by Peak, Renna
He lifted his lips for only a moment to whisper into my ear. “Slow.” His tongue licked its way down my earlobe back to my neck, his kiss deepening as he slowed the rocking motion between my legs to an almost frustrating rhythm.
My hands found his hair, entwining my fingers in his silky, black locks. I tightened my legs around his waist, pulling him into me, grinding my center against him, desperate for release.
He teased me with his slow, deliberate movements. His hands explored the lines of my back, caressing down my spine, electrical pulses charging through me with his every touch. He took my mouth with his again, kissing me gently at first, then devouring me, the intensity of his passion quite sudden.
I felt myself climbing higher and higher and hovering oh-so-close to the tipping point. I pulled him into me, wrapping my legs around his waist, raking my nails against the taut, bulging tendons of his shoulders.
He finally gave me what I desired, ramming into me over and over with all of the heat and passion I knew he had. My belly tightened and my breasts arched against him. He dipped his mouth to my collarbone and every muscle in my body contracted and released, sending me higher and higher until I thought I might take flight. I moaned, my head dropping to his shoulder.
I tightened the grip of my legs around him, and his lips found mine again. Just as our lips met, I felt his body tighten against mine, growing even bigger within me. He turned his head to whisper my name into my ear, just before his body exploded with pleasure.
I sat there with him holding me, caught in that perfect moment, both of us breathless.
He rested his head against my shoulder, breathing into my neck. His voice was hushed, whispering. “God, Jen.” He let out a long sigh. “I love you.”
My heart fluttered in my chest and I could hear it beating in my ears. I couldn’t make any words come out of my mouth, even though I knew I wanted to say it, too. I wanted to tell him I felt the same, that I loved him, too.
He lifted his head to look into my eyes. “Come home with me, Jen. Let me love you tonight.” He caressed the lines of my back, sending new tingling sensations racing through me.
I searched his eyes, suddenly hyper-aware of every place he was touching me. My tongue was completely tangled. All I could manage was a nod of affirmation.
His lips turned up into his perfect, crooked smile and he wouldn’t release my gaze. We were both locked in each other, mesmerized.
It was a perfect moment that I never wanted to end. I could feel how much he loved me, just by the way he looked at me. I could never have wanted anything more.
“Shit.” His voice was a whisper and I felt him reaching for his pocket, breaking the moment. His gaze turned from me, and he turned his body around. His phone must have buzzed, but I hadn’t heard it.
I saw him shift around, buttoning his jeans and I suddenly felt very exposed, almost embarrassed at my naked ass sitting on the counter of the bathroom. I slid off the counter and grabbed my clothes from the floor, first sliding my panties on, then pulling my jeans on over them.
He had pulled himself together quickly, his back still turned to me. His voice was gruff with whomever was on the other end. “What?” He took a few steps away from me, toward the door.
I pulled my shirt over my head and turned to face the mirror, smoothing down my hair. I tried not to eavesdrop, but it was impossible.
“Why now?”
I couldn’t hear the voice on the other end of the phone, but I could tell that my evening was not going to end in his bed. Not this time.
“You can’t be fucking serious.” I saw him shake his head.
My shoulders slumped as my heart sank in my chest. I grabbed my purse from where it had fallen from the floor and slung it over my shoulder, sliding my sandals back onto my feet.
He pressed a button on his phone and held it out in front of him. It looked like he was trying to squeeze it into oblivion. He finally turned to me, a bitter smile on his face. “Jen…”
I shook my head, frowning. “Don’t worry about it.”
I could see the sadness, disappointment in his eyes. His body hunched over after he let out a long sigh. “Jen…”
I held my palms up before crossing my arms over my chest. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine. Go take care of whatever it is.” I pressed my lips together, trying to hide my own disappointment.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, looking over my shoulder, not meeting my gaze. “I’m so sorry. The timing…”
“Sucks.” I finished the sentence for him.
He nodded, still not meeting my gaze. “Yeah. I’ll walk you home.”
I pursed my lips, shaking my head. “No, I’m fine. It’s only a few blocks. Go take care of whatever it is.”
“You’re sure?”
I nodded, trying to make eye contact with him. “Yeah.”
He looked down at the floor, still refusing to meet my eyes. “Okay. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
He frowned, nodding. He turned and unlatched the bathroom door. He walked away without saying anything else to me that night.
I told myself it would be fine, that I’d be fine. We’d be fine. My gut told me nothing could be farther from the truth.
5
I woke up the next morning with a huge crick in my neck. I’d had to sleep on the couch when I got home the night before. Mel had locked our bedroom door and refused to open it when I returned home.
She was up now, though, banging dishes around the kitchen. I stood up and tried to stretch out my neck, turning it from side to side. I folded up the blanket I’d used and set it on the back of the couch, straightening up the sofa so no one would even notice it had been slept on the night before. I walked up to the bar that separated our kitchen from the rest of our tiny apartment and sat down on a bar stool. I watched as she slammed a can of coffee against the counter before opening it and measuring the grounds to put in the coffee maker.
She slammed the lid of the coffee maker and spun around, glaring at me. “You want coffee?”
