“Why do you care if China knows you watch Days of Our Lives?”
Because she’d mock the hell out of me. “Because I don’t want her lusting over the same chicks on the show as I do.”
He rolled his eyes. “You got something against gay people?”
“What? My mother freaking led the crusade for gay marriage! You’re the one who should answer that question—not me.”
“And why’s that?” A huge neck muscle bulged over his collar, and I hoped he wouldn’t stroke out on me.
“You tell me, Semper Fi.”
Brad studied me for a moment and finally said, “China’s my partner now. Therefore, she’s cool. I don’t care about her personal life.” He cleared his throat. “Your personal life, however, is my concern. And I got some news about that.”
“News?” I got the niggling sense something bad was about to go down. Maybe it was Brad’s uncharacteristic fidgeting. But before he had the chance to lay it on me, a buzzing sound filled the room. Somebody at the security gate.
“The news has arrived.” Brad shuffled from one foot to the other, and I heard China’s voice from the hallway, likely speaking to the arriving guest over the intercom. She sounded eerily friendly.
I stood and felt my shoulders tense. “China let the media in?”
“Nope. Listen, Dane, this may take some getting used to, but it was the only place they could find for her—”
The Chipotle burrito I’d just scarfed down for dinner turned to a brick in my gut as I realized who the mystery guest was. “No.” My face got hot. “No!” I raced past him to the foyer and saw China head for the front door. Though I didn’t want confirmation of my fears, my eyes flew to the bank of video monitors on the wall and got it anyway. Pulling up to the entrance of the house were two SUVs with Secret Service written all over them. “Nooo!” My pathetic cry echoed in the empty hallway.
Brad’s bulky body came up behind me. “Breathe, Dane.”
“You fucking breathe!” I whirled and glared at him. “You’re telling me in a city of over two million people they couldn’t find another house—”
“Here we are.” I heard China reenter and wheeled back around to see the blond curly-haired agent also come in, followed by Hitler’s Spawn: Ramirez. Lucia took one look at me and froze in the doorway.
Good. She can see how pissed off I am. “No can do, Ramirez—we don’t want any. Just turn around. You aren’t staying here. Find your own damn house.”
“Mr. Monroe.” China’s sharp tone cut into me. “Ms. Ramirez is staying here. Get used to it.”
The male agent came up behind Lucia, and she squeaked when he nudged her forward. “Go on in, Lucia,” he said, and she moved a step inside without taking her big eyes off mine.
“My grandfather pays for this place!” I yelled once the door had closed.
“The government pays for this place,” China corrected. “They’re footing the cost due to the special security requirements.”
My heart pounded as I searched for another reason this wouldn’t work. “There’s not enough room for everyone.”
China’s mouth tightened. “There are six bedrooms in this palace. More than enough space.”
“Six bedrooms?” Lucia’s eyes lit up, and she didn’t look quite so miserable anymore. “This has to be better than the dorms.”
“It used to be better the dorms, that’s for sure,” I shot back. My eyes drifted down to her neon-green T-shirt, which had volleyballs replacing the “o” letters in:
You Just Got Served.
Fucking A I did. And I wanted to spike the serve back in her face.
“Mr. Monroe,” the blond agent said as she stuck out her hand. “I’m Allison Largent.”
Though I didn’t want to, I shook her hand. My mother had raised me to be a gentleman.
“And that’s Frank Vanderberg,” Allison continued, tilting her head over her shoulder in the older agent’s direction. Frank stayed planted behind Lucia, so we merely nodded at each other. “I know this isn’t what you were expecting, and I’m so sorry to barge in here unannounced.”
She actually did look somewhat contrite, and I tried to relax a little. Mom always told me I got scary intense when I was angry.
“But we’ve been all over town, and there literally isn’t one place with our protection specifications near the university. You know the crime statistics for off-campus housing, right? And when China told me how much space this house has…”
At that point I didn’t care how intense my death stare was—China would get the full brunt of it. As expected, she didn’t flinch. Instead, she stared right back at me with such heat that eventually I looked away. Damn it! I hated when she bested me like that.
