Risking the Crown

by Violet Paige

  I heard footsteps on the other side. The door opened.

  “What are you doing here?” Her voice was hushed and urgent.

  Lana quickly joined me on the porch and closed the door behind her. Her strong brow was pinched together nervously.

  “Why haven’t you returned any of the calls from the clinic?” I asked. I tried not to sound accusatory. But I was pissed I was here. From where I stood, Lana looked safe and healthy.

  “Shh.” She pressed her finger to her lips.

  My eyes widened. “Does he not know?” I whispered.

  She shook her head. “Please leave, Emily. I don’t want Simon to see you here. It’s too much to have to explain.”

  “You have to tell him,” I urged. “If this turns into a news story he could find out in a headline instead of from his wife.”

  Her eyes widened. “Is there a leak? Does someone know? Have you been contacted?”

  Under the porch light I wasn’t sure she hadn’t turned pale.

  “No. No. Nothing like that.”

  I tried to put myself in her shoes. Imagine what was ahead of her. The uncertainty. The fear. Yet she was strong and certain Senator Mitcherson had to take responsibility.

  “Anything else?”

  “No.” I folded my arms. “I’ll go, but will you be there Monday morning?”

  She nodded. “Yes, but I still have to talk to Simon.”

  I moved for the first step. “Could that change things?” I wanted to know. “Is there a chance you won’t show up?”

  “No. I’m going forward with it, but I haven’t told him yet. I’m waiting for the right time.” She looked over her shoulder.

  “There is no right time for something like this. I’m sorry.” She had to know that by now. It had been weeks since we first met. Every time she came to the office she reported she was about to break the news to her husband before the deposition.

  “I’ll do it before Monday.”

  “I’m just glad you’re ok, Lana. I was worried when you didn’t call or email.”

  “Thank you, but other than this god-awful morning sickness I’m fine. I couldn’t find a time to respond.”

  I smiled sympathetically. “I’ll see you Monday?”

  She nodded. “I’ll be there.”

  “Good luck with the conversation.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled wryly.

  I walked to the car where Vaughn was waiting.

  “Is that her?” He saw Lana watching us from the porch.

  “Yes.” I snapped the seatbelt in place.

  “She looks fine to me.” He started the car.

  I sighed. “She is.” I was annoyed our weekend was ruined for nothing. That I had pulled Vaughn into this when Lana was perfectly ok.

  “You don’t seem happy about it.” He steered us back toward the city and out of Lana’s corner of the suburbs.

  “I am. I’m glad there was nothing wrong. I’m frustrated we had to change our plans. I liked the winery. I’d rather be there than here.”

  “We can do the winery again. Let’s go back to your place and order some dinner. No roommate, right?”

  “Right. Just you and me.” I smiled. I wanted the irritation to evaporate.

  He grinned. “Ever thought about getting a four-poster bed?”

  I laughed. “No.”

  “Maybe we should change that.”

  My heart raced. My pulse quickened. Vaughn only had to suggest it and I was ready to do it. I’d shop for new furniture tomorrow if it meant more nights like last night.

  “Maybe.” My voice was soft with promise.

  “That’s my girl.” He turned the radio up and I grinned.

  Exactly. I was his girl.

  Chapter 15

  “Are you really going to steal the last donut?” I teased, poking Vaughn in the side.

  We were stretched out on the chaise lounge on the deck. I had a blanket wrapped around me. I don’t know how the cold didn’t bother him. He was wearing jeans and no shirt. We read our tablets, scanning the Sunday morning headlines.

  This was our third weekend like this since our trip to the winery. Our bodies fit together as if this piece of furniture was designed for only us.

  He lifted the lid on the cardboard box and dangled the pastry in front of my face. “I’ll make a deal with you.”

  “What’s that?” I put my tablet down to hear his proposal.

  “I’ll split the donut with you.”

  I looked at him. “In return for?”

  He winked.

  “Don’t you think that deserves the entire donut?” I knew exactly what he wanted. My pulse raced. I moved to straddle him.

  My hands landed on his button and I yanked the zipper down.

  He grinned, folding his hands behind his head while I stroked his hard shaft through the denim. I almost groaned. I loved his body. Every part of it. He was cut and sculpted to perfection. His skin was always warm. He smelled like heaven, and I loved tasting him. His lips. His body. And his powerful dick.

  I looked at him, my eyes heavy with lust. I pulled the blanket around my back so I could shimmy down between his legs and shield myself.

  “I was kidding. But, yes, the entire donut. You get the whole thing.” His lips turned from a playful smile to something that looked like a smoldering sex grin when he realized I was going to go through with it.

  I reached inside his jeans. He wasn’t wearing underwear. My hand wrapped around his silky skin, pumping his shaft to free it. I bent down to taste him, when I heard the front door slam.

  I popped forward. Vaughn whispered. “What in the hell is that?”

  Greer emerged on the deck and I blushed instantly.

  “Oh, shit. Sorry.” She turned around.

  “Hey, I didn’t know you were coming home.” I threw the blanket on Vaughn and awkwardly stood next to him before sitting again.

