“I don’t care what people say, especially the press. Reagan and I are a couple now, and there’s nothing anyone can say to change that. Now, Carl—” my hands ball into fists as I resist the urge to knock his ass out “—you’re no longer part of this. I’m not going to tell you again to leave.”
He throws up his hands and backs away before ducking around me and heading for the door. “I want my job back, Titan. If you don’t, I’ll release this story to the media just like I did about Stan Preston.”
Reagan grunts and she takes a step toward Carl. My eyes flicker to hers before my gaze narrows at Carl, and I step between the two of them. “Tell people what you want. You can’t force me to hire you again. Go ahead, Carl. Tell the world I’m with Reagan. I have nothing to hide. I’m not ashamed of loving her.”
When he opens the door, he pauses in the doorway. “We’ll see about that. It may be the final nail in your campaign. I always figured a broad would lose you the Senate seat, but I never thought it would be Reagan you’d be fucking.”
Before he has a chance to step into the hallway, my fist is in the air, heading straight for his face. When my knuckles crunch and he stumbles backward, Reagan’s at my side, stopping me from hitting him again.
“Don’t,” she whispers as she grasps my arm. “He’s not worth it.”
I stare down at her and smile. “He’s not,” I say before kissing her forehead and removing her hand from my arm. “But he still isn’t welcome here.”
I grab Carl by the collar and push him out of the door and into the hallway. “Do whatever you feel you have to, Carl. Don’t call me or try to speak to me again, or I’ll have you arrested for extortion.”
He’s rubbing his jaw when he straightens. “You’re going to regret this, Jude.”
I close the door without a response and turn to Reagan. “Are you okay?” I ask because she’s my only concern, not Carl and his threats.
She nods, swallowing loudly. “I think.” She sighs and starts to pace. “This is bad.”
My arms are around her waist quickly, stopping her from panicking. “It’s fine. We’re fine. Don’t pay any attention to him.”
Her hands rest on my forearms, and she stares up at me. “But what if he tells the media?”
“Then we come clean. I’m not ashamed of anything we did, Reagan, and you shouldn’t be either.”
“But we’re days away from the election.”
I laugh, nuzzling my face in her neck. “Who am I going to lose to? Nothing matters now. I think the citizens of Illinois will understand that sometimes we can’t help the person we love.”
She moves closer and rests her face against my chest. “You’re way too optimistic.”
“He can’t say anything at this point to ruin everything. If he does, he’ll just come off as bitter and disgruntled.” My fingers find her chin, pulling her eyes to mine. “I’m not worried, and neither should you be. We’ll be fine.”
She snakes her arms around my neck and stands on her tiptoes. “When you say that…” She smiles, moving her lips closer to mine, gazing into my eyes. “I actually believe it.”
“Where were we?” My hands slide down her back, settling on her ass and lifting her against me. “Ah, that’s right.” She wraps her legs around my waist and moans softly as I carry her toward my bedroom. “I hope you didn’t plan on sleeping much tonight.”
Reagan’s still sleeping,snoring loud enough to wake the neighbors when her phone starts to beep. My curiosity gets the best of me, and I reach over her and look at her screen.
Tom: Where are you? Fucking answer me, Reagan.
Tom Harbor is a sleazebag and ranks up there with Carl when it comes to morals. Reagan doesn’t need him in her life, trying to fuck with her head or her heart. I kept the knowledge of their relationship to myself for far too long. It’s time I finally put Tom in his place.
I lift Reagan’s arm, letting it drop to the bed, and she grunts but doesn’t wake. Gently picking up her hand, I place her finger on the button to unlock her phone.
Reagan: Meet me at the coffee shop near my place in twenty.
It’s time I handle the Harbor situation. After he replies, I erase her texts between her and Tom and place her phone on the nightstand beside her. I’m dressed and out the door within minutes, heading toward the café to confront him.
Tom’s out front with his hands tucked into his pockets, scanning the pedestrians passing by as he waits for Reagan. His eyes lock on mine, and he pushes off the building, heading straight toward me.
The circles under his eyes have grown and become darker since the last time I saw him. “Titan, funny seeing you here.” He gives me a smug smile.
“Reagan isn’t coming,” I tell him, and it’s my turn to smile. “She doesn’t want anything to do with you, Tom.”
He tilts his head, giving me a quizzical look. “How do you know?”
