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Margot had wanted nothing more than to lie in a stranger's bed all day and screw Bryce's brains out. But what she'd said was true—they had a job to do. Not only that, she didn't usually do casual sex. She'd been with guys before, but those had always been trusting relationships, even loving. Nothing on a fated mates level, but something meaningful. She barely knew Bryce, and rather than get carried away with cuddling and false promises, it was better to move forward.
She and Bryce straightened up the witch's cottage as best they could. Margot insisted on rinsing out the blanket they'd slept on and hanging it up on the line behind the cottage, even though she secretly agreed with Bryce—the witch wasn't coming back here. Everything about the empty drawers and cupboards suggested Illary planned to stay away for a long time, if not forever.
As they walked down the dark mountain toward Aguas Calientes, Bryce was quiet. She wondered if he regretted having sex with her. She didn't regret it, but she wasn't going to show him that it meant something to her when she had no idea what he'd been thinking. It had been hot—incredibly hot. But he was a rogue, an "outlaw," in Nolan's words, and he wasn't going to stick around, not for her.
Then again, he'd told Jameson that he wanted to join the clan. Forever, though? Probably temporarily. Traveling had to be rough, but he would rest up and leave again.
She snapped a branch as they walked, angry with herself. If Erena were here, Erena would tell her to give Bryce a chance.
But Erena didn't know what it was like to always be in the shadows of everyone she loved. Margot had grown up that way, and not much had changed.
They found their boots and socks where they'd discarded them at the side of the trail. Margot shook hers out and put them on again. Bryce did the same.
"Anything you want to talk about?" he asked as they resumed their hike.
She shook her head.
"You shouldn't bottle it up, whatever you're feeling," he said. "It reminds me of Nolan, and that's not a good thing."
She stopped walking and turned to face him. Here, finally, was a feeling she could be comfortable with—anger. It was better than uncertainty, better than insecurity.
Pointing at Bryce's chest, she said, "Nolan is a good person. He's also my friend, and I've known him a helluva lot longer than I've known you."
He took her hand in his and cupped it to his chest. "Okay, okay. I hear you."
She tugged away her hand. He was being too nice. Too perfect. Why was she feeling this way? "Let's just see if we can find Illary, okay? That's what we should be focusing on."
"Got it," he said.
After showering and changing clothes in their hotel room, they walked in the direction of the restaurant they'd eaten at the night before. The young waiter with the mustache was out in front, replacing the light bulbs above the door.
"We will open for lunch in just a few moments," he said, then turned around. "Oh, it is you two. Did you find the bruja?"
"No, she was gone," Margot said. "Did...did anyone else ask you about her?"
He shook his head.
"What about a woman with long brown hair and gray eyes?" Bryce asked.
"Grayer than his," Margot said, pointing to Bryce.
Bryce gave her a quick glance, then continued, "Have you seen someone like that?"
The man's face lit up. "Yes. Wild, beautiful woman. Eyes like the finest silver. She was in town for some time, waiting for friends. She left this morning, though. I watched her walk to the train station."
"Do you know where she was going?" Margot asked. If Rhiannon was after the witch, she might have a lead and they could follow her while looking for more information.
"I do not know," the man said, looking sad. "You can ask the person at the train station."
"Thank you for your time," Bryce said, handing him some bills.
The man pocketed the cash. "Good luck with the bruja."
Margot and Bryce rushed back to their hotel, checked out, and brought their bags with them to the train station. Once there, Bryce took one look at Margot and told her to save them a seat on a bench. "You look pale," he said. "You should take it easy."
"I'm fine," she said, but she sat down anyway. She was a little tired. It had been a long night and an even longer morning. Warmth flowed through her as her mind flashed on the things she and Bryce had done together. His lips on her neck, the rippling of his abs as she rocked up and down on him, the heat of his hands gripping her ass.
Deep breath, Margot, deep breath, she thought.
He was at the ticket counter, and the woman selling tickets batted her eyelashes at him. She batted her eyelashes. Margot scoffed. Did women actually do that? Margot never had.
Bryce smiled at the woman, and a sharp chord of jealousy struck Margot in the chest. He wasn't flirting back, no, but the woman was attractive. She looked friendly and kind. Why shouldn't Bryce choose someone like that over Margot? Margot certainly wasn't anything special.
When she was young, she'd tried harder at home—she'd cleaned her room, she'd volunteered to do the dishes every night after dinner, she'd even made her and Erena's lunches before school each day.
