Chapter 12

In a flash, two weeks had slipped by. Alexander had originally planned to be away for just a week, but he still hadn't come back. Evelyn couldn't have been happier about it—honestly, she hoped he'd stay gone even longer.

Over those two weeks, she'd pretty much figured out what Ethan liked, and the little guy had gotten way more attached to her.

That night, she used the classic "reading a bedtime story" excuse to sleep in Ethan's room again. She really didn't like staying in Alexander's room—it just felt like he was still there, like he might be lying right beside her. That thought gave her the creeps.

Half-asleep, she vaguely felt someone open the door.

With sleepy eyes, she turned over to see who it was—and then her gaze locked right onto Alexander's.

He had just wrapped up his work for the day. He was originally set to return tomorrow, but he'd missed his son too much. So instead, he hopped on a private jet and flew back overnight.

As soon as he got home, he didn't even bother freshening up—just headed straight to Ethan's room to see him. And that's how this scene happened.

The two of them were less than eight inches apart. She could literally feel his breath on her face.

"Ah!" The sudden sight of him totally threw her off. She instinctively tried to scoot away, but since she was already lying near the edge of the bed, the moment she moved, she lost her balance and started falling.

She was sure she was about to make a total fool of herself in front of the President. But before she could hit the floor, Alexander reached out just in time and caught her.

Through the thin fabric of her pajamas, he could feel the warmth of her skin. She'd just taken a shower—the soft scent of her body wash lingered faintly in the air. In the haze of exhaustion from two weeks of nonstop work, that gentle, familiar fragrance hit him in an unexpectedly calming way.

Alexander had seen plenty of women throwing themselves at him, and not once had he felt anything but disgust. But tonight? Totally different. Holding her like this unexpectedly tugged at something deep inside him.

"Mr. President, I... uh, thanks for catching me, but you can let go now." Evelyn's cheeks were burning up as she mumbled, realizing just how awkwardly close they were.

Thank god the lights were off—otherwise he'd for sure notice how red she was, probably red enough to fry bacon on.

"You sure this wasn't on purpose?" Alexander looked down at her, his voice coming out low and somehow even more magnetic in the quiet of the night.

"On purpose?" Her brain lagged for a second. Then it clicked—he thought she meant to fall off the bed?

"No, no! I just got spooked, that's all! I didn't even know you were gonna catch me!" she blurted, trying to clear up the misunderstanding.

"So basically you're blaming me? I shouldn't have caught you, is that it?" his tone teased, just a little too smooth.

She couldn't see his face in the dark, but man, that voice? Dangerous.

"No! That's not what I meant! You didn't do anything wrong. I mean—I didn't either! Ugh..." Evelyn was practically tripping over herself at this point.

"So... what are you trying to say?" Alexander's voice had this lazy amusement in it, like he was genuinely entertained.

Strangely enough, if it were anyone else, he would've tossed them out already. But her? He found himself just standing there, holding her, actually wanting to hear her mumble her way through it.

Evelyn was on the verge of tears—seriously, how was this fair? Just because he's the president, he gets to bully people like this?

Then Alexander shifted his arm slightly—and accidentally brushed against something soft. The moment froze.

Crap.

They both stiffened instantly. Evelyn's face drained of color. That was when she realized—oh god—she didn't have a bra on.