Politically Incorrect (19 page)

Liam pulled back, taking me with him. He settled me on my feet. “Thank you again for the lovely night. Get some rest. You’re going to need it.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he turned on his heel and walked away. As he disappeared, I dropped back into my seat and let out an exasperated growl. Every hair on my body stood on end, and had Aaron not been sleeping in the same room as Liam, I might’ve thrown caution to the wind. It’d been too long since I’d had a good, thorough fucking.

Wait?

Liam said he didn’t fuck around.

Dammit! That meant no real sexy time for me.

Unless…Liam had real feelings for me.

Nah. That wasn’t possible. He didn’t know me well enough. And if he did know me, he’d more than likely run for the hills for fear of waking the next morning missing a testicle.

This was too complicated and my headache had returned in full force.

I dropped my head in my hands and sighed.

What have I done? What. Have. I. Done?

That kiss. That stupid kiss.

More like two kisses. But who’s counting?

Apparently, I was.

For days I’d wrestled with the meaning behind that kiss, and for all my postulating, I remained as vexed as I had when it first occurred.

Why?

Well, for starters we were never alone long enough to discuss anything but the campaign. When I tried to pull him away, someone would pop around the corner, preventing all personal conversation. To make matters worse, Liam took to dropping little innuendos of our shared moment, knowing I wanted to discuss it and couldn’t. His touches became more intimate, his voice softer and oozing with allure. He was driving me insane, to the point I did what any self-preserving woman would do in my situation. I started keeping score again.

In all fairness, I adjusted the score for my momentary lapse of record keeping, but I tried to be honest, utilizing what my memory could conjure. By my count the score was now: Elizabeth 32 - Liam 37.

Yeah, the little shit was up by five, but I blamed that on the kiss. That kiss alone was worth at least two points. More like a touchdown, but I wasn’t going to be generous enough to give him that many points. Especially since teasing me had become his new favorite pastime.

Lucky for me, we were now in Dallas and momentarily off that damn bus.

Outside Liam’s hotel room, I took in a deep breath before knocking on the door. Our schedule was tight for the day, and I needed my game face on. I squeezed my shoulders, cracked my neck, and donned my best smile.

The door flew open, revealing a statuesque Aaron, dressed in a well-tailored suit with his jacket unbuttoned. “‘Bout time you got here.”

“It’s not like you didn’t know how to reach me,” I smarted off, adding a smack on his chest for good measure. I stepped inside and nearly jumped at the sound of the door closing behind me. It felt odd being in Liam’s room. Almost intimate. Way too intimate.

“Kinda jumpy today, aren’t ya?”

“Shut it, Baxter,” I muttered.

The penthouse was elegance at its best. Modern yet classic, the room housed a sense of prestige becoming of a US Representative. Wall to wall windows presented a magnificent view of Dallas in all its splendor. Hardwood floors, plush furniture with a television any man would kill for, and a lavish kitchen completed the temporary abode. My suite, while beautiful, didn’t hold a candle to such grandeur.

“Scout’s in the living room with Liam working on last minute preps.”

“Good. Good.” I flattened one hand over my skirt while wringing my other around my briefcase handle. I was nervous. Very nervous. Today was monumental for our campaign. It was what we’d been working toward on this trip, and instead of thinking about what needed to be accomplished, all I thought about was feeling Liam’s mouth pressed hard against mine.

“Kristin’s also in there.”

That stopped me dead in my tracks. Kristin. I’d forgotten she was joining us. Part of me wanted to be pissed because she would put a dampener on the game, but the other part of me was relieved. With Kristin involved, Liam would be far too busy to play and I could get back to doing what I do best ─ making sure he won.

“That’s great news,” I squeaked, my voice cracking a little too much for my taste.

“Is it?” Aaron queried, his cadence a little softer but serious.

I tilted my face upward to meet his pointed gaze, my most practiced smile drawn on my lips. “Of course it is.”

Aaron’s eyebrows bowed together and he shook his head. “Somehow I knew you’d say that.”

A little defensive, I straightened my back. That still left me level with Aaron’s chest. Damn the Baxter’s and their tall genes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Aaron extended his hand out, motioning us forward. “It means nothing, Elizabeth.”

I hated how open-ended his comment was, but didn’t have it in me to argue with him.

What had become of me? Liam was turning me into a timid lamb when I was supposed to be a fighting lion.

I felt off. The world was unbalanced, off kilter.

There was a niggling in my stomach that ate at me. It had to be fixed.

But there was no correcting it, for the instant I stepped foot into the living room, that irritation became full on ire.

Liam sat on the sofa with Kristin perched beside him. Her small feminine frame melted perfectly into his strong masculine physique. She was adorable in her pink pantsuit, and of course Liam looked as dashing as ever in a black single-breasted suit. It didn’t matter what Liam said about their relationship, their ease and comfort together ignited something inside me. If I had to label it, I’d have called it jealousy. But that wasn’t possible. I wasn’t the jealous type.

At the sight of me, Liam dropped his arm from the back of the sofa and sat up straight. Kristin uncurled her legs and twisted around to see me.

“Good morning, Elizabeth.” Liam’s wide, sexy smile greeted me.

“Good morning, Congressman.” Fake, that’s how I sounded, and I knew Liam caught it, too. I used that same tone when negotiating endorsements. Almost sickeningly sweet.

