“She finally agreed to be my friend, then made me feel like she was using me for sex,” he added with a wicked smirk. Leave it to Bentley Wellington to be completely gorgeous even with two black eyes, the bastard. “And I let her, because I liked her.”
“That was stupid.” She sniffled.
“So stupid,” he agreed, leaning in and wiping the tears from her cheeks. “Because everyone knows that you can’t sleep with your friends and keep it just about sex…” He sighed, touching his forehead to hers. “You end up falling…”
“Are you still falling?” she asked in a hopeful voice.
He ignored her and kept talking. “You fall and then you realize you’re afraid of heights, so you look around for a parachute or a branch—hell, anything to hold on to—only to realize you’ve got nothing. And then a voice whispers that if only she’d catch you—everything would be okay. Except, what if she doesn’t?”
Margot’s breath hitched. “Then she doesn’t deserve you.”
Silence blanketed over them, as he took her chin between his fingers and brushed a soft, much-needed kiss across her lips.
“I was afraid. And fear makes you stupid. So I made her believe it was all about a list, when really it had always been just about her—about seeing her smile, and hearing her laugh. The list prompted it—and I wanted to finish it, until I realized that she’d always push me away, wouldn’t she?” He pulled back from her as if mimicking what she actually did. It was a painful reminder of how much she had hurt him. “So I let her.”
“So stupid,” she said between hiccups.
“She really is.” He nodded seriously. “She’s also a shit driver—nearly killed me.”
Margot’s stomach sank and she blinked in confusion. “No, no, what? No.” She refused to believe it.
“I was in the other car,” he whispered. “I was coming back for you, but nope, you couldn’t just let the guy sweep in and storm the castle, you had to go and run him over.” He glared. “With a fucking car.”
She laughed.
She couldn’t help it.
His expression.
The black eyes.
And then her laughter turned into sobs again as she leaned against his chest and said “sorry” over and over until her voice grew hoarse.
“Well, the good news is I’m not pressing charges, but I do have a list of demands.”
She jerked back. “A list, huh?”
“Think of it more like…payback? You hit me with a car and nearly kill me when all I want to do is love you and—”
“You still love me?” she whispered as heat spread through her body. “Me? Are you sure?”
“All of you.” His clear green eyes flashed while he placed a hand on her thigh.
“But”—panic flooded her system—“I almost killed you just like my—”
“Item number one says you can never say, ‘I almost killed you just like my parents.’”
“But—”
“Item two says, ‘Don’t argue.’”
She glared. “Where is this list? I don’t see anything.”
“Up here.” He tapped his head and then winced. “So basically, you have to just trust me. Think you can do that, Margot? Think you can trust the playboy with your heart?”
“Can you ever forgive me?” She hung her head.
“Can you ever forgive yourself?” He tilted her chin toward him. “Because that’s the real question. You know I’d forgive you anything—unless you decided never to get naked again—I refuse to forgive that.”
She burst out laughing. “You’re impossible.”
“Impossibly charming.” He nodded. “Impossibly sexy.” He stood and turned so she could see the part of his hospital gown that was open. “And impossibly naked, so…”
Margot covered her face with her hands. “Okay, that’s enough of that.”
Bentley gasped. “Item number three: Never turn down a naked Bentley. It’s rude and completely wasteful.”
“Yeah, we’re going to have to put a number cap on this list.”
“Shouldn’t you just be happy I’m not suing you? Pressing charges? Taking you to court and demanding that you become my legal sex slave?”
“How hard did you hit your head?” she teased.
“Kiss me.” He grinned. “We have to seal the contract.”
Her lips met his tentatively at first. She was so worried she was going to hurt him, but the minute their skin made contact, it was impossible not to kiss him harder, to grab his biceps and tug him closer until their chests were pressed to one another.
Moaning, Bentley kissed her neck. “Need you.”
“I need you, too.”
“Now.” He cupped her breast. “I need you right now.”
“But we’re in a hospital room.”
“Exactly. We’re trying to heal.”
“Sexual healing? Really, Bentley?”
“I’m here all night.” His deep laugh had butterflies erupting in her stomach as he trailed another lingering kiss down her jaw and then locked eyes with her. “It’s just sex, right?”
“Too soon,” she grumbled.
“Fine.” His hand slipped lower. “That’s a nice surprise, you’re naked, too…”
“Bentley!” she hissed. “I have a broken arm, you’re all bandaged up, and oh…” She bucked off the bed. “That’s…Bentley Wellington!”
“Shout a bit louder, I want Brock to hear how good I am at this.”
“Bentley!”
“That’s the spirit!” He moved his hand in a perfect rhythm while he kissed her lips and made her forget all about the accident.
And all about the past.
Chapter Forty-Four
Three weeks later
No.” Margot shook her head and crossed her arms. “We can’t.”
“But think of the children.”
“We don’t have children!” He had to give her credit, she still hadn’t cracked a smile, but her lips were twitching.
“But we could. In the future. I’m just saying, don’t be selfish.”
