Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“Well, we’ll see about that,” Elian said, finished with the knots, and wrapping both arms around my chest instead.
“I can’t ask you to try to fix this for me.”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering. I can’t make promises, but I am going to look into it,” he told me, leaning down to press a kiss to my head. “I don’t want you to go anywhere.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Elian
“Seeing this?” Serano asked, standing in front of the TV in the living room the next morning, drinking some of Elizabeth’s coffee that I imagined he wouldn’t admit—even under torture—that he enjoyed.
She’d still been out cold when I’d come out to start making breakfast, but I figured her internal clock would have her getting up at any moment, so I started to make another cookie batter latte for her.
“What is it?” I asked, glancing over, but only able to make out the face of a female news anchor with her too-perfectly coiffed hair, making it bounce in one big unit as she nodded seriously.
“Senator woke up,” he said.
Almost as if on cue, Elizabeth’s phone started to ring. Going to voicemail. Then starting up again.
I walked over, toggling down the volume switch.
She didn’t need to deal with work stress because the asshole who’d almost gotten her killed multiple times now wanted to hold a goddamn press conference from his hospital bed.
“Good. Then she won’t feel guilty turning his ass in,” I said, shrugging, as I flipped the pancakes to reveal their golden sides. “Turn that off when you’re done. I don’t want that to be the first thing she sees.”
“Yeah, might kill the mood,” Serano said, clicking the TV off to shoot me a smirk, “if you’re planning on a round two this morning.”
“Don’t,” I said, tone a warning.
“Not my fault she’s not quiet. Shoulda told me that earplugs might be something I’d want to protect her privacy,” he said, bringing his empty plate back to the kitchen to set in the sink with his coffee. “You seem happy, though,” he said, looking at me.
“I am,” I said, nodding. “I’m glad she doesn’t have to go back there anymore.”
“Not what I meant.”
“No,” I agreed. “It wasn’t really what I meant either.”
With that, Serano turned and walked back out of the apartment.
I was just plating the last of the pancakes when I heard Elizabeth’s sweet voice cooing at Kevin who’d been in my room waiting for her to wake up.
“Come on, buddy, I think I smell coffee,” she said.
She appeared wearing nothing but one of my shirts. I swear to fuck, I’d never seen a better sight in my whole sorry life.
“Morning,” she said, coming up to me as I held out her latte.
“Morning,” I said, sweeping a quick kiss across her cheek.
“You made pancakes,” she said, sliding onto one of the chairs at the island.
“Pancakes and some egg scramble with bacon, cheese, and pepper.”
Reaching for it, she grabbed her plate and held it out at me with big, pleading eyes.
I loaded up her plate, trying not to let my mind wander to how she had a similar look on her face as she begged for my cock the night before.
“How’d you sleep?” I asked.
“Like the dead,” she admitted, telling the truth. She hadn’t even stirred when I’d slid out from under her and climbed out of the bed. She’d clearly needed that rest after all the stress. First of the campaign itself, then of the constant fear of assassination attempts.
“Any word on the senator?” she asked, pushing her pancakes into a pool of syrup, body going tense just at the thought of that asshole.
“He’s awake,” I told her, watching her head shoot up. “And, judging by how your phone has been ringing, I assume he wants to do some sort of statement or conference.”
Sucking in a deep breath, she nodded. “Yeah, it would be just like him to want to strike while the iron is hot to push his campaign. I’m glad he’s alive,” she said.
“But?” I prompted, hearing it hanging silently in the air.
“But I decided to turn the recording over. I just want to make a few copies of it. I figure if I give it to the press as well, it will force the police to investigate. That way, hopefully, the wheels will really start turning.”
“What about work?” I asked.
“I’m done, obviously. I will draft a resignation letter and send it out to everyone still working on the campaign. I imagine they will all be out of work once the news leaks the recording, though, so no one will care anyway. I’m sure the senator will hire some crisis management team in the hopes that he can keep his position at least until whatever charges he might face.”
“You really think he believes he can still win?”
“He’s had a ton of scandals over the years. Some, people like me managed to sweep under the rug. Others, they got out there. And he still has his seat. I think the world is so crazy lately that people’s memory is really short and their ‘give a damn’ is in short supply.”