Chapter Twenty-Four
Alex swayed back and forth on the dance floor with Maddie in his arms. Her backside was flush against his front. She lifted her arms and let her hands gently brush the back of his neck. The music pulsed around them. The club was apparently one of Maddie’s favorites. Right after dinner she had insisted on his taking her dancing for just a little while.
There was quite a crowd on the floor, but nobody bothered them. Alex had found an out of the way spot that afforded them a tiny bit of space away from the masses dipping and diving in rhythm with the music. The DJ kept the beat wonderfully vibrant. Alex could easily see why this had been a favorite place for Maddie to hang out. Now she shared it with him, and he was grateful to be a part of her life.
He let his hands travel slowly down her torso. He felt the flutter of her heartbeat beneath her ribs. It made him think of what she had said regarding the baby’s heartbeat. He let his hands go lower until he was pressing his palms over the very small baby bump on Maddie’s belly. Her breath caught at the tender touch, and she lowered her arms in order to place her hands over his.
Time seemed to spool by unchecked. Alex paid no attention. There was nothing for him but the scent and feel of his woman. His fingers brushed the ring that now adorned her all important left ring finger, and he experienced a deep sense of satisfaction. She belonged to him, and nobody could change that.
“Let’s go home,” she said in his ear.
“Back to the hotel?”
“No.” She turned in his embrace. “I want to go back to the ranch. I know we were going to do date night and all of that, but I really just want to go home.”
He nodded. He could absolutely understand that feeling. “All right. Let’s get out of here then.”
She took his hand and led him toward the edge of the floor. They squeezed past couples grinding heavily on each other and others writhing in a desperate rhythm with the beat. There was a little bit of everything out here on the floor. As much as Alex could appreciate that, he no longer craved the variety. He just wanted the one woman who completed him in ways that nobody else in his life ever had.
Suddenly Maddie stopped walking. Alex had to hit the brakes to keep from mowing her down. She was now gripping his hand so tightly that he was sure his fingers were going to explode. “Shit. What are they doing here?”
***
MADDIE WOULD HAVE known her sisters anywhere. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t seen them in years. Jacey and Ariane both had her dark red hair and the same athletic build. Jacey was a little thicker than Ariane and Maddie. She had never been shy about how unfair she felt that she got to be the oldest and the “fat one.” Of course, most of that had been because of their father and his endless mental and emotional games.
“Maddie!” Ariane started eagerly waving. “Jacey, there she is!”
Maddie was taken aback by their obvious enthusiasm. The last time she had seen Jacey, her older sister had told her that “never would be too soon to see each other again.” It wasn’t like Maddie could mistake the meaning of that sentence. Now it almost looked like Jacey and Ariane both were eager to see their baby sister again.
Maddie took a deep breath and stopped trying to amputate Alex’s fingers with the strength of her grip.
“Those are my sisters,” she told him.
“I gathered that.” He looked them over with obvious interest. “They look like you.”
“Oh really?” She didn’t necessarily appreciate that. Growing up in their shadows had sucked. It was one reason she’d developed her wild child persona.
Alex gently pulled her in close and kissed her nose. “You’re the only one for me, my love. I promise. If you want to introduce me to your family, I will happily go along with it. It isn’t as if you haven’t been forced to deal with my family.”
That made her laugh. “At least my sisters aren’t likely to try and shoot you.”
He groaned, and Maddie marched right over to Jacey and Ariane feeling better already. He was right. It wasn’t as if the family experience for the two of them could get much worse.
Maddie looked Ariane straight in the face. “I’m sort of surprised to see you two here. How did you find me?”
Ariane gave Maddie a knowing smile. “Aunt Lori texted us and said you were coming to Dallas for a visit. We couldn’t imagine you coming all the way here and not hitting your favorite club.”
“I guess I’m pretty predictable that way, hmm?” Maddie felt a little awkward. She turned and indicated Alex. “This is my fiancé. Alex Stepanov, this is my sister, Ariane Moreno.” Maddie took a deep breath and forced herself to meet Jacey’s gaze. “And this is my oldest sister, Jacey Kinsey.”
“Hello ladies.” Alex really turned on the charm.
She almost elbowed him. There was no need to make her sisters fall for him! She certainly wasn’t going to share, which brought her back to what had happened with her sister Jacey.
Maddie swallowed back her fear. “Jacey, I want to apologize for what happened all those years ago. I might not have been at fault, but I could have handled it better.”
“No.” Jacey shook her head ruefully. “Believe me, it was easier for me to buy his story about you coming onto him. But it didn’t take long for Brad to show his true colors.”
“That’s why they got divorced a few years ago,” Ariane supplied. “Brad totally knocked up one of his administrative assistants.”
“What a loser!” Maddie reached hesitantly for her sister, giving Jacey a hug. “I’m sorry. That’s awful no matter how much of a jerk he was.”
“I just feel bad that I let all of that ruin my relationship with you,” Jacey admitted. “And Dad didn’t help. He just kept telling me that you couldn’t help it. You had Mom’s wild streak, and it made you unable to settle down.” Jacey gestured to Alex. “Glad to see Dad is wrong.”
Ariane snorted. “Dad is wrong a lot.”