I narrowed my own eyes to slits. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Her eyes widened, looking like they might pop right out of their sockets. “Wrong with me? Your dead fiancée shows up at dinner and there’s something wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with you?”
I let out a long sigh, softening my gaze at her. I supposed she really hadn’t had as much time to come to grips with everything, even though I’d told her. I’d told her how weird it was for me. It wasn’t that hard to remember how freaked out I’d felt myself when I’d first seen Daniel at the hotel in Osaka. “I’m sorry, Mel. I didn’t know he was just going to show up like that. But you didn’t have to tell him…”
Her lip curled up, her eyes hardening. “I wasn’t about to sit there and listen to that. To him. Christ, Jenna. I don’t know how you can deal with this. I wanted to go throw myself off the bridge last night. And where the hell were you? Not looking for me, that’s for sure.” She held her arms out in a sweeping gesture.
Shit, she was right. I’d been so pissed that she’d told him Brandon’s name, so afraid for myself and for Brandon that I hadn’t even thought about her. I’d only thought about him and what Daniel might do. I sucked my upper lip under my teeth, clasping my hands into my lap. “I’m so sorry, Mel. You’re right. I was freaked out, too. I was sure he was there to hurt me. To hurt Brandon.”
She rolled her eyes, turning her lip into another sneer. “Fuck Brandon. What has he done to make you want to protect him like this? Nothing that I can see. That guy’s as fucked up as the other one.”
I chewed on my lower lip. “I don’t know, Mel. I mean, he understands me. There’s just something…”
She turned back to her coffee, slamming her palm against the counter. “We both know how to pick ‘em, don’t we? I mean, we’ve both chosen guys over each other in the last little while.” Her head lowered, along with her voice. “And what do we have to show for it, huh?
Threats, lies and black eyes? Guys aren’t worth it, Jenna. Not worth our friendship.”
I frowned, standing from my seat. I walked around the bar to pull her into an embrace. Her anger melted into quiet sobs and she cried against my shoulder for a long time, over much more than just our run-in with Daniel, I was sure of that. We still hadn’t talked about what had happened to her in Portland. It didn’t seem like we really needed words right then, though. I held her while she cried it out, rubbing her back. It was something we probably should have done right after it happened.
She finally pulled away, sniffling. “Fuck, I messed up my makeup. I need to get ready for work.”
I just nodded and she disappeared into the bathroom. I finished with the coffee maker and pushed the start button. I walked back around to take my seat at the bar when someone started knocking loudly on the door.
Mel poked her head around the corner from the hallway. I could see the fear swimming in her eyes. “I swear to God, Jenna, if it’s one of those guys, I will kill them myself.”
I pressed my lips together and walked to the door, praying it was anyone other than Daniel or Brandon. I cracked it open, checking to make sure it wasn’t either one of them—there was no way either of them were coming into the apartment with Mel in the state she was in. I pulled the door open when I saw who it was.
“Good morning, sweetheart.” My father walked through the doorway and turned to me, pecking a small kiss against my cheek.
“Morning, dad. What are you doing here?” I forced a small smile to my face before I stepped to the side to let him through.
A grin swept over his face. “What? A father can’t come to say good morning to his daughter?”
I cocked an eyebrow up, my mouth twisting around itself. “Not in my experience.”
He chuckled and walked into our tiny living room.
Mel poked her head back around the corner and walked out of the bathroom when she saw who was now in our apartment. She forced a smile to her own face. “Good morning, Senator Davis.”
He returned her smile. “Good morning, Melissa. You’re looking well.”
Her smile fell, and I was sure I was probably the only one who could have seen how slight the change was. “Um, thanks. I was just heading to work.” She turned to face me. “Text me later, okay?”
I nodded and Mel walked out the front door. I turned to face my dad. “So what brings you here, dad?” I motioned for him to take a seat on the couch. I took a seat in the chair across from the sofa.
He sat down on the couch and folded his hands into his lap. He squeezed on his fingers, then straightened his tie. “How are you, sweetheart?”
My brows furrowed into my eyes just a bit. “Fine. How are you?”
He straightened his tie again. “I’m well. Very well. Good. Good.”
I just nodded, my brows dipping further down my forehead. This was not the behavior I was used to from my father, who always seemed to have his shit so completely together.
“So you’re probably wondering why I’m here.” He fiddled with his tie again.
“I am, actually. Did I do something wrong again?” I frowned and ran my tongue along the outside of my teeth. All I needed right then was another lecture. The last thing I wanted to hear was something akin to how I was a disappointment. I already felt like enough of one without him harping on me.
His gaze snapped to mine. “Of course not. Why would you think that?”
I lifted my shoulders into a small shrug, my mouth turning down into a frown. “It just seems like that’s when you need to talk to me, that’s all.” I forced my lips to tug into a tiny smile. Maybe I wasn’t in trouble this time. “So what’s up?”
“Oh, well…” He fiddled with his tie. “First, I wanted to thank you for the work you’ve been doing for me in Iowa. I know it’s not always easy, but you’re making a difference. I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about you.” He let out a sigh. “I’m proud of you, Jenna. Really proud.”
