“Of course. You’re the new headache. I knew you looked familiar. I’m so pleased to meet you.”
She’d been called a lot of things in her life, but that was new. “Headache?”
“Campaign headache. It used to be me, but I’m happy to pass the mantle on to you.” The shock Aspyn felt must have shown on her face, because Lily wrinkled her nose and put a hand on her arm. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you. It’s just Brady and the senator were all spun up over me until you came along. They were afraid I’d be a campaign liability—and there was chance for a little while that I might—but then you totally stole the spotlight.”
That still didn’t make a lot of sense, but … “Accidentally, I assure you.”
“Regardless how it happened, I’m indebted to you. The last week or so has been bliss. Well, for me,” she corrected, “not so much for you, I imagine.”
“But it’s working out well.” The statement came easier than expected and, all things considered, it was still surprisingly true. “I’m very excited to be on staff—however it came to be.”
“Good. And good luck.” Lily held out a slim envelope. “Could you give Brady this?”
“Sure.” If he ever shows up.
Lily looked around. “You know, this isn’t at all what I expected campaign headquarters to look like.”
“You’re not involved with the campaign?”
There was that strange laugh again. “Oh, no. Ethan and I stay away from the day-to-day stuff.” Lily cocked her head. “You look confused.”
“No. Well, I just assumed it was family thing. You know, everyone on the team.”
“The Marshalls are a big family. Plenty of people to go around to the various activities. Ethan stays busy on the business side, so we’re not much on the campaigning.”
“That makes sense.” Aspyn was a little disappointed to hear that. Lily was a bit odd and not at all what she’d expect a Marshall fiancée to be, but Aspyn’s gut feeling had her kind of liking Lily for some reason. She might be an interesting person to get to know.
“I’m not going to stick around and get in everyone’s way. Welcome to the campaign, Aspyn. I hope you enjoy your new position. I can’t wait to tell Ethan I met you.”
“Really?”
Lily’s nod was serious. “Oh, yeah. After what Brady’s told him, Ethan’s now terribly curious about you.”
Brady had been talking to his brother about her? The jolt that went through her defied explanation. “Why? I’m not all that interesting.”
“Well, you certainly got Brady’s attention in a big way, and that’s always fun for his brothers. Ethan and Finn have absolutely loved this. It takes a lot to get Brady spun up.”
Spun up, huh? Was this before or after four-thirty Monday afternoon? “Because …?” she prompted.
“Because … Well, I’m sure you know by now that Brady is a bit, um … How to say it nicely …?”
“Tightly wound sometimes?” Aspyn offered.
“I was searching for something regarding the existence of a stick in a certain part of his anatomy, but ‘tightly wound’ will do.”
Aspyn was beginning to rethink her earlier decision to like Lily. “Brady may be a bit ‘tightly wound’ but he’s got a lot of responsibilities with this campaign, so that’s completely understandable. And this whole thing with me—not me, personally, but the press attention I brought—only added to that. I’ll admit I don’t know him as well as you do, but I don’t think Brady is …” Aspyn trailed off as Lily’s eyebrows rose and a small smile began to tug at the corners of her mouth.
“I see.”
Damn. She took the envelope from Lily. “I’ll give this to Lauren. She’ll see that Brady gets it.”
“Thank you.” Lily was still fighting her smile. “It was very nice meeting you, Aspyn. I hope to see you again.”
Not if I crawl into a hole and never come out again. “You, too.” Aspyn casually walked back to her desk as Lily left, hoping no one had overheard their conversation.
There was just no end to the ways she could make a fool of herself. It was too much to hope that Lily would forget about their entire meeting—much less not report it back to various Marshall brothers.
Ugh. She was not cut out for politics.
“How’s your happy hippie working out?”
When Ethan had appeared at his front door, claiming to need an escape from all things wedding-related, Brady had been grateful for the distraction. He should have known better.
