“From what?”
Hunter just snorts, shaking his head. “I thought you’d appreciate the warning. I’ve heard rumors about the Prince’s half-brother.”
“What have you heard?” My voice is strangled, and I gulp past a lump in my throat.
“Nothing concrete.”
“Stay away from them.” I suck in a labored breath. “And from me. You’re not welcome here, Hunter.”
My old agent’s eyes darken. His mouth twists downward, and a shadow passes over his face. “I came here because I still care about you, Margot. I wanted to warn you so you wouldn’t get caught up in anything. But if you do, it’s your own fault. I can see that you don’t want my help, even after everything I’ve done for you.”
Words stick to my throat as I watch him turn back to the door and step out of the room. I rush to lock it, leaning against the door as I exhale. Dropping my head in my hands, I let out a groan.
It was too much to hope for that Hunter would be out of my life for good. When I found out about his involvement in the bakery contamination, I fired him on the spot. I hoped that would be the end of it.
Sounds like I was wrong.
With trembling hands, I put my clothing back on and exit the massage room. I pay quickly, glancing over my shoulder the whole time. It feels like someone is watching me. The persistent dread in my gut gets stronger, and I hurry to my car.
It’s not until I’m back home with the door locked that I finally take a full breath.
DANTE
I HEAR the door slam and my ears perk up. I’ve spent the day mapping out all the security risks that might exist here and talking to Theo on the phone about the progress of the search for Beckett.
Okay—maybe I’ve done a little bit of thinking about Margot, too. I might have Googled her name once or twice. Sue me.
My mind keeps drifting back to her. To the way she looked at that interview. Beautiful, vulnerable, and brave. She’s living her life in a way that I have always been too afraid to do. She suffers from the same anxieties as I do, but she faces them head-on.
There’s so much more to her than just the long-haired blonde beauty that’s portrayed in the media.
I stand up, closing my laptop and locking it in my briefcase before heading downstairs. Margot is leaning against the door, taking deep breaths.
“Everything okay?”
Margot jumps, glancing up at me. Her face relaxes when she recognizes me, and she finally nods. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Did something happen?”
Margot licks her lips, and my eyes follow the movement. Even when she looks worried, I can’t ignore the effect that she has on my body. Whenever she’s near, the room heats up a few degrees.
The actress runs her fingers through her hair, letting out a deep breath and finally forcing a smile onto her lips.
“It’s fine. I just ran into my old agent.”
“The one who tried to hurt your sister?”
She nods. “Yeah. That one. He told me to stay away from her and Luca. Sounded all evil and ominous.” She laughs nervously, but I can sense the tension coming off her in waves.
I close the distance between us, sliding my hands over her hips. Margot’s eyes lift up to mine, and her chest caves in as she shakes her head.
“It’s been a tough day,” she finally says.
I run my fingers over her jaw, feeling the electric heat that flows down my arm as I touch her. Being this close to her makes my head spin. When she slides her tongue out to lick her lips again, all my blood rushes between my legs. I should be worried about the security risk, but with Margot in my arms, all I can think of is her. Margot melts into me, wrapping her arms around my waist. My fingers tangle into her hair, and I rest my face next to hers.
“You okay?” I whisper.
This isn’t what I expected. I thought I’d come here and take Luca home. At worst, I’d stay here and stick by his side.
In the past two days, though, I haven’t felt the need to see Luca at all. He’s a grown man—he can take care of himself.
It’s Margot I feel drawn to. She’s fragile and vulnerable, and she’s facing everything I’ve hidden away from.
I pull my face away, staring into her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers.
“For what?”
“I don’t know. For being so needy.”
I would laugh, if the moment wasn’t so heavy. She’s been the opposite of needy. She’s been brave and open. She’s done things that I’d never be able to do. To face her fears like she did today, and then go back out and see the man who tried to hurt her family without breaking down… Margot is stronger than she gives herself credit for.
I feel drawn to her in a way that I never expected. Of course, when I look at her deep, blue eyes, her full lips, her perfect nose, I see beauty. But that’s not what makes me yearn for her.
It’s her spirit. She’s unbreakable.
Margot’s fingers crawl up my chest, curling into my shirt. Her breath hitches, and I feel her heartbeat speed up. My fingers drift down her neck, pushing her hair over her shoulder and sliding over her collarbone.
Her skin is slightly oily, and it smells like scented massage oils. An image flashes in my mind of Margot, oiled up and splayed on top of a massage bed with my hands rubbing her down.
I groan.
She shivers gently, exhaling as I dip my head toward her. Lifting her chin up, her eyes widen.
I pause. “Is this okay?”
Margot nods. “Yes.”
My heart thumps. My hand sinks into her hips as the other drifts back up to her jaw. I run my thumb over her lower lip before finally pressing my mouth to hers.
Margot moans gently as her lips part. She swipes her tongue over mine and I taste the fruity sweetness of her lips. Curling my fingers into the nape of her neck, I pull her closer. She melts into me, deepening our kiss as her arms wrap around me.
I take a step forward, caging her against the front door. Margot’s hips roll toward me, and I groan. Running my hands over her curves makes me want to tear the clothes off her body and take her right here, right now.
