I grip the edges of the lectern, hoping to still my shaking hands. After a deep breath, I look right at the cameras and say the words to the gathered crowd of reporters that I can still hardly believe myself.

“Thanks for coming today. It is with a heavy heart that I announce I’m dropping out of the Senate race, effective immediately.”

There’s a collective gasp of surprise. Everyone thought I called this press conference to respond to the news of my father’s infidelity. It’s two days into my week-long break, and yesterday I told Lexi I needed to do this. I told the rest of my staff this morning.

Questions are hurled at me so fast I can’t make out a single one of them over the noise. I put up a hand for quiet and go back to my prepared statement.

“To my supporters: I’m deeply sorry I can’t finish what we started together. Your support has meant so much. Please know this is the right decision for me. I won’t be taking any questions or granting any interviews in the immediate future. Thank you.”

The questions are shouted out rapid-fire.

“Is this because of your father’s affair?”

“Is it true you have two siblings you never knew about?”

“Are your parents divorcing?”

I ignore them and step away from the lectern. Lexi leads me toward a small room with an exit she’s planning to use to sneak me out of here.

The reporters are only doing their jobs, but they have no idea how deeply this scandal has cut into my family. I spent the past two days with my mom, who is devastated. Beyond devastated. Yes, she is filing for divorce, but the whole thing is gut-wrenching for her. She feels like a fool for thinking my father was working all those times he obviously wasn’t. She never thought she’d be starting over this way at age fifty-two, with no work experience.

“Almost there,” Lexi murmurs as we approach the door to the room. The cameras are flashing, and I’m keeping my expression stony.

We’re in a conference room of the ornately beautiful Palmer House, which holds memories of Jude and me. I didn’t want to tell Lexi to schedule it somewhere else after she set it up.

When we make it into the room and she closes the door, I sigh deeply and open the bottle of water she passes me.

“Thanks,” I say softly. “For everything, Lex.”

“Anytime.”

I laugh a single note. “Yeah, let’s never do this again.”

“You ended it on your terms, Reagan. You could have issued a press release, but you got up there and said the words. That takes guts. I’m proud of you.”

She hugs me and I close my eyes, feeling about a thousand pounds lighter now. It’s over. Not just the announcement, but all of it. No more living to meet my father’s goals and expectations. I’ll be doing what I want from now on, and it feels amazing.

“How do we get out of here?” I ask Lexi, pulling away.

“I think we should lay low in here for a few minutes. That door—” she points to a door on the other side of the room than the one we entered through “—goes to a hallway that leads to the kitchen.”

We’re both looking at the door in question when it opens. Jude walks into the room, wearing jeans, a black T-shirt, and a black White Sox cap.

I’m too stunned to speak for a couple seconds, but when I recover, I cross the room, my eyes narrowed.

“What the hell are you doing? Are you here to gloat? Kick me while I’m down?”

His steely gaze is locked on me. “You know me better than that, Reagan. We need to talk.”

“Not now. It’s over, Jude. You’ve got a clear road to the Senate. There’s nothing more you can get from me.”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” he says in a low, angry tone.

Lexi slips from the room, and Jude and I are left staring each other down.

“We’re going upstairs to talk,” he says firmly.

“If you’ve got something to say, say it right here.”

“We can’t stay in here. I risked a hell of a lot coming in here, Reagan. This place is crawling with reporters. We need to lay low upstairs.”

“Lay low, huh? Why fuck me now, Jude? You’ve got everything you wanted from me.”

He leans closer, his dark eyes so intense I almost have to look away. “Push all you want. I’m not leaving until we talk. You can walk, or I can throw you over my shoulder.”

“You’d lose everything if you got caught carrying me up to a room against my will.”

“I’ll do it,” he says in a level tone. “You’ve been blowing me off for three goddamn days, Reagan. I’m going out of my mind.”

I shake my head in disgust. “You’ve been going out of your mind? How do you think I feel? How do you think my mother feels?”

He reaches for my waist, and I step back, sighing softly. “Fine. I’ll go.”

Jude leads the way out of the room, his head down. He takes me through the kitchen, where he slips a bill into the hand of a guy in a cook’s uniform, and we’re led to a tiny elevator off the main cooking area.

Once the doors close us in the elevator, Jude wraps my hand into his. I should pull away, but I can’t. When he draws my fingers up to his lips and kisses them, I feel the warm swirling in my belly he always creates when we touch. My fingertips graze over his dark stubble.

“Did you tell Carl to release the photos?” I ask in a whisper.

“Look at me.”

I look up, and our eyes meet.

“You know I didn’t, Reagan. Just like I know you didn’t authorize that shit with Salizar.”

I nod. “Carl.”

“Carl,” Jude confirms. “And the fucker’s fired, though he’s still in denial about it.”

“I wondered. I mean, I hoped…crazy as that sounds.”

The elevator doors open. Jude pulls his cap down lower and leads me by the hand to a room, which he scans a keycard for.

My heart is hammering as we step inside, and Jude pulls me into his arms.

“Don’t doubt me,” he says in my ear. “I’m not your father.”

I sigh deeply, soaking in the smell and feel of him. “I’m sorry. I knew we needed to talk about it, I just…I’ve been with my mom, and…I was assuming the worst to protect myself, I guess.”

He pulls away and meets my eyes. “You don’t need to protect yourself from me, Reagan. I am your protection.”

His tone is so earnest, his expression so sincere, that tears fill my eyes. I nod and press myself against him, letting his arms bring the comfort I need.

“I think there’s a pretty good chance you’re gonna win,” I say, laughing softly.

“I don’t care about that right now.” He pulls back and cups my cheeks in his big hands. “Why’d you drop out? I wish you would’ve talked to me about it first.”

