“Yeah, she’s getting a rise alright,” Stark huffed and shifted dramatically.
“What would you like me to do?”
“For starters, speak to her, unless you’d like to be a political laughingstock. We can’t afford this.”
“We can’t afford this. Last I checked I was the one running for office,” he grit out and sat back in his chair. He hadn’t slept in days and he needed a few good hours.
Stark paced the floor then stopped in front of Peter’s desk, leaning over the mahogany. “Let me get this straight, sir. You’re going to allow her to fuck your entire security team?”
“I don’t think she screws them all at once. She’s just slowly making her rounds through the duty roster.”
“Again, you’re going to allow her to be a whore?”
He chuckled. “Allow her? Really? It’s not like her side pursuits are a surprise.”
“This has to be stopped before it’s too late.”
Rolling his finger around the rim of his glass, Peter was tired and not wanting to talk about the blatant indiscretions of his whore wife. Once upon a time he cared whose dick she had inside her, but these days he had bigger issues. He had power groups breathing down his neck. People blaming him for the attempted kidnapping of his opponent. Everyone wanted a piece of him. Add in the pressure of figuring out what to do with his pregnant mistress, and he was burning the candle at both ends. Something had to give and soon.
CHAPTER SEVEN
NOVAH UNDRESSED AND stepped out onto the private balcony of her room. She sipped her wine and enjoyed how the cooler breeze caressed her bare breasts. Her mind drifted back to the earlier altercation between her and Egan. She had every right to be angry with him. How dare he think he could tell her what to do! How dare he think that she’d sleep with the boss.
The soft knock came on the door, jarring her from her disgruntled thoughts.
She placed her glass on the nightstand and shrugged on her robe as she made her way to open the door. Her breath caught. Egan stood on the other side, his back to her. “Egan?” When he turned, she saw the solid set of his wide jaw. “What are you doing here? It’s one A.M. and the whole world is sleeping.”
“Everyone except for us.”
“You have a point.”
“Can I come in?”
With a healthy dose of hesitation, she finally said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“It’s about Fin. She’s sick.”
Shoving the door wide, her heart sank as she took a step back. “Why didn’t you say that?”
“I just did.”
“What’s wrong with her? My phone didn’t go off.” She hurried across the room to sweep up her cell from the nightstand. She knew her mom wouldn’t call. “I didn’t get a message or call.” She looked back at Egan as he closed the door behind him.
“She’s okay, but why didn’t you tell me?” He narrowed his gaze. “Fin said she spoke to you earlier.”
“Oh, maybe because you found it your life’s duty to torment me about my boss.”
He loosened his tie and the tension in his jaw slacked. “Sorry if I’m fucking up your romantic weekend.”
“Good. Okay then.” She strolled across the plush carpet and opened the door wide. “See you tomorrow, or better yet, never.”
“Yeah, I guess that was a low blow. I shouldn’t have gone there.”
“But you’ve gotten so good at them. Bye.”
“Are you in a hurry for me to leave?”
“You could say that.” The longer he stayed the more she’d lose track of why she needed him to go.
“Do I make you that nervous?” His slick smile sparked the nerve endings in her nipples to life.
“Nervous? No.” She leaned against the door, hoping he couldn’t see the effect he had on her breasts through the material of the thin, satin robe. Suddenly, she felt completely naked standing in front of him.
He crossed the space but in the opposite direction of the door. She watched him study the room. “Wow. You get the Hilton and I get a room that’s rented by the hour. I think Langley likes you better.” His smile eased the tension in his words some. He picked up her wine glass and took a long chug. He was more of a whiskey drinker than wine.
Sighing, she shut the door and joined him near the French doors. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“My shift is over.”
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping then?”
“I tried, but some things just don’t work out.” He handed her the glass and she took a sip. “The bed is too lumpy. I bet you don’t have that problem.”
“Egan…”
“Novah…”
“We agreed we would keep the fact that you and I know each other a secret. You coming to my room in the middle of the night is a risk.” A risk for more than simply outing them as exes.
“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. Care if I have more of that?” He picked up the open Merlot bottle from the glass table.
“Sure. I can see if there’s another glass—”
He took her glass and poured more wine, then drank half of it. The familiarity in that simple act took her back to when they first met and would sit in the back of his truck staring up at the stars, talking about the future until morning. She wanted to move on, she really did, but how could she when he still affected her in such a powerful
