Elijah drummed his fingers against his thigh as he looked out the window of the limo. There was still so much that needed to be done today, but he was feeling exceptionally lazy, which was rare for him.

He had to make some revisions on the speech he'd be giving at the next campaign rally, and he needed to have his suits dry cleaned. Maybe if he hit the gym he wouldn't feel quite so lethargic. Working out sounded way more appealing than being cooped up working in his hotel suite.

When the limo came to a stop in front of the hotel where he and his campaign team were staying, he got down immediately.

“I'd like to be alone,” he instructed his security team, who immediately complied. Of course they weren't actually leaving him by himself, but they could give him the illusion of privacy.

Upon reaching his suite, Elijah

changed into his gym clothes. Maybe working out would take his mind off of Meredith, at least for a little while. He hoped, anyway. He wanted to groan at what he saw when he entered the gym.

Meredith was on an elliptical, chatting away with another journalist named Ava next to her. They were pleasantly chatting away. It sounded like Meredith was telling a story about someone named Lily.

Eli found himself amused as he listened to her story, but she stopped talking abruptly when she saw him.

He smiled, feeling slightly embarrassed after being caught eavesdropping.

“Don't mind me,” he said with a smile, pointing at a treadmill before putting in his headphones. He hoped they'd continue on like he wasn't even there.

But they went silent.

Ava was first to leave, shooting him a look on her way out.

Was that supposed to be seductive? he thought.

Without saying anything, Meredith moved to a treadmill and began jogging. She looked like she was taking her workout seriously, but he couldn't stop admiring her body in her gym clothes.

Feeling like now was as good a time as any to broach the subject about that night at the party since they were the only two people in the gym, Eli slowed his pace. He had to make sure she wouldn't write a tell-all on him.

“So, have you forgotten about the masquerade?” he asked, breaking the silence.

Meredith paused in surprise, completely forgetting she was on a treadmill. She tripped and went down hard, yelling out in shock and pain.

Instantly, he stopped his treadmill to check on her. He carefully scooped her up and laid her on a flat weight bench.

Eli started to feel his pulse racing when their eyes locked. The more he looked at her, the more he found her beautiful.

Nobody had ever made him feel like this before.

Yes, she was hot as fuck, but there was something special about her, something more to this than just his lust...

Something he couldn't explain every time their eyes met.

I must be out of my mind, he thought, looking away when she slipped from his grasp.

“What?” she asked awkwardly. “Do I have something on my face?”

He knew she wasn't immune to his presence either. It was crystal clear she was attracted to him just as much as he was to her.

“I was wondering why you haven’t mentioned that night again,” he answered, moving on as if nothing had happened. He was starting to think his acting skills had gotten better.

“I— I— I haven’t forgotten,” she answered stammering, looking away to conceal the redness of her cheeks.

Eli couldn't suppress the smile that formed on his lips as he watched her. One moment she was a seductress, and the next thing he knew, she was a cute teenager. How could she possibly flit between the two without making him think she was pretending?

“No? Are you sure?”

“I just… you know, the story doesn’t paint me in a flattering light either,” she murmured shyly, turning to check out her left ankle.

He felt his cock twitch when he saw her twist at the waist, exposing her cleavage. It wasn't like it was his first time seeing a sexy woman or her breasts. But he felt like a horny teenager all over again, always turned on and unable to control it.

Damn her for being so fucking hot.

And damn him for lusting over someone he couldn’t have.

“I guess? But only if you were honest about it. I don't know you, Meredith. How do I know you won't tell the story in a way where you come off completely innocent, and I look like some pervert?” he asked. He hated phrasing things this way, but he needed to see what kind of journalist she was.

He knew how the world worked. If Meredith wanted to get noticed, a scandal about him would be a good start.

She frowned, eyeing him like he'd just said something completely ludicrous.

“I wouldn’t do that,” she stated firmly.

“Again, I don’t know about that. You have to admit that you showing up to work on my campaign…” he paused, stealing another glance at her beautiful face. “Well, a skeptical man could draw some unfavorable conclusions.”

She chuckled dryly before straightening her body. Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked him straight in the eyes without any trace of anxiety or awkwardness. Her jaw tensed, and he could tell he had touched a nerve. But he liked this side of her.

“Are you a skeptical man?” she questioned, arching an eyebrow.

Eli fell silent for a moment, then smiled.

“I prefer to be cautious,” he replied.

“Except for sex parties, of course,” she added, making him grin.

“Except then it seems,” he agreed.

He wanted to smack himself when he'd realized what he'd just said. She'd managed to convince him to discuss something he should be refusing to talk about, especially with her. He should have known he'd be defenseless against her charms – just like that night.

“Why even go then?” she pressed. He looked at her, and she was holding a towel, wiping away her sweat.

Eli had to bite his tongue to suppress the groan that threatened to leave his lips when she tilted her head to dry her neck. It was like he was watching her move in slow motion. He had the sudden urge to lean over and lick the beads of sweat off of her exposed cleavage.

Fuck.

“I guess I thought I'd have one last hurrah before hitting the campaign trail,” he admitted.

He turned and went back onto the treadmill. What was he thinking? If she planned on ruining his career, she had more than enough ammunition to use against him.

“One last chance to be bad?” she guessed.

“One last chance to be myself,” he corrected her. “Unbound,” he added with a smirk. He was trying his best not to spare her even a single glance while she continued to pat herself dry with that towel. If he did, he knew for certain he'd be the one falling off the treadmill this time.

“I see,” she said. She paused, then continued, saying, “I think you should know I had no idea who you even were until the day before yesterday. I know you don't know me very well, but...” She trailed off, then shook her head. “I suppose you'll just have to take my word for it.”

With that, Eli decided working out was a bust for today. There was no point in him trying to stop thinking about Meredith when she was standing just a few feet away from him.

Looking her straight in the eyes, he took a few large strides toward her, closing the distance between them quickly.

“Is that right?” he asked.

Lost and confused, Eli found his fingertips hovering a hair’s breadth from touching Meredith’s mouth, which was slightly parted. Her pink lips looked luscious as usual. And he wanted desperately to kiss her.

God, how he'd love to kiss her.

He grit his teeth when he saw her throat’s fluttering pulse. But he knew too well that she was just waiting for him to make a move.

Oh, man. I’m doomed, he thought when she swallowed hard.

“That’s right,” she spoke in almost a whisper, snapping him back to reality.

“I... I should go. We have an early morning tomorrow,” she said, grabbing her water bottle and leaving without another word.

Cursing himself yet again, he watched her go, unabashedly checking her out.

It wasn't a crime to look, right?