Page 39 of Passion and Deception

“I feel it too, Maggie. I won’t deny that I want you. Badly. But I’ll wait until you are ready.”

And with that, he focused on Nadia and her delight at splashing.

Maggie moved further away from Ramit, watching him as she tried to figure out what was going on in her head. She and Nadia had been at the palace for three days. It had been delightful and she had to admit that she enjoyed having “staff”. Having been one all of her life, it was difficult to shift roles, and she made sure to thank the palace servants for everything. Being the “hired help” usually meant that they were invisible to the people that served them.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked, floating back to the shallow end.

Maggie followed, looking at the water as her fingers trailed through the ripples. “You,” she replied with honesty.

He looked down at her, Nadia still in his arms. But the little lady was getting cranky, tired of being wet and probably hungry.

“That’s progress,” he replied, handing Nadia to Maggie.

She looked at him curiously, then moved over to one of the chairs, putting Nadia down and taking off her flotation devices, then the adorable bathing suit. With deft movements, she changed Nadia’s diaper, then smiled gratefully at the servant who appeared with clean clothes.

“Why don’t you let Nadia’s nanny put her down for a nap while we talk?”

Maggie sighed and lifted Nadia into her arms. “I need to feed her. And change.” She mentally sifted through the activities in her day, looking for another reason to avoid a private conversation with Ramit.

“Okay, then how about if we talk after you put her down for her nap?”

Maggie bit her lip, then nodded, realizing that she couldn’t avoid the conversation forever.

“Fine.I’ll…find you.”

He smiled and shook his head. “I’ll be around.”

He turned and went into the dressing room, giving her space and a moment to breathe. It was difficult, because Nadia was so impatient, but it was enough to give her a bit of equilibrium.

She carried Nadia into the dressing room with her, and changed back into her clothes quickly. It felt good to be dry, but Nadia was furious now. Maggie didn’t leave the dressing room. Instead, she sat down in one of the comfortable chairs and adjusted her clothing, giving Nadia what she needed. When her daughter quieted down, Maggie looked around. The dressing room of this palace was larger than her living room back in Philadelphia. And the furniture was better, more comfortable. Plus, there was a pitcher of fresh water with cucumber slices and ice, as well as crystal glasses.

She could get used to this. It was incredibly nice not having to cook for herself. Or even go shopping for the ingredients! Ever since she’d stepped into the palace next to Ramit, her every wish was taken care of. If she wanted macaroni and cheese for dinner, it appeared on the table. If she wanted grapes or strawberries for breakfast, a bowl of, not just green or red grapes appeared on the table, but a variety of grapes in different shapes, sizes, and colors. She hadn’t heard of moon-drop grapes before, but apparently, they were a thing. Long, finger-like purple grapes that were deliciously sweet. Oh, and cotton candy grapes? Yup – those were always included. And they really did taste exactly like cotton candy. Her favorite were the champagne flavored grapes, but all of the incredible possibilities made her feel very…spoiled.

“Maggie.”

The soft voice startled her and she looked up, right into the eyes of Ramit as he stood in the doorway.

She glanced down at Nadia and realized that she’d fallen asleep. “How long was I in here?” she asked, shifting to quickly hide herself.

“A while,” he replied. “Why don’t you give Nadia to her nanny? Ezbel will stay with her until she wakes up and bring her back to you, unless you’d like more time alone.”

Maggie stood and smiled to the kind, experienced nanny who was hovering behind Ramit. “Thank you,” she told the woman as she transferred the infant into the other woman’s arms.

A moment later, Maggie stood in front of Ramit, self-consciously fingering the skirt of the sundress that had magically appeared in her closet this morning.

“Do you hate me?”

That abrupt question brought her eyes up to his. “No!” she blurted. She might hate the man, but she didn’t want him hurt. And to be honest, she didn’t hate him. Not anymore. It was hard to hate a man who loved their daughter so intensely.

“Good.” He moved closer, his tall form towering over her.“Are you no longer attracted to me?”

Oh, that was a tougher question. She glanced at his shoulders and chest, remembering the water from the pool highlighting those muscles. She didn’t want to be attracted to him. Maggie wished that she was immune to all of…him. But no matter how many times she thought about the past, about the expression on his face when he’d watched her be assaulted, Maggie couldn’t deny that the attraction was still there. Still powerful. Maybe more powerful, if she were being perfectly honest with herself. A man who had so much tenderness for his tiny, infant daughter…a man who gave her everything she hadn’t even thought to ask for…that kind of a man was hard to resist.

“No need to answer that,” he replied with a chuckle, then took her hand and led her outside. He gestured to one of the cushioned chairs set under a pergola that had an overhead fan that circulated the slowly warming air. “Why don’t we talk here? You probably know by now that the summer months here in Ditra get pretty hot.”

She snorted. “Yep. That was evident as soon as we stepped off the plane.”

He nodded, watching her carefully. There was a long silence, then he said, “You’re using Nadia as an excuse to avoid me, Maggie.” He ran a hand over his jawline. “I understand it though. You’ve gone through so much, events that I could have, should have, protected you, and I didn’t.” He leaned forward. “I was an ass, but Nadia…you can’t hide behind her for long.”

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