She had formed herself and re-formed herself on a daily basis, trying to become the daughter her parents wanted.
Yet no matter what she did, she'd never been special. She'd never been their favorite, or even on the same level as their favorite.
Bryce ambled back to Margot, smiling, still, about something the woman had told him.
Margot swallowed the bitter taste of her memories and forced a smile of her own.
"Good news," he said when he reached Margot. "The ticket attendant remembers a woman fitting Rhiannon's description. She asked about getting to Puerto Maldonado and bought three tickets to Cusco. The woman says the only people going up that way are headed into the Amazon."
"What better place to hide," Margot said. "Do you think Illary went there?"
"That's my guess. Are you ready for a jungle adventure?"
His smile was so easy, so uninhibited. How did he do that?
"Yeah," Margot said, "I'm ready."
The train wouldn't leave until evening, so Margot pulled a set of playing cards out of her pack. "Shall we?" she asked.
"Sure," he said carefully. "You okay?"
"I'm fine, let's just play."
Thankfully, he followed her lead and they didn't speak much during the afternoon. He gave her a couple of funny looks, but didn't ask any questions. They took a brief break from cards to use the satellite phone they'd brought to call Jameson, talking quietly and being as vague as possible in case they were overheard.
Once they were on the train, they began the journey back to Cusco. Darkness had fallen, dinner was long past, and the attendants on the train dimmed the lights. The single baby on the train, who had been fussy, finally quieted. Adults lost themselves in the distractions of their phones. Margot felt her eyelids growing heavy.
"We can sleep now," Bryce whispered to her. "Rest, babe."
She wanted to tell him not to call her babe. She didn't know where they stood, and she didn't want either of them making assumptions or declarations until everything had calmed down and they had time to talk. But her body had spent so much energy healing, she couldn't seem to keep herself awake. She let her eyes close. Not long after, sleep took her.
In her dream, Bryce still sat next to her on the train. Everyone had fallen asleep, even the people who had been staring at their phone screens. The gentle rumble of the train on the rails vibrated through her core.
"I'm here with you, Margot," Bryce said, his hand warm on her knee. "I'm here with you, if you want me."
"I do," she whispered, reaching for him.
He pulled down his pants partway, exposing his cock. She sent a shocked gaze around them, worried the passengers were going to wake up and see.
"It's a dream, remember?" he said.
"Looks so real," Margot said.
Bryce grinned, then shouted, "Hey, everyone, I'm gonna fuck this woman, right here, right now!"
Margot gasped in shock even as a wave of desire flooded her system.
Not a single person reacted to Bryce's shouting.
"It's a dream," he said. "See? So how about it?"
She wanted him. She couldn't pretend otherwise, not to herself, not when every part of her body felt drawn to him. Her legs, her arms, her heart, her mind. All of her wanted all of him.
Looking down, she was surprised to see she was now wearing a frilly little sundress instead of her cargo pants and grimy t-shirt.
"I took a liberty," he said. "I wanted to see you in a dress. But I won't take any other liberties unless you tell me it's okay."
She hesitated, glanced around at the sleeping passengers. "You're sure they won't wake up?"
"We're in our dreams," he said. "They aren't even really here."
An aching emptiness filled her body. To have him inside her again...she knew how it would feel, and she wanted that more than anything. "Okay."
"Just okay?" he said, smirking. "If it's just okay, maybe we shouldn't." He started to fasten his jeans.
"No," she said, grabbing his wrist. "I want to."
"Good, then," he said, his voice growing dark. His fingers traced a sensuous trail from her wrist to her elbow. "How about you have a seat on my lap?"
She started to sit on his lap, but he reached out and grabbed the edge of her skirt, lifting it. In one quick movement, he also slid the crotch of her panties to the side. Her pussy was bare, and the air conditioning in the train felt cold against her drenched lips.
"Now you can sit down," he said.
Closing her eyes, Margot lowered herself onto his lap. The rocking of the train and the sleeping people around them made everything seem slower, dreamier. As she came down the rest of the way on Bryce's cock, she moaned in pleasure. How could she doubt anything between them?
Easy—she had never been anyone's favorite.
Facing the seat in front of her, with Bryce at her back, she moved up and down. Whether she was his favorite or not, he was thrusting into her perfectly, hitting the place within her that sent pleasure in waves throughout her body.