Page 88 of Token

Nate stroked her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “Rocket launcher, huh? That can be arranged,” he said with a smile. “Okay, forget I offered. We’ll do it your way until you’re ready for the next step.”

Kennedy blinked at the swiftness of the withdrawal of his offer. It was almost as if he’d been testing her and putting her on notice at the same time.

Until you’re ready for the next step.

Which meant he was ready and simply waiting for her.

Monday came too soon, and at eight-thirty in the morning, it was already slow-walking its way through the week. If only she could have remained in her and Nate’s bubble a little longer. From her place on Saturday, they moved to his on Sunday, lazing the day away having sex and watching Netflix. They had food delivered because neither had wanted to step a foot outside their cocoon of bliss. Although discussion of her moving in with him or him buying her an apartment hadn’t been broached again, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Logically, Kennedy had always known Nate was rich. Like, really rich. But it had taken his offer to make her realize the enormity of his wealth and fully illuminate that chasm-wide difference between them. She was with a man who could give her the moon—or a rocket launcher, if she asked—without it putting a dent in his bank account. And he wanted to be withher. Wanted tolivewith her. It was mind-blowing and heady at the same time.

Despite her telling him it was too soon for her to move in with him, she wanted to, and knew in her heart that day would come. What scared the crap out of her was navigating the power dynamics of such a move without her pride getting in the way. She’d pulled her weight in all her relationships, and she was determined that her relationship with Nate wouldn’t be any different.

Dragging her mind back to the present, she noted that one of the emails sitting unread in her company email account had been sent on Saturday. Kennedy sighed. How many times did she have to tell Mina not to work during the weekend? Time off was important for people’s mental health.

“Morning,” Mina announced from Kennedy’s office door. Clad in a flowy midcalf-length blue dress, she looked as if she’d happily embraced the new her.

“Good morning, Mina. I was just reading the email you sent onSaturday,” she said, her tone chiding.

Mina laughingly held up her arms as if warding off an attack to the face. “I forgot to send it before I left on Friday, so I wasn’t working during the weekend. I wanted to make sure you saw it as soon as you got in.”

“I guess that’s okay, then,” Kennedy muttered, suppressing a smile. She quickly read the email, growing more and more perplexed with every word. Her gaze lifted to meet Mina’s. “Are you saying the young man Joseph Russo claimed would back up his story can’t be found or doesn’t exist?”

“Their HR department has no record of anyone fitting his description having ever worked at the station. No one,” she replied with a shrug.

“And no pictures of Miss Montgomery with her hair dyed any of those wei—unconventional colors?”

Mina shook her head. “Not one. I checked her social media, professional and private. Her hair is brown in all of them. Usually straight, but in some of the most recent ones, she has her hair in braids.”

Dammit.When it rained it really did pour. “Okay, thanks for letting me know. I’m going to have to take this up with Mr. Russo myself.” Kennedy wasn’t looking forward to the call even a little bit.

She was still trying to make sense of things when her cell phone vibrated on her desk and Aurora’s picture lit up the screen. A call from her at this time usually meant she was either running late or had an off-site client appointment that morning and would be in later. Kennedy answered, only to have her chipper “Hey, what’s up?” be greeted with silence, and then an audible, tearful sniff.

Her heart plunged straight down to her toes. “Ror, what’s wrong? What happened?” she asked, her voice urgent.

The pause that followed lasted long enough for the alarm that initially beset her to turn to full-blown panic. “Ror!” she practically yelled into the phone.

“He doesn’t want to see me anymore,” came Aurora’s hoarse, tear-laden whisper.

Oh shit.Inhaling deeply, Kennedy bowed her head and stared sightlessly at the light wood-grained surface of her desk. She’d been afraid this would happen. Had been dreading it like a reunion of Marky Mark with his Funky Bunch.

“Oh, honey, I’m sorry.” While she meant every word of it, she was convinced that this was for the best. Hopefully, somewhere down the road, Aurora would realize it too.

Another tearful sniff. “I don’t know why I let myself believe I would be different. That he’d stick around for even a little while after the sex.” Then her heartbroken friend began to sob in earnest. “I really thought he cared about me, but at the first sign of trouble, he bailed.”

And she, Kennedy Amelia Mitchell, had been that sign of trouble. It had been her catching them together that set the wheels of his breakup in motion.

“Damn, I’m sorry, Ror. It’s all my fault. I should have never—”

“No!” Aurora exclaimed, her voice surprisingly firm and adamant. “It’s not your fault. We were going to be discovered at some point, and better you than the tabloids or a member of the other party. No, the truth is Adam doesn’t think being involved with me will be beneficial to his political career, and that matters more to him than I do.”

Kennedy’s heart pinched. The matter-of-factness of her friend’s tone did more to lay bare her pain than conceal it.

“Any man who would choose a career inpolitics—” she spat out the word as if it were an expletive “—over youdoesn’t deserve you.”

“No, he doesn’t, but I still want him, Ken. I love him,” Aurora said, ending in a hiccupy sob.

Kennedy hated doing this over the phone. She wished she could be there for her friend. That she could hug her tight and tell her everything was going to be all right. Unfortunately, the phone, despite all its technological marvels and conveniences, would have to do.

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