That’s the rub.
She’s my opponent.
It shouldn’t matter how she feels. All’s fair in love and war, right? But this is a mixture of the two. We’re not battling over who is picking the kids up for soccer practice. We’re fighting it out for one open Senate seat, and we can’t both come out on top.
Kissing her that night on the bench outside the inn seemed to be a great idea at the time, but it has us on a path that ends on a cliff, followed by nothingness.
There’s no outcome that will make both of us happy. Even though she walked out of my room weeks ago and said good-bye, I haven’t been able to get her off my mind.
There’s still a pull between us. That gravity that brings us back together, but over time, will rip us apart in spectacular fashion.
Seeing her face splashed across the papers and at night when I’m alone in my room on television has been a double-edged sword.
“Carl.” Martin Sanders, the chair of the Illinois Republican Party, interrupts us, and I’ve never been so thankful to be able to break free.
“Hey, Marty. How the hell are ya, buddy?” Carl shakes his hand and turns his back to me.
I step backward and loosen my tie. “I’m going to go backstage. I’ll meet you out front in fifteen, Carl.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be there,” he says, paying absolutely no attention and waving me off. “Marty and I need to catch up.”
My tie feels as if it’s choking me, working with my dress shirt to strangle the life out of me. I’m undoing the buttons as I head backstage, straight for the dressing rooms.
Lexi’s on the phone, pacing in front of Reagan’s room when she catches sight of me. “Can I help you?” Her voice is anything but friendly. It’s not even cordial.
I glance around the corridor. “I need to talk to her,” I say, running my fingers through my hair.
Her glare is even less friendly than her tone. “Lemme call you back. I have a problem I need to take care of.” She stabs the screen of her phone, and as soon as she drops her hand to her side, she’s in my face. “She doesn’t want to see you.”
I won’t let Lexi’s proximity stop me from seeing her. “Did she say that, or are you her keeper?”
“I know her better than anyone, Mr. Titan. After what just happened out there—” she points toward the stage and takes another step closer, dropping her voice to a whisper “—she’s never going to want to speak to you again.”
I throw my hands up and confess, “I know. I’m sorry. I need to talk to Reagan, Lexi. I won’t leave until I do.”
“I can have security remove you,” she threatens.
“You aren’t going to cause a scene, Lexi. Let me see her, and if she doesn’t want to speak to me ever again, I’ll leave her in peace,” I plead.
She stares at me for a beat, her eyes narrowing on me. “I’ll give you ten minutes, Titan. If you upset her…” Her bony digit pokes me in the chest, and her glare deepens. “I’ll ruin you.”
“Just give us a few minutes alone, and don’t let anyone down here, please.”
Her eyebrows draw together. “Why?”
“Because it wouldn’t look good if people saw me leaving her dressing room.”
Her eyes roam over the expansive hallway, but her finger’s still firmly pressed against my chest. “I’ll make sure no one sees, for Reagan’s sake. Don’t pull any shit, or you’ll be sorry.”
I can’t control my grin. “I’ll be an absolute gentleman.”
“I don’t know if it’s in your nature to be a gentleman. Hurry,” she says, looking around my shoulder before peering up at me. “You have ten minutes before I come in there.”
As I reach for the door, I turn around and face her. “Thanks, Lexi.”
She glances around and shoos me. “Go, before I change my mind.”
One hand’s on the doorknob, and I raise my other hand, about to knock, when I change my mind. Reagan will never welcome me inside, not after the debate—not after the way I belittled her.