“She’s not a hippie, and she’s certainly not ‘my’ anything.” The very last thing he wanted to do tonight was discuss Aspyn with his brother. Brady searched through the channels to find the baseball game, then sat back with his beer, hoping Ethan would take the hint.
Ethan took the armchair next to his. “That’s not what Lily says.”
“No offense to Lily, but I’m not really interested in her opinion of Aspyn.”
“Honestly, neither am I, but it’s Lily’s second-favorite topic of conversation at the moment. It’s only fair you should have to hear it, too.”
“Then find her something else to talk about. Current events. Movies. You two should join a book club or something.”
Ethan chuckled. “Ah, if it were only that easy. Lily says Aspyn’s quite cute—in a wholesome, all-natural, flower-child kind of way.”
Brady reached for the remote and turned up the volume. He didn’t want to talk about Aspyn since he was working very hard to not even think about her—and specifically the way she felt against his body and under his hands. His body grew hard at the memory. “Can we just watch the game?”
Keeping his eyes on the TV, Ethan casually said, “Lily thinks you’re sleeping with her.”
“What?” He nearly spilled his drink.
Ethan chuckled as he tipped up his bottle. “You heard me.”
He leaned back and closed his eyes. “I hope you’re the only one she’s sharing that theory with.”
Ethan frowned. “So it’s true?”
“No.” Damn it. “I am not sleeping with Aspyn.”
“Yet?”
Why didn’t my parents just stop after one child? “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that, because I really don’t want to have to punch you in the mouth.”
“Why not?”
“Because the Grands would kill me for ruining your wedding photos. It might be worth it, though. Maybe I should.”
Ethan waved away the threat. “No, why aren’t you and Aspyn—”
“Are you seriously asking me why I’m not having sex with a woman I barely know and who happens to work for me?”
Ethan shook his head. “Technically you both work for our father.”
Like he wasn’t already well aware of that fact and trying to ignore it. “Shut up.”
“Hmm, I seem to have hit a nerve. Interesting.”
“No, it’s not interesting at all. I just want to have a beer and watch the game without listening to you yammer.”
“Fine. We’ll watch the game.” Ethan relaxed back in his chair and propped his feet on the table. “It is interesting, though, you haven’t denied that you’d like to have sex with her.”
“I’m warning you. It’s never too late to prune the family tree.”
“Ah, this grumpiness speaks to the truth. It’s not just the campaign making you cranky. Celibacy doesn’t agree with you. If you’re not interested in Aspyn, why don’t you give Isabelle a call? She’s made it very clear she’ll welcome you back with open arms.”
Do not take the bait. Brady kept his eyes on the TV. “We’re a big family, Ethan, and we all look a lot alike. It could take weeks, months even, before anyone really noticed you were missing.”
“It was just an observation.”
“Just observe the game.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw Ethan shrug and settle back in his chair. Good. Now, with Ethan finally—if probably only temporarily—silenced, Brady tried to turn his attention to the gam
e as well. He needed to clear his head, change the direction of his thoughts. But any progress he’d made putting Aspyn out of his mind had been completely undone with a simple “Why not?” from his idiot brother. And bringing up Isabelle … She was beautiful and sophisticated and from a good family, but against Aspyn … Izzy was a diamond and just as cold, but Aspyn was an opal, full of color and fire inside.
Jewels? Oh, dear Lord, he really was losing his mind. Just think about baseball.
Yeah, that wasn’t working now, either.
One person gets sick and the whole damn place falls apart. It seemed Lauren really was the linchpin holding HQ together, and everyone was scrambling to keep it together while she was out with a case of food poisoning.
“Except for me,” Aspyn mumbled, drawing the attention of the taxi driver.
“Did you say something?”
“No.” She, as the low person on the totem pole, was the staff member least critical to keeping HQ running so she’d been demoted to delivery girl today. After spending the last three hours running all over town dropping off and picking up, she was finally now on her way to her last stop: Brady’s. She didn’t even know what she was carting around. It had to be somewhat important or else Matthew wouldn’t have been so adamant it all get done today, but it couldn’t be too important or it wouldn’t have been entrusted to someone so new to the campaign.
