Page 60 of Billionaire's Secret Baby

But he was smiling again. And it made me happy to see him smiling. Alex was dressed immaculately for the day, in a tuxedo with a wing-collar shirt and a handsomely tied bow-tie. He had a red rose pinned to his lapel, and I admired the way the lapels of his shirt showed off his broad, muscular chest. I wanted to put my head against it and rest, and I thought about it for a moment. What would be so bad about telling him the truth? That I liked him? That I thought more of him than just a friend? That if we weren’t in this difficult situation, then I could tell him what was really on my mind?

But then I looked up, and saw a plume of smoke rising from around the corner.

“Is that what I think it is?” I said, looking up at it.

Alex followed my gaze. I looked at his eyes, blue and cold. Then, I saw them brighten and glimmer with interest.

“Isn’t that on our street?” I said.

“Yeah,” he said, rolling down the window. I saw him lean out, craning his neck to look.

Then, I heard him gasp. It was just a tiny sound, a rush of air sucked into his lungs. And that frightened me more than anything.

Because Alex Lowe was angry, grumpy, and downright distant at the best of times.

But he was never panicked.

We turned the corner.

“Stop,” said Alex. “Stop the car.”

“What?” said the driver.

“I SAID STOP!” he thundered, quickly opening the door and sliding it to one side.

“Hey, what are you—” said the driver.

But Alex had gone. I followed him, hitching the long skirts of my wedding dress out of the car. But when I stood up and turned to look down the street, I let out a cry. A howl of shock.

It was burning.

The Blue Orchidwas on fire. Tongues of flames reached up through the windows on the upper floors, while an enormous ball of fire blazed in the dining room downstairs. I could see the bar going up in flames, hear the bottles of liquor smashing in the heat, fueling the blaze as it sped through the building. I could feel the heat from two hundred yards away, smell the smoke and ruin.

But nothing in that devastation and ruin could match the look on Alex’s face. His eyes were wide and his ruby-red lips were curled, as he watched, open-mouthed. I rushed to his side, and he turned to me.

“It’s gone,” he whispered, and then I remember screams, shouts and sadness. And I thought about how many people had told me that I’d remember this day for the rest of my life.

Chapter 18

Alex

Inhindsight,itwasprobably a good thing that the police arrested me. If I hadn’t been then I would probably have dived into the burning building, to try and put out the fire.

Luckily, everyone was safe. The only people there had been Gabriel and another cook, who were preparing to serve the wedding banquet, and a couple of servers. They’d gotten out in time.

I found myself in another interrogation room in the local precinct, only this time, my wrists really were cuffed to the table. Opposite me, two detectives were sitting. I had at least ten years on both of them, and they were trying to play hardball with me. Only it wasn’t working one bit. They’d been at it since the afternoon and now it must be getting dark outside.

“You know where your fusebox is, Alex?”

“Of course I do,” I replied. I could smell the smoke in my clothes. “It’s in an alcove on the ground floor.”

“Right,” said the detective. “That’s where the fire started. I spoke to the Marshall half an hour ago. He told me there was no way it was a kitchen accident. Place went up in about ten minutes.”

“So it didn’t start in the kitchen,” I said. “So what?”

“We know you’re up for fraud,” said the other cop. “And we know someone got to that fusebox. Were you hoping you could claim for the insurance on it?”

But I simply looked at the floor.