“You look lovely today,” Kristin chimed in.

My gaze dropped to her and I graced her with a smile. “As do you. I’m so pleased you could
finally
break away from work to help Liam out on the trail. I know it must be a great sacrifice for you.” Bitterness darkened my timbre. From the corner of my eye I noticed Liam stiffen. He didn’t care too much for me going on the attack. Always protecting his precious Kristin.

Well, too bad. He’d have to deal, because Eliza-bitch was out in full force.

Kristin scooted back into the sofa, compacting herself.

You’re still not invisible, darlin’. No matter how much you cower.

“Are you all right, Elizabeth?” Scout questioned.

“Just peachy,” I sang, my voice escalating with each syllable.

Aaron dropped down onto the arm of Scout’s chair where he leaned in and stage whispered, “She’s crabby today.” He crossed his arms over his chest with an amused smirk spread across his face.

“No, I’m…”

Scout tucked a red curl behind her ear. “Why are you crabby? Sleep okay?”

“I’m not…”

“You look tired. Don’t you think she looks tired?” Aaron nodded in Kristin’s direction.

“Stop, I’m not…”

Kristin moved further away from Liam, wrapping her arms tighter around herself. “I really don’t know her well enough to say.”

“I’m fine!” I bellowed. “Now can we get to work?”

Liam sat, unmoved, staring at me.

I ignored him and proceeded to get down to business.

I reached into my briefcase to retrieve my tablet. “So fill me in on everything,” I barked.

Scout scanned her notes, her nail clicking against the glass as she scrolled. Liam lifted from his seat. He slipped his fingers into the waistband of his slacks and adjusted his pants on his hips. I blinked back the memory of his fingers brushing along my warm skin and his mouth dominating mine. Liam buttoned his jacket and started to pace the floor behind the sofa. Because I wanted to maintain distance, I floated into the empty armchair, dropping my briefcase at my feet.

“We’ve already done a round of prep. I thought it was best if he sticks to the environment instead of going into education reform.” Scout was being smart about the talking points. One of the many reasons I valued her.

“Agreed.” I whipped my stylus out and began checking notes on my tablet. “But we need to be careful. I don’t want him to be caught in a fracking debate. We need natural gas to keep backing us.”

“Yes. I’m fully aware of that,” Liam snapped.

“Good. We stick to the basics,” I continued without pause to prove his little attitude didn’t bother me. “Your intentions are to open viable water sources for cities affected by the drought. Leave anything to do with drilling out of it.”

Liam stopped. He popped the button on his jacket and perched his hands at his hips. “I know that. I helped draft the bill.”

“Of course.” I graced him with a polished grin.

“Are we calling them or are they calling us?”

Scout jumped at the sound of my voice. Aaron twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.

“Focus,” I bit, “The call?”

Scout maneuvered away from Aaron, her face turning as red as her hair. “They’re calling us.”

I glanced down at my watch. “Shouldn’t they have called by now?”

Scout scrolled through her notes. “They said they’d call five minutes ‘til. We still have ten more minutes.”

Oh, great. Another ten minutes of this mess. I’d run out of things to discuss. Liam stopped behind the sofa, spread his arms out, and leaned forward. His dark gaze settled on mine, making me wish I were more like Kristin and could disappear into the seat cushion. His stare unnerved me. I dropped my eyes, and opened my score card. I had to do something to keep my mind off of the man who was once again pacing.

Each step he took became louder and louder in my ears. If he didn’t stop, I couldn’t promise I’d hold my tongue. I needed to get out of there. If only to recollect my thoughts and come back in strong and ready. Just as I was about to excuse myself to the restroom, a knock came at the door.

Thank God. A diversion.

“Um, are you expecting someone?” Aaron asked me.

“I’m not,” I answered, sounding almost defensive.

“Liam?” Aaron directed to his brother.

“No, but will you go see who it is?” Liam adjusted his tie and nodded to Aaron, who jumped from his perch to answer the door.

A few seconds later, a familiar face appeared in the living room. “Howdy, y’all.” Harper strolled in wearing his usual Wranglers, brushpopper, and boots. A black cowboy hat covered his head.

“Harper!” I exclaimed. I bounced out of my seat, tossed my tablet into the vacated spot, and met Harper for a friendly hug. “It’s so good to see you. I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.”

“I have some business here today so I figured I’d stop by. Possibly treat y’all to supper later if you’re available.”

Harper slung his arm around my neck and turned me to face the group. Instantly my eyes found Liam. He’d taken my seat and was holding my tablet. My stomach curdled. I’d forgotten to set the screen lock. If he looked at my “Liam file”, I was screwed. He’d find every photo I’d ever saved of him, including the pictures he’d sent to me of him in nothing but boxers and a tie.

Did I close the scorecard?

Shit! I couldn’t remember.

I wanted to scream out for him to hand it over, but that sounded far too juvenile, even in my own head. In truth, our current standoff was puerile, but since I started it, I had to finish it.

I patted Harper on the back. “That sounds amazing. You’re welcome to tag along if you want. You can keep Kristin company when she’s not on stage with Liam.”

“On stage?” Kristin screeched at the same time Liam squawked, “Absolutely not.”

I smirked, chalking a new point to my count. “Why not? You too looked rather
cozy
together. I think it’d be a great plug for you. The prodigal
girlfriend
returns.”