“So now I’m selfish because I don’t want another dog to take care of?”
“He’s sad. Besides, we only have three, and three isn’t an even number,” Bentley argued.
“We only have three,” she repeated in a dry tone. “You rescued the other scrappy ones last week, bought a goldfish because”—she made air quotes—“it was on sale.”
“It was on sale!”
“And then you adopted a cat because dogs and cats need to learn how to get along, right? Wasn’t that your reasoning? And now, another dog.” She pointed at the bulldog puppy in his arms. The thing was so fat and heavy that Bentley was pretty confident he would sleep most of the day away and passing gas would be his exercise.
Bentley set the dog down. Immediately, it went to Margot, looked up with its beady little eyes, and gave out a yawn.
Margot put her hands on her hips. “It’s like you’re Dr. Doolittle and you communicate with them. I swear they know my weakness.” She leaned down and rubbed the dog’s ears, only to have him turn onto his back and expose his spotted belly. “Ugh, he smells like a puppy, too. He’s warm and—” She glared at Bentley. “I won’t fall for it.”
“Remember, item number three hundred and seventeen says you shouldn’t say no to me when I’m trying to build my own zoo.”
“You were drunk when you made that one up, and I thought you were kidding about the zoo thing?”
Bentley shrugged. “Just an idea.” Actually, he was already working on plans to better the local zoo and had donated part of his trust fund money toward the endangered species project.
The zoo had immediately jumped on the opportunity to have a Wellington as a partner, and he soon found himself being offered a position on their board.
Which meant he actually looked forward to going to work.
It was a really strange feeling.
Growing up.
And since Margot loved her house—and fou
nd out she didn’t like the loudness of the city—he offered to move.
Something she was probably regretting every time he brought home a new animal for them to adopt.
“Fine.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “We can keep him.”
“It’s your turn.” Bentley bit down on his lower lip and waited. “Which character do you want to use?”
Margot named the pets after the characters in her books, which meant they all sounded like Regency lords and ladies.
“How about Lord Langely?”
The dog barked.
“Lord Langely it is.” Bentley pulled her into his arms and kissed her roughly across the mouth. “I love you.”
“Because I’m keeping the dog?”
“No.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into the air. “Because you kept me.”
“Same thing.”
“Well, the list did say something irreplaceable—”
Margot gaped and then smiled so brightly his chest hurt. “You gave me you.”
“I wish I could say I had it planned and that I’m really that romantic at heart.”
“We’ll say it was subconscious.”
“I like that.” He captured her mouth again and silently thanked his grandfather for being a meddling bastard—otherwise he would have never tamed the beast.
So yeah, apparently he was the beast after all—but hell, if it meant that the story would end this way?
He was all for it.
Beauty and the Bachelor.
Huh. He had to wonder what Grandfather had in store for Brant. Whatever it was—it wasn’t going to be painless.
“Come on.” He tugged Margot toward the master bedroom.
A bark interrupted his thoughts as Scar tried to follow after them.
“Not this time, buddy.” Bentley covered Margot’s mouth with his and kicked the door shut, leaving the dog whining outside.
Margot pulled away from Bentley and grinned. “You know he’s just going to keep whining until you let him in.”
“Nobody gets to see you naked but me.” Bentley pouted, but he was already working on pulling her T-shirt over her head and tossing it to the floor. “No bra, hmm?”
She grinned and lazily wrapped her arms around his neck. “It’s just one more thing you have to take off. I figured it was easier this way.”
“Mmm.” He bent down and kissed the side of her neck, loving the way she tasted and how her body was already responding to his as he slid his hands down her sultry curves and cupped her heart-shaped ass.
Their lips fused as heat built between them like it always did whenever they touched—like an explosion of fireworks—like her hot-as-hell fire engine hair.
It was never like this with anyone but Margot, and now he knew why—because he loved her.
So much that sometimes it was hard to breathe when he thought about life before her and how painfully stupid he’d been.
The whining outside the door got louder.
Margot laughed against Bentley’s mouth. “Told ya.”
“Not now!” Bentley yelled, capturing her lips again while kicking his jeans to the floor and pushing her toward the wall. He pinned her arms above her head with one hand while wrapping the other behind her neck, and he brought her mouth harder against his.
Margot arched toward him with a whimper as she rubbed against him.
His hips jerked as he bit back a curse. “I love you.”
Margot smiled against his mouth. “I love you, too.”
“And not just because you’re really good at sex,” he teased.
“Good, because I’ve been worried about that.” She reached for him and giggled.
“Damn,” he panted. “Yeah, I can tell.”
“Bentley?”
“Hmm?”
She arched a brow then shoved him backward toward the bed. He stumbled, his back coming into contact with the fluffy down comforter.
She followed after him and nestled herself across his lap and guided him inside her. Head tilted back, exposing the soft column of her pale neck, she looked like an Irish goddess, like a faerie.
He gripped her hips, controlling her movements so it wasn’t over before things even really started.
Slow.
Heated.
Thrust after thrust.