It feels too good to have her next to me. I need all of her. I need to taste her skin, her pussy, her kiss. I need to plunge myself deep inside her and make her mine.
She gasps, pinned against the door as I kiss her neck, her ear, her jaw. Her fingernails scrape over my scalp, sending shivers all the way down to my cock. I’m rock hard, and I know she can feel it. She grinds herself against me, moaning gently as our kiss gets messier.
It doesn’t matter. There are no cameras here.
Her teeth scrape over my lower lip, nipping at me as she kisses me harder. I grunt, pressing my length into her stomach.
It feels like a volcano erupting without warning. I’ve spent the last day and a half pushing down the feelings that have been mounting inside me, and now I feel like I could rip this beauty’s clothes off and take her right here on the marble floor.
Panting, I pull back. I lean my forehead against hers as we both catch our breath. She rests her head against the door, looking at me through her lashes.
“Whoa.”
“Yeah,” I say between breaths.
“I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Me neither.” I gulp. “Are you… Are you okay with it?”
Margot smiles, and I think it’s the first genuine smile I’ve seen from her. Not an embarrassed smile, not a polite or forced smile. A real, full grin.
“I’m okay with it.” She runs her fingers through the hair on the side of my head. Her touch sends tingles tumbling down my spine. Curling her hands into fists, she pulls my hair gently.
I grunt, smiling. “Your touch feels incredible.”
“I was going to say the same thing about yours.”
Her eyes are bright and completely clear. Gone is the fear and the haze that clouded them before. She smiles again, and a flame ignites in my chest.
I like this girl mor
e than I’m willing to admit to myself.
A car pulls up outside, and we fall apart. Margot clears her throat, smoothing her hair down.
Ivy and Luca burst through the door, laughing about something. Ivy glances from me to Margot, arching an eyebrow.
Luca does the same and I straighten my shoulders. “Luca, you’re home,” I say, cringing at the squeakiness in my voice. “I was hoping to go over some security things with you.”
“Sure.” He grins, glancing at Margot again. “You two just hanging out in the hallway?”
“I just got home,” Margot says. “Anyone want some food? I had the chef make some extra meals for the week.”
“I’m starving,” Ivy says, following her sister into the kitchen.
Luca’s still staring at me with a grin plastered on his face. “Well, lead the way. I want to hear all about the security risks you’ve been working on.”
I ignore him, gesturing to the stairs. “Let’s go to my room.”
As we walk by the kitchen, I can’t resist stealing one last glance at Margot. She looks up as I walk by, redness flushing over her cheeks when our eyes meet.
A tremor passes through my heart. I’m definitely in big, big trouble.
I lead Luca to my room, where I pull out my laptop.
I run him through everything I’ve planned so far.
“We’ll bring some people we trust over from Argyle. I have half a dozen security staff on a plane already, so they’ll be here by tonight. I want to beef up security around the house and the bakery. We should keep Ivy and Margot well-protected, since they might be a target.”
Luca nods.
“I’ve also gotten our best two guys to be your team. Theo insisted that you take the best of the best to keep you safe until Beckett is found.”
Luca grunts, shaking his head. “Put them on Ivy.”
“What?”
“The best guys. I want them protecting Ivy.”
“Luca…”
He holds up a hand, silencing me. I stare at my older brother, once again hit by the realization that he isn’t the impulsive young man I once knew. He’s grown into something stronger.
“We need to draw Beckett out, and I refuse to live in fear of what he might do. The best way to get Beckett to make a mistake is to dangle the best bait possible in front of him.” Luca’s eyes stay trained on mine. “And the best bait is me.”
“Luca, I’m not going to use you…”
“It’s not up to you,” he interrupts. “I want the extra staff on Ivy, Margot, and the bakery. We’ll keep one guy undercover on me. I’m going to start making more public appearances. Being more visible.”
“More vulnerable, you mean.”
Luca nods. “It’s the only way to end this.”
“It’s not the only way, Luca.”
“Well, it’s the quickest way.”
I take a deep breath, roughing a hand through my hair. “Okay, well, I’ll be by your side.”
Luca tilts his head. “Dante, I’m not sure you understand. I’m going to be calling reporters, getting them to show up wherever I go. My face will be plastered on every website, every newspaper, every tabloid there is. I’m going to make myself so visible that Beckett won’t be able to resist coming out of the woodwork.”
“I understand completely.”
“You’ve spent the last couple of decades hiding your face, Dante,” Luca says, drawing his brows together. “Why would you give that up?”
I take a deep breath, glancing at my laptop screen. I close it, knowing I’ll have to re-work our entire security plan. Dragging my gaze back up to my brother, I shrug.
“I’ve spent my whole life living in fear of what people might say about me. It’s been a good life, but I’ve let my fears stop me.”
I think of Margot, and how she put on a brave face minutes after recovering from her panic attack. She stepped out in front of the cameras and gave the performance of a lifetime. Would I have been able to do that?
I’m not sure.
“You need me, Luca. Whether you want to admit it or not.” I look at my brother, shaking my head. “If this is how you want to play it to draw Beckett out, I’m not going to let you do it on your own.”
