Free Dangerous Temptations by Brooke Cumberland Page B

when I felt two hands rub down my arm from behind me.
    I jerked immediately, furious that Alex had the nerve to touch me when I had been perfectly clear earlier. “Stop,” I snapped, my voice cold and distant.
    His hands backed off instantly, but his body stayed pressed against mine. “What’s wrong?”
    My head tipped up, my eyes going wide as I heard William’s voice in my ear. Shit.
    I swallowed hard as I thought of what I was going to say to redeem myself. I’d never tell William to stop touching me. I welcomed it, and in most cases, begged for it.
    “Are you all right, darling?” he asked, fear laced in his voice.
    “Yes, sorry,” I spat out quickly and turned around to look at him. I smiled as I continued, “You just scared me, that’s all.”
    “Oh,” he said with a small smile, bringing his arm up to wrap a loose hair around my ear. “Well, that was quite the reaction.”
    “I’m sorry,” I apologized again. “I’m tired, really. Just caught me off guard.” I smiled again, hoping that was a good enough excuse.
    He tipped his head down and lightly kissed my forehead. “No worries. Let me help.”
    Moments later, he walked behind me as I held the pan of lemon chicken and mixed veggies. I set it in the middle of the table and waited for William to set the potatoes next to it. “I’ll grab the wine,” I said quickly, but William grabbed me before I could turn back around.
    “I’ll get it. You sit.” He smiled and kissed my cheek. I closed my eyes briefly before nodding.
    I kept my eyes low, avoiding Alex’s stare. Before I could grab my chair and sit down, Alex sat up and pulled it out for me. I froze and reluctantly moved my eyes up to look at him. He stood there with a shit-eating grin on his face and patiently waited for me to make the next move.
    “Do you plan to eat your dinner standing?”
    I hesitated, really considering doing just that. Anything to avoid being near him. I could barely focus with him in the house and now I was expected to sit next to him and eat.
    “Mac…sit. I won’t bite.” I raised my brows at him, contemplating if I should trust him or not.
    Finally, I inhaled and decided to take the seat. He helped push me in and patted my shoulders briefly before turning to take his seat next to me.
    “You need to stop doing that,” I whispered in a firm voice so William wouldn’t hear me.
    “Doing what, Mac?” he asked, not keeping his voice down as I had.
    I shot him a death look with my eyes, snarling at him in the process. I was not going to play his stupid games. “Touching me. Standing close to me. Being inappropriate. All of it. You need to stop it.”
    “And why’s that? Afraid you’ll slip and actually do something about it?”
    I sighed in frustration, rolling my eyes to the ceiling. I needed to stay calm. I already mistook William for him.
    “It’s inappropriate, Alex,” I said, looking him square in the eyes. “I’m marrying your dad. So start getting used to it.”
    He smirked—the opposite reaction of what I was going for. He was such an asshole.
    “What’s so funny?”
    He huffed once more. “That you’re marrying my father…a man twice your age. A man who hardly gives you any attention. A man who cares more about his companies than you or me. A man who has no idea how lucky he truly is…”
    I swallowed…unsure of how to respond. I folded my napkin in my lap and cursed William for taking so long with the wine.
    “My apologies.” He finally walked back in with the bottle of wine. I ended up getting a call that I had to take.” He set it down and I snuck a glance at Alex, who made a tell-all expression of ‘told ya so.’
    “No problem, darling.” I smiled up at him just to piss Alex off. I was used to it and I didn’t take offense to it. I knew he worked hard.
    I served William his food, making sure to give him a healthy portion of vegetables. His doctor said he needed to eat more greens, so I mixed it with asparagus. “You know,