I swallowed and retracted my shoulders. “This house belongs to my mother’s friend, Dr. James Thompson. He’s on leave from the university, working for the Department of Energy.” I tried to steady my voice. “The government may be paying the rent, but my mother set this whole thing up. And she wouldn’t want a Ramirez under this roof, I can guarantee it.”
“Then you don’t know your mother very well,” China said. “Senator Monroe has already approved of Ms. Ramirez staying here.”
Her self-righteous smile made my heart stop. How the fuck did that happen? I glanced at Lucia, and she seemed just as surprised as me. I tried to make sense of this clusterfuck. “Why would she do that without talking to me first?”
China shrugged. “She has her reasons—call her yourself.”
You bet I will.
“So my dad’s okay with this?” Lucia asked.
I watched Allison exchange a glance with China before she said, “We haven’t been able to reach Governor Ramirez’s team yet. There must be problems with the comm system on his jet.” When Lucia took a step back, Allison added, “But I’m sure he’d want you in a secure location. And the hotel wasn’t it.”
Lucia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, which drew my attention to the fact that her hair was free of its tight braid. The way her thick, black waves curled over her shoulders looked really pretty, actually. And her T-shirt hugged her curves just right. Holy crap—was that a nipple faintly visible under her sports bra?
“I…don’t think this is a good idea,” she said as she retreated another step and almost backed into Frank. She wouldn’t look at me. “Dane obviously doesn’t want me here, and my dad probably won’t go for it, anyway. Maybe we should go back to the hotel until we find another place.”
It seemed Allison was about to speak, but I beat her to it. “I see how it is.” I waited for Lucia to meet my eyes, which took a while. How could a girl so tall and strong appear so skittish? “You always do everything Daddy tells you to.” I snapped my fingers. “You’re like his bitch.”
Her mouth popped open as she drew in a sharp breath. Her cheeks colored and her eyes flared. “Ohh!” she cried. “I can’t believe you said that.” In a flash, her indignant reaction ignited some hot stirrings down below. It felt warm. It felt good. And I knew I wanted more of that, so I kept going.
“He rules your family like he wants to rule the country, huh? Mr. Iron Fist. Change this democracy into a dictatorship, Adolf-Hitler-style. Outlaw gay marriage, outlaw abortion, defund Social Security—”
“You know nothing about my father!” She had advanced with impressive speed and now stood right in front of me. A light, floral scent wafted off her hair, which I could see was still a bit wet, and the smell intoxicated me. Good thing I wore baggy shorts. “He knows what’s best for me, and he knows what’s best for the country.”
I snorted. “Is throwing millions of Americans off food stamps best for the country?”
“Yes, it is!” She actually said that? “There are some people who legitimately need government assistance, of course, but for those who can work, they don’t need food stamps. They need jobs!”
“Then why did his company just lay off so many workers?” Adolfo Ramirez had started an engineering firm that exploded when th
ey’d perfected a new technique for extracting oil from underground. But its stock value had fallen recently, as reported in the news.
When her eyes blazed, I knew I’d hit a soft spot, and that knowledge made me push even harder. “Because of the Democrats’ regulations forbidding drilling on US soil! Don’t you understand we have enough American oil to fuel our economy for the next hundred years?” That can’t be right. She sure seemed confident in her delivery, though. When she started speaking again, I honed in on her glossy, plump lips. “We’d stop our dependency on the Middle East if they’d just let us drill.”
Let us drill, I chanted silently, still studying those lips. Let me drill!
“Are you even listening to me?”
My mouth stretched in a gargantuan yawn. “Sorry, were you saying something?” I looked over my shoulder in the direction of the TV room. “Did someone leave Fox News on? I think Adolf’s spouting off another campaign speech.”
Lucia’s eyes narrowed.
“Just go ask Daddy if it’s okay to live here.” I jammed my hands into the pockets of my shorts and rocked back on my feet. “I’ll wait.”
