Page 14 of Securing His Obsession

“Fine. I like her, but it can’t ever work. I’m older than her, and she needs to live her life. You know how much shit we’ve seen and done, and how it can mess us up. I don’t want to bring that stuff into her world and darken it when she’s so full of light.”

“Is she though? Like I see you, I see Margot, and I see that she hasn’t been the same since what happened to her and Narelle. Anything like that is bound to mess someone up. The difference between Narelle and every other woman associated with us who’s had bad shit happen to them, is they weren’t alone. They had us to help them through it all. To hold them when the nightmares came. Margot doesn’t have anyone.”

Damon crushed the remainder of his croissant, the pastry crumbling to the ground as the reality of Steve’s words hit him. He’d been aware that she’d been struggling the last few months, but he hadn’t done anything to help her—except the other night at Indigo’s event. Then he hadn’t been able to stop himself from helping her.

“She has someone now, but does she know it?” Steve clapped him on the shoulder as he walked out, leaving Damon to stew over the conversation.

Chapter

Seven

Through the vestiges of sleep, Margot became aware of a continuous sound, and it wasn’t the pounding in her head. That had finally subsided. The last migraine she’d suffered through had been when she’d been a teenager, so when she’d woken up with one this morning, it had taken her a few seconds to comprehend what was going on. Why her vision was blurry and her head felt as though someone was throwing rocks at her with unerring accuracy.

She lay still for a moment, wondering if the knocking sound was someone at her door, or something she’d been dreaming about.

The sound came again and it was unmistakable—someone was outside her house.

How long had they been there?

Surely, if someone didn’t answer after a couple of knocks, it was a sign no one was home and they should walk away knowing the house was empty.

Yet this person wasn’t.

Earlier, through the haze of pain and blurry vision, she’d managed to call Steve to let him know she wouldn’t be in.

Groaning, she rolled over and grabbed her phone. Unfortunately, the movement woke up the person throwing rocks, and her head started to pound again.

Through slitted eyes, she opened her security app and saw it was Damon standing at her door.

Why does the universe hate me? How can he be here and see me like this?

Like he had the previous evening when he brought the pizza to her place, he leaned close to the camera.

“If you’re awake and can hear me, and if you’re up to it, can you come to the door? I’ve got some stuff for you.” He held up a paper bag which looked like it had come from a pharmacy.

She activated the mike on her app. “Give me a sec,” her voice a mere whisper, but she caught the nod of his head, so he must’ve heard her.

With slow, deliberate movements, and trying to keep her head as still as possible, she slid out of bed. The room spun a little, and she rested her hand on the wall to steady herself. Once she was sure she wasn’t about to collapse, she headed for her front door. Thank goodness her bedroom wasn’t far from it.

Margot leaned against the door, and her eyelids drifted shut for a second before she pried them up again. “Damon, what are you doing here?” She licked her dry lips and tried to ignore the way her stomach started to roll a little.

God, the last thing she wanted to do was throw up in front of Damon, and she willed it to settled down, but if anything, thinking about it made it worse.

She swallowed, but it didn’t help. A wave of heat flowed through her body, and she knew what was going to come next.

Without saying a word, she stumbled to the bathroom, and made it just in time to lose the contents of her stomach.

The motion of vomiting wasn’t helping with the pain in her head. The feeling of a hand on her back didn’t make the situation any better, but she was so far gone now that she didn’t care she was tossing her cookies in front of the man she had a crush on.

She flushed the toilet and leaned against the wall, any energy she had drained out of her.

“I’ve got you,” Damon said quietly, as he placed a warm cloth on the back of her neck and her forehead. “Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”

Margot was too weak to try and do anything on her own, and she leaned into him as he helped her to stand. He led her to the sink, and she brushed her teeth, aware of Damon standing behind her.

Any embarrassment about him seeing her like this was long gone. She was grateful that he’d been there. Although, she may not have thrown up if he hadn’t been knocking at her door, and she hadn’t moved from her prone position in bed.

Damon helped her into bed, and she sighed, grateful to be flat out again. Her stomach had settled, so she didn’t fear she’d be throwing up again. “Why are you here?” she asked again when Damon returned to her room and placed a bottle of water on her bedside table.