“I had to. I wanted to. I was running for all the wrong reasons, and my dad wanted me to stay in so he could still deliver votes… And…that’s not me.”

“He’s an asshole.” Jude’s muscles are hard with tension. “I hate that he ruined this for you.”

“This decision was for me. Staying in would have been for him.”

“Promise me you mean that.”

“I promise.”

His body relaxes slightly. “This means we can be together. No more sneaking around.”

“I don’t know, Jude. I think we should keep it on the down low at least until the election is over. Your party will distance themselves from you. This is unheard of.”

He shrugs. “So let’s change that. I’m crossing the aisle in a big way here, right?”

The gleam in his eyes makes me laugh. “You can cross my aisle anytime you want.”

“Believe me, I plan to.” He leans down and kisses me. “I want you on my bus. In my hotel rooms. Beside me at speeches.”

My lips part with shock. “Are you serious?”

He squeezes my ass, molding our bodies together until I feel his erection against my lower belly.

“Does this feel serious to you?”

“I’m not becoming your campaign-trail fucktoy.”

“No, you’re becoming my girlfriend. I need you there with me, Reagan. Your experience, your support…all of you.”

The thought of campaigning with Jude makes me smile. “If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure. But before we make this official, any skeletons in your closet I need to be aware of?”

My heart sinks as I remember the one thing I haven’t told him yet. “I slept with Tom Harbor.”

His muscles tighten again. “When?”

“Um…nine years ago. He told me he was separated from his wife, but he lied.”

Jude lets out a deep breath. “Fuck. I thought you meant in the last couple days. I already know about the thing nine years ago.”

“You do? And you didn’t tell me?”

He shrugs. “I knew it would stress you out to know my campaign knew. And I never would have used the information.”

I nod. “Any skeletons in your closet?”

“Nothing you don’t already know about. My bad dreams and survivor guilt from combat service may be permanent—I don’t know yet.”

I feel a tug in my heart for this man who has come to mean so much to me in a very short time. “If you ever want to talk about it, or not talk about it…I’m here.”

He reaches up to my cheek, stroking it with his thumb. “I know. And I want you to stay that way. The party establishment and news stories don’t mean shit to me, Reagan. It’s you I care about—and making a difference for all the brothers who need a voice in DC.”

“My father will think I’ve switched parties,” I say softly. “And that gives me great satisfaction.”

“You’re gonna need to let go of all that in time, you know. Don’t let him keep any hold on you.”

“You’re right.”

“Get used to it.”

God, I love that smirk. It sets me on fire. When Jude lowers his lips to mine, I meet him halfway. Our soft kiss quickly becomes more. I let the sensations sweep me under: his strong hands on my hips, his muffled groan as I lie down on the bed and he lowers himself onto me, the mingling lust and adoration I see in his eyes.

“I love you,” I say softly in his ear. “So much, Jude.”

“I love you, too. You’ll always come first with me.”

I smile. “When you say come first, do you mean that figuratively?”

His laugh is low and sexy. “I mean it both figuratively and literally, baby.”

My response becomes a moan as he rotates his hips against mine. The man really knows how to get me going.

“I think we should stay in here for at least the next twenty-four hours,” he says, his breath warm on my neck.

He kisses my collarbone, and I wrap my legs around his waist. “That sounds incredible. You know, you should really be making the rounds on the TV circuit. They’ll all want to interview you about me dropping out.”

“They can fuck off. I’m not leaving this room ’til tomorrow.”

“Mmm.”

He’s pulled my shirt up and over my head and is kissing his way down to my stomach. I run my fingertips over his scalp, pulling gently on his hair. He groans against my skin.

“You want it like that?” he asks, his tongue tracing beneath the waistband of my pants where he just unbuttoned them. “Would you like a hair-pulling, mind-numbing, sweaty fucking from me, Ms. Preston?”

“I don’t know…I might,” I say in a teasing tone.

“You might?” He moves to a kneeling position and slides my pants down past my hips. His grin is downright wicked. “Only if you say, ‘Fuck me hard, Senator Titan.’”

I playfully smack him. “You asshole.”

“Say it.”

I press my lips closed.

“Your nipples are so hard I can see them through your bra, Reagan. You know you like it. Say it.”

“Say you’re hard for me first,” I say softly.

Jude slides off the bed and unbuttons his jeans. When he pulls them down with his boxer briefs and steps out, his rock-hard erection is pointing at me. He strips off his T-shirt, and I take a second just to admire his incredible body.

“You see?” He wraps a hand around his cock. “I’m hard for you, Reagan Preston.”

I slide my pants the rest of the way off, watching his eyes as he watches me. I make a slow show of getting fully naked, then toss my bra at his face.

“Fuck me hard, Senator Titan.”

He’s on me in an instant, filling me so full I gasp. We grind our hips together until we’re both on the verge of coming, but then he pulls out and I moan sadly. He flips me over with his hands around my hips and fucks me from behind until I’m on the verge again.

It goes on like this until I’m a moaning, panting, sweaty mess. Jude fucks me in positions I’ve never even heard of, and every time, it’s mind-blowing.

“Let me come,” I beg him. “I need to come, Jude.”

The wicked smile is back, and I’m sure he’s going to keep torturing me. But instead, he gives me the last several deep, hard thrusts I need to get off, and when I do, I scream his name. I see stars. It’s the longest, most powerful orgasm I’ve ever had.

He comes right behind me, groaning deeply as he buries himself in me. We’re both panting as he kisses me gently and lies next to me, pulling my body against his.

“You really know how to turn around a shitty day, Titan,” I murmur.

He kisses my temple. “Trust me, I’m just getting started.”