  Greer took her time to face us again. Vaughn was covered and I hadn’t gotten to do what I had intended, so there was nothing to see.

  “I didn’t know you had company.”

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry. Greer this is Vaughn. Vaughn, this is my roommate Greer.”

  He nodded. “Nice to meet you.”

  I realized under other circumstances he probably would have stood up.

  She looked back and forth between us. “Do you think we could catch up for a quick second? Inside.”

  “Oh yeah. Sure.”

  “I’ll just eat this last donut.” He wagged his eyebrows and I slapped him on the shoulder before I followed my roommate inside the apartment.

  “Who in the hell is that?” She spun on her heels.

  I stepped backward. “That’s Vaughn.”

  “Vaughn? Vaughn? Who is Vaughn?” she sputtered. I couldn’t remember seeing her flustered like this.

  I looked at the ceiling. “He’s my … he’s … we’ve been dating.”

  Her eyes widened. “You have a boyfriend? Since when?”

  I shrugged. “Since a few months, I guess.” It sounded terrible. As if I had kept a dark secret from her.

  “Why didn’t you mention him? I don’t understand, Emily.”

  “You’re never here. Did you want me to text it to you? That seemed weird.”

  She looked angry. “This is somehow my fault?”

  “Are you mad I’m dating someone?”

  She folded her arms. “No. Yes. I’m mad I don’t know about it. How did this happen?”

  “We met at that bar you took me to—”

  “No, not that. The part about you and me not sharing big information like this. Although, yeah I do want to know about him. But, this. You and me. How did this happen? I knew more about what was going on your life before you moved here. How could you have dated a man this long and I had no idea?”

  I sighed. “You’re busy. I’m busy. You have Preston. It’s not like our calendars really match up anymore. Or have at all since I moved in.”

  I looked over my shoulder. Vaughn was fi
nishing off the donut and reading the news. Over the past few months the apartment had felt like ours. Vaughn’s and mine. We spent every night here except one or two when he needed to leave earlier than usual for a meeting. Occasionally he was gone for business.

  Greer hadn’t slept here in so many nights I had lost count. I knew she had dropped by to grab more clothes because she would message me, but that was it. I thought back to how things evolved.

  “When I first went out with him it seemed too new. I didn’t want to jinx it. You know that feeling?”

  She nodded sadly.

  “And then it kept going. We kept seeing each other and I didn’t know how to drop it into a conversation. I’m sorry, Greer.”

  “It is my fault.” Her shoulders slumped.

  “It’s no one’s fault. I’m not mad at you. I miss you. I do, but I’m not mad. I’d love it if you could hang out and get to know Vaughn a little bit. Are you leaving right away? Can you stay?”

  “Preston wants me to go to brunch with his parents, but I think I can get out of it.” She pinched her lips together. “I’m going to get out of it. Hold on, I’ll be back on the deck after I call him. This is more important right now. He’ll understand.”

  “We can plan something later, if you want.”

  I noticed she had brought in her work bag and a few file boxes and dumped them in the living room.

  “No. No time like the present. I’ll be right out.” She shooed me, pulling out her phone and I walked out to the deck to talk to Vaughn.

  “How did that go?” He looked up at me.

  I laughed. “Besides her walking in on what I was about to do, it was fine. She was embarrassed. I think she’s going to hang out for a little while so you two can get to know each other.”

  He sat forward. “How long?”

  I nuzzled in next to him, stretching my legs out next to his and pulled the blanket on top of me.

  “I’m not sure. She’s calling her boyfriend Preston now.”

  Vaughn clicked off the tablet. “I could go if you two need time.”

  I shook my head. “I want you to at least meet her for more than five seconds.”

  Greer stepped onto the rooftop. “Sorry about that. I’m all free.”

  “No problem.” I smiled. “I would offer you a donut, but Vaughn ate the last one.” I elbowed him in the ribs.

  “Guilty.”

  Greer pulled up a chair next to us. “I brought some coffee out. It’s cold out here this morning. You two don’t look very cold though,” she teased.

  I wrapped an arm over Vaughn’s chest. “Not at all. He’s more snuggly than he looks.”

  “Thanks,” he grumbled.

  “What are your big Sunday plans?” she asked.

  Vaughn and I looked at each other. “This.”

  I smiled. I knew it was a stupid smile. But I couldn’t help it. We had some kind of calm that ran between us that when I wasn’t looking could instantly turn into something wild and passionate. I bounced back and forth between utter contentment with him and unreal lust.

  “Wow. I wish I could do that sometime.”

  “What kind of work do you do, Greer?” Vaughn slipped his fingers through mine under the blanket.

  “Actually, I have a little bit of news to share about that,” she explained. She brushed her bangs to the side.

  “What is it?” It seemed strange that neither of us knew what was going on in the other’s life.

  “I got the promotion.” Her smile was wide. “It was way sooner than I expected, but I found out last night.”

  “You did? That’s awesome.” I untangled myself from Vaughn to give her a hug. “That’s great. Really great.”

  She nodded. “I’ve worked my ass off.” She looked around me to explain to Vaughn. “I work for the senate committee. I’ve been trying to get an advisor position. I thought it was at least a year away.”

