Page 25 of Tempting God

“That would be great.”

I grab a towel, handing it to him before going back to the bathroom, closing the door. My reflection stares back at me, and I don’t know if I should laugh or cry.

The red paint is everywhere and my poor outfit, which I love so much, is ruined. Opening the bathroom door, I stroll out and find Justin with his shirt off. He’s wiping his chest and stops when he sees me.

“Everything okay?”

I gesture to my outfit. “I think I’m going to need more than a towel, so a shower it is. Thought I should grab a change of clothes before I get in there.”

“Ah. Good idea.” His gaze searches mine. “You know, we could?—”

A loud knock on the door interrupts whatever he was about to say.

“Let me grab that,” I say with a laugh.

Crossing the room, I open the door, assuming it’s Felicity. What I don’t expect is to find Grant Carter standing there. His gaze goes over my shoulder, landing on a shirtless Justin.

“Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“What are you doing here, Mr. Carter?”

His gaze is still on Justin.

“Mr. Carter.”

He looks at me, smiling. “I just wanted to make sure you were fine after the incident at the rally.”

“As you can clearly see, I’m fine. I’d like to point out that you could also see that I was fine when we were in the elevator together…moments ago.”

“You really shouldn’t get that close to my supporters.”

“Because they’re unhinged rednecks? Got it.”

He snorts. “My, how vocal you are when there aren’t any microphones around.”

“I believe you yourself have called your supporters the same thing, egging them on.”

“True, but they love me. They hate you.”

“They only hate me because they don’t understand what I stand for.”

“I’ve heard your speeches, Blanc. I’m not sure you understand what you stand for.”

My hand goes to my hip. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Humans Yearning to Protect Earth, but not one person in the organization stands for the same thing. Political and social justice. Climate change. Endangered species. Human rights. Civil rights. Transportation and infrastructure. The list goes on and on.”

“Your point, Mr. Carter?”

“My point is that you’re never going to change the world if you can’t pick a fucking issue and solve it.”

“How wise, Mr. Carter. Thank you for your unwanted opinion.”

I start to close the door, but he stops me.

“Will I see you in Las Vegas?”

Dread spreads through me.

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