by Sienna Snow
I loved this man more than I could have ever imagined loving someone. He was mine. Well, at least for now.
“I said stop thinking.”
My lips trembled, and I nodded, my head rising to capture his lips.
My core quivered and then clenched, fisting him in a tight grip, as another orgasm washed over me. I tore free from his mouth, screaming my release and pushing Veer into his.
He groaned my name, coming in hard shudders, and said, “I can’t let you go. Not yet.”
Chapter Four
Two hours after my mind-blowing sex session with Veer, I leaned against my kitchen counter and drank down a strong martini. The olive-infused concoction burned down my throat and warmed my stomach.
Veer had left in much the same way as he’d come in the night before. I hated that no one outside my circle was supposed to know we were together. He’d accepted how it had to be, reluctantly, but he’d accepted.
Now I stood in my kitchen with guilt weighing down on me. I should set Veer free and let him move on. But I couldn’t do it. If I did, it would mean I’d lost my one opportunity to be with the love of my life.
“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on between Veer and you or am I going to have to guess?”
I stared at my beautiful best friend and sister-in-law, Samina Kumar-Camden. She was a world-renowned celebrity attorney-turned-junior senator from Washington State. She also happened to have known me long enough to recognize when I was in a brooding kind of mood.
I’d tried to show excitement when she and Devin had arrived at the house earlier, but I’d had no energy for pretenses. At least with them, I could be myself, emotional turmoil and all.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She snorted, not buying my evasion. Her brown eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head and studied me in the way that made anyone she had on the witness stand think twice before lying to her.
We’d been assigned as roommates when we were barely eighteen and had started law school at Stanford. Our parents thought it would be safest to have us live together. We were both girls from conservative homes whose parents weren’t sure what to do with kids who could outthink everyone around them.
Samina’s father, an overbearing technology billionaire, had decided for Sam to room with me. He assumed I would be a good influence on his ultra-sheltered daughter, who he wanted to fit into a mold he’d designed. Little had he known that I was just as protected and ready to break free of the confines of family and on the lookout for a partner in crime. From the moment we’d met, we were thick as thieves. The amount of trouble the two of us had gotten into could have given our parents heart attacks. Thankfully, Ashur, Sam’s older brother, and Devin, my big bro, kept us from getting into something that would have had dire consequences.
Fifteen years later, we were still getting into mischief together, but our last foray into adventure had gotten us elected as United States senators.
“Okay, then tell me why you barely said a handful of words during lunch and are drinking one of your ‘lay an elephant on its ass’ drinks at one in the afternoon. I’m the one with a not-yet one-year-old who gets barely any sleep.”
“Because I need something to take the edge off.” I moved to the sink, rinsed my glass, and then set it in the dish drainer.
“Jaci,” Sam said softly. “Did you and Veer break up?”
There was only a small group people who knew about Veer and me. Sam happened to be part of it. Sam had wanted Veer and me together from the time she discovered that I felt more for him than friendship.
Reality was reality. Southern politics was brutal, especially for women, and I was a conservative who couldn’t let anything taint my reputation. And a relationship with a liberal outspoken-against-the-GOP real-estate and technology tycoon would tank any chances I had.
Veer knew it, as did I.
We’d resisted the attraction for years, making sure to keep things distant between us. That was, until three years ago. While attending a conference in Las Vegas, I’d run into Veer at my hotel. He had just finished a business meeting with the casino owner, and I was returning to catch a power nap. We’d decided to have dinner, which led to us going out dancing, and then turned into a night of nonstop sex. We had agreed it couldn’t go anywhere but kept finding excuses to see each other. Then after returning to Austin, we’d continued to meet up conveniently. Eventually, we’d admitted what we were feeling was more than lust.
“I’m going to take your silence as an affirmative.”
I shook my head and turned to face her. “No, I think we’re still together.”
“Think?” she questioned and then gestured to the seat next to her at the island. “Come here and tell me what’s going on. I want to be in the loop. I’m still ticked I learned about Veer and you a year after you guys hooked up. I’m your best friend. You’re supposed to tell me shit.”
“Whatever,” I muttered.
It was only right before our senatorial elections that she’d accidentally discovered Veer and I were more than friends. She happened to have gotten up one morning when she was visiting and caught a half-dressed Veer leaving the house.
The conversation we had after the incident still made me cringe. Samina had made it clear that what we were doing would end up hurting us and, in the end, we’d regret it.
I knew she’d spoken from experience. Sam had accepted being a secret from the world for nearly ten years. She’d married the love of her life only to have both of them pretend nothing was between them and to date other people.
Her high-profile career had been a liability for both Devin’s and my father’s careers. In the eyes of the world, Sam was a liberal attorney who took on celebrity clientele. It hadn’t mattered that she was well respected or that most of her cases focused on injustices done to her clients. Public knowledge of Devin and Samina’s relationship would have made it nearly impossible for Dad to win his reelection bid with his ultra-conservative constituents. Two years ago, right before she announced her candidacy for Senate, she’d decided she’d had enough of living behind the scenes and took the steps to separate from Devin.
