Dissident (The Bellator Saga Book 1)

by Cecilia London

  He grinned. “I noticed. You’re very expressive.”

  He had vacillated on the last word. “Was that really how you meant to describe it?”

  “Sometimes you’re a bit of a screamer,” Jack said. “You’re lucky this is a gigantic house with thick walls and no neighbors for acres. Otherwise law enforcement might show up.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “I love it.” He pulled himself on top of her.

  Caroline could feel his arousal building again and squirmed. How did that happen so quickly? He was closer to fifty than forty. How did he have the stamina?

  Jack noticed her reaction and bit her neck. “I love the way you respond to what I do to you. But sometimes I wish you’d stop trying to distract me while I’m getting you off,” he murmured.

  She started tickling him. “I like making you lose your focus.”

  Jack grabbed her arms and forced them over her head. “I don’t,” he said fiercely. “I would prefer it if you let me do whatever I want to you.”

  Caroline could see the heat in his eyes and heard his breath quicken. Jack bent down to kiss her again, hard.

  “Want to play a little game?” he asked.

  This man was going to make her crazy.

  “Is it a sexy game?” she asked. “Because if it’s Trivial Pursuit I’ll have to pass. Plus, I’ll beat you anyway.” Jack lowered one of his hands to caress her clit, the other still wrapped tightly around her wrists. “Unless you keep doing that. Then I might get distracted and lose.” He slid a finger inside of her. “And I hate losing,” she gasped.

  “I’m going to have to think of creative ways to keep you quiet,” he said. “Although I really do enjoy doing this.” Jack slipped another finger inside her as she moved against his hand. He removed his fingers and reached into the drawer of his nightstand, pulling out a long silky scarf and a blindfold.

  “I think maybe you need to learn to keep your hands to yourself,” he said.

  Her stomach tightened in anticipation. “I’m all for education.”

  Jack started tying her wrists to the iron rods of the bed frame.

  “Wait.” Caroline’s voice startled him and he stopped what he was doing instantly. “Is this the part where you tell me you’re actually a billionaire working through his mommy issues?”

  Jack leaned back so he was looking at her. “You read that book?”

  Caroline frowned. “Yes. I did not care for it.”

  “Did you read the entire trilogy?”

  “Will you think less of me if I say yes?”

  “No.”

  “Then, of course I did. I’m all about trends.”

  “So how were they?”

  “My psyche may never recover.”

  “You must have gotten something out of them,” he said. “If you read all of them.”

  “I couldn’t stop after the first one. I have to finish what I start.”

  “Why didn’t you like them?”

  “There were some really freaky control issues from the man who was supposed to be such a catch. I couldn’t connect with the protagonist. I don’t know, it just wasn’t my thing.”

  “Maybe you would have liked it better if the author had a degree from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop?” Jack asked.

  Oh, he was ripping on romance novels. Or creative writing programs. One of the two. Maybe both. Nope, she couldn’t allow that to happen.

  “Don’t judge my reading preferences. My Kindle is full of highly enjoyable, unequivocally filthy smut. And don’t hate on the Hawkeyes either,” Caroline said. “That’s the best graduate program in the United States.”

  “I know,” Jack replied. “That’s why I said it.”

  She smiled. “Your knowledge of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges is kind of a turn on.”

  He resumed tying her wrists. “Wanna hear about the highest ranked business schools in the country?”

  “I love it when you talk academic standings to me, Jack.”

  “Wait until I rattle off a list of the nation’s premiere regional colleges,” he said. “You won’t be able to resist me.”

  “Don’t forget liberal arts schools.”

  “I’m sure a Democrat loves hearing about those.” He kissed her forehead, tightening the scarf. “What about the best public universities?”

  “Oh, baby. Don’t stop. If you start talking about history departments I’m yours forever.”

  Jack finished binding her wrists. “You make me laugh, sweetheart. I like that you don’t take any of this too seriously.”

  Caroline tested the restraints. They were very, very snug. Not too taut, but they didn’t exactly have a lot of give.

  “I might take it more seriously if you do something like pass out or hit your head and leave me here tied to the bed all night.” She started to fidget as he teased her with his fingers. “Then I’ll get pissed and take back every nice thing I’ve ever said about you.”

  He gazed down at her adoringly. “You have my heart, Caroline.”

  She was going to have to get used to that look. He made her feel as if he was either going to have his way with her or hold her close to him and keep her safe forever, both of which were fine with her. Jack’s bedroom eyes made her body turn to goo.

  “Do you really have an issue with men who prefer to be in control?” he asked, trailing his finger from her ear to her collarbone.

  “I – maybe I should rethink that statement,” she gasped.

  “Good.” He grinned at her. “Because I have plans for you tonight.”

  Caroline had a feeling that sleep wasn’t on his list. She squirmed as his hands drifted lower and lower. “I guess any control issues you have are okay within the confines of the bedroom. But I don’t want you telling me what kind of toothpaste to use or what I’m allowed to wear or anything like that. I need my autonomy.”

  He drew random circles on her thighs. “Your toothpaste preferences are none of my business.”

