“Don’t change the subject. Are you or aren’t you staying with me tonight?” It comes out a bit growlier than I anticipated, shocking both of us.
“I’m staying with you until you fly home,” he insists, matching my tone. “It’s only a matter of time before we spend every night together.”
“What is that supposed to mean? What are you up to? You know I hate when you’re ominous like this.”
Isaac kisses me softly, muttering against my lips, “I always take care of what’s mine.”
26
Isaac
Having Livy in my bed—or I suppose me being in hers—is everything I always imagined it would be. Since the first night of the summit, we’ve been strategic about our comings and goings, and so far haven’t been caught. It’s the final day, and with power restored as well as the snowstorm settling down, we’ll have to face reality.
I’m only half-listening to James going over a few media inquiries when I blurt out, “I need to book a flight for California.”
He stills, then glances up from his tablet. “You’re going on vacation?”
“Not exactly,” I chuckle. “But we could use that as an excuse. We need to research homes in Sacramento.”
“Is this about Governor Harris calling you out for not doing enough for housing affordability in yesterday’s panel? She’s leading one of the most expensive states in America, so I wouldn’t read too much into it or use them as a model. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
“That’s my future wife you’re talking about,” I grunt.
“Your… what?”
Realizing my slip-up, I should correct myself, except it’s only a matter of time before everything is out in the open. I had big plans for after the conference, why not move up the timeline?
“Actually, can we call a press conference?”
“Not until you explain why you just called her your future wife. I know there were rumors about the two of you when she was elected, but are you two secretly engaged?”
“Not yet,” I sigh.
James glances away for a moment in thought, then his eyes snap to me. “You’ve been staying with her.”
“Yeah.” I can’t help my smirk. “I’ve been offered a position with UNICEF. One of the directors is stepping down, so… I’m going to take it. I’ve been assured I can split my time between New York and California, and?—”
“Can I come with you?”
The question takes me by surprise, but I suppose it shouldn’t. I’ll need to find out how many people on my team will want to leave and who would prefer to stay once a new leader is in place. “If you’d like, but it may not be part of a communications team.”
“I’ve been saving up to move to California for personal reasons. If you have something in mind, I’d love to be considered.”
“Of course.”
There’s a knock at the door before Tim opens it. “Prime Minister, we have a problem.” James and I wait expectantly for him tocontinue, but he glances between us before adding, “I’m not sure if you want an audience for this.”
“If it’s regarding Governor Harris, James is privy to it.”
“Very well,” he sighs. “Ned Collins just notified me that we’ll need to increase security outside of the hotel. The streets will be cleared today and we’ll need to ensure the safety for you and the rest of the attendees.”
My brows furrow. “What’s going on? Is there some sort of threat on the hotel?”
“No. Someone has leaked a photo of you and Olivia in a not-so-platonic situation. It’s everywhere.”
James begins feverishly typing on his phone and locates a post on social media of me kissing Olivia in the conference room. “Looks like hashtag ‘barris’ is trending again,” he grumbles.
He shifts his phone over to me, and the photo appears to be from a security camera, and though it’s blurry, there’s no denying it’s us. That afternoon, I was so tempted to lift her onto that table for a quick taste of her. Thank fuck I didn’t. How the hell was I so careless? Of course there were cameras. Being here with her has felt like we’re in a bubble—one that’s now burst spectacularly, all because I was selfish.
