I gawked at Devin. I couldn’t believe his answer to the reporter.

He’d outed us. He voluntarily placed himself in the path of public scrutiny.

“Stop staring at me like that,” Dev said as he pulled out of the parking space. “I told you that I’m committed.”

“I…I don’t know what to think. In a matter of weeks, we went from arguing about making this a real marriage to you announcing that I’m your wife. I feel like I’m in a parallel universe.”

“For the record, this has always been a real marriage.”

The phone rang on the Bluetooth connection on the Porsche’s console. It was Dev’s mom.

“I think the cat’s out of the bag,” I said.

“That was fast. We left the reporter less than five minutes ago. You answer. The car is connected to your phone.”

I couldn’t hide my surprise. He loved the car. We’d always draw straws to see who got to take the sports car to work. Then after I’d decided to separate, I’d left the car in his office garage for him to pick up. It was too painful to be in it without thinking of him.

“You never drove the car after I left it for you in the garage?”

“I didn’t see the point. I didn’t have you to fight with over it.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Answer the call. We’ll talk about how real our marriage is later.”

I touched a button on the display to answer.

“Hello.”

“Samina dear, how are you?” A beautiful Southern Belle accent came over the car’s speakers.

“I’m good, Mrs. Camden.”

“I think it’s time you weren’t so formal with me. After all, you’re married to Devin. Call me Carol, if not mom.”

“Umm…don’t you want an explanation?”

She seemed too calm for my comfort.

“Dev told me how he kept it a secret for his and his father’s careers. I love my son, but he can be so stupid sometimes. Men want to have their cake and eat it too. My question to you is, why did you put up with it? You’re a smart, successful woman. How could you do that to yourself? My son can’t be that good in bed.”

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. If she only knew.

“Mom, I’m on the line. You’re on the car speaker.”

“I know, sweetheart. A reporter just called to inform me you’re out and about and then to ask my opinion of your relationship with liberal attorney Samina Kumar.”

Both Dev and I cringed.

Dev spoke before I could. “What did you say?”

“Well, I told them it was rude to call an unlisted number without permission and then I said Samina isn’t a liberal, she’s an independent. You know how these reporters are, twisting the facts.”

“Mom,” Dev grumbled.

She ignored him and spoke to me. “Samina, I hope you don’t mind, but I told them to leave my daughter-in-law alone.”

“No, I don’t mind. I’m sorry the reporter bothered you.”

“It was nothing. I deal with worse on a regular basis. I can’t believe that nosy man called you a liberal. Do you remember all those debates you and Jacinta would get into in your apartment when I’d visit? I paid attention. I’m more liberal than you are on certain matters.”

“Mom, focus.”

“Devin James Camden, I don’t know how people mistake you for a Southern gentleman. You are as rude as a toddler who thinks his toy is stolen. I have no idea where I went wrong.”

I started laughing. Conversations with Mrs. Camden…Carol, were always like this.

She was one of the kindest women I’d ever met. She loved with all her heart, and if she took you into her circle, you were hers for life.

In public, she portrayed the always-poised Southern lady who never was fazed by the ups and downs of being married to a politician. But in private, she was a force when riled. Even the formidable Richard Camden was afraid of his wife’s temper on the rare occasions when it appeared.

“He has certain charms that make us want to keep him around.” I laughed up at Dev.

“Hilarious, ladies.” His hand moved to my thigh and inched upward but stopped when I clamped my thighs to keep him from going further. “I’m glad I’m here to humor you.”

My pulse accelerated, and my nipples hardened to stiff peaks.

Dammit. Why did his slightest touch affect me?

“You’ve always been good for a laugh, Dev honey. Now for the real reason I called.”

“Are you saying you lied, Mom, and the reporter story was a ruse?”

“Leave her alone, Dev,” I said.

“I’m used to him, Samina. What I wanted to say was you two need to come to Jacinta’s Fourth of July party on the river. She’s chartered a riverboat to sail the Colorado River to watch the fireworks.”

Ever since Jacinta had moved to Austin to pursue her law practice and possible political career, she’d thrown an annual party. She loved to say a little bit of liquor mixed with apple pie opened the purse strings.

