12. Margo

Good morning, Frankie said as Margo emerged from her bedroom. Did you sleep well?

Yes. Thanks for checking up on me.

It was our pleasure, Dagor said. Are you feeling okay?

Of course. She forced a smile. I was fine yesterday, too. Negal was worried for no reason.

Perhaps, Frankie said. But its better to be vigilant, right?

Nodding, Margo sat down at the breakfast table and accepted the cup of coffee from Frankie.

The truth was that it had been a miserable night. After getting interrupted during her attempt at self-pleasuring, Margo couldnt summon the energy to try again and had fallen asleep, but each time Dagor had peeked into her room to check up on her, shed woken up and then had trouble falling asleep because her mind had been racing.

You seem to be doing great. She smiled at Frankie. From what youve told me, I expected the recovery from transition to be much longer, but you seem to be ready to trek through Tibet.

She wondered if Frankie really wanted to do that. Her friend wasnt fond of camping or hiking. She was a city girl through and through.

The thing was, Aru and his teammates didnt have a choice. They were soldiers, and they had to follow their orders. So, if Frankie wanted to be with Dagor, she had to follow him, and if things went well with Negal, Margo would have to do the same.

She loved the idea of the six of them going on an adventure together, but she wasnt looking forward to roughing it out in nature. She also wasnt happy about passing on the opportunity to be part of Perfect Match, but she wasnt naive enough to believe that she could have everything she wanted.

Im not a hundred percent okay to go yet, but I will be by the end of the cruise. Frankie sat next to her with a cup of coffee cradled in her hands. What are your plans for today?

I dont have any.

Frankie regarded her new sundress with a little smirk. All dressed up with nowhere to go?

I thought Id call Negal and have him meet me at the Lido deck.

Frankies smirk turned into a grin. Thats a very good plan. Call him right now.

Margo chuckled. Give me a moment to wake up. I cant call him before Ive had my first cup of coffee of the day. I sound like a zombie. She exaggerated slurring her words.

You can finish your coffee and then call him. Frankie rose to her feet with her coffee cup in hand. I should get dressed and plan the rest of my day. She sauntered toward her bedroom with Dagor happily trotting behind her.

Margo had a feeling that they wouldnt be emerging anytime soon.

They were probably hopping back in bed to make up for all the sex they had missed last night because they were watching over her.

It would be so nice to be in that stage of her relationship with Negal.

No more awkwardness, no more uncertainty.

To think that Frankie had reached that stage in only a few days was mind-blowing. Shed bedded Dagor the same day they met, or the next, Margo wasnt sure, and then she started transitioning, and now it was all behind them, and they were bonded for eternity.

Even the couples in the romance books she read did not progress so fast from initial meeting to everlasting commitment. If she hadnt seen Frankie with Dagor, Margo would have thought it was just an infatuation, or that her bestie had fallen in lust, not in love, but their feelings for each other were so evident that the air around them sizzled with their love.

Lucky.

They were so incredibly lucky.

With a sigh, she pulled out her fancy new phone and called Negal.

He answered on the second ring. Good morning. How was your night?

Good. And yours?

Lonely, he said, melting her heart a little. I would have loved to sleep on your couch again, but with Frankie and Dagor there, I knew that you wouldnt feel comfortable.

Are you sure that you would have wanted to spend another night on the couch?

I would have loved much more spending it with you in bed, but since that wasnt on the menu, the next best thing was the couch. At least I would have been close to you.

He sounded so sincere. There hadnt been even a tiny note of artifice in his tone, and if that was how Dagor had talked to Frankie, Margo could understand why her bestie had fallen in love with him so quickly.

Thats so sweet of you to say, Negal. To tell you the truth, I would have loved that too.

Which part? Me on the couch or me in your bed?

Hed been so truthful, so open, and he deserved no less from her. The couch, for starters, and then my bed.

It had been on the tip of her tongue to tell him what shed done last night, but she didnt have the guts. Besides, it had been a failure because she hadnt climaxed, and even if Frankie hadnt interrupted her, she didnt know whether she would have succeeded in reaching that peak.

Usually, Margo needed a steamy book to get in the mood, and shed never been able to bring herself to completion without one. And it wasnt just the steamy parts. She needed the whole story, and it had to be good and believable for her to be able to enjoy it.

The irony wasnt lost on her.

Here she was, falling for her supernatural hero in a matter of days while shed sneered at insta-love stories as unrealistic and cheesy.

As the saying went, reality was stranger than fiction, and unbelievably, it could also be better.

Negal cleared his throat. Ive never thought I would enjoy a slow buildup, but here I am, more aroused than I ever was by the prospect of sleeping on your couch.

Margo laughed. Thats desperation talking, and Im really sorry for that.

Dont be sorry. I mean it. I enjoy the torture. Its only going to be so much more epic when it finally happens.

What was she supposed to say to that?

What if all this anticipation culminated in a grand disappointment?

Margo wasnt some great seductress, and her former lovers hadnt praised her bedroom prowess.

Instead of responding to his statement, she chose to change the subject. Would you like to meet me on the Lido deck for a cup of coffee?

He chuckled. I made you uncomfortable. I apologize. I would love to meet you on the Lido deck. Do you want me to come get you, or do you want to meet up there?

Ill meet you there. How about an hour from now?

Would an hour suffice to calm the churning butterflies in her stomach? Perhaps she could watch some television. The weddings shed missed could be a nice distraction.

Perfect. Ill see you there. Negal ended the call.

Taking a deep breath, Margo rose to her feet, walked back into her bedroom, reached for the remote, and clicked the television on.