Page 5 of Senator

Lucky for me, I loved living in Texas, especially Austin, and therefore out of all my siblings, I was the person to get the house.

I nodded to my security team, giving the signal I was in for the night, then settled inside the house and closed the door behind me. I set my keys and purse on the giant quartz island in the middle of my kitchen, leaning against it for a moment to enjoy the silence. Politics meant I was always on; quiet moments were rare.

Turning, I kicked off my shoes in the middle of the hallway and began stripping out of my dress and pulling off my false lashes. My mother would probably have a thing or two to say about throwing my clothes around, but I was too dead tired to give a shit about proper dispensing of dirty laundry.

God, I hated events like tonight’s where the people I wanted to spend my time with were at a distance, and the ones I had to associate with were royal pains in the ass and full of themselves. Kevin was the exception. Without him, I wasn’t sure I’d have survived.

I couldn’t lie and say what I’d suggested to him about marriage was something I wasn’t serious about. He was a catch and everything I’d want in a man. Except the fact we both pined for men we couldn’t keep. No matter how far the party had come, an openly gay man had a limited future. To those who held old-school views, it wouldn’t matter that Kevin was a decorated war hero or that he’d spent years serving in the Air Force. All that would matter was that he was gay.

He deserved so much better. But I couldn’t force him to do anything he wasn’t ready to do.

If we continued on the path we were on, we’d have no choice but to announce our engagement in the next year.

I knew thinking this was selfish to the greatest degree, but if authentic love wasn’t in the cards for us, at least I’d have my dear friend by my side in the political chess match I’d decided to play as an eight-year-old.

Turing on the shower, I waited until the water was at my desired temperature and stepped inside, letting the scalding spray seep into my skin.

Was it possible to have the dream and the man I wanted?

Nope. The White House comes at a price. Marriage to one of your closest friends but a lonely bed and watching the man you love live a life with someone else.

I shook the cryptic thought from my head. I knew what I had to do. Now it was time to do it.

My only problem was I couldn’t be positive I’d be able to go through with it when the time came.

I cupped the back of my neck and closed my eyes, picturing beautiful hazel ones gazing at me.

Veer.

I should have known he would be my doom from the weekend so long ago when Samina had brought her brother, Ashur, and his best friend, Veer, to visit my family in New Orleans. Both men had barely returned home from their first tour in Afghanistan and were going to meet up with Kevin, an Air Force buddy, and Devin, who’d attended Harvard with them.

Veer had had this quiet, brooding sense about him that told me he’d seen more than he’d ever admit. Over the course of those days, I’d gotten my first experience of Veer’s underlying appeal and my initial ideas of how he’d make the kind of politician people could stand behind.

It wasn’t until almost ten years later that he’d succumbed to my nagging and entered the race.

Now, he was everything I’d envisioned him becoming as the new governor of Texas. He’d endeared himself to a population who in other times would never have voted for him. In the year he’d held office, he’d kept every promise he’d made. Rumors were swirling that he was the next viable candidate to challenge the sitting president.

Reaching over to a recessed shelf, I grabbed a bottle, poured some soap onto my loofah, and washed my body.

God, please don’t make it happen so soon.

I wasn’t sure how I’d handle having him as my opponent. And I knew with little doubt that he’d win and unseat our current president. Then I’d have to be the challenger to the very man I’d pushed into politics.

As the last of the suds cascaded down my body, I leaned my forehead against the warmed tile of the shower.

I couldn’t jump ahead of myself—nothing was a given. I’d learned that numerous times since I’d entered the world of politics.

The door opened behind me, causing my breath to hitch and my skin to prickle with awareness. There was only one person who could get past my security. The man who’d hired them.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you worried someone might have seen you leave the mansion for my house?.”

“No.” Strong golden arms caged me against the wall, and crisp hair grazed my back. “Keep your hands right there and spread your legs.”

I instinctively listened, resulting in a hum of approval along my neck and the feel of firm thighs pressing against my separated ones.

“I missed you,” I gasped out.

He snorted and then said against my ear, “I want you to know if that prick ever tries to touch what’s mine, I will break every one of his fingers.”

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