Page 71 of Senator

This pitiful existence was my life.

I reached for my cell phone, thinking a call to Sam would cheer me up, but pulled back. I couldn’t call her. She was already in the middle as it was. Veer was hers as much as I was. Plus, she was probably asleep by now anyway.

I moved toward the back hallway of the house and descended the stairs to the wine cellar. Picking out a bottle of my favorite Bordeaux, I poured myself an extra-large serving and drank down half the glass, letting the smooth liquid dull my senses.

I made my way to my bedroom, kicking off my heels and setting my drink on the bedside table. Stripping my clothes into a pile, I walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower to the hottest setting my body could handle, and then stepped into the scalding spray.

The water beat down on me, seeping into my tense muscles. I leaned my head against the shower wall, feeling defeated and alone.

My ambition came at a price, and now I had to live with it.

I’d set myself up for a perfect political future. A future I didn’t want without the one man who made my heart skip a beat with his not-quite-perfect smile.

I closed my eyes and let out a whimper, feeling another wave of sadness bear down on me. After a few more minutes of self-pity, I shook my head and smacked the tile of the shower.

“I’m such a goddammed idiot!” I shouted. “This is not how my story with Veer will end.”

I refused to believe there was not hope. I had to find him and tell… What the hell was I going to tell him?

My shoulders sagged for a second and then the idea came to me. He was due back at his house tonight. I’d go there and wait for him. Hopefully, he’d forgive me for my stupidity and would be willing to give us another chance. I’d tell him I’d wait as long as it took to make my dreams come true as long as he was with me.

Maybe then, he’d understand that he meant more to me than anything else.

“Time to go all in, Jacinta.” I released a deep breath and turned, coming to an abrupt stop.

Veer stood before me in all his naked glory.

I blinked the water from my eyes, trying to make sure I wasn’t imagining him in my shower.

I reached out and my fingers pressed against his hard chest.

“I’m really here, baby.” He covered my hand with his and stepped forward, but I held him back. Water glided down his golden muscled arms and chest.

“What are you doing here?”

“I heard your interview.”

“I wasn’t going to trash you.”

“I never thought you would.” He paused, and his gaze bored into mine. “I also heard about what you said to Candice McDavers after.”

Wincing, I released a sigh.

“That was off the record.” I knew it was going to get out but hadn’t expected it to be so fast.

His lips curved in the way that brought butterflies into my stomach. “You should know by now nothing is off the record, especially when you’re in a studio with high-definition microphones.”

“It doesn’t matter what my answer was. I’m not sure it will change anything.” I wiped the spray from my face and tried to push Veer back so I could move past him and not feel so exposed, so vulnerable.

Veer wouldn’t budge, and the heat of his hot skin burned through my fingertips.

“It changes everything. You want me.”

“I never said otherwise.”

“I want you, Jaci.”

“That was never our problem. Sex was the one place we never, ever had issues. But…”

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