Page 28 of The Billionaire's Bargain

"No buts." My tone hardens slightly. "You're mine now, Alice. I worship you. I'll give you everything you need, everything you want. But you can't leave me. Ever."

Fear flickers in her eyes, but beneath it is something else—a recognition of the truth between us, this inexplicable bond that formed the moment I saw her across that dingy café.

"I should be scared of you," she whispers.

"But you're not." I stroke her hair back from her face. "Because you feel it too. This isn't normal. This isn't something that happens to people like me, people with my resources, my control. I've never needed anyone. But I need you."

She doesn't respond with words. Instead, she curls closer, her head finding the hollow of my shoulder as if it was made for her. In the glow of the fire, with her breathing evening out into sleep, I make plans. Plans for us, for the empire I'll rebuild with her at its center. She doesn't realize it yet, but she's just become the most powerful woman in my world—the only person who can touch me, the only one who can see past the wealth and name to the damaged man beneath.

I watch the firelight play across her peaceful face and feel a strange sensation in my chest—a warmth that has nothing to do with the flames. I've acquired companies, destroyed competitors, built skyscrapers bearing my name. But this—this slip of a girl from nowhere—is my greatest possession. And unlike that vase from my childhood, I will never let her break.

eleven

. . .

Alice

Alexander's mansionswallows me whole. I trail my fingers along marble countertops and silk drapes that probably cost more than everything I've ever owned combined. The luxury should feel suffocating, but instead, it's starting to feel like a cocoon—dangerous in its comfort. A week here and I'm already forgetting what my real life feels like. Seven days of Alexander's hands, his mouth, his commands that somehow make me feel more like myself than I ever have before.

"Come here," he says from across the kitchen, a simple command that sends heat spilling down my spine.

I obey without thinking, crossing the endless expanse of Italian tile to where he leans against the counter, suit jacket discarded, sleeves rolled to expose powerful forearms marked with a light dusting of dark hair. His eyes track my movement—they always track my movement, as if I might disappear if he blinks.

"Are you getting used to it?" Alexander asks, pulling me between his spread legs, his hands settling on my hips with that casual possessiveness that makes my breath catch.

"To what?"

"To being mine." His thumb traces the sliver of exposed skin between my borrowed shirt and jeans. "To all of this."

The truth burns my throat. "Yes. That's what scares me."

A smile curves his mouth, smug and knowing. "Good girl for admitting it." His hand slides up my back, cups my neck. "Don't be scared. I'll take care of everything."

My phone vibrates in my pocket before I can respond, the harsh buzz an intrusion in this perfect bubble we've created. I never get phone calls, so I almost ignore it, but something—intuition maybe—makes me pull away just enough to check the screen.

Unknown number.

"Hello?" I answer, Alexander's eyes never leaving my face.

"Is this Alice Montgomery?" A clinical, unfamiliar voice.

"Yes..."

"I'm calling from Mercy General Hospital. Your mother was admitted an hour ago."

The world tilts sideways. "What? Why? What happened?"

Alexander straightens, his body tensing in response to the change in my voice.

"She collapsed. The initial assessment suggests severe dehydration and possible pneumonia. She's currently stable but asking for you."

Mom.My stomach drops through the floor. I haven't called her in days, too busy playing princess in a tower with a man I barely know.

"I'll be right there," I manage, ending the call with trembling fingers.

"What is it?" Alexander's voice has gone sharp, all traces of playfulness evaporated.

"My mom's in the hospital. I need to go. Now." I'm already backing away from him, mentally calculating how long it will take to get an Uber, how much it will cost to get across town. Money I don't have because I've been living in this fantasy instead of working.

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