With the sound of her pants.
And a dog whining outside his door.
It was just another one of his favorite moments, holding her in his arms, bringing her pleasure, but knowing that this connection they had—it was special and it was forever.
Margot gripped his hair and whispered his name like a prayer.
“You feel—” he quickened his movements “—so good.”
Her body shuddered. “I think I’ll have to write this.”
He pumped into her harder, faster, unable to control himself or any of his thoughts. When he felt her walls tighten around him a second time, he let go as she fell apart in his arms screaming his name.
Panting against his chest, Margot pulled back and leveled him with a curious stare. “Just one more pet?”
“Even numbers, sweetheart.” Bentley brushed a piece of hair away from her face and laughed. “Think of Scar.”
“Oh, you mean the dog you left crying outside the door so you could have your way with me?”
“Well, it’s weird when he watches.”
She lifted a shoulder and nodded. “Most of the times he’s sleeping on his bed in the corner.”
“Whatever, I know the way his mind is. Dirty little bastard shouldn’t get to see you naked.”
“You’re weird—you know that, right?”
“You love me.” Bentley couldn’t help himself, and he kissed her again. “So, another pet?”
She rolled her eyes. “You just had sex with me so we could get another pet. That’s what this was, hmm?”
“No.” He slapped her ass. “I had sex with you because I love you and because I could see your nipples through your T-shirt.” He grinned shamelessly. “And you looked cold, so what type of gentleman would I be if I didn’t do my best to warm you up? And everyone knows that skin-to-skin contact is the best way to do that, so basically, I just saved your life.”
She burst out laughing. “I’m glad you’re still a jackass.”
“Tigers rarely change their spots.”
“I think you mean stripes.”
“So about that pet…” He started tickling her sides as he changed the subject.
“Fine!” She burst out laughing. “I give!”
He joined in her laughter, pulled her back against his body again, and threw a pillow at her face.
He could stay in bed with her all day.
And probably would if he didn’t have a meeting with the zoo.
And his brother.
His smile fell.
Brant had been ignoring him.
And Bentley knew why.
Because Grandfather had saved the best and most painful for last.
God help them all.
Because Brant needed all the help he could get.
Chapter Forty-Five
Nadine stared Brant down, her crystal-blue eyes like laser beams, making him shift in his chair before turning his attention to his grandfather. “You wanted to see me?”
“Your number’s been called,” Nadine answered for him. “And I won’t be made a laughingstock, or a liar.”
Brant rolled his eyes and let out a bitter laugh. “Which really is quite interesting, since you’ve been known to be both.”
Her eyes narrowed.
Grandfather placed a hand on her arm.
“So what now?” Brant stood and placed his hands on the mahogany desk. He really didn’t have anything to lose at this point. All he wanted was to be left the hell out of whatever matchmaking ideas they had.
He was happy.
He was fine.
Totally fine.
The pills in his pocket said otherwise.
The pounding in his h
ead reminded him he had blacked out last night.
Fine.
Totally fine.
Neither of them said anything.
“You’ve acquired another ally in the McCleerys.” Brant nodded to Nadine. “So that’s more money for you, but my ex-wife isn’t all that rich, not by your standards. She has nothing you need or want.” He shrugged. “Ergo, you guys lose.” He smirked at his grandfather. “You can’t take away my trust fund, because there is no chance in hell I’m actually going through with the auction date. So if we’re done here?” He didn’t wait for them to say anything, just stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind him.
* * *
Nadine jolted at the sound. “He’s an asshole.” Her smile grew as she turned to Charles. “Reminds me of my grandsons—kind of makes me miss those little bastards.”
Charles rubbed his temples. “I can’t force him. He’s right. He had a lawyer look at everything. As long as you’re paid money and both parties agree not to go on the auction date, our hands are tied.”
“Rubbish.” Nadine winked and tossed a folder onto his table. “Because Titus Enterprises is fully prepared to sue the shit out of Wellington, Inc., if Brant Wellington doesn’t go through with the auction date.”
Charles grinned. “You’re out for blood, aren’t you?”
“No.” She swallowed and sat on his desk near his hand. The warmth of his fingers sizzled the skin beneath her skintight white wrap dress. “I just happen to have a crush on a man who deserves some good after a hell of a lot of bad.” She patted his shoulder. “Let me help you with Brant, and maybe then you can stop focusing so much on the mistakes of your past and focus on our future.”
Charles tilted his gorgeous, well-groomed head. “‘Our’?”
“Of course our!” She tilted his chin toward her. “I never make a deal without asking for something in return.”
“And what do you want in return?”
“You, silly.” She gently kissed his mouth. “And more great-grandchildren. Besides, Brant needs you…and his brothers need him. To be healthy. Strong. Virile…” Her voice lowered. “Sorry, I got carried away.” She coughed. “He’ll do what you say, because we aren’t giving him a choice.”
Charles was quiet and then nodded. “Do your worst.”
“Oh, I plan to.” Her lips curved into a greedy smile. “I plan to.”
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