Aspyn double-checked the address as the taxi pulled to the curb. She expected something bigger, grander—something oozing wealth, not a charming town house on a trendy street in Rosslyn.
“Would you like me to wait again?” the cabbie asked.
She almost said yes, but she could easily get the Metro home from here. And, honestly, she’d spent enough time in this cab today. “Thanks, but no.” She handed over the credit card Matthew had given her, tipped the driver well and hauled her packages up the front steps.
The day had turned out cool as fall finally took a strong hold on Virginia. Aspyn was thankful for the breeze that fanned her skin, because otherwise, her nerves would have her sweating. It was time to face Brady, and she still wasn’t quite ready. She smoothed her shirt and sweater down over her hips, brushed some cab dirt off her jeans and adjusted the headband holding her hair back. She took a deep breath before ringing the bell. When she heard the doorknob click, she pasted a small, friendly, completely benign smile on her face. I can do this.
The look on Brady’s face when he saw her would have been amusing if she hadn’t held out small hope for something different.
Of course, that feeling was quickly swamped by her own surprise. She felt her jaw go slack and worried drool might be imminent.
Although she’d imagined what Brady would look like when he wasn’t all buttoned up in a suit and tie, she wasn’t prepared for this. Brady in a soft-from-many-washings T-shirt that strained over his shoulders and biceps. Faded jeans hugged his hips, the denim obviously well broken-in and frayed in places. And he was barefoot. Somehow, the sight of his toes nearly threw her over the edge. It seemed so … so … natural.
This was Brady, but not a Brady she’d seen before. This was the Brady she’d felt pressed against her and tasted on her lips. It was such a departure from the norm, but at the same time it made him seem so normal and magnified his inherent sex appeal.
And, mercy, he was very appealing.
Brady recovered first, the cool politico mask that fell into place a jarring contrast to the casual, easy appeal he otherwise presented. He stepped back to allow her entrance. “I didn’t expect you to be playing courier this evening.”
“Me, neither, but things were crazy without Lauren around, and I was considered the expendable one.” Aspyn knew she was gawking, but she couldn’t help it. She stepped inside and tried to act like she was admiring his foyer instead of him.
“It’s been a crazy week all around. It’s a bad time for anyone to get sick.”
“Is that why you haven’t been around HQ the last few days?”
A muscle in Brady’s jaw twitched. “Yeah.”
“Oh. That’s good.” She unloaded a few of the envelopes out of her bag and handed them over. Brady barely glanced at them before setting them aside on a marble-topped table. “Well, I’m glad that was important enough to send me running all over town on a Friday afternoon.”
“Is there a problem I don’t know about?”
Now was her chance. She took a deep breath and dug up some courage. “You tell me.” Off his surprised look, she added, “The last time I saw you, you were kissing—”
He stepped back. “As I said, that shouldn’t have happened.”
“Why not?” She didn’t want to sound petulant or needy, but damn it, she wanted answers.
He sighed and pushed the door closed. Then, facing her, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the table. “Because you work for the campaign. So while that kiss shouldn’t have happened—”
“So you’ve said.”
“It had nothing to do with my schedule this week, and you can be assured it won’t happen again.”
The calm dismissal irked her. “Again I ask, why not? I’m really curious, because it’s driving me crazy. Did I miss something? You seemed to be enjoying it at first.” Brady coughed like he was choking. “And I really enjoyed it. Definitely an above average kiss as far—”
Brady finally caught his breath and cut her off. “Look, can we just forget it happened?”
“Sadly I can’t. I’ve tried.” She pushed her hands into her pockets. “And I can’t go on like this. I need answers—clear answers about what that did or didn’t mean. I have to know where to draw the lines.”
Brady’s face was unreadable, but his words were clipped and irritated. “It’s inappropriate for me to get involved with anyone on the staff.” If he got any more distant-sounding, he’d be phoning from the next county.
