Chapter 30

Olivia

Alexander considered the question, running his thumb along the rim of his mug. "Not regularly. Maybe once or twice a week, depending on my schedule."

"And who are these lucky ladies? Models? Socialites? Random women from bars?"

Alexander set his coffee mug on the nightstand, leaning back against the headboard with casual confidence. "Depends on the week. Sometimes models I meet at charity events. Sometimes women I connect with at business dinners."

"So you just fuck whoever catches your eye?" I regretted the sharpness in my tone immediately. What did I care who he slept with?

"I'm selective if that's what you're asking. But yes, I enjoy variety."

"And they all get the special Alexander Carter morning-after coffee service?" I clutched my mug tighter, ignoring the strange jealousy bubbling in my chest.

"Not all of them." He stretched, his t-shirt riding up to reveal a slice of toned abdomen. "Most don't stay until morning."

"Charming."

"It's efficient." He shrugged. "I'm clear about my expectations. No strings, no complications."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course. Heaven forbid the great Alexander Carter might have to deal with a woman's feelings."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." He took another sip of coffee. "We both get what we want. They get a night with me, I get..."

"Their bodies," I finished for him.

"An experience," he corrected. "Mutual pleasure without the messiness of emotions."

I snorted. "So romantic."

"Romance is overrated. Sex isn't."

"Well, you can kiss all that goodbye once we're married," I said, surprising myself with how forceful it came out.

Alexander's eyebrows shot up, and for a moment, he looked genuinely startled. Then, his expression shifted to something more calculating.

"You're right," he said, his voice level. "Once we're married, I won't sleep with anyone else until our divorce."

I blinked, not expecting him to agree so readily. "Really?"

"Of course. It's in the contract." He took another sip of coffee, watching me over the rim. "Fidelity clause. When I sign my name to something, I stand by it. No matter what."

"Might be hard for you," I said, unable to resist needling him. "What about your busy weekly schedule of models and socialites?"

"What choice do I have?" He shrugged. "My grandfather's terms were clear. Either I get married or lose controlling interest in Carter Enterprises."

"And we can't have that, can we?" I muttered.

"No, we can't." His voice hardened. "I've spent my entire life preparing to lead this company. Victoria would run it into the ground within a year."

I sipped my coffee, studying him over the rim. Despite his playboy reputation, there was something intensely serious about Alexander when he talked about his company.

"So, no more random hookups," I said. "Just me."

"Just you."

The way he said it made the heat pool low in my belly. Just you. The two words hung in the air between us, loaded with implication.

"You think you can go from your weekly rotation to just one woman?"

Alexander set his mug down and reached for me, his movements quick and decisive. Before I could react, he pulled me onto his lap, my coffee sloshing dangerously close to the rim.

"Careful," I gasped, steadying the mug.

"I've got you," he murmured, one arm wrapped firmly around my waist.

I was acutely aware of his body beneath mine, the hard muscle of his thighs supporting my weight. And something else, something unmistakably hard pressing against my ass through the thin fabric of his shorts.

My breath caught. His cock twitched beneath me, and I had to bite my lip to keep from making a sound. It felt even bigger than it had looked in the towel, thick and insistent against the curve of my ass.

"What are you doing?" I managed to ask, my voice embarrassingly breathy.

"Testing a theory," Alexander replied, his lips close to my ear. His breath sent shivers down my spine.

I expected him to kiss me then. His face was so close to mine, his lips just inches away. My eyes dropped to his mouth, and I found myself leaning slightly forward, drawn to him like a magnet.

But he didn't close the distance. Instead, he studied my face with those intense grey eyes, his gaze moving from my eyes to my lips, then lower to where my breasts pressed against the thin t-shirt.

"You're beautiful, Olivia," he said, his voice deeper than usual. "Truly beautiful."

His cock twitched again beneath me, growing impossibly harder. I shifted slightly, and his breath hitched.

"I'm starting to think I might not need other women if I had you," he continued, one hand moving to my hip, his thumb tracing small circles through the t-shirt. "You're smart and ambitious, and when you look at me like that..."

"Like what?" I whispered, hypnotized by the intensity in his eyes.

"Like you want me to devour you." His grip tightened slightly. "Like you're imagining all the things I could do to you."

My pulse raced, heat flooding between my legs. Was I that transparent?

"I'm not—"

"Don't lie," he cut me off, his voice soft but commanding. "Your body gives you away. The way your pupils dilate when I touch you. The way your nipples harden." His gaze dropped to my chest, where my breasts strained against the thin fabric. "The way you're shifting on my lap right now, trying to get friction where you need it most."

I froze, mortified to realize I had been unconsciously grinding against him.

"I—I should go shower," I stammered, attempting to climb off his lap.

His hands held me firmly in place. "Not yet."

Alexander reached for his coffee mug, taking a long sip while keeping me trapped on his lap. His cock remained hard beneath me, occasionally twitching when I shifted position. The casual way he drank his coffee while I sat perched on his erection was maddening.

"Have you thought about living arrangements?" he asked, setting down his now-empty mug.

I blinked, struggling to follow the conversation shift while his cock pressed insistently against my ass. "What?"

"Living arrangements," he repeated patiently. "Until the wedding. I'd like you to stay here."

"Here? In your penthouse?"

"It makes sense," he said, his hand resuming its maddening circles on my hip. "We need to be seen together and establish our relationship publicly. It's easier if we're in the same place."

"I have my own apartment," I protested weakly.

"You can keep your apartment. Go there whenever you want. But your primary residence would be here, with me."

"And after the wedding?"

"We'll move to the estate. More space there."

I chewed my lip, considering. Living with Alexander meant seeing him every day and sleeping in his bed every night. Waking up tangled together like this morning, his cock hard against me...

"I'll think about it," I said finally.

"Take your time," he replied, though his tone suggested he expected me to agree eventually. "No rush."

His confidence was both infuriating and oddly appealing. He knew what he wanted and went after it without hesitation.