step inside, inhaling the scent of her that clings to every surface of her bedroom. She gestures to a plush chair for me to sit and takes a seat at her vanity.
She’s wearing a light blue silk pajama set. The sight of the matching camisole and shorts makes my mouth water, even though I know it’s not the time to be thinking about these things.
What can I say? The woman’s put a spell on me.
The thin, silky camisole looks like it would feel like heaven to touch—and even better to take off.
I watch as she picks up a jar of something, taking a small amount and patting it around her eyes. Her back is straight as a rod, and her chin is high as she stares at herself in the mirror.
“Are you okay?” I ask, not knowing how else to break the silence.
Margot taps the skin around her eyes with her ring finger, not meeting my gaze. “I’m fine. It’s better that everyone knows.” She finally drags her eyes over to mine. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“I wanted you to know about the baby. I would have liked to tell you some other way.” The depth of the pain in her eyes makes me pause.
I gulp past a lump of jagged rocks that has taken up residence at the base of my throat. Shaking my head, I reach across the vanity to put my hand on her forearm.
“I don’t care how I found out.”
“Why are you here?” she asks, holding my gaze. Her eyes are hard. Guarded. Suspicious.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m pregnant with another man’s baby, and you’ve come up to my room to ask me if I’m okay. Why?”
I frown. I can see the walls building up around Margot’s heart, brick by brick, second by second.
“Because I care about you, Margot.” My voice is soft. I can feel her pulse thumping in her arm, sending waves of heat through my hand.
Margot’s eyes drop back down. She takes a finger and traces the edge of my hand, chewing her lip. “How can you care about me if you’ve only known me a couple of weeks?”
“I don’t know. I just do.”
“Maybe you have a savior complex,” she says, almost speaking to herself. “You’re just looking for someone to save, and who better than a pregnant woman with no partner?”
“Maybe I have a Margot complex, and everything you do makes me want to spend more time with you.”
My blonde goddess finally drags her eyes up to mine. They’re filled with tears. I stand up, pulling her up with me and squeezing her into my chest.
“I’m a mess, Dante,” she says into my shirt. “I’m pregnant and alone. I have anxiety, and…” She sighs, stopping herself. “My career is about to fall apart, and I’m going to lose all this. I’m trapped in this life, Your Highness. I’m locked inside it, and I’m looking at a long, long fall down to the bottom. You shouldn’t be spending more time with me. You should be running away.”
“I’m not running away from anything. I’m not afraid of falling.”
How can I explain to her that she’s everything I never knew I needed? How can I tell her that I’ve never met anyone who is so brave, so strong, and so perfect in all her flaws? She makes me realize everything I’ve been missing by hiding myself away from the public. She makes me feel like there’s so much more life to live, if only I could gather the courage to reach out and grab it.
How can I tell her that after only a couple of weeks, I feel like I’m already falling for her?
Words aren’t enough. Even if I knew the right ones to say, I wouldn’t be able to speak them with the tightening in my throat. Instead, I take my finger and gently tilt Margot’s chin up toward me.
When I press my lips against hers, she lets out a soft whimper. Her body is tense, and for a painful moment, I think she’s going to pull away. I’m going to lose her before I even had her to begin with.
Instead, though, Margot’s lips part and she melts into me. The walls she’s been building come crumbling down, and my heart beats with hers.
16
Margot
When Dante kisses me, nothing else seems to matter. Not the baby growing inside me, not the death of career, not the fact that his half-brother is the father of my child.