Page 42 of Courting Gossip (Courting)
Shit. His heart was pounding in his chest. He was distracted. It was time to make their move before any more mistakes could be made. He met Gunderson and his staff by the appetiser table. ‘Let’s take the long way back to the office and see who wants to talk to you, Senator.’
Somehow, facing a gauntlet of reporters seemed safer.
* * *
Genieve finally found a project she couldn’t conquer.
‘Ugh,’ she groaned as she looked down at the mess she’d made. The directions had sounded so easy. Just add the ingredients and let the machine do the rest. Talk about false advertising. Then again, she’d tried to get fancy with the cinnamon and blueberries.
She looked at the stains down her front. Darn it, she liked this dress.
She went to the laundry room to rummage through the cupboards for pre-treater. She almost thought she was out of luck, but then she found the spray bottle. ‘Oh, good.’
Maybe she could save it.
She crossed her arms and peeled the sundress over her head. She laid it out flat on the washing machine and sprayed the spots. She was just running water in the utility sink when she heard something. Turning off the faucet, she recognised the garage door opener.
‘What?’ She whirled around so quickly, her hair lifted from her shoulders. What was Brody doing home already? She hadn’t expected him for another hour or two at least. Those high-end fundraisers usually took longer than this.
She turned back to the sink and again to the door. She’d taken a step towards the kitchen when she stopped.
Why was she running?
She looked down at herself. She was wearing her good lingerie – and she’d packed it for a reason. Her pulse sped up and her toes curled against the linoleum floor. She did love to tweak him. A slow smile spread on her lips. Maybe she could salvage this project after all.
She turned the water back on and let the sink fill. Time slowed as she waited…and waited…She’d just begun to worry that it might not be Brody when the door to the garage opened.
Even knowing he was coming, she jumped in surprise. She’d meant to catch him off-guard, but she was the one left speechless when he walked in, all tall, dark and dangerous. Her breath whistled out between her lips. He was wearing a tux.
He only made it two steps inside the door before he jerked to a stop. Their stares locked, and the tiny room shrank to about half its size. Damn, the joke was on her. She liked to unsettle him, but she was the one whose world was suddenly rocking. ‘Wow,’ she said quietly. ‘You look good.’
And by good, she meant beddable.
He caught the door jamb as if to prop himself up. ‘This is what you wear to make bread?’ he said gruffly.
She shifted and pressed her hand against her belly. ‘The breadmaker won.’
‘I don’t think so.’ He stepped forward, and her pulse jumped. Reaching past her, he turned off the water before the sink could overflow. His gaze slid down over her curves, and she felt every inch of skin she’d left bare.
‘Purple again,’ he muttered.
She’d just realised it was the same colour as his eyes. ‘You like?’ she whispered.
The heat of his gaze nearly blistered her. ‘You’re beautiful, Genieve.’
Her heart collided with her lungs, forming a big knot right under her breastbone. She’d been told that before, many times, but never with such quiet intensity. She began to tremble. She’d meant to tease him, but things had just gotten much more serious.
The way he looked at her.The purple lace bra fitted her snugly, but the demi-cups weren’t designed to provide full coverage. Her nipples hardened against them, and the upper curves of her breasts felt swollen. Her thighs clenched. The matching lace thong was the only other thing that covered her. If he stared much longer, it was going to have to go into the sink with her dress to soak.
‘You look quite debonair yourself,’ she said. Unable to help herself, she reached out to touch the handkerchief poking out of his breast pocket. Her hand stilled against his chest when she felt how warm and hard he was. And how fast his breaths were coming.
‘Was it the event at the Capitol tonight?’ she asked.
‘Yes.’
She took a step forward and traced the lines of his lapels. ‘That’s one I was looking forward to.’
‘You like those wing-dings?’
