Wild for Him

'And?' Ben asked, obviously knowing there was more.

She bit her bottom lip, still unable to believe just how bold she'd been in her response-or how good it had felt to stand up for herself. 'I don't think she appreciated me telling her it's her job to stand beside my father and pretend to be the doting wife. I don't need to be there, and considering what happened yesterday with Jason, my father completely understands why I'm not.'

'Pretend to be the doting wife?' he repeated, his incredulous tone telling her that he couldn't believe that she'd actually said those exact words.

'Well, it's the truth.' she said softly, wishing that things were different between her mother and father-that their marriage was based on love and respect instead of what her father's political career did for her mother's social standing in Chicago. 'The voting public might not have a clue, but I know it, she knows it, and my father knows it.'

He nodded in understanding, let the topic go, and so did she.

As they continued to watch the news in silence, her stomach rumbled hungrily, reminding her that they needed to eat dinner. 'What do you say we order in pizza tonight?' she asked. She wasn't in the mood to cook or leave the house to go to a restaurant.

'Sounds good to me.'

She went to the kitchen, looked up the number for pizza delivery, and ordered a pepperoni with extra cheese. As she walked back into the living room, she remembered something she'd meant to tell Ben.

'Craig called earlier to see if I needed a ride to my party at Envy tomorrow night,' she said as she sat back down on the couch.

A spark of irritation lit Ben's gaze at the mention of the other man's name. 'And what did you tell him?' he asked gruffly.

She wanted to smile at the territorial look in his eyes, as well as point out to Ben that bit of possessiveness he'd just displayed, but knew it wasn't something he wanted to hear when he'd spent the past twenty-four hours trying to establish new boundaries between them that leaned more toward friends than lovers. Still, she couldn't help but harbor a shred of hope that he'd give them a chance beyond this assignment of his.

She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and put Ben out of his misery. 'I told Craig that you'd be taking me.'

Ben smirked. 'I'll bet that thrilled the pants off of him.'

He'd definitely been disappointed, and had even admitted to her that he'd been secretly hoping that things wouldn't work out with Ben so she'd be free for the birthday bash he'd planned for her. She wasn't quite sure how to take that comment, and had chalked it up to male jealousy on Craig's part. His curt remark was also the deciding factor for her to break as many ties to Craig as possible after tomorrow night. As much as she appreciated his contacts, she didn't need them, and she didn't want to feel obligated to him in any way whatsoever when she knew Craig had feelings for her-feelings that she didn't, and wouldn't ever, reciprocate.

'You know,' Ben said casually, drawing her attention back to him. 'I still find it odd that Craig is so intent on pursuing you when his father is so in favor of backing Charles Lambert for governor. It just feels like such a conflict of interest to me. Does Craig not share his father's political views, especially on the whole gentrification issue?'

The subject had been brought up between her and Craig, and she knew his thoughts on the matter. 'Actually, Craig is in favor of tearing down the lower west side and rebuilding the area, especially since his father's development company would be hired for the project if Lambert wins. But Craig's relationship with his dad has been strained for years because Craig didn't go to work for Crosby's development company, and Craig's been trying to get back into his father's good graces ever since.'

Ben shook his head. 'Another dysfunctional family saga, huh?'

'Every family has their issues,' she said, certain it was true.

Their dinner arrived, and they ate their pizza while watching the election coverage on TV. By nine o'clock that evening it was announced that Charles Lambert had won the election by a 6 percent margin, and would be the new governor of Chicago.

Shocked and disappointed, Christine immediately picked up the phone and called her father, who was doing okay despite the loss. He'd fought a good, fair fight, and that was all he could do.

Then came Nathan Delacroix's concession speech, which was aired on a local channel. He congratulated Lambert on his win, but also promised to continue his fight to help the lower west side of Chicago on other political levels. Audrey stood not by his side, but behind him, clearly unhappy over the loss.

When the news switched over to Charles Lambert's campaign office where his staff was celebrating his victory, Ben stood up and headed down the hallway toward the back rooms. Christine watched him go, an uneasy sense of foreboding settling in the pit of her belly.

Quietly, she followed him and came to a stop in the doorway of the guest bedroom, where Ben had his duffle on the bed and was putting his personal things into the bag. Her heart seemed to lodge in her throat and it took her a moment to speak.

'What are you doing?' she asked, hating the thought of him leaving. Over the past few weeks, he'd become such a daily part of her life-one she'd come to anticipate and enjoy.

'I'm just packing up the bulk of my things,' he said, not looking at her.

She watched him pull out a small stack of neatly folded T-shirts from one of the dresser drawers and tuck them into his duffle bag. Then he finally turned around to face her, looking so sexy and gorgeous and closed off that her chest hurt.

'I still have to talk to your father in the morning, but considering that Jason is behind bars, and unfortunately your father just lost the election, I'm sure Nathan will release me from this security assignment and I'll be leaving soon.'

There were so many more reasons for him to stay, but she could see by his determined expression, along with the reserved behavior he'd exhibited all day long, that his feelings on the issue were already made up. She'd learned enough about Ben to know that arguing those points with him when he was in such a stubborn frame of mind would be futile.

Knowing she still had tomorrow night with him, for now she let it go. He'd promised to take her to Envy to celebrate her twenty-seventh birthday, and afterward, there was only one gift she wanted from Ben-and she planned to ask for it.

A real relationship.

A future.

His love.

She truly didn't know if any of that was possible for him, but she knew she'd have to tell him the truth tomorrow night. He had her heart. Now, she wanted his.

Forever.

Chapter Sixteen

BEN parked his truck in Christine's driveway at seven the following evening to pick her up for her birthday party at Envy. After talking to Nathan earlier that morning and being relieved of duty as Christine's security agent, he'd headed back to his apartment while she'd gone off to work-on her own and without him as a bodyguard. As it should be. As it would be from now on.

Switching off the engine, he closed his eyes for a moment and released a long, deep breath in hopes of bolstering his fortitude-along with the willpower to keep things between them fun and casual and amicable-and not letting himself cross that line into emotional, intimate territory once again.

It was just a matter of getting through tonight, then bringing Christine back home and putting an end to their relationship, instead of dragging out an unavoidable breakup down the road. Which was why he'd never made her any promises he knew he wouldn't be able to keep. Not only was he unwilling to risk his heart again, they were just too different to make it work for the long haul, their lifestyles so vastly opposite, and he refused to put them both through that kind of emotional upheaval.

With his plan firmly in mind, Ben headed up to the front of Christine's house and knocked on the door. When