Titan’s opinion was the setup on the window was a complete middle finger to the congressman. Jared’s language had been more colorful, and Asher liked the guy more and more. But what he didn’t like was a confirmation that Maxwell Bowie knew what he was doing and wanted to show off. He had set up several explosives and charges but hadn’t armed a single one. It was strictly a look-at-what-could-have-happened move.
The bomb squad confirmed everything that Jared had figured out over the phone, and damn if Asher wasn’t impressed. They took the phone Maxwell had given her into evidence. Jenny said she would finagle a new one and call him back after talking to Sugar.
He used that quick minute to make arrangements for a private charter to DC. He would have Jenny in his arms tonight, no matter what he had to do.
His phone rang again. Again, he didn’t know the number but knew it was her. “I’ll be there in a few hours.”
“Awesome.” She sounded exhausted. “But there’s a hundred people in my living room.”
“Then I’ll make one hundred and one.”
“I wasn’t saying I didn’t want you to come over.”
He could hear her smile, and it warmed his heart. “Get some sleep, sweetheart.”
A heavy pause hung on the line. “Ash?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad you’re coming here.”
He nodded. “Nothing could keep me away.”
Silence still hung on the phone. He didn’t want to hang up. It killed him to be so far away.
“Ash?”
His chest ached, and he wanted to hold her. Kiss her. Make everything better. “We’ve had a crazy couple of days. Whatever’s on your mind, you can say it now, say it later. Just know I’m coming for you. I’ve known you most my life, sweetheart, and I’m an ass that it’s taken me this long to figure it out: I need you. I crave you. You’re a requirement to function. Take that for what it’s worth, and I’ll wake you up when I get there.”
“I—”
“I will see you soon enough. Sleep tight.” Whatever was on her mind could be said to his face.
***
The sunshine shone through her windows when Jenny woke. She smiled. Asher was under the covers and had cradled her into the crook of his arm. How could she not have awakened when he arrived? When he’d taken off his shirt and slipped under the covers?
She smiled even bigger. And how was it possible that Asher McIntyre was asleep past the break of dawn? Maybe she was rubbing off on him.
Her hand drew lazy circles under the blanket and over his stomach. “Good morning.”
He shifted and tightened his arm over her shoulder. “Careful. That’s a dangerous way to wake a man.”
She giggled and flattened her palm, sliding to the waistband of his boxers. “What? Saying good morning seems harmless enough.”
He covered her roving hand and moved it over him. “Your pleasantries weren’t what I was talking about.”
Asher’s mind might have been waking up, but the rest of him was raring to go. He hooked his other arm over her back and brought her to lie on him, legs straddling him. Jenny rested her cheek on his chest, and his lips pressed to the top of her head.
“I was scared I lost you, sweetheart.” He kissed the top of her head again then flipped them over. His jawline had a rough shadow, and his perfect hair was messy. Asher’s gaze burned through her until he broke and kissed her tenderly. “Lots of things have been put in perspective now.”
“Like?” Her throat ached from saying one simple word. There was so much that could be hanging on that question.
“You.”
“Oh.” She bit her lip, unsure what to say. “Meaning?”
“It means…” His forehead dipped against hers. “It means I’ve always cared about you. Always wondered how you’d taste and what would make you scream.” He kissed her lips. “I never let myself wonder…”
Her heart raced. “About?”
“Anything but me. Selfish politician, huh?” He chuckled softly. “But now I’m wondering what you want. If you want me. If you want to make love.”
She nodded as her world spun. He could love her in any way, and it would be amazing.
Asher kissed her, deeper and longer. His tongue probed her mouth, but then he softened the intensity. His eyes blazed. “I need to know if you have that same ache that’s been plaguing me.”
“For far too long.” Her heart banged in her chest, and she slipped off her panties. His boxer-covered erection flexed against her mound.
“God, I need you, Jenny. Need.”
