Page 94 of Not the Plan

All eyes on their half of the table turned to Isadora’s mother. Karim squeezed Isadora’s hand under the table, and her lips twitched as though she was fighting back a laugh.

“Maybe she was just being modest,” Karim said. “Like Isadora. I bet neither one of them would ever mention that Isadora is the youngest woman to become the chief of staff to the majority leader in the history of the California State Senate. Or that no other aide, male or female, has risen as far as fast. And she’s managed to do it maintaining a flawless reputation and the respect of her colleagues.”

“Oh, Karim…” Isadora said.

“You won’t toot your own horn, but I will. I’m proud that such an amazing woman lets me be part of her life.” He looked her in the eye for the second sentence, hoping she understood he wasserious. Her shy downward glance gave him the confirmation he wanted.

“Of course, we are very proud of her and all her accomplishments,” Isadora’s mother said. But it was too late. The attention shifted to Isadora, relatives peppering her with questions, and her uncle shook his head at her mother.

—

The car rolled away from the restaurant, taking the on-ramp headed back to their hotel. Karim didn’t take his eyes off Isadora as she looked out the window. After a few moments, she turned to meet his gaze.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I was just sitting here, thinking…What is an incredible woman like you doing with a guy like me?”

She smiled, shaking her head. “I’m getting spoiled, but I don’t deserve it. You were awesome in there.” He started to reply, but her expression made him pause. She reached for his hand, focused on it. “I didn’t know that I waswithyou, though,” she whispered. “I thought this was sort of an aid mission for you. Thought you came to help me deal with my mother. I didn’t realize you wanted us to be…an ‘us.’ ” Her eye contact was hesitant, and she was so exquisite in her uncertainty that he couldn’t believe she was speaking to him.

“I did come to help,” he said. “But how could I not want that?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t want to make any assumptions.” She looked back at their hands again. Her thumb slid back and forth across his index and middle fingers. “And you still seem…”

“What?” he asked.

“A little fragile.” She shrugged. “I didn’t want to ask or let myself hope for too much.”

His heart thudded; his throat was dry. He was back at the stadium inauguration, in the seconds before he’d asked her to dance. He’d been terrified, but the leap had been more than worth it. He swallowed. “I would like it very much if we were an ‘us,’ ” he said. “More than I can really say, though I know it’s asking a lot in ourcurrent situation. The thing is I…I don’t know if you would want to…officially…be with me.”

Her head snapped up. “Of course I would, Karim. How could you doubt that?”

“Yeah?” Relief cascaded over him, the prickly buzz of adrenaline fading away.

“Yes, are you kidding me? Of course. I want to be with you, officially.”

He laughed, squeezing her hand. “You’d like to be my girlfriend, Isadora?”

She laughed too. “Would you like to be my boyfriend, Karim?”

“Hell yeah! Hey, Brad, can I get a fist bump?” Brad laughed with them and obliged.

—

Back at the hotel, he yearned for her skin. He held her hand as they crossed the lobby, his fingertips grazing the back of her arm in the elevator. They were going up, but he was falling into the depths of those dark eyes, only aware of her hand on his cheek, her thumb grazing his lips. She broke their gaze to study them, and his chest burned at the nip of her teeth on her lower one.

In their room, door bolted, he took a breath to speak.

“Shhh…” she whispered, a finger to her lips as she backed away from him, unzipping her dress. He obeyed, following her, leaving his jacket on the back of a chair, his tie on the puddle that was her dress once she’d stepped out of it.

He kept his eyes locked on hers through the spike in his heart rate when she unhooked her bra and let it fall as she reached the side of the bed. Ridding himself of his pants, he accepted her outstretched hand and let her pull him close, so they were chest to chest, skin to skin. He felt her warmth, her breasts rising and falling against him, and he didn’t hold back his groan as she wrapped his arms around her. She slid her hands up his shoulders and then into his hair, fingernails sparking shivers that radiated from his scalp. She smiled at his reaction, her parted lips close enough to feel the heat.

He leaned in, caressing her cheek with his.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For taking a chance.”

He pulled back to look her in the eye. His heart thudded, then stilled. There were no fears, no thoughts, nothing but Isadora.

“Am I dead?” He grazed his thumb across her lower lip, felt it stretch as she smiled.

---