I try to get away from his grip again, pushing a little bit harder.
Too hard.
We stumble back, stepping over each other’s feet as we both head toward the edge of the pool. Luca laughs, grunting as he struggles with me.
My brother’s gotten stronger since we were kids.
Margot takes a step toward us. “Uh, boys…”
With one massive push, I try to get Luca off me. He yelps, letting go of my neck as he falls backward, pitching toward the pool water. His eyes open wide as his heel slips over the edge of the pool.
He’s a goner. In a second, he’ll be splashing into ice-cold water.
Taking a step back, I suck in a wheezing breath. I put my hand to my throat, finally filling my lungs.
My victory is short-lived, though, because with one last movement, Luca grabs onto my shoulder and drags me down with him.
I yell, falling into the freezing-cold water on top of my brother. The cold takes my breath away. For a second, I can’t move. I just sink down, down, down, until my knee hits the bottom of the pool. The feeling of the bottom jars me back to my senses.
I push away from Luca and propel myself off the bottom, breaking the surface to hear Margot shouting. She disappears into the pool house. I swim to the edge of the pool and watch Margot come back out carrying a bundle of towels.
I pull myself out of the water, my clothes soaked and my mood dampened. Luca’s head pops up above the water, laughing.
He’s in a pretty good mood, considering our half-brother Beckett just tried to kill him. Does he think I’m here on a social visit?
A black-haired girl appears in the doorway. “What the heck is going on?”
Margot hands me a towel, arching an eyebrow. Her cheeks are still a bright shade of red, and she averts her eyes.
“Babe! This is my brother, Dante,” Luca calls out. “You should get in here. The water’s nice.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Ivy answers, laughing.
My whole body is shaking. I don’t realize it until Margot drapes a towel over my shoulders and rubs her hands up and down my arms.
“Let’s get you inside,” she says, glancing at Luca, who’s still trying to get Ivy to jump in. “You’re obviously more sensible than your older brother.”
“It would appear that way,” I grin. My teeth chatter, and Margot nods toward the house.
As soon as I step inside, pins and needles erupt over my body. Heat starts seeping into my frozen skin, and Margot leads me up the stairs.
“Bathroom, bedroom.” She points to two different doors. “There should be clean towels and toiletries in the bathroom. Warm yourself up. You have a suitcase?”
“On the front porch.”
She nods. “I’ll get someone to bring it up and leave it in that room.”
“Thanks.” I swallow, wanting to say something else.
Her eyes linger on mine for a moment, and then she inhales sharply. “And, uh…sorry.”
“For what?”
“For thinking you were the electrician, and not the Prince of Argyle.”
I chuckle, shrugging. “Easy mistake to make.”
Margot’s eyes drift over my chest, and I watch her cheeks flush brighter. She smiles shyly, nodding as she turns back toward the stairs.
I watch her for a moment, wondering why my heart is beating so erratically.
3
Margot
For Farcliff’s sake, of course I would do something like that. Who else would mistake literal royalty for a pool technician?
No one, that’s who. Just graceful ol’ me.
My cheeks are still burning when I make my way downstairs. Ivy’s in the pool with Luca now, and the two of them are kissing like no one’s watching.
I let out a sigh, turning to the kitchen.
My hands shake as I grab a glass of water, trying to let go of the nervousness that seems to have settled deep in the pit of my stomach.
Is that nervousness, or is it another tremor?
I push the thought away. The more I think about my disease, the more I worry about it. My mind turns back to Dante, in all his soaking wet, muscled glory. The image of him pulling himself out of the pool will stay burned in my mind for a long, long time.
It’s not often that a man has that effect on me. I’ve been around lots of famous people, lots of gorgeous men, lots of people with money and clout…
…but no one like Prince Dante.
I lean against the kitchen counter, squeezing my eyes shut.
There goes any hope of sleeping tonight. I already know I’ll replay that interaction over and