“Me too, Reagan. Me too.” I kiss her forehead and pull her closer.
She peers up at me, her cheeks pink and flushed. “What happens now?”
“Fuck if I know.” I blow out a breath and think about the answer to that question.
What happens when two people who are supposed to hate each other feel the exact opposite? Before tonight, there was enough on each of us to end both of our political careers, but now… Now there’s more than just a job on the line.
Reagan Preston has made me feel things I have never felt before. No one has ever captured me the way she does. No woman has made me fall in love so quickly and completely.
She not only got under my skin, but she worked her way into my heart.
Neither of us has looked ahead or thought about the consequences of our actions, but I’m sure we’ll find out sooner rather than later what type of ramifications we’ll face.
I don’t even care. At this point, if it’s Reagan or a Senate seat, I’m choosing her.
Chapter 24
I’m tangled up inside,feeling overjoyed and devastated, hopeful and ruined.
My night with Jude was just the salve my wounded heart needed. His warmth and strength were my anchor, and the rest of the world disappeared as he poured his emotions into me in ways I never knew possible.
It was physical sex: sweaty, deep, and mind-blowing. But there was something so much deeper to it that magnified everything.
When he kissed me good-bye before I slipped out of the room just before dawn, he told me everything would be okay. His eyes were the shade of dark steel, and the intensity I saw in his gaze made me believe him.
Lexi is waiting for me on my campaign bus, which is parked behind my Chicago campaign headquarters. She’s giving me a look of concern when I step on and hand her one of the two Starbucks cups I’m carrying.
“What’s going on?” she asks. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”
I sigh deeply and sit down across from her at the small kitchen table on the bus. I needed this time alone with her, before any of the other staffers arrive. I don’t know if I can continue my campaign, but I know Lexi will give me the straight advice I need.
“Yeah, it’s bad.”
“Someone found out about you and Jude?”
I shake my head. “My father’s been having an affair. A long-term one. He has two kids with this woman. Actually, they’re not really kids anymore.”
“Holy shit,” Lexi says, her eyes wide with shock. “I can’t believe it.”
“I couldn’t either.”
“How did you find out?”
“I overheard Carl telling Jude he had photos.”
Lexi’s hands fly up and land on her cheeks. “What? We’re fucked. Like brutally ass-fucked.”
“No. I mean…yeah, but not like that. Jude told Carl not to release the photos.”
“Oh, Reagan.” Lexi’s voice is full of pity as she reaches across the table and takes my hand. “Are you sure you can trust him?”
“I’m sure. We…spent the night together last night.”
“Wow. Okay.” She takes a deep breath. “So that’s…also not ideal, but I understand, given the circumstances.”
“Lex, I don’t think I can do this anymore.”
She lowers her brows in a skeptical look. “What are you talking about?”