“Don’t say another word about my father,” she fumed.
Damn, she was mad! And so cute, all worked up like that. I’d never derived so much satisfaction from riling someone up like this before.
“Dane,” China barked, and I looked over. I’d almost forgotten she was there. The other three agents frowned at me. “You’re not being a considerate host.”
“I never asked to be a host!”
The Frank dude stepped out from behind Lucia. “That’s no way to treat a lady, Mr. Monroe. You’re hurting Ms. Ramirez’s feelings.”
“Better call the waahmbulance then.” I glanced at Lucia to see if that comment produced the desired reaction, but she stared down at her running shoes now, looking more defeated than angry.
Frank’s pale face reddened. “Listen, young man, I don’t care who your mother is—you need to learn some manners!”
“Senator Monroe will be your boss in a few months, Agent. You don’t tell me what to do.”
Brad tugged my elbow. “Dane, buddy. How ’bout you go call your mom?”
“No. I don’t want to speak to her—this is her fault.” I shrugged him off.
Frank shot me the evil eye while Allison and China surrounded Lucia, murmuring soothing words to her. This is bullshit. I was the one getting my home crashed, and she was being consoled by three fucking agents?
“C’mon, Dane. See why Senator Monroe agreed to this. Give her a call. She must have her reasons.”
Brad’s suggestion did sound somewhat reasonable. And when China reached down to pick up the gym bag Frank had carried in, I knew I couldn’t stand here and watch Lucia move in and invade my space. “Fine,” I said through clenched teeth and went to my bedroom. When I arrived, it took all my restraint not to slam the door shut.
I had Mom’s campaign manager, Steve, dialed up in seconds, and I paced my room while waiting for the call to connect. “I need to talk to my mother,” I told him.
“She’s autographing photos,” he replied.
“I don’t fucking care, Steve. Get her on the phone.”
He sighed like the little bitch he was, but soon my mom’s voice came on the line. “How are you, Apple Danish?” I hated that fake lilt to her voice that crept in when campaign appearances flooded her schedule.
“I seriously hope no one overheard you call me that.”
“Just Steve, dear.”
I took a deep breath. “Why’d you allow a Ramirez live with me?”
“Oh.” She exhaled. “She already arrived, then?”
“Yes, she arrived. Thanks for the advance notice, by the way. And don’t evade the question.”
“I know this is a surprise for you—I was shocked when her security team contacted me.” Her voice now sounded more natural, thankfully. “But, Dane, when I started thinking about it, this girl has been through hell. She was all set to attend the University of Texas when a scandal hit—”
“What scandal?” I stopped pacing.
“That’s really not important, honey.”
Grr. My mother undoubtedly knew exactly what had happened at Texas but wouldn’t share it with me. The woman was a crypt-keeper of secrets. When I was a kid, she wouldn’t talk about the psychotherapy clients she saw out of her office in our home. Since she’d become senator eleven years ago, her secrets had expanded to include matters of national security—though the reason Lucia had bailed from UT probably had nothing to do with America’s safety.
“What is important,” she droned on, “is that we help that poor girl. Her agents told us she literally has nowhere to live that’s safe, and my heart went out to her, knowing you’re in James’s huge house, all alone…”
The creepy lilt was back, and I knew my mother wasn’t telling me the whole story. She hadn’t given the thumbs up just out of the goodness of her heart. “So you agreed to this inane plan simply to help out Lucia?”
“Exactly, honey.”
“Mom, did you ever think to ask if this was okay with me?”
She paused. “You’re angry I didn’t consult with you first.”
“Damn right I am!”
Another pause, then, “I’m sorry. You’re right. I should’ve asked your opinion first, of course. I’ve just been so busy with the campaign, and Secret Service called me right before a CNN interview, and I just wanted to help…”
Now I felt like a heel. My mother was vying to become leader of the free world and here I was bitching about my new roommate. My new…sexy…roommate. Gah! She wasn’t that attractive, was she? Probably any guy my age would salivate to have a girl like her live with him. But her father’s politics drove me nuts. He was such a tool.
