Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 87(@200wpm)___ 70(@250wpm)___ 58(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 87(@200wpm)___ 70(@250wpm)___ 58(@300wpm)
“Very well. Thank you.”
I turned back to greet everyone else. I felt Kenan move behind me and take a seat on the end next to the press secretary’s personal assistant. Kenan tried very hard not to take up space in a gathering of senior staff, but I’d insisted early on that he be allowed to eat with me unless there was a formal reason for him not to.
As soon as I sat down, the press secretary began explaining the press coverage of the aborted coup in Cedruaze and the key points included in our official statement. I ate while noting various talking points I needed to remember for when I met with the press after breakfast. My mind was quickly directed to work, but I took a moment after finishing my meal to ask the press secretary for a private meeting the following day.
“Tell Rosa to find you a half hour on my schedule, please. I’d like your help on a private matter.”
I could tell she was taken by surprise. “Of course, sir. I’ll get it arranged and be available when you are.”
I didn’t look at Kenan, but I felt his eyes on me as I stood up and left the dining room to move to my office with Rosa to make the family condolence calls.
He might not know it yet, but he’d given me something to fight for last night.
And I was not backing down.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
KENAN
President Ashley was all business for the remainder of the flight, which was as it should be. Even though he hadn’t needed to, he’d offered me a heartfelt smile of reassurance as soon as he’d seen me in the dining room.
The rest could wait.
When he’d asked the press secretary to find time the following day to discuss something private, I wondered if it had anything to do with me. Maybe it was simply giving the woman a heads-up of the potential scandal if anyone saw or heard anything they shouldn’t have, or maybe he had more involved plans I wasn’t aware of.
It took all of my patience to keep my mouth closed and not distract him with any questions about it. His attention was in high demand from his staff, the press, and the same military blowhards from the Cedruaze affair. Our relationship, whatever it would be going forward, would have to be a much lower priority.
When we finally landed at Joint Base Andrews and moved to Marine One, I was grateful it was so late. I hadn’t gotten quality sleep on the plane, and I looked forward to a real bed.
I forced myself not to make any assumptions. For all I knew, Garner needed time to come to terms with this change between us and determine what exactly he wanted from it.
And when.
So when we finally escaped the demands on his attention and left the Oval Office to head to the residence, I took in a deep breath and silently lectured myself on the value of patience.
I tried to channel Patrick Picklebottom and the Longest Wait.
Warm summer air floated across the Rose Garden, bringing its familiar floral scent to the colonnade as we made our way from the West Wing to the residence. Bougainvillea blossoms bobbed their heads as we walked by.
Lights and sounds of the city encroached, but for some reason, they always seemed fairly removed across the acres of pristinely manicured gardens separating us from the city streets.
Several agents stood sentinel along the path as we passed by. Even if they hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have spoken to the president about private matters unless invited to or securely locked behind closed doors.
So when we made it to the residence and were finally free of all the agents, I decided to continue upstairs to my own bedroom.
Garner made a growling noise in his throat. I blinked at him in surprise. “Sir?”
“Can we talk?”
I must have let my sudden anxiety show in my expression because he quickly sputtered, “Not like that. Like… just talk. Not… Please?”
I nodded and followed him to his bedroom, where he closed the door and locked it before pulling me over to the padded bench at the foot of the bed before kicking off his shoes and then climbing onto my lap to straddle me.
He wasn’t a small man, but then again, neither was I.
My hands went immediately to his ass. Touching him after several hours of keeping my distance was too good to be true.
He leaned in to kiss me, and I hardly even noticed when all my rational thoughts hopped a midnight train going anywhere but here.
We kissed desperately, hungry to reconnect and ensure ourselves and each other it hadn’t all been a dream or a onetime thing.
“Missed you,” he managed to say between kisses.
“Love you,” I said back.
He tucked his nose into my neck and took a few deep breaths before pulling back and firming his jaw. “And I have a plan.”