It had been the kick in the pants my big brother needed to fix his marriage. Now, Devin and Sam’s marriage was stronger than ever, and they had my gorgeous nephew, who was the perfect combination of the two of them.
“I said sit.”
“You’re so damn bossy,” I muttered but followed her instructions by sliding onto the barstool.
I threaded my fingers together, setting them on the island, and stared at my hands, not knowing where to start. After a few minutes, Sam covered my hands with hers, and I sighed. It was time to admit out loud what I knew was the truth.
“For the last few months, every time we’re together, it’s like we’re bracing for it to end. There is so much tension between us. Veer’s career has taken off more than anyone could have imagined, and so has mine. I know it has to happen, but I’m not sure I can do it.”
“You have to decide what’s more important. Your career or your relationship with Veer. What you want for the future comes with a steep price. You and Veer aren’t the only ones affected by your decision. You have to think of Kevin too. As far as the public knows, he’s the man in your life.”
There was no judgment in her voice. She was one of those people who told me her opinions but would support any decision I made, even if it pissed her off.
She’d known Veer longer than I had. He was her older brother Ashur’s best friend. Veer was an only child and had become part of Sam’s family, spending any and all free time at Sam’s house. Veer was as much Sam’s brother as Ashur was. Even with this bond, Sam hadn’t taken sides. She was as loyal to me as she was to Veer.
Hell, from the sound of it, she’d taken Kevin into her fold as well.
My lips trembled. “Why did I let things go past that weekend in Vegas?”
“Because both of you have had the hots for each other since we were
in law school. I’m surprised you guys waited as long as you did to jump each other’s bones.”
I couldn’t deny her observation. From the moment we’d first met, Veer and I shared an unspoken chemistry that was hard to ignore.
“I knew better. Hell, we both did. And still, we went down this rabbit hole. Any advice on how not to have my heart bleed out when the inevitable happens?”
“Besides what I’ve already said, I don’t have anything. If you recall, I’m the idiot who allowed my husband to keep me a secret for years. If I recall, you were the resident sage who advised me to leave your brother and take him for all he had.”
“Thank God the two of you got it together and figured your shit out. For the record, I would have gone with you in the divorce.” I gave her a mischievous grin. “No brother was going to get in the way of our sisterhood.”
“I second both your statements.”
The grandfather clock in the hallway leading out of the kitchen chimed.
“Let’s table this for now. Everyone will arrive soon, and I want this weekend to be fun.”
“I’m right there with you. I don’t think I could take another filibuster attempt like we had this past week,” Sam said. “Sometimes I ask myself why the hell I wanted to become a politician when all we do is listen to endless discussions that lead nowhere.”
“It comes with the territory. Think about it this way—you only have five years left and then can go back to representing shock jocks like Clint Bassett.”
Sam winced and then laughed. “Be nice. If it weren’t for him, that asshole Decker would never have been outed for all the crap he did to us.”
I pushed down the anger that surfaced whenever anyone mentioned Grey Decker Senior. I shouldn’t let the man affect me so much, but sometimes I couldn’t help it. He’d helped his son cover up his assault on me and then tried to make it look like I was a drunk whore.
The sad part was Decker would never get over his hatred of me, especially since I’d come out on top and ousted him from office. He’d probably be a thorn in my side until the day he died, obsessing with tactics to ruin my reputation.
“Jacinta.” Sam touched my arm. “I didn’t mean to bring up Decker.”
“It’s okay, Sam. It’s not like how it used to be. Even if the memories are still there, neither of the Deckers have power over me anymore.”
“That’s true. Senior and Junior are lucky if anyone takes them seriously after what came out in the election.”
Two years ago, Grey Decker Senior had hired a reporter to take compromising pictures of Sam. Decker thought to use the images to destroy Sam’s credibility, thinking that, since she was my sister-in-law and my best friend, hurting her would trickle down to me.
Too bad for Decker that Clint Bassett had exposed him for the douchebag he was. He’d released a recording where Decker discussed selling the pictures for the right price. Clint was the father of four daughters and took the possible attack on Sam as a personal insult to a woman he’d decided was as much a daughter to him as she was his attorney.
Samina had turned the horrible situation to her advantage, using the platform of getting rid of the establishment and anyone who’d support the destruction of people for political gain.
“Sometimes I wish I’d been strong like you and come out about what the Deckers did to me.”
“What happened to me and what you experienced are two different things. Decker Junior assaulted you and tried to make it look like you wanted it. Plus, there were other factors, so don’t belittle what you went through.”
“I know.” I sighed.
Both my father and Tyler had been up for election, and any scandal would have ruined their chances to win. No matter how the world viewed things, any hint of impropriety would have destroyed their campaigns and so I kept quiet. Thankfully, my beautiful best friend had used her family’s connections to get any inkling of the incident erased so that no one could hurt me again.
