Page 18 of Courting Gossip (Courting)
When it was over, Genieve could barely stay upright. She sucked in air and waited for her body to stop quivering. When the water started to cool, she finally had to move. Her body felt heavy as she cleaned herself up once again. Her muscles were limp, and the tension of the night had ebbed.
It was all she could do to get herself out of the shower. Her body felt sensitive as she towelled off, and it only reminded her of Brody staring at her in that terrycloth robe. He hadn’t been so immune to her then. He’d been uncomfortable when he’d handed her panties back to her, too. She felt sexy as she pulled on a clean pair and let her nightie slide over her head.
She was smiling softly when she opened the door. Maybe she would have good dreams tonight, if she could make it as far as the bed.
She stepped out of the steamy bathroom, still lost in the haze, but Brody was suddenly there, in the flesh. He hadn’t seen her either as he was coming down the hallway, and they bumped into each other solidly. Genieve wobbled, and Brody’s head snapped up fast. He dropped the tablet he was carrying to the floor and caught her about the waist.
‘Woops,’ she squeaked as she braced her hands against his chest.
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘Are you all right?’
She was better than all right. He was tall, warm and solid.
Her damp hair glided against her back as she looked up into his face. His body was hard. Those suits didn’t lie, but he’d stripped down to just a shirt. He’d lost the tie and rolled up the sleeves. She could feel the rock-hard strength hidden beneath the professional attire and the heat.
She leaned closer. His hands were warm.
His voice turned raspy. ‘I wasn’t looking where I was going.’
She was.
Genieve looked up at his handsome, boyish face. ‘Goodnight, Brody,’ she said softly.
His gaze got heavy, and his grip tightened on her waist. ‘Goodnight, Jenny.’
Between her legs, she felt a soft after-pulse. OK, maybe she didn’t dislike it that much when he called her that.
With her defences down, she threw caution to the wind. Impulsively, she rose on tiptoe. His eyes flared. Before he could pull back or she could think better, she brushed her mouth over his.
And felt satisfaction unfurl in her belly like warm caramel.
Oh, damn. His mouth was as warm as his hands.
She went back for another taste and felt the hands at her waist slide down and spread wide over her hips. Their mouths fitted together as she kissed him slowly and soundly. Delight gushed through her when his lips moved against hers.
Her body melted, but she made herself pull away before anything could ruin the moment. Business conflicts, regret, intruding cameramen…‘Thank you for rescuing me,’ she whispered.
She pulled away, trailing her hand over his, before walking into the bedroom and sliding between the covers. She rested her head against the pillow, but before she closed her eyes she saw him standing in the doorway, lit by the light in the bathroom. He hadn’t moved from where she’d left him, and his arms hung limply at his sides.
But she fell asleep with a smile on her face when she saw his fingers tapping away.
Maybe she got to him after all, just a little bit.
* * *
Brody leaned his hips against a desk in Senator Gunderson’s office and folded his arms across his chest. He was in the Russell Senate Office Building with Samuel and his aides, preparing for what could be the most important five minutes of the senator’s career. He looked over the players one by one. It was very important that they got this right.
‘More gauze,’ he said when the senator’s assistant stopped wrapping her boss’s arm. What was her name again? Mary? Molly? He needed to figure it out. They all had to work together on this. ‘It’s not about actually treating the wound, it’s for the cameras.’
The senator’s injury hadn’t even broken the skin. It was a bruise. No matter how much it hurt or didn’t hurt, it would act as evidence that the senator had been attacked. The problem was that bruises didn’t show up as well on camera as a big, ugly bandage. They needed to tell a story as quickly and simply as possible.
It was all about getting the voting public on their side first.
He nodded in approval when the woman wrapped Gunderson’s arm from his wrist all the way to his elbow. ‘That’s good. Samuel, get rid of the cufflink and keep that shirtsleeve rolled up. It will make it easier for the cameras to see what you endured.’
‘Thank you, Maggie,’ the senator said. He pulled on his jacket and straightened the collar.
Maggie, right.