I wanted to go, but with everything going on with my case, not to mention Devin, I’d declined Jacinta’s invitation.

“We’ll be there. Sami and I’ll take a flight out this Thursday.”

He squeezed my leg again and somehow moved higher.

“No,” I said through a breathless whisper as I tried to pull his fingers away, but he reached the center of my soaked underwear.

He tsked in my direction and returned his gaze to the road.

“I’m so happy you two will be there. We’re driving down on Wednesday. Your father wants to get in early to reconnect with some old friends.”

I gasped and then held in a moan as Dev touched my clit and a spasm shot through my core.

Embarrassment hit me as I realized Dev’s mom had heard me.

I smacked Dev’s hand, which only made him push past my minuscule thong and rim my dripping pussy.

I threw my head back and bit my lips to keep in the orgasm about to erupt.

“Devin James, you better not be doing what I think you’re doing.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he responded as his thumb started a rhythm that would send me over.

“Leave her alone and concentrate on driving. I expect a teenager to be a constant horndog, but you’re thirty-five. Let go of her and put both hands on that wheel. Don’t you have any self-control?”

I wanted to protest. I was almost there, but Dev followed orders and pulled his hand from between my legs, licked his fingers clean, and then grabbed the steering wheel.

“When it comes to Sami, I have none.”

I closed my eyes and tried to calm my body.

Dammit, I wasn’t supposed to do anything sexual with him. Now my body was on fire. He knew every button to push, and my clit was screaming for some attention.

“Devin, when you get to Texas, we’re going to have a very serious conversation. One where you won’t be able to talk your way out of the hole you’re in.”

“I hear you, Mom.”

I lifted my head and glanced at Dev, giving him a “what was that about?” look.

“Samina dear, I look forward to seeing you. And maybe if my son gets his head out of his ass, you’ll give me a grandbaby one of these days.”

She hung up before I could respond.

“If I had my way, you’d be pregnant this very minute.”

“Until an hour ago, no one knew we were together. What was I going to be, your secret baby mama with your secret child? No thanks.”

“We are together, Sami. And I’d never hide our child from the world.”

“Excuse me if I don’t believe you.”

Clenching his jaw, Dev paused the car at the entrance of our property and nodded to the security guard stationed on our driveway. He waved us through, but not before a reporter caught sight of us and a barrage of lights flashed all around us.

I’d encountered a few of these reporters before and slid down from my seat, doing everything to be invisible.

“They know you’re with me, Sami. There’s no point in hiding.”

I ignored him and stayed in the cramped space on the floorboard until we reached our garage. He didn’t know what one reporter could do. I’d dealt with it for over four months. This crowd was tame compared to what happened right after Clint had hired me.

You have to get it together, Samina. This is only the beginning.

“Sami? What’s going on?”

“I’m okay. Just give me a minute.”

I will not let them win. I will not let them win.

“Baby. You’re crying.”

The second he parked the car and the garage door closed, he jumped out and ran to my side. Opening the door, he crouched in front of me.

“It’s going to be okay,” he crooned as he pulled me toward him.

I refused to move from my spot and rested my forehead against the smooth leather of the seat.

“What happened? Tell me what’s going on.”

“They stalk you and tear apart your life. They laugh when they invade your private moments.”

He stroked my hair. “They get paid to take the pictures.”

I was going to have to tell him, or he wasn’t going to understand this was beyond a photograph.

“Does getting paid make it okay to break into the house and take pictures of you in the shower?”

His gaze bored into mine. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“One of the reporters out there broke into our house. I have a restraining order against him, but it doesn’t look like he cares that he is within the prohibited area.”

“Why didn’t I know about this?”

Tears trailed down my face.

Besides Tara, Jacinta, and my brother, I’d kept the incident as quiet as possible.

I inhaled deep and opened my lips to explain.

“Sami baby, not here. Let’s go inside. I’ll make you a drink, and then we can talk.”

I nodded and allowed him to help me out of the car.

Once we entered the house, Dev had me sit on the bench in the mudroom, removed my shoes, and before I could protest, lifted me up and carried me into the living room.

He sat me on the couch and moved to the bar in the back of the room. As he fixed our drinks, I opened my phone and brought up the pictures. I hated looking at them. It was at my weakest point.

