Page 103 of Forged By Sacrifice

My family had darkness and beauty with a side of humor thrown in. But they were mine. And for however long this lasted with Mac and me, they would be a part of his life, too.

It made me nervous, but I tried to put all thoughts of his family and my family aside so I could concentrate on the board in front of me.

Mac

LAY IT ALL ON ME

“If it hurts and you can't take no more,

Lay it all on me.”

Performed by Rudimental with Ed Sheeran

Written by Englefield / Izadkhah / Sheeran / Slater / Manson / Newman / Wood / Harris / Dryden / Petersen / Rolle / Mcelligott / Aggett

I took Georgie out to dinner, but when we got back to the apartment, she said she had to study. I got that. I had a stack of papers in my bag that needed reviewing as well, so we sat on the couch, side by side, knees touching, as we both did homework.

I was used to homework. I’d done a lot of it at the DoD. I just hadn’t been allowed to take it home with me. I’d had to stay at the Pentagon until it was done. Being able to read the papers as I relaxed in my workout shorts and a T-shirt was much more satisfying. Especially when my legs and hands kept touching Georgie’s skin in the sleep shorts and T-shirt she’d changed into once we’d gotten home.

This one act, the ability to take work home with me, was probably the only thing I’d found to like about being on the Hill since I’d started in August. That thought had me contemplating my life and my goals again in ways that gave me heartburn.

Dani came in from her workout and flopped down in the armchair.

“You two look cozy,” she said with a smile.

“Don’t start or I’ll ask you why Russell looked so disheveled after meeting with you in the conference room today.”

“Disheveled? Really? And if you’re implying we were having sex in a conference room at the Capitol, you’d be all sorts of wrong. Do you know how many cameras are in those rooms?” She shivered.

“Maybe not sex,” I said with a laugh.

She rolled her eyes. “Is that the Blythe study?”

I nodded.

“Good, you can catch me up on it tomorrow. I’m going to shower and hit the hay.”

She left, and I felt slightly guilty. Like I was running my sister out of the room because of whatever was going on with Georgie, but then I reminded myself that Dani would never hold back. If she was uncomfortable, she’d say it.

“Are you almost done there?” I asked, setting my stack aside.

“No. I have another chapter to read.”

“Come read it in bed,” I said.

She looked up, holding her place with a finger that I wanted to put in my mouth and suck on until she quivered.

“No way. I know what you do in bed,” she replied with an expression that said she was trying not to smile.

“I promise,” I said, crossing my heart, “I will not try to have my way with you.”

“That leaves a pretty wide set of options for you to torment me with.”

I pulled the book from her lap, and she protested.

“Come on, Georgie-Girl. I promise. No sex tonight.”

I dragged her down the hall to my room.

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