I furrowed my brow again, considering his response. It didn’t make sense. There was no way he’d come all the way from D.C. to tell me he was proud of me. No way. I looked over at him, lifting my eyebrow. “Thanks.” It almost came out as a question.
He licked at his lips and forced his hands back to his lap. “So there are a couple of things I need to talk to you about today.”
I nodded, pressing my lips into a line. “I figured. What did I do?”
He shook his head, biting his lips. “Nothing, Jenna. Why do you keep asking that? Is there something you need to tell me?”
Shit. There was plenty I’d done over the past few weeks that wouldn’t reflect well on his campaign. The whole fake Des Moines Register interview came to mind, bringing a wave of heat over me that made me blush just thinking about it. I forced that same tiny smile to my lips. “I don’t think so. I hope not.”
He rolled his eyes to the ceiling, before taking a calming breath. He looked back down at me. “I didn’t come here to scold you. Can we just get past that?”
I pressed my lips into a line and nodded. I forced another small smile. “I’m sorry. What brings you to San Fran this morning?”
His shoulders relaxed and he leaned back into the sofa. “As I said, I came to see you. I have a few things to discuss with you. Can we do that?”
I nodded. “Sure. Would you like some coffee before we get started?”
“Yes, that would be fine.” He watched me as I got up to get the coffee.
I returned a few moments later with a cup of black coffee for each of us. I set mine down on the small table next to my chair and waited to hear what he had to say.
He blew into his cup and took a tentative sip. He set the cup on the small coffee table in front of him. He leaned back and tented his fingers together. He let out a long, slow breath through his pursed lips.
I had no idea what it was that he needed to tell me that would make him so nervous. I was just glad that it didn’t seem to have anything to do with something I’d done.
6
He tapped his fingers together, looking down at the pyramid he’d made with his hands. He finally looked up at me after a long moment. “First things first. Iowa has been fantastic. I’ve been ahead in the polls since you started campaigning there.” He gave me a weak smile.
That’s all you, Jenna.”
I nodded, returning his forced smile. “I’m glad I can help. It’s not as easy for me as it is for you.” I tried another fake smile, but had to pick up my coffee cup to hide the face I was sure I made.
“You’re a natural, Jenna. You can take classes to make the speeches easier. There are groups that help with stage fright. Toastmasters…”
I interrupted him. “It isn’t that I’m afraid, dad. I just don’t like it. It isn’t me.” I looked down into my coffee cup before taking another sip.
He licked at his lips. “That’s fair. I mean, I know you don’t have stage fright. I’ve been watching you perform since you were a little girl. I’ve been to every one of your recitals, every performance…”
I met his gaze, giving him a tight-lipped smile. “I know, dad. It means a lot.”
He let out a long sigh before continuing. “Which is why I called in a few favors with the conservatory to have your application considered for this year. I thought they'd let you in, for sure. I knew there was no guarantee…”
“You did that?” I sucked in a breath and I thought my heart might beat out of my chest. “You? You did that?”
He nodded, pressing his lips together. He picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. “I know that’s where your heart is. I was sorry to hear that things didn’t go the way I expected.”
My gaze dropped to the floor. “I wasn’t prepared. If I’d had a few more days, I think…”
“I know.” He tried to meet my gaze. “I didn’t think they’d have you auditioning so soon. I guess I didn’t realize they were having the auditions so quickly. I thought you’d have more time.” He shook his hea
d. “It doesn’t matter, sweetheart. If you want, we’ll look for a different school. It doesn’t have to be San Francisco. There are any number of schools that would be thrilled to have you. I’ll make some calls this week.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want you to do that. I mean, I appreciate that you did it and everything, but I want to do it for myself. If I decide to do it, you know?”
His shoulders dropped. “I do know. It’s hard to let go. I just want to do what’s best for you. Sometimes I forget that you’re all grown up.”
I let out a sound through my nose, turning my gaze to the window behind him. “Hmph.”
His lips tugged into a smile. “I know. The thing with Will Howard. We didn’t think that through very well. It was an impulsive decision. A bad one. Krystal warned me…”
I held up my hand. I didn’t need to hear it. “I know. Don’t worry about it.”
He nodded, taking another sip from his coffee before continuing. “I actually need to talk to you about that, too, Jenna. There’s something I need to tell you before you hear it from someone else.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. I picked at my thumb nail and watched as my father picked imaginary lint from his pant leg.
His gaze remained firmly in his coffee mug, still sitting on the table in front of him. “I’m sure you’ve read things over the years, things about your mother and I.”
I bit at my bottom lip. I had no idea what he was talking about, but it didn’t sound like anything I wanted to know about, either.
“About a marriage of convenience.” He lifted his gaze to meet mine. “I’m not saying I don’t care about your mother. I do.”
I nodded, sucking my bottom lip farther into my mouth, trying to keep it from quivering.
“I’ve done things that are going to come to light very shortly.” He gulped at what I could only assume was a knot in his throat. “I haven’t been faithful to your mother.”
My stomach twisted into a knot. It wasn’t like this was surprising news, but it was a huge surprise that I was hearing it from him.