  He nodded. “Congratulations. Sounds like you put in a lot of hours.”

  “Yeah, I’ve sort of been married to my job the past few months. Maybe I should spend a few nights here for a change. Give my work marriage a break.”

  “What about Preston?”

  She shrugged. “He can come over if he wants.”

  It hadn’t occurred to me how much I liked that my roommate was absent until my freedom was being threatened. I liked the setup, but I knew that was because of Vaughn. When he was here I felt safe. I had fun. I had amazing, mind-blowing sex all over the apartment. More Greer wasn’t a good thing.

  “Are things ok between you two?” I asked.

  “They’re fine. But it wouldn’t hurt him to spend a night or two over here.”

  There were other advantages to Greer staying at his place. I didn’t have to deal with him.

  “I have an idea,” Greer spoke. “Why don’t we make dinner tonight? The four of us. Here.”

  I looked at Vaughn. I didn’t know what his reaction would be. We had never done anything with another couple. We hadn’t hung out with other people. It was as if we lived in our own bubble. And I liked it that way. I thought he did too.

  But at some point, we had to let other people into it. We had families and friends. We had jobs. The cocoon couldn’t last forever.

  “We’ll have to go to the store. I think the only thing left is cereal,” I reported.

  “That’s ok. We could go together,” she suggested.

  Vaughn still hadn’t said if he was up for a double date with my roommate. It felt strange.

  “What do you think?” I tried to read his expression.

  “It will have to be an early night. I have a big client meeting in the morning, but sounds good. What are we having?”

  I let out a sigh. I had been holding my breath without realizing it. I didn’t know if I was nervous that somehow pressure to do something as a couple would scare him off. That was absurd. But it was as if he had passed a mini relationship test.

  I hadn’t wanted to test him. I didn’t think about Vaughn like that. I didn’t put him in a category with past boyfriends. What connected us was different. I didn’t think it needed a definition because I felt it so strongly in my bones.

  But Greer reminded me there were other elements in the real world that would tumble into our path. And because of that at some point I would have to determine how real this thing was between us. Could we navigate the everyday ups and downs? Could sex sustain us through emotional challenges or stress and crisis? Did the physical bond strengthen everything else between us? Could we hang out with other couples over dinner and talk about movies? Would we dominate a game of bar trivia? My head spun, picturing us in every scenario.

  “Want to go to the store now?” Greer asked.

  “Now?” I groaned.

  I was comfortable and warm. I liked how Vaughn’s body felt next to me. I didn’t want to move.

  “Want me to go with you?” he offered.

  “You grocery shop?” I let a giggle slip.

  “For donuts I do.” He winked and I knew my cheeks instantly reddened.

  “Come on. We can catch up,” Greer prodded.

  “Are you ok staying here?” I wanted to make sure he didn’t feel as if I was leaving him for extra girl time. I’d rather stay with him.

  He nodded. “I think I’ll be fine with the coffee and this crossword.”

  “Ok. Let me get dressed.” I rolled out of the chaise, but not before his arm circled my waist and pulled me in for a rough kiss. I tasted the sugar on his lips. The kiss caught me off guard.

  “Wow,” Greer whispered.

  I staggered to my feet and followed her in the apartment. She closed the door behind us.

  “Is he always like that?”

  “Like what?”

  She planted her hands on her hips. “Intense. Like he’s always going to devour you.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek. I guessed she saw it too. I wondered if it was only my perspective. I was used to it, but hadn’t taken it for granted.

&n
bsp; “Yeah. He’s intense,” I admitted.

  “I think I’m jealous.” She smiled.

  “Really? It’s not like that with Preston?”

  She glared at me. “You know Preston and you know the answer to that.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say you know how he looks at you. Say you know you have something every girl in this city is looking for.”

  I felt a combination of pride and guilt. As if I had taken something that didn’t belong to me.

  Greer shooed me. “Go get dressed. I have a million questions for you.”

  I stole another glance at Vaughn. He was working on his tablet, sipping coffee. It was in that moment that I knew what had happened.

  I had fallen in love with him.

  Chapter 16

  Greer and I waited in line for the couple in front of us at the market. They had to be buying groceries for the entire month.

  “What did Preston say when you told him about dinner tonight?” I asked.

  “He’s fine with it. I think he knows things have been out of balance lately.”

  “Because of work?” I was worried the senator’s office would discover Lana’s case before we were ready to officially file. It was one more huge secret I kept from my friend.

  She sighed. “Because of everything.”

  “What’s going on, Greer?” I held my breath, praying it had nothing to do with Senator Mitcherson and Lana Foley.

  We scooted forward in line and started placing the steaks and vegetables on the counter.

  “I think it’s a phase. I know it’s a phase.”

  “What is?”

  She quieted her voice. “We’re both so tired when we get home we go to sleep.”

  “Ohh.” I felt relieved. “That’s understandable. You’re exhausted. You both work crazy hours. That’s why Vaughn and I have lazy Sundays. We just re-charge.”

  She shook her head. “No, I mean we sleep. Only sleep.” Her eyes bore into mine.

  “Ohh.” I realized what she was telling me. “You haven’t?”