“I wished I’d thought of doing more than just wiping their servers.”
“I’m glad all you did was use your tech peeps to break into the Decker estate. Neither of us would look good in yellow stripes.”
“Whatever, you never let me have any fun.”
“Sam,” I said in a low voice, “thank you for always being there for me.”
She leaned her head against my shoulder. “We’re sisters from different misters and all that.” She sniffed. “Dammit, you’re making me all sappy. Go fix another drink or something.” She waved her hand.
A beep sounded, and my head of security, CJ, spoke over the intercom.
“Ms. Camden, Ms. Zain’s car left the airport thirty minutes ago, and she will arrive in the next fifteen minutes.”
“Thanks for the update,” I called out and then stood.
“Come on. Since you ordered me to do it, you can help me. Let’s get some refreshments ready. I know Tara will need a pick-me-up after her sixteen-hour flight.”
“Can you believe it, the three of us under the same roof again. Lord help the guys.” Sam dabbed at her eyes and laughed.
All of a sudden, an uneasy look crossed Sam’s face, and she got up from her spot and opened the drink refrigerator, pulling out sparkling water and pouring herself a glass of the fizzy liquid.
I moved to the bar storage and began pulling out bottles of my favorite liquor.
“Want me to add a splash of vodka and pomegranate liquor into that?” Vodka-pomegranate was Sam’s go-to drink.
She shook her head. “Nope. I’m good.”
I watched her rub her stomach as if to calm it.
Hmmm, Sam never turned down her favorite drink, and her emotions were all over the place. Hadn’t she been about to fall into a ball of tears a second ago? Something was up. Then it came to me. The little witch was keeping secrets.
“Sam?”
“Yes.”
“How far along are you?”
Surprise crossed her face and then a smile appeared. “Eleven weeks.”
“Eleven weeks? Why am I only learning this now?”
“Because it was a secret. Promise not to say anything to anyone. Dev wants to tell the family next month when everyone comes up for Dru’s first birthday.”
I made the motion of an X over my heart and stuck out my little finger, which I clasped with hers. “I cross my heart and pinky promise.”
At that moment, Devin walked in. “Should I be worried? It’s never good when you two swear each other to secrecy.”
“You’ll have to wait and see.” Sam lifted a brow.
Sam’s face lit up as Devin approached her, turning her chair toward him.
“As long as I don’t have to keep you from being arrested, I’m good.” He tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. “One time was more than enough.”
My heart clenched. The love between them was visible to anyone who saw them together.
At least my best friend would get her happily ever after.
I shook the sadness from my mind. No time to wallow—it was time to enjoy my weekend. Who knew how long it would be before I had another free one?
I jumped into gear and started the prep for our snacks.
Chapter Five
“Tara. I can’t believe you’re finally here,” I shouted as I rushed down the front steps of the house and wrapped my arms around my dear friend Tara Zain.
“I need this so much, Jaci. Thank you for inviting me.” Tara squeezed me tight.
As one of the top attorneys in the United States who specialized in international law and human rights, she epitomized a badassed, take-no-one’s-shit negotiator. She had been dubbed “The Commander” by those she’d faced while handling various cases around the world.
In the past few weeks, she’d gotten more than her fair share of media coverage after she negotiated the nonviolent release of a group of kidnapped girls whose captors planned to sell as child brides in a remote region between India and Pakistan. There had been a lot of co
ntroversy and criticism about her role, especially since our government hadn’t sanctioned her involvement.
President Edgar’s disinterest in the situation had frustrated me to no end, especially since there were at least seventy American children involved. When Tara stepped in and invited the media, she’d put a spotlight on the lack of action by the current administration in matters of international affairs. In the end, people viewed Tara as a hero but at the cost of her privacy.
Neither the president nor Tara knew I had a plan up my sleeve if things didn’t calm down by the end of the coming week. It was risky and could potentially cause me severe backlash, but it was worth it to do the right thing while protecting my friend.
I knew for a fact if Tara had been a man and aligned with the Republican Party, President Edgar would have jumped at the chance to celebrate the successful release of the children. Hell, the only reason the chauvinistic ass praised me at every opportunity was to make himself look less bigoted and more open minded.
If he only realized that half our party couldn’t stand him and could see right through his words to the man underneath.
“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this weekend to get here,” I told Tara.
“Are you sure having me under your roof won’t politically hurt you?”
I guided her toward the house. “You need us, and I will never turn my back on you.”
“I’ve missed you and Samina so much. It’s been nearly two years since we’ve done anything together.” She gave me a weary but genuine smile. “Mom and Dad told me you need to come to the house next time you’re in Seattle.”
“I wouldn’t miss seeing them for the world. Your mom’s cooking is to die for. I’ve always wondered how you kept your hot body when you grew up eating her food.”
“It wasn’t easy, but soccer and track helped keep my metabolism charged.” She adjusted the straps of her bag and scanned the yard. “Who’s going to be here?”
The tension in her shoulders told me she wanted to know about one specific person.