Page 7 of New Tradition

Erin sighed. “I’ll talk to Samuel tonight. I promise.”

When she ended the call, she put her head in her hands and groaned. Balancing her job and her relationship and her social life was proving to be more difficult than she thought it would be.

“What’s wrong, baby girl.” The sound of Samuel’s voice in her doorway didn’t startle her, just soothed her. She looked up and gave him a sad smile.

“Just got off the phone with Dakota. I feel like I’m keeping you from your friends. I’m sorry.”

The concern in his features deepened, and he stepped into the room and closed the door. When he’d closed the blinds, he rounded her desk and crouched so he could look at her. “What makes you say that?”

“I was just realizing how much time you spent there before you met me. My job keeps us home on the weekends a lot right now. I’m sorry about that. She wants us to come to the Christmas party.”

“So let’s do the Christmas party. We don’t have to stay gone through Christmas, we’ll come home and you can take your meetings. Is there a reason you can’t schedule them this week?”

She cupped his cheek and smiled, loving the way his warm dark skin felt against her palm.

“I’ve been trying. But if I’m totally honest, the senate majority leader is a dick and scheduling these meetings near Christmas is his way of seeing which incoming senators are going to play ball with him and which ones aren’t.”

“Your boss is a democrat. Shouldn’t he be trying to accommodate members of your party?”

Erin laughed. “You would think so, but even within political parties there are cliques and factions, and there is definitely a hierarchy. Until we solidify our own reputation in the party, we’re at the bottom of that list.”

Samuel held up his hand. “I’m not trying to argue with you. I’m sure it seems like you have to play by his rules. I just think you’re smart enough to figure out a way to make your own path.”

His faith in her had been unwavering since the day they met. It was one of the things she loved about him.

Knowing she needed to give him something, she said, “I still don’t feel great about being gone for long, but maybe we could make a quick trip to Solitaire for just the Christmas party?”

His smile made the choice worth it, and she leaned in to kiss him.

“I’ll make the arrangements.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

He gave her a wink. “I was just missing you. And I was in the neighborhood for a meeting at a company I might invest in.”

It was odd to think of Samuel as an investor. He’d worked for his dad when he wasn’t out of the country on top secret missions, but she’d thought of Samuel as a soldier and likely always would.

She rested her forehead against his. “I can do lunch in twenty minutes.”

He stood and trailed a hand down her cheek until it rested beneath her chin. “Sounds good, baby girl. And thank you. I know you’re in a tough spot with this job right now.”

She sighed as she watched him turn and walk away to wait for her outside. He had a penchant for expensive custom clothes that were tailored to his exact measurements, and the way his slacks settled against his backside made her a little weak.

His phone was out as he walked away. When he was in the hall, her own phone buzzed with a text notification.

Quit staring at my ass and get back to work. ;)

5

Wednesday, December 12th

Samuel

“Have the two of you thought any more about joining Exposure?” Peter Mercer asked Samuel. They stood on the spacious back patio at Bradley and Darci Givens’ house. A baby shower was going on inside, and most of the men were drinking outside while someone grilled burgers, steak, and chicken.

Inside, laughter could be heard and Samuel fought the urge to check on Erin. She’d befriended some of the women inside, but she’d thought a baby shower sounded about as fun as Samuel’s morning work outs. Something she frequently turned her nose up at. “I would work out with you if you didn’t insist on doing it before the crack of dawn,” she would tell him.

Samuel smirked and focused on Peter’s question again. “We’ve talked about it. I think after everything that has happened to her and us being on the news she’s more interested in lying low as much as her job allows. I think after some time has passed we’ll probably spend some time there.”

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