by K. A. Linde
“Oh, honestly!” Liz cried. She stood up from her stool and looked down at him in frustration. She had brought his phone back, after all.
“Why don’t you two just calm down?” Clay suggested, biting into his sandwich. “Savi here just likes to pick on me because I’m not her favorite.”
“Pick on you?” Savannah asked incredulously. “I pick on you?”
“I guess it can’t be helped. You need someone to pick on because Brady is too perfect for that.”
“At least I’m not just jealous . . .”
“She loves me.” Clay pointed his thumb at Savannah.
“I do,” she grumbled. “Even when you’re an ass.”
“Have to live up to everyone’s expectations. Someone has to be in the shadow of the sun. How does it feel?” he asked, staring meaningfully at Liz.
Was he saying that he was stuck in Brady’s shadow or suggesting that . . . she was in Brady’s shadow? Liz didn’t have the energy for this. “Can’t you harass someone else? I’ve had a hard enough day as it is.”
“That’s not the only thing that’s hard,” he said with a chuckle to himself.
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Brady said, walking formidably into the room.
Chapter 5
COMMUNICATION
Brady looked incredible in a tailored three-piece black suit, crisp blue shirt, and burgundy silk tie with a herringbone pattern. His brown eyes were cold when they looked at his brother, but melted into warmth when they were turned on her. Liz felt so much of the anxiety of the day dropping off her shoulders in just that one glance. How was he able to do that?
Brady cleared the distance between them in an instant and his mouth dropped onto her lips. The kiss was brief but fierce, possessive, and demanding. Passion sparked between them, and Liz felt like she could have stayed frozen in that moment forever.
Too soon he broke away and Liz was left with a void in his absence. She was pretty sure he was the most addicting thing in the world. When they were together, she felt like everything that had gone wrong in her life recently was going to be all right. At least she had him at her side. That was what helped get her through. Brady fixed everything.
Clay cleared his throat loudly. “Y’all need to get a room or something?” Liz took another step back from Brady, not even realizing they had just been staring into each other’s eyes.
“No, and we don’t need any of your snide comments either,” Brady said, shooting Clay a meaningful look. “I don’t want to have the same discussion we had on Sunday.”
“We’re calling it a discussion now? Could have fooled me.” Clay leaned back on the island casually.
Savannah just huffed and swatted at him. “Can’t you behave?”
“Can’t you mind your own business?” he shot back.
“Savi,” Brady said softly. She turned her attention to her older brother and shrugged like he started it. The whole exchange made Liz giggle.
Brady pulled Liz closer and fixed Clay with a hard stare. Liz knew that they didn’t get along, but she hadn’t realized quite how much until she was in the same room with them. Most of the negativity had come from Clay in the past, but there was obvious heat on Brady’s end too.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in D.C.?” Brady asked flatly.
“Aren’t you?” Clay countered. “We had the same flight. You canceled yours. I thought it really must be dire to keep you in Chapel Hill two extra days.”
“Why do I feel like you have ulterior motives?”
“Does it always have to be ulterior motives?” Clay asked. “Can’t I just want to spend more time with my family?”
Savannah snorted. “No.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, sis.”
Liz shook her head.
“You manage to get through Yale Law School and get a job clerking for the Supreme Court, and yet you’re still a terrible liar,” Brady said.
“Sorry, I’m not a politician.”
Clay and Brady glared at each other. Liz suspected she would need a machete to cut through the tension.
“No, you’re a lawyer,” Savannah quipped. “How much worse can you get?”
Clay smirked. “A reporter?”
Savannah stared daggers at Clay. Liz normally would have immediately defended her profession of choice, but considering reporters were the reason she was no longer on the paper, couldn’t go to her last class, and had been chased across campus for information, well, she wasn’t feeling that generous.
“Or maybe it’s only bad when you’re fucking the reporter,” Clay offered with a wink.
Brady reached for Clay at the same time Liz put herself between them. She had known Brady’s reaction even before Clay had finished his statement. She put her hands up on Brady’s chest and pushed him backward gently. “He’s antagonizing you! Just ignore him,” she said.
“I don’t care if it’s about me, but you . . .” Brady said.
“I can take care of myself on this one,” she said softly, meeting his gaze. “Come on. It’s just Clay.”
“Still standing here,” Clay said.
Liz heard Savannah shush him. “Let’s just get out of here. You have to leave today. I want to spend more time with you.”
Brady straightened as if he just realized that he had been a little out of control and he slipped back into himself. “You’re right. He’s probably just upset that Andrea wants to marry him or hang out with him—or worse, sleep with him.”
It was a low blow, but Liz couldn’t keep from laughing. Clay was in some strange open relationship that Liz still didn’t really understand. She was pretty sure he and his girlfriend hated each other more than they got along, and as far as she knew, they both slept around with other people.
