Page 18 of Senator

I threaded my arm through his and turned us toward the house. “Come on, everyone. Let’s freshen up and have dinner.”

Chapter Six

“They haven’t killed each other,”I said to Kevin, a little before eight as we walked down the path leading to the gazebo overlooking the Colorado River. “Dinner was fun, albeit a bit tense.”

“It’s early.” Kevin adjusted the drink cooler he carried in his hands. “Besides, they’re avoiding one another. I cringe to think what it will be like if they end up alone. At least we have Tyler to play buffer.”

At the beginning of dinner, Ashur and Tara had taken opposite ends of the room and for the most part engaged in various conversations around us. It wasn’t until my twin Tyler arrived from DC that the mood lightened in the house. Tyler had announced no shop talk was allowed. He’d endured a hellish week in the House like I had in the Senate, and all he wanted to do was pretend he wasn’t a grown-up for one weekend.

He’d ordered me to keep drinks and laughter flowing. And since I lived on a private estate, my security would keep anyone who thought to invade our hiatus from public life at a distance.

All of my security personnel were former Navy Seals who’d gone into private protection. And anyone who thought to cross them would encounter five very angry men who would kick the trespasser’s ass.

“Since we’re alone, I have a bone to pick with you, Senator Camden.”

I had a feeling I was about to get my ass handed to me. I’d made what Veer and I shared a secret. The only thing Kevin knew was that we saw each other on occasion to scratch an itch. Now, with the heated looks Veer and I sent each other, there was no way of hiding the true depths of our feelings.

“Okay. What did I do now?”

“Why didn’t you tell me that you and Veer were a hell of a lot more than fuck buddies?”

I opened my mouth to deny it instinctively but shut it fast when Kevin glared at me.

“Don’t even pretend that you have no idea what I’m talking about. I saw the looks the two of you were passing. Hell, if it weren’t for the ice between Ash and Tara the room would have combusted from the emotions and sexual tension between the two of you.”

I cringed and then felt my cheeks heat. Veer had taken every opportunity to brush by me or give me his I-plan-to-fuck-you-stupid looks. There was no way I could hide my reaction to him. For most of dinner, my libido was doing overtime as was my will to keep from jumping Veer right in front of everybody.

“For the same reason you haven’t told me who you’re dating or that you are head-over-heels in love with him.”

“Mine could ruin our careers.”

I stopped walking and folded my arms. “Did you forget it would be the same for me?”

“It is night-and-day different to be found out you were dating a liberal than for anyone to find out I’m gay. Yours is about ambition, not your sexuality.”

I sighed. “Sorry, there’s no contest. I’m an asshole.”

“It’s okay, Jaci.” Kevin set the cooler on the ground and then wrapped an arm around my waist. “Did you think I wouldn’t approve?”

“Well, since Veer is one of your closest friends, I thought you’d be pissed when you found out that our relationship had gotten deeper than scratching an itch. After all, you and I are the ones positioning ourselves to get married.”

“Do you think I would ever begrudge you happiness?” He turned me to face him. “Just as you’d do for me, I would step aside without a thought. Besides, I’d hoped it would become more than the two of you scratching an itch.”

“For the record, I was the one who convinced Veer to keep the depth of our relationship under wraps.”

He lifted a brow. “I have no doubt it was all your idea. Veer isn’t a sneaking-around kind of guy. He’s more in your face. If he did this, he’s in love with you.”

“And I love him.”

“Baby girl. You’ve been in love with him for the past ten years. I’m just glad you finally did something about it, instead of pining for him from afar.”

I frowned. “How would you know this?”

“I’m not blind. I knew how you felt since Veer and Ashur deployed for the first time. Then when Veer and Ash were shot down, you took it as hard as Samina did.”

I hated thinking about the day I’d learned the news. I’d come back to the apartment I’d shared to find Sam rolled into a ball on our couch crying. No matter what I’d done, I couldn’t get her to tell me what happened. After a little while, I’d pieced together some of the puzzle and called my father, who could get details. He’d used his connections to learn Veer and Ashur had gone missing a week earlier. Insurgents had held them captive until a rescue mission found them barely conscious and with severe injuries. The base doctors had placed them in medically induced comas to keep them stable and then transferred them to Germany for further treatment.

Thankfully, Kevin was working on a different assignment that kept him restricted to the base. When I’d emailed him for information on the status of Veer and Ashur, he’d told me it was classified, and he wasn’t allowed to give me any updates.

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