Page 3 of His Secretly Pregnant Cinderella

His shirt collar was open, revealing a wedge of chest, a bit of dark hair. His sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, and she couldn’t help but take stock of his muscular forearms.

He had the sculpted face of a fallen angel. His eyes black as midnight, and his hair like a raven’s wing.

He was every gothic fantasy a lonely girl growing up with books and little else for comfort could have ever wanted.

Pity he hated her.

Pity he was the older brother of the love of her life.

Pity the love of her life was a faithless scoundrel.

And really, the biggest pity of all was the fact that she was standing there in her underwear.

“What an effect,” he said, his tone dark. “You in that, and with the man you intended to seduce occupied. I feel I must ask. Is it another woman who occupies his attentions?”

“Yes.” She did her best to copy his uncaring pose. “And I think you know that.”

She let one shoulder drop, and with it went the strap on the shockingly scandalous teddy she was wearing. Absurdly one piece and all lace so you could see her body peeking from beneath rose petals in a rather strategic fashion.

It had seemed so daring and sensual earlier.

Now it just seemed dangerous.

“I know nothing of the comings and goings of my brother, mainly because if I had to keep tabs on every creature he took into his bed I would do nothing else. You must understand, Morgan, my objection to you has always been that you were simply another in a long line of questionable choices my brother seems to enjoy making.”

She refused to let the words stab her.

“He loves you, you know,” Morgan said. “He thinks you are the most brilliant, wonderful man in the entire world.”

“What is it they say?” Constantine said, looking down at his hands for a moment, and then back up at her. “Yes. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And my younger brother is hardly even a pantomime of me. And I think you know that.”

There was something about that dark, disdainful note in his voice that sent a shiver directly down her spine. And to her horror, her nipples beaded tight behind the lace bra that did not do an effective job of covering her breasts.

“I think I would like to hear the story of how you came to be standing here without your clothes.”

“I told you. I... Well. I...” And this was where it was going to be tricky to keep her pride.

Your pride is shot to hell, Morgan, you might as well tell him. He thinks the worst of you. Go ahead and give him a story.

“I decided to sneak in his room tonight. To surprise him. Unfortunately I learned the hard way that there are some men you should not surprise. I went into the bathroom to change... And I was in the corner of his room in the dark when he arrived with... Whoever she is.” Her stomach was like acid. “And my clothing was in a different room. I could not bear the thought of him seeing me so I slipped out the balcony. I could not climb straight down, so I decided to seek another room that I might enter... And as you can see it turned out to be occupied. So. Surprises all around.”

“That is quite the tale,” he said. And there was nothing but silence between them as he looked at her. Behind every petal, she felt. “It would be a shame to waste the outfit, don’t you think?”

Her stomach plummeted, that place between her legs began to pulse in a strange and greedy fashion.

She had been ready to sleep with Alex, and she had not felt like this. But one look of intent from Constantine and her entire body was thrown into a tailspin.

You read too many fantastical novels when you were a girl. You are being a fool.

No. Maybe she wasn’t being a fool. After all, she had been certain of Alex, and it was over. It was over. And that realization washed over her like a wave. Insistent and terrible.

He was sleeping with another woman. And she could never...

She could never subject herself to that. And it did not matter that he had paid for her schooling. It did not matter that she loved his family.

She wanted to be loved.

Morgan Stanfield had never been beloved in her entire life. She had been a burden to her mother, nothing to whoever her father was... And she had been certain she had finally found love with Alex. With his family.

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