“You do?” Jenny snagged his boxers and pushed them over his bottom, and he took care of them the rest of the way down. The thick emotional tension that hung on their words made it hard to breathe, even as it cocooned them together. She needed him too, in more ways than she could describe.
“My head, my heart, they’re both saying the same thing. I love you, sweetheart, and I have for a long time from a distance.”
Her heart sang. Fireworks exploded in her mind. It was everything she’d ever wanted to hear, and their lips met. A touch. A kiss. A confirmation. “I love you too. Have since I probably shouldn’t have.”
“There’s nothing more I want to do”—he reached for his wallet, removed a condom, and sheathed himself—“than hear you say that again.”
Asher pressed against her sex, and her eyes closed. “I love you.”
He inched in then out. Kissing her. Holding her. Jenny wrapped arms and legs around him and let him work them both together. He was thick. Forceful, but still taking his time.
Asher explored her mouth. His hands caressed her curves. They moved as one. Breaths interchanged, interweaved. His heart beat against her breasts. His scratchy cheek rasped her neck, and hot breaths crawled across her skin.
Perfect pressure and precision. Wrapped into his embrace, she’d given herself over to him completely. He owned her body, even if he didn’t know it. But he did know she loved him, that he loved her. That magnitude hit with each stroke and drive. His words burned into her memory. She could recall them forever; that she knew.
Jenny caught his mouth, bit his lip, and a tornado of bliss swept her into a frenzy. Her muscles clenched; a climax so deep and emotional wracked through her. Her sex spasmed, and her hopes exploded.
“I love you.” She moaned while she came. She cried his name, and he stole her breath, finishing with her. Asher collapsed over her, and they lay, spent, connected, together on so many levels.
Drifting to sleep, he said it again. “I love you too.”
CHAPTER NINE
Six weeks later
The lights and the crowd were enough to make Asher hot under the collar. As were the impending election results. He’d gone into Election Day knowing that polling and nightly tracking were on his side. But, despite what his consultants said, there was always the chance that voters wouldn’t behave as they should. Asher didn’t trust that he was a shoo-in.
He didn’t trust anything today. Today was Maxwell’s deadline, and Asher hadn’t heard a thing from the man since Jenny had been abducted and released. Even if he had, he wouldn’t negotiate through threats, and he had no control over the highway expansion or government’s claim of eminent domain that had seized the Bowie Estate.
The FBI hadn’t found any sign of Maxwell. The silence ate at his nerves, and he tried to trust in his resources. Titan had focused on Jenny. She’d been under constant surveillance. They handled her transportation between Washington and New York and oversaw security for Tassels and Tangos.
Jenny was flustered by Titan’s attention, even if they blended into the background. She was also amazed by the response from her new fans. Life had changed quickly with the massive success of Tassels and Tangos—fan mail, phone calls for interviews, and an agent who returned her e-mails—but Jenny hadn’t changed at all.
Asher looked at her talking to a woman outside a polling location. Jenny gave the woman’s kid a McIntyre for Senate balloon an
d sticker, and the little kid squealed. Asher knew Titan had eyes on her as well, but he was hesitant every time Jenny stopped to talk to someone. It was only a matter of time before Maxwell struck.
Once they made it through the day, he had a big surprise for her, and he couldn’t wait.
Jenny waved to the kid and walked over, taking Asher’s hand. “Ready to go? Polls close in five minutes, and that was the last stop before we head to your party.” She swung his hand and smiled brightly. “Come on. Don’t be so serious. Everything is fine.”
She was confident in his win and had ignored the looming threat. She had gone on and on about not wanting to bring him down on his big day.
Elections results aren’t my concern. You are. Asher looked around and didn’t see the undercover security detail, only Murphy, who had been traveling with them on each campaign stop.
“Let’s do this.” He nodded, and Murphy moved toward their waiting vehicle.
With a quick wave to reporters who were manning the precinct location, he got into the back seat with Jenny and gave her a kiss.