“So you’re saying if I weren’t on your staff—”
She didn’t think it would be possible for Brady to sound more uninterested. She was quickly proven wrong. “No. I’m certainly not saying that.”
“Oh.” It was me. Her chest constricted in disappointment and shame. That kiss obviously didn’t remotely affect Brady the way it had affected her. She was a fool to think otherwise. But it still hurt. “Okay then.” She grasped for the tattered edges of her pride. “I guess we will just pretend it didn’t happen then.”
Like her life hadn’t been through enough ups and downs already. She’d gone from mildly crushing on Brady to telling herself she couldn’t have him at all, to that amazing kiss that had thrown her world sideways and now she’d just made a fool of herself. She definitely needed the weekend to get her head screwed back on straight or else she’d have to quit come Monday.
“I’m sorry—”
She held up a hand. The apology only made the situation worse. “No, I shouldn’t have even brought it up. We’re adults and—” She couldn’t continue to face him, so she turned her back. “Whatever. It’s all okay.”
“Aspyn—”
She cut him off, unable to take any more. “I’m going to go now. Good night.”
The doorknob turned easily and Aspyn kept her shoulders straight as she pulled. The door opened a few inches, then slammed shut. Confused, she lifted her eyes and saw Brady’s hand pressed against the door.
A second later, she felt the heat on her back and knew Brady was only inches away. A shiver ran over her skin. Stop. There’s a reasonable explanation. Careful not to move too far in his direction, Aspyn turned around and what she saw caused the shiver to turn sharp and needy.
This wasn’t Dr.-Jekyll-Brady, but it wasn’t Mr.-Hyde-Brady, either. This was the man who’d kissed her, and a small fire sparked to life low in her belly.
His eyes raked over her, but he didn’t move otherwise. It made her nervous—in a good kind of way. “Brady?”
“That kiss was far above average, Aspyn.” His words fanned the flames of that small fire, sending heat to her skin until s
he felt flushed. “And it shouldn’t have happened.” The words didn’t hurt this time, probably because Brady was tracing a finger down the side of her face and she’d forgotten how to think. Or breathe.
And then neither one of those things mattered.
Brady’s mouth was hot and hungry but unrushed, like he wanted to savor instead of devour. The sensation sapped her strength, causing her to wobble on her feet and grab Brady for support.
In return, she found herself pressed against the door for stability, the wood cool against her back and Brady hot against her front, and her hands were free to explore.
And, oh, what there was to discover. This time, she let her hands roam, carefully mapping the planes and ridges she’d only felt briefly before. Brady seemed to be doing the same, smoothing his hands over the small of her back, over her hips and her waist.
When Brady finally released her mouth and moved to the sensitive skin of her neck, she sucked in deep breaths and the rush of oxygen spurred her brain to shoot up one brief caution. Be sure.
“Brady …” Her voice felt thick and husky.
“Hmm?” he murmured before catching her earlobe in his teeth.
“You s-said … um …” She was having problems remembering English, and the featherlight kisses on her temples weren’t helping. “That this wouldn’t h-happen again.”
Brady tensed briefly, then placed his forehead against hers. Eyes closed, he took a deep breath as a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “I was wrong.”
“Oh.” She couldn’t manage much more.
He lifted his head and met her eyes. “Do you want me to stop?”
“God, no.”
The smile grew bigger and he slid a hand under her shirt to the small of her back. His fingers traced the indention of her spine, causing goose bumps to rise on her skin. “Do you still want to leave?”
Well, that cut right to the chase. No dancing around. She liked that and it was an easy decision to make. “No.”
His other hand joined the first, spreading heat across her back as he splayed his fingers over her skin. “Good.”
She expected Brady to pick her up and move straight to the bedroom, but his lips found hers instead. Part of her protested, wanting more now, but Brady seemed in no hurry.
The Power and the Glory Page 8