Clay shuddered. “You used the M word.”
“You are going to marry her eventually,” Savannah said. “Why waste all of this time sleeping with other people all the time if you aren’t going to end up with the woman who lets you do it without complaining?”
“You two are in rare form today,” Clay said, addressing his siblings.
“And this is every day with you,” Brady said.
“Come on,” she whispered, tugging on Brady lightly. As much as she agreed with the things they were saying about Clay, she didn’t like everyone ganging up on him. He might be an arrogant douche bag, but he was still family. He wasn’t going to conveniently go away. No use burning bridges with people she had to see all the time.
Brady finally relented without much effort on her part and walked out of the kitchen. The whole experience of being around all three of them together was kind of strange. For so long, they had each been a separate part of her world. Her secret affair with Brady. Her friendship with Savannah. And her . . . antagonistic, maybe even flirtatious relationship with Clay. Now all three worlds were colliding.
Once they were sufficiently far enough away from Savannah and Clay, Liz grabbed Brady’s hand. “Brady, hold on.”
“Liz, we just . . .”
“Why did you have me brought here? What if I’d just run into your parents without you? That would have been awkward. And then you tell Savannah about me coming here because you’re on your way over, but don’t think to include me in that information? I know we’re starting all over, but there is going to need to be some better communication.”
“Liz,” he said sharply, cutting off her long-winded ramble. “I would prefer to talk about these things in a more private setting.”
Liz glanced around and saw that they were completely alone and then raised an eyebrow. “Can’t you at least tell me what we’re doing here?”
“I had to pick up some paperwork before I left the office.” His voice lowered and his face softened as he drew her in closer. “You seemed so frazzled on the phone. I thought since this was closer for you an
d Savi was already here that it might be better than driving the forty minutes to see me, just to leave the office again.”
“Well, I agree with that.” Savannah had lightened her mood after all. “I just think you could have told me.”
Brady nodded. “I admit that I’m used to being reticent with information.”
“Part of your campaign mask.”
“It’s easier to control information if you don’t give anything away.”
“I get that, but I’m not the press anymore,” she said. He slid his hand around her waist and hers wound around his neck. “I’m just Liz.”
“I know that,” he said, dipping his head so that his forehead rested on hers.
“Then act like it. Don’t keep me out of the loop,” she murmured. “You were the first person I called when the reporters followed me. I should be that for you too.”
“My relationships have been rather cut-and-dried for as long as I can remember. What you’re asking for is equality, and it’s not something I’ve ever consciously given.”
She stepped back. “Well, if we’re not going to be equal in this relationship then why did you push for me to do this?”
“Hey,” he breathed softly. “I didn’t say I didn’t want it. I said I wasn’t accustomed to it. I want what’s best for us to be together. A lot is changing in your life because of me. I can change for you too.”
“Well, I’ll make a deal with you,” she said, reaching out and toying with his tie.
“Oh, no, what am I getting myself into?”
“You might like it.” She couldn’t keep the smirk from playing on her lips. He arched an eyebrow and waited for her to continue. “If you work on this communication thing, then I’ll let you take complete control . . . in the bedroom.”
Brady laughed lightly and kissed her. “I already do.”
“Not all the time.”
“Maybe I like when you take control. I seem to remember a certain desk where you climbed on top . . .”
Liz blushed as she remembered the time they’d had sex on top of the desk in what had, at the time, been Hayden’s office. It was now her desk . . . or she supposed after today it belonged to Massey. That sobered up her good mood. The stress of the day flooded her and she sagged a bit in Brady’s embrace. It was still early and already she was exhausted.
Brady seemed to notice and started walking with her back to the garage. “Let’s get you back to my place. We still have a lot to talk about, and I might take you up on that complete-control thing you were suggesting.”
About an hour later, they arrived at Brady’s house in the suburbs of Raleigh. Aside from last night, Liz had been there only once, after one of Brady’s galas. It was also where he had defended their relationship to Heather and Elliott when they’d walked in and seen them together. It was the first time she had ever heard him say that he loved her—though admittedly he’d never said it directly to her.
It was also the place where everything had started to fall apart.
It was easy to see all that when she looked up at Brady’s two-story brick house on a solid acre of land with a gorgeous view. But Liz was set on making new memories of them together. They certainly had last night.
Brady parked his Lexus in the garage and she followed him inside. The layout was open, with dark furniture and beautiful artwork. Liz was sure an interior designer had set foot in the house. She wasn’t sure how else he would have time to do this much work to the place. The best part, of course, was the expansive windows that showed the porch and the huge tract of land beyond them.
“So,” she said, kicking her heels off and sinking into the couch.
Brady walked into the kitchen, popped open a bottle of wine, and brought two glasses out for them. “So.”
Liz took a sip of her wine and leaned into his shoulder. “There’s something different about this.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“We’ve been back for ten whole minutes, and my act-first-and-talk-later boyfriend hasn’t jumped my bones.”