  “And if I want to shop at Old Navy, I’m damn well going to shop at Old Navy. So stop trying to talk me out of it.”

  Jack laughed. He’d given her a hard time about her shopping habits when he helped her pack her suitcase for the weekend, and the razzing continued during the entire drive up to Philadelphia. “You’re awfully cheeky considering your current situation.”

  “Are you speaking of the fact that I’m tied to your bed?”

  “Among other things. Aside from the light bondage, you’re also completely naked.”

  “So are you. And I trust you not to hurt me.”

  He kissed her. “I know. That’s huge.”

  “I don’t just mean with regard to sex.”

  “I know that too.”

  “And you can practice your knot making skills on me any time you want.”

  Jack bit her neck. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.”

  Caroline was willing to test his cryptic warnings. “Show me how much you love me,” she whispered.

  “I will, sweetheart.” He grinned at her devilishly. “But there’s something you should know. I can hold out a lot longer than you. I could tease you for hours and not get bored.”

  He slid down to kiss her on the lips again but only gave her a light peck. Which was the complete opposite of what she actually wanted.

  “You’re driving me mad, McIntyre. Just take me now and do your worst.”

  “I love fulfilling requests.” He picked up the blindfold. “Okay, my little tiger. Let’s have some fun.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Caroline

  July

  It was a little over two weeks before the summer recess. Caroline only made it back to Philadelphia late one Saturday, but she and Jack spent as much time as they could together during the week when they were in Washington. Dinner almost every night, lunch when they could, stolen glances in the hallways. She knew he wanted more. But they’d barely been dating for a month, even if they’d been friends since Ja
nuary. She was hesitant to move any quicker.

  Both of them had the afternoon free; they spent several hours lounging on the couch in his capacious house in Georgetown talking about nothing, before deciding they were bored and getting up to dance.

  Jack had a vast collection of jazz standards and assorted oldies. He assured Caroline that she was proving to be a very talented partner but she didn’t quite believe him. She practiced by herself while Jack occasionally got up to check on the roast he was making, even though she knew she must have looked silly. She tried to time it so that he wouldn’t see her, but Jack caught her performing a waltz solo right before dinner was ready. He laughed for about five minutes before twirling around her the living room again.

  Caroline was now sitting on his lap at the table in the formal dining room, feeding him bites of lemon meringue pie.

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  “It’s good. Did you really make it from scratch?”

  “I did,” Caroline said. “It took me a good chunk of yesterday but since you were making me dinner I thought I owed you something.”

  Jack’s eyes flashed. “All I’m getting is pie tonight?”

  “You might get lucky. I’m glad it made it over here in one piece. From the house to my office to your place, I thought the meringue might fall.”

  “Where’d you learn to bake like this?”

  “Practice, I guess. I like using good ingredients and knowing what I’m eating, even if it’s not all that good for me. You might have to try my cookies, too.”

  “I would love to try your cookies,” Jack said.

  “Must everything you say sound like an innuendo?”

  “Yes.”

  “I could teach you how to bake.” Caroline slid another fork of mostly meringue into Jack’s mouth. “If you ask nicely. Maybe you could teach me how to cook.”

  “Maybe. If you ask nicely. Or let me try your cookies.”

  Caroline tweaked his nose. “Where did you learn to cook, Congressman?”

  “I taught myself, mostly,” Jack said. “Once I got a few years out of college I realized meals weren’t going to make themselves. I hunkered down and did most of my experimenting while I was in business school. I wanted to eat healthy, especially after all that time living in hotel rooms in Europe and going to restaurants almost every night.”

  “Huh, Nicky felt the same way. About eating well, I mean.” Caroline frowned. “Does it bother you that I talk about him?”

  He took the fork out of her hand and put it on the table. “No. It’s comforting.”

  “Really?”

  Jack cupped her chin in his palm. “You were married to him for over ten years, Caroline. He was a huge part of your life. He’s the father of your children. You can’t forget about all of that. And I like how devoted you are to his memory. It makes me know that you’re with me for the right reasons.”

  “What reasons would those be?”

  He shifted his gaze away from her. “That maybe I can give you the same thing he did.”

  Caroline kissed his cheek. “That’s such a nice thing for you to say, darling.”

  “‘Darling’?”

  She laughed. “I call my children that. I don’t know why that slipped out.”

  “No, it’s nice. Although I am partial to Monty.”

  “I like that one too.”

  Jack kissed her. “I don’t want you to ever feel awkward mentioning Nick in front of me. I like hearing about him. About your relationship with him. I like trying to figure out what parts of your children come from you and the parts that come from him. Even though he and I are very different.”

  “You are,” Caroline said. “But you have a lot of the same qualities. You’re both funny, affectionate, and protective. And supportive. I appreciate that. I just don’t want you to think that I’m dwelling on the past.”

  “Your past is part of who you are now. I wouldn’t want it any other way, because you’re such a wonderful person.”

  “First you rave about the pie and now this. Flattery will get you everywhere.”