“Eventually I’m going to have to make amends with that bastard,” Maddie told her sisters. “But I was never close to him the way I was to you guys. It hurt so much more when I thought the two of you were angry with me.”
“So are you going to stay in Texas now?” Ariane looked eagerly from Maddie to Alex. “You could always build a house out on the ranch, you know.”
***
ALEX SAW THE way that Maddie bit her lip and realized that was actually what she wanted. What were the odds that the music talent scout he had met in New York City would wind up being a cowgirl in disguise? As far as Alex was concerned, he didn’t much care where they lived as long as they were together.
“I work remotely,” he told Maddie’s sisters. “Maddie is going to be the one to decide where we live. It will depend on what she wants to do with her career.”
Jacey raised her eyebrows. “You’re letting her make that call?”
“Absolutely,” Alex said without hesitation. “It’s only fair. Believe me.”
Maddie grinned at him. “That’s going to take some thinking.”
Ariane threw her arms around Maddie. “Then you’re going to be around, right? Because I think we need to reinstate Sister Night Out.”
“Oh yeah,” Jacey agreed. “It’s been so many years that I bet we can even go back to all of those clubs that banned us before.”
Alex looked at the sisters as they burst into a fit of giggles. They were talking in garbled sentences that could hardly be understood with all of the laughing and silliness. He could not ever remember being so connected to anyone in his life. Not even Vladimir. It seemed very important for Maddie to be near her family. She had been gone for so long. Perhaps now was the time they could mend the rifts between them. If he could help her do that even while he was trying to stop his own family from imploding, he would consider it a good day’s work.
Alex caught a glimpse of someone familiar from the corner of his eye. At least in the crush of the crowded club the individual had appeared to be familiar. His gut tightened, and he shook his head. Yuri would not be here in Dallas. There would be no reason for it. Nobody knew that he was here. He and his security team had taken great precautions to keep his whereabouts out of the news, out of any sort of social networks, and certainly outside of his mother’s knowledge.
Taking a step back, Alex tried to find the individual he’d spotted just moments earlier. He couldn’t find the man at first, then he saw a short balding figure. The man was turned away from him. It certainly appeared to be Yuri. Still, there could be any number of people that might have Yuri’s body type or features. His cousin was not here. Alex was just feeling paranoid, especially since he’d been standing there ruminating on families.
Maddie touched his arm. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. Fine.”
Her expression said she realized that he was anything but. She turned to her sisters and gave them each one final hug. “We’re heading back to Aunt Lori’s tonight. It’s just so relaxing there, and I’m ready to put my feet up and enjoy myself.”
“Sounds like a great idea,” Ariane announced. “We’ll come out sometime in the next week and we can all catch up. Would that be all right?”
Maddie was beaming. “It sounds wonderful! Can’t wait!”
***
MADDIE PUT HER arm through Alex’s and began steering him toward the exit. She didn’t know what had happened, but it was obvious that something had him spooked. She didn’t like it. Considering everything that had happened so recently, there was absolutely no telling what could, would, or might happen next.
“Who?” Maddie asked him tersely. “Who did you see?”
“I thought I saw Yuri.”
“Here?” She felt almost panicky. Her hand went unconsciously to her belly. “Why would he be here?”
“I don’t know.” Alex took her arm more firmly. “We’re just going to play it normal. We’ll get the car from valet and leave. Don’t move from my side. Understand?”
Maddie nodded. There were so many people! The club business was really picking up for the night, and it was as if everyone in Dallas was here. They managed to get outside, but there was a total crush on the sidewalk out front. Alex waved his valet ticket. A uniformed man snagged it from his fingers and disappeared. Thankfully Alex had paid extra to keep it close. Within what seemed like seconds his rental car appeared at the curb.
“All right, let’s go,” he urged.
Alex used his broad shoulders to muscle his way through the crowd. Maddie tried to hold onto his suit jacket, but she got ripped away just as she had almost made it to the edge of the sidewalk. One second she was hanging onto him. The next she was holding empty air. She gave a little shriek and stood on tiptoe to try and see him. He was taller than everyone else. She should have been able to spot him in the crowd.
“Maddie!”
He was shouting her name. She tried to jump up and wave at him, but there were just too many people. She didn’t want to get shoved and pushed to the ground. She settled for trying to squeeze her way toward the car instead.
“Maddie!”
Someone else grabbed her arm. Maddie looked around wildly and was stunned when she met Yuri’s angry gaze.
“You!” She said angrily. “What are you doing here?”
“Why do you think I am here, you worthless bitch?” Yuri snarled.
She could still see the car. It was only a few feet away, but it was as if the entire population of Texas was standing between her and safety.
Then she had an inspiration.
“He’s touching me!” she shrieked at the top of her lungs. “Rape! He’s going to rape me! Help! He’s touching me! Pervert! Pervert!”
Yuri looked completely befuddled, but her shouts had the desired effect. Every male within two feet of her turned angrily on Yuri. They pounced as though he were a convicted felon standing in their midst. The man had no chance. In fact, the crowd surged so hard in his direction that Maddie actually got squeezed toward the car. Stumbling against the passenger door, she yanked it open and flung herself inside.
“My God, Maddie! Are you all right?” Alex was suddenly beside her, helping to close the door. “I thought I lost you.”
“Don’t stand there!” she shouted. “Get in and drive!”