They rode to the hotel in silence. His campaign team had their war room set up in one of the suites. He’d been in elections enough to know what it looked like. A mobile command center. Interns and staff. Several computer monitors set up on desks and makeshift tables. His campaign manager and consultants geared up for precinct-level data to float in. His press team had charged cell phones and laptops ready with pre-written press releases.
They arrived at the back entrance and took the stairs to the campaign’s suite. Downstairs in a ballroom was a crowd of volunteers, voters, and reporters. There was probably music blasting and an open bar. A few large screens showing the live feed from news stations. Normally, all this would psych him up, but Asher wanted nothing to do with crowds. Nothing to do with anything that might endanger Jenny.
His campaign consultant smiled and gave a big thumbs-up. “Early numbers are in. You killed in the swing counties. Locked up your voters. I give it two minutes tops before the AP calls it for you.”
Asher nodded, and his phone rang. The shrill sound made his stomach drop. He could feel the blood rush out of his face. He pulled his phone out and didn’t know the number.
“McIntyre.”
“Congratulations, Senator McIntyre.” The voice was familiar and welcome. His opponent.
Asher cleared his throat and tried to wipe away the panic that had quickly gurgled up. “Thank you for a hard-fought race.” They made the necessary small talk, but he watched Jenny. She was itching to get out of the suite and join the party.
He ended the call. The press team was already notifying reporters that his opponent had called to concede. Breaking news flashed across several television screens—McIntyre Wins New York’s Senate Seat.
The room erupted into applause and congratulations. A video monitor of the victory party in the ballroom showed the same thing.
He turned to Murphy. “Walk me through the security again.”
“We’ve swept the room. Everyone’s passed through metal detectors. Titan is in the ballroom. We’ve got eyes on the reporters, hotel staff, and crowd.”
“Maxwell is here. I know he is.”
“Might be, Senator.”
Asher gave Murphy a look. Only within the last week had the agent been convinced to stop calling Asher “Congressman.”
He turned to Jenny. “I want you on stage with me.” Out of arm’s reach wasn’t acceptable.
Her jaw dropped. “That’s like a family and staff thing.”
His family couldn’t make it. Molly was working election night in Washington, and his parents both had the flu and had called him obsessively all day. Besides, Jenny was family. That was a conversation he would bring up soon. Until then, a simple explanation would have to suffice. “I need you by my side.”
She beamed. “Let’s do this!”
***
Asher’s paranoid mood frazzled Jenny’s nerves, but she had no intention of showing that reaction. She’d decided early on, it was better to be all smiles and support than it was to feed into the tension. They both knew Maxwell would make an appearance. Titan knew it. The FBI knew it.
She tugged at her shirt and felt like she’d been Velcroed into a straight jacket. Both the FBI and Titan insisted that both she and Asher wear Kevlar vests. There was no sugarcoating their concerns after that request had been made mandatory. None of the men appreciated the challenges of finding a shirt and jacket that worked while wearing a bulletproof vest. Not that looks were an issue. Staying alive was the obvious goal. But still, a little more notice would have been helpful.
Asher took her hand as they walked into the ballroom, and her stomach fluttered. The room erupted in cheers. The music blasted. Cameras jumped in their faces. She grinned until her cheeks hurt and watched Asher, the picture of cool under pressure.
A million butterflies spun circles in her stomach while her hand went clammy in his grip.
“Doing okay, sweetheart?”
“Of course.” That might have been the first lie she’d ever told him. She went on tiptoes to his ear and whispered, “Just more attention than I’m used to.”
Their relationship wasn’t a secret. Reporters loved the up-and-coming-actress-tames-playboy-politician storyline.
“Get used to it. They’re all here for you. I’m just the story they have to report on.” He tugged her close. “I love you.”
They made their way to the big donors. Asher said his spiel to each of them, shaking hands and exchanging hugs. People she didn’t know squeezed her shoulder and offered her congratulations. I wasn’t the one who did anything.
He nodded out of a conversation and put his arm around her waist. “You’re going to do great.”
