When they reached the marina, they walked hand and hand along the pier, neither of them saying anything. He wondered what she was thinking and more than once was tempted to ask, but always changed his mind.
Once on the yacht he asked, “Would you like another glass of wine, Victoria?” They’d each had a glass during dinner.
“No, but thanks for asking,” she said, kicking off her heels. Then, as he watched, she smiled and crossed the floor to him. “Aren’t you going to ask me what I’ve decided, Roman?”
He drew in a deep breath. “No. I felt when you were ready to tell me, you would.”
She nodded. “Thanks, and I appreciate it. I needed time to think through a lot of things.” She paused. “My answer is yes, Roman. I want to continue what we started here in the cove.”
Roman was totally elated and pulled her into his arms. “You have made me a very happy man, Victoria. So very happy.” Still holding her around the waist, and with a huge smile on his face, he moved back to look down at her. “Does that mean you’ll be my date at the Capital Ball next month?”
She smiled up at him. “Yes. However, I do have a request.”
“And what is that, sweetheart?”
“I want to tell my family about us first. I want them to hear it from me that we’ve started seeing each other. Christy already knows, but it will be quite a surprise to everyone else. I’m sure word has gotten around that Tanner is the man Mama Laverne has chosen for me and some might think I’m rebelling against her interference, when that’s not it at all. I just don’t agree with her choice for me. I believe she made an honest mistake.”
He didn’t say anything for a minute, then asked, “How do you think she’s going to feel about it?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’ll find out when she comes back from her cruise and have a chance to talk with her. But it won’t change anything. My mind is made up. I want to continue to be with you, and I honestly don’t see Tanner in my future.”
Roman drew in a deep breath as he drew her closer to him. “I want you to see yourself in mine, Victoria, and more than anything I want you to see me in yours. I wasn’t going to tell you this until you made your decision. I didn’t want what I said to influence you in any way.”
She tilted her head to look at him. “What?”
“I’ve fallen in love with you. That might not have been the plan when we began hanging together, but after getting to know you, spending time with you, making love to you, there was no way you could not wiggle your way into my heart. You have and it doesn’t matter if you love me back or not. I love you. I want forever with you. I couldn’t leave here with you thinking all we shared was a meaningless affair, because every minute I shared with you meant something special, Victoria.”
“Oh, Roman.” She dropped her head to his chest. He became concerned when he heard her crying.
He lifted her chin to look up at him and saw the tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry I’ve made you cry, sweetheart, but I couldn’t hold my love back a single day without letting you know.”
She swiped at her tears. “I’m crying because I’m happy. I’ve fallen in love with you, as well. And because I love you, I want to be with you. I want forever with you, too.”
“Oh, baby.” At that moment he felt on top of the world. The woman he loved just admitted to loving him in return.
Roman swept her up into his arms to carry her down below. Tonight’s lovemaking would have new meaning. They had declared their love for each other, and he believed in his heart that upon doing so, no one could come between them. No one.
PART 4
Nothing is impossible when you follow your heart.
—Anonymous
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ROMAN DROVE THROUGH the streets of the nation’s capital to meet Mint for breakfast. It was a beautiful Monday morning and he couldn’t wait to give him the name of the woman who would be his date to the ball at the Kennedy Center. The woman he loved.
After making love on the yacht, he had taken Victoria home and then made love to her again, ending up spending the night. He had hated leaving her before daybreak Thursday morning but the sight of her lying in her bed with a satisfied smile on her face would forever be etched in his mind. Her plans were to visit her family in Houston this coming weekend to break the news about them.
Plans were made for him to fly to Houston and join her after she met with them on Saturday, and then the two of them would go to his ranch in Austin to decide on the best way to officially come out as a couple.
He resumed driving when the traffic light changed and turned into the parking lot of Bristol’s, one of his favorite places for breakfast in DC. Victoria had introduced him to the Witherspoon Café while he’d been in Catalina Cove, and he couldn’t wait to take her to Bristol’s. Hell, he couldn’t wait to see her again on Saturday. It didn’t matter that he’d just seen her Thursday. It had only been four days, but he still missed her something awful.
As usual, he pulled up to the restaurant’s valet-parking stand, then stopped the car and got out. The moment he closed his car door, seemingly out of nowhere, he was surrounded by reporters with microphones and flashing cameras.
“Senator, what do you have to say about the article appearing in this morning’s paper?” Several microphones were shoved in his face.
“What the hell? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said.
“Are you saying that for the past month you have not been having an illicit affair with a woman engaged to marry someone else?” one reporter asked loudly.
“Or that you’re not involved in a lover’s triangle with Victoria Madaris, niece of wealthy rancher Jake Madaris, and a man by the name of Tanner Jamison?” another reporter asked.
Hearing Victoria’s name from a reporter’s mouth made Roman go still. Before he could say anything, Mint suddenly appeared at his side with an angry look on his face. “The senator is not answering any questions,” he barked. “He will have a press conference later and you can ask your questions then.”