Brady reached for her wine and set it on the coffee table. “I could fix that,” he said, nuzzling into her neck. He pressed her back into the sofa and soon they were kissing. So much of the tension fell away and she just enjoyed the feel of his lips against hers, the electricity that sparked between them, and the unending need to be closer to him.
After the trials of the last year, it felt like a miracle for them even to be sitting happily in the same room. It hadn’t been that long ago when the tension—sexual and otherwise—had rolled off of them, when they hadn’t been able to be around each other, when they had said cruel things just to keep their feelings at bay. Now having him here—Brady kissing her, smiling at her; enjoying each other’s company—it felt as if all of those things had just been what they’d had to endure to get back to each other.
They had both made stupid decisions along the way. But since neither could deny what was happening, they had inevitably ended up here once more. She couldn’t be without him. He couldn’t be without her. She knew time would only tell the depth of the truth in that assessment, but she couldn’t envision it any other way.
Brady tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and gave her another sweet kiss. “You’ve had a stressful day. Tell me how to make it better.”
“I can think of a few ways,” she murmured.
“We should talk about what happened.”
“Not exactly what I had in mind.” She gave him a sultry look, as if he didn’t already know what she was talking about.
“All of this has happened really fast for you. I’m used to the spotlight. I want to make you more comfortable around it. It’s not going away.”
“I know,” she said, conceding to the deeper topic. She ran a hand back through her hair.
“I have faith that you know how to handle reporters. You’re a damn good reporter yourself.” He had that proud look in his eyes that he got when talking about her accomplishments. She had seen it before, when he had found out that she was a Morehead scholar, the highest scholarship on UNC’s campus, and when she had accepted the job at the New York Times.
“I understand reporters,” she said with a shrug. “I was just bombarded today.”
“Yeah. You weren’t prepared for that, but you will be next time. I think that’s half of the battle.”
Liz sighed and nodded. She wanted Brady. This came with Brady. She would learn to deal with it.
“I wish you were going to be here all the time to figure this stuff out,” she admitted. She didn’t know why, but she felt really small and vulnerable divulging that. It went beyond needing her boyfriend nearby or even wanting to spend more time in the comfort of her new relationship. She was treading through dangerous waters without a guide and she had just learned how to swim.
Brady nodded. “I would like that too. I’m honestly not used to having someone else in my life that I want to see all the time.”
She spared him a bright smile. “I seem to be a game changer.”
“Understatement. You’re more than the game changer. You’re the game and the team and the league and the whole universe of sports wrapped up into one neat little package.”
Another thought tickled the back of her mind. She had always needed answers, and just because she didn’t work for the paper now didn’t mean that had changed. “How often will I see you, though? I don’t know how this works.”
Brady actually managed to look uncomfortable for a split second. “Before you, I spent eighty percent of my time in Congress working. I came back to North Carolina as often as I could for things such as your colloquium, but my job is to take what the people want to Congress.”
“How exactly can you do that without spending time with the people?” Liz asked dryly, not liking where this conversation was headed.
He gave her a pointed look. “I’v
e lived here my entire life. I know the people. There’s so much that goes into the job besides just sitting in meetings.”
“I know,” she said quickly. “I just want to see you.”
“You will see me. I’ll make sure of it. We have the weekends. If I can’t make it here, then I’ll fly you up to visit me. We’ll make it work. I know we can’t be together all the time, since you’re still in school. Graduation should be your number one priority,” he told her.
“School is the last thing I want to think about.”
Brady leaned forward and kissed her. “You’ll appreciate it more when you’re done. And anyway, the sooner you graduate, the sooner I can have you around more. Summers in an election year are always a good time for me to be in Chapel Hill.”
Liz swung her leg over Brady’s so she was straddling him. “I think it’s always a good time for you to be in Chapel Hill.”
His hands ran up her dark jeans, grasped her hips firmly, and then slid to her ass. “I’m starting to agree with you.”
“Just now?” she asked incredulously. Her lips hovered mere inches from his temptingly.
“Convince me,” he commanded.
She brushed her lips against his, featherlight, always just out of his reach. “And here I thought you were the one who wanted complete control.”
“I’m learning something about equality, baby,” he growled before lifting her with his hands around her ass and throwing her back into the couch.
Their lips melded together with heat and intensity that could rarely be contained. Her fingers worked at the buttons on his shirt while he did all he could to work on the skinny jeans hugging her legs. Brady shrugged out of his shirt once she finished. He trailed kisses down her front and then tugged her jeans off of her body. Liz squirmed under him as he spent an interminable amount of time slipping each button of her shirt through its hole.
“Baby,” he murmured against her bare skin. His fingers ran along the outline of her bra. He slipped under the material, causing her whole body to arch off of the couch in response. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”