We hadn’t been together for long, but I'd still asked her to marry me and everything. She said no. At the time, I had thought she wassaying not yet. I was blinded by love, or intense emotions, or something. She had no intentions of marrying me.

I had no issues providing for her. I covered her rent and bills when she was pregnant and on maternity leave. I thought she was happy being a mother. I missed those clues too. We shared custody. I was active in Max’s early life. He even had his own bedroom, and I had temporary part-time nannies on call for the time he spent with me. I never fought Amber for custody. It hadn’t occurred to me to ask.

She dropped Max off one weekend, and I never saw her again. About a month later, I received signed papers relinquishing custody.

She was out of our lives. At first I was angry, and then hurt. At least she gave me Max, and I adored him. But she wasn’t in his life. The only women he knew were my mother and a revolving door of nannies who never seemed to stay around for more than a handful of months at a time.

If I found someone to be his mother, I also wanted her to be my wife. I wasn’t going to marry some woman just to secure a long-term nanny for him. So, what was I thinking as I looked at Jessica? Did I want something more from her than just the pleasure I imagined her body would give me?

10

JESSICA

“Your daddy will be in to read to you in a minute. Let’s show him how good you are and be ready for bed,” I told Max.

He danced around as I tried to wrangle him into his pajamas.

The door opened and Dylan walked in. Max went wide-eyed as he looked at his father.

“What did I miss?” Dylan asked.

Max scrambled under his blankets. I still held onto his top.

“You need to finish getting dressed, you little monkey,” I said, trying to grab him. He squirmed and squealed away from me.

Dylan held out his hand. “Maybe I can help.”

I gave him the shirt. “Max is full of energy tonight. You might need an extra story.”

I got up and started to walk away when Dylan caught my hand. His hand was warm around mine as he held me firmly in place. “Wait for me. We should talk.”

I nodded. “Should I wait in your office?”

He shook his head. “Across the hall.” He let go of my hand, but I was stunned in place.

Across the hall was his bedroom. He wanted me to wait for him in his bedroom.

“Mr. Anderson…” I started.

“Dylan.” The correction was almost a growl.

I nodded. Okay, I would let him think I would wait for him in his room. He was reading stories. I had approximately twenty minutes, maybe longer, depending on whether Max would settle or not. If I were to be in his room before him, I had to get ready. There was the distinct possibility that I was about to make a huge mistake, but it was a chance I was willing to take. I washed my face and brushed my teeth and put my pajamas on.

I scrambled and hurried across the hall when I heard the door to Max’s room open and close. Dylan’s door was open. I pushed it open but didn’t step inside.

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