“And I once had a performance review that said I couldn’t smile and walk at the same time. Look at me go.”
Asher laughed and kissed her. The crowd clapped and cheered. Photographers’ cameras popped. The bright flashes were blinding. She blinked, trying to keep her bearings. So many people, and the room was so warm. They all crushed against her and Asher. She hung on to his hand, letting him lead her.
Jenny tried to look for Maxwell. Tried to pinpoint Titan and the FBI. She failed all around. Faces closed in on her from every direction. Well wishes were shouted at Asher. He climbed a flight of stairs, bringing her along in hand. At the top of the platform, the music changed again. The screens behind him spun red, white, and blue graphics. Spotlights began to gyrate as the lights went down.
The FBI had told her what would happen. But knowing and experiencing were two different things. She’d been onstage hundreds of times. But this was different. This was different from even the rallies and campaign stops they’d made leading up to election night. This was political pandemonium, and she’d always been a vaguely interested participant who supported the McIntyre family. She’d never been under this kind of limelight.
Asher raised their joined arms, and the room exploded in applause. He took a step back, giving her a nod and a grin before he pulled her into another kiss. The lip lock quieted the room, until he pulled back, and there was everyone else, louder than before.
With his arm around her, he gave her a hug and whispered, “You’re amazing. A pro. Soon as the speech is done, we’re out of here.”
She nodded. Smiled. Stepped to the side like she had been instructed to, so he could take the podium in front of the teleprompter. Asher was an orator. He didn’t need the screens to tell him what to say, but over the weeks, she’d realized he used them to stay on track.
“Thank you, New York State.” Cheers and applause thundered. Lights flashed. “I couldn’t have done this without you. The volunteers and voters who made this night happen…”
Jenny watched as he moved through the rehearsed words. She’d memorized it too. Knew when people would laugh. Expected when the crowd would nod. It was almost over. She and Asher stood on a stage, sitting like targets for Maxwell. But nothing.
Asher delivered his final line, and it was a home run, as she’d known it would be. The crowd began to chant. The balloons fell. Hundreds. Maybe thousands of patriotic-colored balloons fell from the ceiling. Silver, shimmering confetti mixed in. The lights blinked and flashed a spectacular light show.
She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t see. And Asher was on her arm again, leading her through the crowd.
Congratulations and shouts of support began all over again. The crowd overwhelmed her. People stepped on her shoes. Clapped on her back. Said things to her like they were old friends. And then the familiar face of Maxwell Bowie was inches from her nose. Smiling. Clapping. Reaching for her.
“Asher!”
He faced the other direction, still holding on to her hand. Her grip tightened, and her nails dug into his flesh. Everything turned to slow motion. Her words became heavy and slow. Asher turned, like in the movies, but her hand fell away. Hard hands took her elbows, and she was off her feet and moving away from Asher. Away from Maxwell.
“Move. Move. Move.” The voice bellowed from behind her.
Rocco. Titan.
“Asher!” Why had Rocco pulled them apart?
A collective gasp rolled behind her. Chaos and confusion bubbled. She tried to turn her head and see what was happening. The overhead lights turned on. And the music stopped. She could hear people rushing out of the room. What the hell was happening?
As Rocco rounded a corner, she could see several men piled together, as if they’d been tackling Maxwell or protecting Asher. Or guarding him? Had he been hurt? What had Maxwell done?
Jenny thrashed in Rocco’s arms. “Let me go! Where’s Ash?”
They entered a hallway behind the stage, and he carried her to a back room. Finally, he put her down, and she turned, ready to scream. Rocco’s face had blood on it. His shoulder. His hands.
“Christ,” he growled, scrutinizing his arm, then flicked his wrist to his mouth. “Tassels is secure.” Blood poured down his arm, and he dropped it.
She’d only heard them reference her codename once. But the ridiculousness of it paled in comparison to Rocco’s arm wound. “You need help. Tell them you’re hurt.”
Chased - A Titan Novella (Titan (Novella)) Page 7
