THE BILLIONAIRE'S DANCE(Billionaire Bachelors #2)(12)

“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.