  Jack laughed and grabbed the fork off the table. “I know. And you just reminded me that I’m still hungry. Feed me, woman.”

  Caroline rolled her eyes. “Caveman.”

  “How was parents’ weekend up at camp?” he asked.

  “It was magnificent,” she said, scooping up some pie. “Sophie was much less homesick than I thought.”

  “Did you mention me?”

  She brought the fork to his lips, then pulled it back. Just to tease him a little. “Such an arrogant man.”

  “I was just curious as to how they reacted to the news that you’re dating someone.”

  “I might have mentioned we were spending more time together. Mo figured it out right away. Something about me not being so moody.”

  “You miss them, don’t you?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “It was hard not to pack them up and come home. But they’re having such a great time. And they deserve it. Last year they both stayed home since Mo was still having a hard time with Nicky being gone and Feef wasn’t old enough yet. I’m glad it’s working out so well.”

  “I love that you’re so attached to them.”

  “Some might call me a helicopter parent. Much more so than I used to be.”

  “How did you behave before?”

  Caroline put the fork down. This was hard to admit. “I made some very poor choices when I was first elected. I missed a few moderately important life events because of votes or town halls or other activities. It was a selfish way to act.”

  “That seems surprising coming from you. I wouldn’t have expected it.”

  “Nicky and I fought a lot back then. He didn’t like that I got into politics.” Caroline gave Jack a pensive look. “Despite all my talk, my marriage was far from perfect.”

  “Although I’ve never been married, I would assume that no relationship fits into that category.”

  “Why didn’t you ever tie the knot?” Caroline asked him. “You must have had opportunities.”

  “You know why. I wasn’t in love.”

  “That doesn’t stop a lot of people from going down that road. Especially high profile people.”

  “It was a risky venture. I didn’t want to take it. It didn’t feel right. I dated a lot of vacuous women. I wasn’t going to make that kind of commitment to any of them. I didn’t think I’d ever want that kind of perpetual mutual obligation, especially if there was a chance they’d use me because of my wealth.”

  “But you must have felt differently before you made your money. In college or in business school.”

  Jack looked chagrined. “I thought about getting laid in college. And I stayed the same in graduate school and as I advanced in the business world. I never thought about settling down. Never realized how artificial I was before I met you. How much more I could actually think of having.” He smiled. “You’ve helped me grow up.”

  “I would hope you’d have finished by now,” Caroline jested.

  “Have you?”

  “Nope. I’m a work in progress.”

  “So am I. I’m just a little further behind than you. As for marriage, I’m evolving on the subject.”

  Caroline had to change the topic fast. She scraped up one of the remaining bites of pie and lifted it to his lips. “How was your meeting with the Pennsylvania delegation earlier today?”

  Jack swallowed the pie down. “It was all right. Why?”

  “I might have read something in The Hill about a little kerfuffle.”

  “Kerfuffle?”

  “Between you and Representative Murdock.”

  “What did it say?”

  “Something about the two of you having to be separated during a heated argument. Should I ask Chrissy about it?”

  “No,” he said. “It happened before she got there.”

  Caroline kissed a bit of meringue off the side of his mouth. “What is it?”

  “Sweetheart, y
ou don’t need to worry about it.”

  Caroline sighed. “Was it about me?”

  He ran his knuckles down her cheek. “That’s very narcissistic of you.”

  “Shit, it was about me.”

  He kissed her lightly. “You don’t need to concern yourself with it. It was handled.”

  “Jack, come on. I really don’t want to argue about that asshole.”

  “All right,” he conceded. “He made a highly inappropriate remark about you, I took offense, and he was lucky I didn’t break his jaw. He saw that picture of us in Washington Life at that charity event.”

  They were trying to keep their relationship on the down low when it came to media coverage but Caroline had lightened up a little when it came to everything else. They weren’t hiding it from anyone they knew but they weren’t exactly advertising it. They settled for quiet dinners near the Hill or spent most nights at Jack’s brownstone before Caroline would head home to Rockville. But they weren’t going to hide their relationship completely.

  Jack had convinced Caroline to attend a fundraising ball for special needs children at Union Station the previous week, and the social pages had been all over the two of them. They didn’t print anything unseemly but one photographer caught a shot of Jack kissing Caroline on the cheek, and it was obvious from their body language that it was more than just a friendly peck.

  “Oh,” Caroline said. “So he’s jealous?”

  “I guess so. Or something else. You’re right. He is a slug.”

  “That bad, eh?”

  Jack’s color deepened. “Yes.”

  “You’re not going to tell me what he said, are you?”

  “No.”

  “Is there any point in trying to charm you into telling me anyway?”

  “No,” he repeated curtly.

  He appeared to be angry, but not with her. She knew he had divulged all that he was willing to say on the matter. “I have a subcommittee meeting with him next Wednesday,” she said.

  “Stay away from him,” Jack cautioned.

  Caroline kissed his cheek. “Thank you for defending my honor, Monty. But I can handle Murdock just fine. I’ve done it before.”

  Jack still looked uncomfortable. “How many blogs and political sites do you visit?” he asked.