Mint turned to Roman and said in a low voice, “Get back in the car and I’ll follow you back to your place. It’s secure and they can’t get through the gates.”
For several seconds Roman just stood there, his gaze locked with Mint’s as he tried to get an understanding of what the hell was happening and how Victoria was involved and why.
“Roman, get back in the car and let’s go,” Mint said.
Roman blinked, opened the door and climbed back into his car, then drove off, knowing Mint was not far behind. He wasn’t surprised when he got to his condo to find even more reporters waiting outside the gate. He was glad they were unable to get in. When they saw his car, several ran toward him, but he kept driving through the entrance, pausing only to enter his security code. He glanced in his rearview mirror to see Mint was directly behind him.
Once inside his home, he waited for Mint to enter.
“What the hell is going on, Mint?” he demanded.
“I tried to reach you the moment I saw this,” Mint said, tossing a tabloid on the table in front of him.
Roman picked it up. On the cover was a photo of him and Victoria standing on the deck of the yacht kissing. The headline read, “Senator Roman Malone Involved in Love Triangle.”
“There are more photographs inside,” Mint said.
Roman turned the page and then cursed when he saw the spread. There were pages and pages of photos of him and Victoria in each other’s arms, kissing, holding hands, her sitting in his lap. Even one of the night he’d swept her off her feet to carry her below. She was wearing that red pantsuit, which meant the photo had been taken as recent as last Wednesday night. The photographs clearly showed a couple into each other.
He tossed aside the tabloid and looked up at Mint. “I want to know who took those photos. I’m a single man and Victor
ia is a single woman. What we do is nobody’s business.”
“That’s not what the article is saying, Roman. It said the two of you were overheard discussing the man she is engaged to marry, a guy named Tanner Jamison, and how you and Ms. Madaris were carrying on an affair behind his back.”
“That’s not true,” Roman snapped, pulling his phone out his jacket. “I need to call Victoria.”
He paced the floor as her phone continued to ring. Then he recalled that she mentioned when they talked last night that she had an early morning meeting at the station and probably had her phone off. “Damn!”
“So, Ms. Madaris is not engaged to marry someone else?” Mint asked.
Roman glared at him. “No, and I want to know who put that lie out there.”
Mint rubbed the top of his head. “Right now, we need to deny those allegations, Roman. Is there any way we can fly Ms. Madaris here to—”
“No! I will not ask Victoria to come to Washington for this BS. She didn’t want to get involved with a politician because of shit like this.”
“But you know for a fact she is not involved with Tanner Jamison?”
“I’m positive. You and I know The Tattler doesn’t care about the truth. All they do is spread lies to sell papers. In the meantime, both Victoria’s and my reputations are taking a beating. I don’t give a damn about mine, but I won’t let anyone slander hers.”
Mint didn’t say anything for a moment, clearly deciding to let Roman calm down before asking another question. He watched as Roman tried calling Victoria’s phone number again with no luck.
“Calm down, Roman,” Mint finally said. “When she turns her phone back on, she will see all the missed calls and return yours.”
Roman looked at him and, as if what he said made sense, Roman sat down on the sofa, holding the phone in his hand.
Mint drew in a deep breath. “I need to handle damage control, Roman, but first I need to know an answer to a very important question. What does Victoria Madaris mean to you?”
Roman looked Mint straight in the eye and said, “Victoria is the woman I love and intend to marry one day.”
* * *
“EXCUSE ME, I NEED to take this,” Mr. Richards said to Victoria when a phone call interrupted their meeting.
She glanced out the window and saw the clouds forming, and was glad she’d listened to the weather report and brought her umbrella. She smiled when she remembered her phone conversation with Roman last night. He had arrived in Washington Friday and they’d talked every day since. But talking on the phone in no way replaced him being with her in the flesh. She was missing him like crazy and couldn’t wait to see him this coming weekend.
“Victoria?”
She looked up at her boss. “Yes, Mr. Richards?”
“Are you engaged to be married?”
She lifted an eyebrow, wondering why he would ask her such a thing when she wasn’t wearing a ring on her finger. “No, of course not.”
“So a man by the name of Tanner Jamison is not your intended?”
“My intended?”
“Yes.”
“If you’re asking if I’m engaged to Tanner, then no. He’s a friend of the Madaris family.”
“What about you and Senator Roman Malone. Are the two of you involved?”
Victoria’s frown deepened. “Mr. Richards, what is this about? Why are you asking me these questions?”
“I’m asking you these questions because of this,” he said, turning his laptop toward her. “I just got a call that this article came across our wire service. It’s headline news in this morning’s The Tattler, that Capitol Hill tabloid nearly everyone in Washington reads. Even those who swear they don’t.”