I was sitting on the floor of my massive shower with my legs and head folded toward my chest, crying.

“What are you looking at?” Dev asked as he set a pomegranate vodka in front of me.

I handed him my phone. A play of emotions crossed his face and slowly got angrier as he flipped through the pictures.

“Tell me now that you pressed charges against this bastard.” He dropped my phone on the couch and cupped my face in his hands. “Why didn’t you come to me? Why didn’t you let me know?”

“This happened the day you said that being with me would ruin your career. That I’d become a joke in the legal world. I couldn’t turn to you. You couldn’t even look at me when I left our condo.”

Dev grimaced and then leaned his head against mine.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. I’ve been a complete asshole to you.”

I released a deep breath and shook the sadness from me.

I was letting the stupid reporter win. This was only the first of many times someone would try to hurt me with my political ambitions.

“Dev, you can’t take responsibility for this. It was Spencer Miller’s fault. He broke into our house through the patio door.”

“That explains why you had all the locks changed to the code system.”

I nodded.

Then I detailed all that happened: Spencer’s arrest, his release, and the aftermath.

“Who posted his bail?” Dev asked as he sat with me on the couch.

I brought my knees into the sofa, angling toward him. “Senator Grey Decker. Or someone who happened to be on his staff.”

“That makes no sense. How did he find out about us?”

“Seriously?” I looked at Dev and sighed. “We’ve never truly hidden our relationship. If someone looked, they’d find the paper trail, our marriage certificate, the deed to the house that has our family trust as the owner, as well as our joint bank accounts. What we need to think about is how long he has known and why he hasn’t outed us.”

“He’s wants to spring the information when it could hurt both Dad’s and Jacinta’s reputations the most. That man is dirty. If you only knew what they say about him behind closed doors.”

I knew. Jacinta knew. Five years ago, when her father was up for reelection to the US Senate and her twin brother, Tyler, was running for the US House of Representatives, Grey Decker’s son cornered Jacinta during a charity weekend at Decker’s family estate in North Texas.

Thankfully, she’d fought him off, using the self-defense moves she’d learned in a class we’d taken during law school.

When Decker Senior heard about what had happened, he threatened to make it seem as if Jacinta was drunk and came on to his son. He even had photos doctored to make Jacinta look half-dressed and wasted.

At the time, I’d done everything in my power to get Jacinta to press charges and fight back. She’d refused, stating it could cost her family the election, especially since they’d paint her as a whore.

Through research, I’d learned Decker had used the same tactic with every woman who got in his way. He had done a great job of projecting an image of the righteous conservative politician, but those who encountered him had different opinions.

He’d hurt Jacinta in a way that made me wish horrible things on him. And because I loved my best friend, I had kept her assault by Decker’s son a secret and helped her through the trauma.

Now, I had to keep her secret close to my chest, even from her brother.

“And the best way to embarrass your father and Jacinta is by throwing you and me into the spotlight. Decker is still pissed that his colleagues chose your father over him as the Senate Majority Leader. He feels slighted by the party because of his son’s drug arrest, and he thinks your father swayed the vote in his favor.”

“Damn, I think he’s planning to do something with those pictures to hurt Dad’s and Jacinta’s reputations. I’m going to have to talk to Dad about this. And for the record, no matter what Dad wants me to do, I’m not hiding us anymore. I was an idiot to do that to you in the first place.”

I still wasn’t sure how to respond to this change in our relationship.

“You don’t believe I’m sincere.” A flash of hurt appeared on his face.

“We’ll see once you have to deal with the press as part of your daily life.”

“I’ve dealt with the press from the time I was born. My father is a third-generation politician.”

“This is different, and you know it.”

“I know, Sami. I won’t let you down.”

I searched his eyes, seeing the determination in them.

“I want to believe you.”

“Our future is together.”

I’d always believed this. Well, I had, up until I took the Bassett case.

“I hope you still feel the same after you get a true taste of the world I live in now.”

He gave me a tight smile and stood, offering me his hand. “Come with me?”

I slid my fingers across his and rose from my spot on the couch.

“Where are you taking me?”

“I’m going to tuck you into bed. We’ll discuss our future in the morning.”