Page 45 of Margot

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

LENNOX

Listening to the ocean did little to calm my nerves. Sutton was fraying at the edges and no matter how I tried to help it seemed useless. There was only one glimmer of hope. I’d hold tight to it for as long as I could as long as it meant Sutton would work through her issues and I could have my wife back.

Everything seemed to be getting worse since she broke her finger. I was glad we took a vacation but she was going to drive me fucking nuts with the mood swings.

There were two people on my shit list right then: Ebony for helping Sutton break her finger and Sutton’s piano teacher for building her talent on such a garbage belief system.

Now she was in there beating herself up over not being able to practice. I didn’t know that man but I hated him for what he instilled in her. I was willing to stand with her while she unraveled everything but I couldn’t lie and say it would be easy.

“Hey, Lennox.” I spun around and looked into Margot’s cider brown eyes. Her long dark hair spilled over her shoulders and her eyes were red like she’d been crying.

I knew it was because of me and I felt like shit.

I tousled my thick hair and held out my arm for her. I didn’t know what else to do. When I saw women crying, I comforted them.

Margot settled into my hug effortlessly and it made my heart swell. Why the fuck couldn’t Sutton be this easily affectionate? I shut my eyes and breathed in the scent of her floral shampoo and the beachy air.

It was fucking intoxicating.

It was wrong.

Something was wrong and I knew it but I ignored the hell out of it because being with her meant the world to me when it seemed like the world was cracking into pieces around me. I just wanted a slice of normalcy and Margot gave it to me.

I’d deal with the blowback later.

“I didn’t think I’d see you anymore after last night,” I told her. I spoke into her hair then kissed the top of her head. When I read the note she left for me, I knew it was just a fluke. I knew Margot would run away forever. I expected her to duck and dodge me but seeing her on the beach made me breathe a sigh of relief.

“I didn’t think you’d see me anymore after last night either, Lennox.” She clutched me like her life depended on my existence. It felt so goddamn good to be needed. “Evidently, I can’t stay away.” She looked over her shoulder at my villa and then up into my eyes. “Is your wife in there?” Even the mention of Sutton made her drop the embrace and take a step away.

“Yeah. She’s in there,” I said before staring into Margot’s eyes. “I’m more concerned about you right now. I think we need to lay down some ground rules. I just got into an argument with Sutton so I doubt she’s looking for me anyway.

I looked at the villa again and moved further down on the beach, my hand resting on Margot’s lower back. Once we were closer to her villa, we both sat in the soft sand. I sat with my legs wide and Margot sat between them.

It felt right.

“Last night was amazing, Lennox.”

“It was,” I nodded. My arms snaked around her, pulling her close.

“I’ve never done anything like that before and I didn’t want you to think I was crazy when I got all…”

“Jealous over my wife?” I quizzed.

“Yeah. I guess. I know this is weird for you. I can tell. I know you love your wife. I also know that I’ve never felt like this before and I don’t want to lose it.” As crazy as it sounded, I felt her. There was an instant connection and I refused to ever give that shit up. It was like drugs for me.

I’d been so starved for affection from a woman that I devoured Margot’s warmth. At this point, I didn’t care what it looked like to anyone. I was going to hold on to her.

“I don’t want to lose it either,” I told her. Margot wiggled out of my grasp and faced me. This would have been so much easier if she wasn’t so fucking beautiful.

Shame pricked my skin like a million needles.

“So do we enjoy each other for the week and then forget these moments existed?” Her brown eyes danced with confused tears.

“I don’t think we’ll ever be able to forget each other or these moments, Margot. There’s definitely something special about you and believe it or not, you’re the only enjoyable part of this entire fucking vacation.”

“I’m sorry you’re not enjoying yourself, Lennox.” She draped her arms across my shoulders and let her eyes flutter shut. Her lips were so full and flushed from crying that I couldn’t resist kissing them.