Victoria looked at the computer screen and her eyes widened. There on the front page was a huge photograph of her in Roman’s arms and they were kissing. He had a beard, but the person who took the picture identified them both.
“There are more photographs where those came from,” Mr. Richards said.
Swallowing, she nodded and flipped through several screens all containing pictures of her and Roman. All showing them hugging and kissing, and some appeared pretty darn steamy. She went back to the first page and read the headline. “This is crazy and all lies. I am not involved with anyone but Roman.”
“So you deny also being involved with Tanner Jamison?”
“Yes. Tanner and I don’t have that kind of relationship.”
Mr. Richards nodded. “Then someone deliberately wanted to make it look like you did. And something else you need to know.”
“What?”
“I also just learned that there are reporters camped outside. We refused to let them in here, but the moment you leave they will swarm on you with questions about the alleged love triangle. Are you ready to deal with them?”
Victoria drew in a deep breath, shook her head and said, “No, I’m not ready to deal with them.”
Mr. Richards nodded. “Then let me handle it.”
* * *
TANNER LEANED BACK in his chair and glanced out his office window. It was Monday morning and he was glad to be back in New Orleans. He had arrived late last night, too late to call Lyric, and he was looking forward to their date this evening.
Although he had enjoyed spending time with his family over the weekend, he had been anxious to return here to be with her. Last week had been wonderful. He had taken her out somewhere every night, and he had gotten to know more about her, and she him. As they discovered more about each other, they were surprised to see all they had in common. It wasn’t just their charity work and community involvement, but their taste in food, political affiliations, what they enjoyed doing in their spare time and the hobbies they liked.
He honestly didn’t mind taking things slow because he was building a relationship with her that wasn’t based on sex. They hadn’t made love again since Labor Day. He wanted her and would end their date each night with a kiss that left him panting, fully aroused and desiring her even more. And he knew from their good-night kisses that she desired him just as much. However, he wanted them not to rush things while she built trust in him and faith in their relationship.
One promising thing was that she had invited him to dinner at her parents’ home this coming Friday night and he felt good about that. He wanted to believe that in time she would fall in love with him as hard and deeply as he knew he loved her.
He glanced up when there was a knock on his office door. “Come in.”
“Mr. Jamison, we have a problem.”
That was the last thing Tanner wanted to hear. “What is it, Hank? Is something wrong with this morning’s delivery?”
“No. It’s reporters. They’re outside. Swarming all over the place. We won’t let them in, but they want to talk to you.”
Tanner lifted an eyebrow. “Reporters? Talk to me about what?”
“They told me to give you this in case you hadn’t seen it yet.” Hank handed him a newspaper, more precisely a tabloid.
Tanner frowned when he saw the picture and read the headline. His frown deepened when he began reading the article. “What the hell! Who authorized this paper to print these lies?” He and Victoria weren’t engaged, nor had they ever been involved. This was an unflattering article about Victoria, meant to defame her character. The Madaris family was not going to like this one damn bit and heads were going to roll.
“So what do you want me to do about those reporters? They’re a pesky bunch,” Hank said.
“I’ll take care of them after I make a few calls.”
Tanner tried calling Victoria. When he couldn’t reach her, he called Blade. “Have you seen the headlines in The Tattler?”
“Yes. Mom called. She saw it in the grocery store.”
“Where is Victoria? I tried calling her,” Tanner said.
“I just ta
lked to Uncle Jake. Thanks to Victoria’s boss, he made sure she got out of the television station by a side door to bypass those reporters. Victoria heard from her friends in Catalina Cove that reporters were there waiting for her to come home. Her boss gave her two weeks off and she decided to go to Texas instead. Uncle Jake’s jet is on its way to New Orleans get her now.”
Tanner nodded. “Reporters are here, as well, but I haven’t spoken to them. I don’t know where they got their story, but it’s all lies. Victoria and I were never involved and she’s free to date anyone she wants.”
“Yes, but obviously the intent was to damage her and RJ’s reputations. Uncle Jake got a call from Alex. He’s mad as hell and is going to trace the story.”
“Good. If anyone can find out who fabricated this lie, Alex can.” Alex Maxwell was married to their cousin Christy and was tenacious as a private investigator. One of the best. He was also a former FBI agent with a skill for finding out anything he wanted to know.
Tanner checked his watch and knew he had to call Lyric. He could just imagine what she would think if she read the article. Mainly, that he was involved with another woman while pursuing her. Damn!
“I need to call Lyric, Blade. I don’t want her to see this garbage and think any of it’s true. Lyric and I decided to begin seeing each other exclusively, and I don’t want anything to mess things up with us.”
“Exclusively? Are you now admitting that you’re falling for her?”
Tanner sighed deeply. “I’ve already fallen. Hard.”
After clicking off the phone, he tried calling Lyric and his call went to voice mail so he left a message. “Lyric, this is Tanner. I need to talk to you. Please call me back when you get this message.”
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