“Would you like me to call this off?” Mom asked. “I mean, I don’t know where Lucia will stay, and I know you want to do the kind, caring thing, but if it makes you uncomfortable…”
“It’s fine,” I managed to say through the guilt tightening my throat. I’d have to deal with the tool’s daughter for a while longer. “I’ll just avoid her.”
“Oh, really?” Her voice elevated on the last syllable, and became breathier. “Thank you so much, dear. I knew you’d make the right choice.”
Yuck. Plastic Mom had returned. “I gotta go.”
“Bye bye, sweetie!”
When I tossed my phone to the bed, I heard soft murmurs through the wall behind my headboard. I grimaced as my finger traced a jagged line on the light green wallpaper—naturally China had given Lucia the room next to mine. I heard the scrape of furniture on the floor and scowled. The home invasion had begun.
Remnants of my burrito clumped once again like a rock in my belly. I often felt uneasy after conversations with my mother—almost like she’d played me or something. Too bad I didn’t know the rules of the game. Technically I’d just agreed to this living arrangement, but it still didn’t feel right. Class, practice, and dodging the media kicked my ass, and I wanted to feel safe and easy in my home. I just wanted to relax.
My palm smacked the wall. How the hell would I relax with Satan’s spawn taking up residence right next door?
Chapter 5
I’M SO STUPID. Tears welled up, and I was too tired to fight them. I just let my weakness seep out the corners of my eyes and onto the pillow. One hand wiped away a dribble of snot leaking from my nose while the other clutched the sheets.
When I found out Allison and Frank had picked Dane’s house for my new living quarters, a spark of excitement had bloomed up my spine. Sure, Dane had been belligerent earlier today at practice, but I thought he’d lighten up once he got to know me…once he discovered the good volleyball player I was…once I was able to speak like a normal person in his presence…As soon as he saw past our political differences, I hoped he might eventually start treating me like I wasn’t some Republican leper. But the way he’d just looked at me—the way he’d talked about my dad…It was cl
ear: He hates me.
The thought made me cry harder, and now that we were practically bunkmates, I had to stifle a sob to make sure he wouldn’t overhear and know he’d gotten to me. I wished his opinion didn’t matter so much. I wished I didn’t care that I repulsed him.
But ever since I’d seen Dane on TV a year ago, I’d been infatuated. His mother had spoken at a Highbanks rally, and she’d invited him and his little sister up on stage at the end of her speech. Tall, fit, and tan, his blond hair shining in the stage lights, he’d grinned and waved to the crowd. “I love this state so much my son Dane is a scholarship volleyball player here!” Senator Monroe had crowed. I’d leaned closer to the TV and felt my heart flutter. That Adonis plays my sport? He couldn’t have been more perfect, and I’d devoured media coverage of him ever since.
Now that I’d met him in person, my dream of being his girl had shattered.
Boxes and gym bags littered the thick carpet of the bedroom, and I knew I should get up to unpack. When Allison and China had offered to help me set up my room, I’d waved them off, citing fatigue. But really, I’d known I was seconds from a meltdown, and I couldn’t let them see me cry.
When a growl gurgled in my stomach, I realized I hadn’t eaten dinner yet. More tears fell—I had no clue where the kitchen was in this place. And it wasn’t like Dane would graciously give me the grand tour. Not to mention I wanted to avoid having him see me eat. He probably already thought I ate like a pig, given my size.
With a sigh, I covered my eyes with my forearm. I was even too tired to dig out my mp3 player and listen to some Neil Diamond. It wasn’t quite eight p.m., but maybe I should crash early and put this awful first day at Highbanks behind me. At least I knew the next day couldn’t get any worse.
Or so I thought. The next morning, I felt chilled sitting in Coach Holter’s air-conditioned office in my sweaty uniform. Or maybe it was his frosty stare.
“That was a solid practice, Lucia.”
Not what I’d expected him to say, and I let out a breath. “Thanks.”
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