Luca’s lips stretch into a grin. “The reclusive prince is coming out of hiding.”
I blow the air out of my lungs, shaking my head. “I guess I am.”
I grunt when Luca’s body slams into mine. I wrap my arms around him to return the hug, feeling a flush of affection for my brother. Luca pulls away, his eyes misting.
“I know that this is a big deal to you, Dante.”
“You’re my brother,” I answer simply. “I wasn’t there for you when you broke your back. I let you push me away—I’m not going to let it happen again.”
Luca squeezes my shoulder with his meaty hand, nodding. “Thank you.”
I watch him walk away, and I know he’s going to see Ivy. My feet are itching to take me to Margot, but I resist. I know that part of the reason it’s been so easy for me to stay here—so easy for me to decide to step into the spotlight—is because of her.
Margot has started unravelling something inside me, and I don’t know what will happen when it comes undone.
IVY
MARGOT IS FLUSHED. I tilt my head, staring at my sister. She doesn’t meet my gaze.
“What’s going on with you?”
Margot arches an eyebrow and shrugs. “Nothing. Why?”
“You seem different. Flustered.”
“I’m fine.”
My sister grabs a piece of banana bread that I’ve brought back from the bakery and takes a big bite out of it. I try not to let the surprise register on my face. I’m still not used to seeing her eat a regular amount of food.
Maybe it’s the pregnancy that’s making her look like this.
“How have you been feeling?” I nod to her abdomen.
Margot slides her hand over her stomach and lets out a sigh. “Stressed.”
“It’ll be okay.”
“Easy for you to say, with your royal boyfriend who loves you more than anything.” Margot chuckles bitterly. “What have I got? A flagging career and an unplanned baby.”
“The same was true for me a couple of weeks ago, Margot. Now look!”
My sister smiles sadly. I know she doesn’t believe that things will work out. She’s worried about what the media will say about her pregnancy, since people will surely do the math and find out she either got pregnant at her retreat or shortly before. News of her overdose was highly publicized, and things have only gotten more dramatic since then.
I reach for a piece of banana bread of my own, taking a bite as I think.
“You still don’t want to tell me who the father is?”
Margot shakes her head.
“But…you know who it is?”
My sister’s eyes snap up to mine. They flash as she swallows the bite of banana bread in her mouth. “Yes, I know who the father is.”
“Why don’t you want to tell me? I can help you, Margot.”
She smiles sadly, shaking her head. “You can’t. It doesn’t matter, anyway. It’s better if you don’t know.”
“But, why?”
Instead of answering, Margot just wraps her arms around me. She squeezes me tight, and then pulls away to look in my eyes. “I’m just glad we’re on good terms again.”
“You’re my sister. We’re always going to be close. Until we’re old biddies wearing matching pantsuits and pearls, complaining about kids these days.”
A shadow crosses Margot’s face, and she nods. “Yeah. I hope so.”
“We have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow morning. You still good to go?”
We’ve been scheduling our OB-GYN appointments at the same time to help cover up her pregnancy from the media. My pregnancy is public, so if anyone sees us, it looks like she’s just accompanying me to my appointments.
“I’ll be ready.” Margot gives me a sad smile and then walks ou
t of the kitchen. I hear her soft footsteps walking up the stairs, and I let my shoulders drop.
I’m worried about her. She’s isolating herself from everyone she knows except for me, Luca, and her hair stylist. She barely talks to her publicist anymore, and she used to be fully involved in her public image and her career. Ever since Hunter revealed that he was behind the E. coli contamination, I think Margot has felt like she can’t trust anyone.
I can’t blame her.
Lifting my eyes when Luca walks into the kitchen, I let a smile drift over my lips. He wraps his arms around me and nuzzles his nose against mine. Melting into his arms, I let myself be comforted by his touch.
I love this man more than life itself. When he runs his hand over my stomach, I know I’m the luckiest woman in the world.
Luca presses his lips to mine. “I love you, Ivy.”
“Love you too, Your Highness.”
He grins at the formal title, kissing the tip of my nose.
“What did Dante want?” I ask.
“He put together a security plan. He doesn’t want you alone at the bakery anymore—thinks it’s a weak spot for someone to get to me through you.”
I frown. “Okay. Makes sense.”
“He’s bringing a few trusted security personnel over from Argyle. We’ll beef up security here and at the bakery, and make sure that you and Margot are never alone.”
“And what about you?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I stare into Luca’s eyes, trying to find the meaning behind his words. His face looks shuttered, as if he’s trying to hide something from me. “Tell me,” I say.
Luca exhales, shaking his head. “The less you know, the better.”
“Incorrect,” I snap. “My sister won’t tell me who the father of her child is, I’m being followed by bodyguards everywhere, and now you’re telling me that you won’t even tell me what you’re planning? Someone tried to kill you, Luca. Another man tried to sabotage my bakery and my reputation. I have a right to know.”
My heart squeezes. Luca is the love of my life. I know it in the depths of my soul, and nothing can take any certainty away from me. I know that I belong with him, and that means taking the good with the bad.
Wicked Prince: A Secret Baby Romance (Royally Unexpected Book 5) Page 5