They stood, and as they exited, photographers surrounded them and snapped pictures. Gerard kept his arm on the base of Nicole’s spine and guided her through the crowd and into the brick building right off Beacon Hill.
The second they walked through security, Nicole fixed his tie. “During the debate, when the other person is speaking, take a sip every now and then. The cameras can be bright.”
“Nicole, you tempt me.” He stopped her and took both of her hands in hers. Someone snapped a picture of them with their cell phone. He led her to the stairs that led to the main hall. “We’ll talk when we get back home. Go sit with my family.”
She kissed his cheek and sashayed into the main hall. From the stairwell, he watched her sit next to his brother Daniel.
He walked to the side of the stage as his phone beeped he had a message. He turned off the ringer, but read Nicole’s message. I’ll come backstage in the last ten minutes to come out and take your hand in a victory moment. Be spontaneous and natural. And break a leg, Gerard.
Gerard maneuvered so he could get a glimpse at Nicole. She laughed at something Gigi said.
He stared at the podium. He had always excelled in debate.
A green light went on and the stagehand pointed he should walk on stage. Doubts circled in his head.
He made his way to the podium at the same time as his opponent did. Gerard smiled and set his jaw. The moderator pointed—it was his turn to speak. “Good evening, everyone. I’m Gerard Collins. My family has been in Massachusetts for generations, and I know what amazing people live here. My fiancée moved home to find honest, good, decent people with a strong sense of education and individual spirit. She tells me that she’s drawn to my honesty. I’m simply a man who goes out every day and does the best he can do. It’s who I am and what I will continue to do every day.”
Nicole probably smiled. He couldn’t see from the lights that surrounded him, but her sunshine was infectious and everywhere. He tugged on his ear, drank the water she had handed him, and listened to his opponent.
“…even if someone killed my wife, I’m not sure I’d seek the death penalty.”
His face heated. His jaw dropped and he turned to glance at his opponent. Then he coughed. Gerard smiled at the camera and stared right at Nicole’s direction. “I’ll kill any man with my bare hands who touched a hair on my Nicole’s head.”
“What about a gun?”
“If he threatened her, absolutely.”
Applause echoed through the hall. Now that he’d started, Gerard attacked everything he heard. The entire debate then sped through him. The next second he breathed, Nicole had joined him on stage and kissed him lightly on his lips.
As the crowd rose to their feet, Gerard clutched her hand and she led him off stage. His heartbeat was rapid.
“You did amazing up there.” Nicole hugged him. “I was so proud of you.”
Something snapped inside him on that stage. Then his phone beeped. He stared down at the multiple texts. Checking, he saw Barnie’s message: Great job. We’ll talk tomorrow on what this means. Tough on crime is a good strategy to win.
He blinked. Had he talked about crime in the past hour?
Nicole dragged him down the hall. He followed, in a complete daze.
What had he done?
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Nicole
“Nicole, I did that for you.” Gerard covered her head as best he could to stop the rain from getting to her as they ran toward the limo. He was protective, and it was sexy. Thunder pierced their ears as she dove inside, and he followed. The moment he closed the door behind him, he ran his hand through his wet hair. “Everything’s changing.”
“You were amazing on stage.” She crawled next to him and lifted his chin with one finger. She closed her eyes. She sighed as she lifted her neck and her lips found his. His kiss sent her heartbeat wild.
He tore his lips away, and his breathing sounded labored.
“When you said you’d kill anyone who touched me, I believed every word.” His eyes widened, and she kissed his cheek. She could feel how his heart rate matched hers. Then she told the driver, “Take us home.”
She whispered in his ear, “Relax. Gerard, you made me believe everything. You were amazing.”
“Don’t believe me, Nicole.” He pressed on her lower lip to kiss her, but then he sat back too fast. “When does this end for you? When do you go back to making a movie leaving me broken and alone?”
“I not planning on going anywhere,” Nicole answered, but the words sounded hollow. The emptiness in her soul was like a vacuum. “I’ll fire my agent tomorrow.”
“No, Nicole. Don’t do that for me. You might want to go back soon.” He took her hand in his. “Your career is important too.”
“This isn’t your choice—it’s mine. I’m going to transform my life, and it is not all about you and this election. I need to stay home now. I need to figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life, other than kiss you. I don’t want to make movies anymore.”
“You want to kiss me?”
“Yeah.”
“Please let me know what you figure out. You’re calling the shots on what happens between us. There are things we need to discuss.” He traced his fingers up to take her hand in his. “We should be alone.”
She stared at him as he glanced at the driver. Whatever he had to say must have to be important.
A few minutes later, the limo stopped. There was no sound of rain, and she hopped out. The clean air rushed through her lungs. As he stepped out of the car, he said, “Our engagement changed me. You and I are a force I cannot describe.”
As the driver returned to his vehicle, Gerard offered her his arm. She looped her arm in his as he whispered, “Tonight, it was you that spoke through me. I didn’t plan to say anything that happened up there.”
“You were nervous before.” She squeezed his arm as he held open the car door for her. “It’s your brain and heart that won. When your opponent said he’d let his wife die, you answered honestly. I’d have voted for you at that moment.”
“It wasn’t my win so much as his stupidity.” He led her toward his condo. “No man who loves his wife won’t protect her, and no woman would be with a man if he’d let her die.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “Double negatives confuse me. What did you say?”
“A man in love will die for his wife, and any sane woman would want a man that in love with her.”
“I agree, Gerard. Unfortunately, not all people are honorable or smart.” She lowered her hand to his, but he let her fingers pass him so he could open the door. “Though we both know you’re also a bit of a bad boy. It makes you sexy.”
“Nicole…” He slammed the door closed and folded her into his embrace. The shudder rocked through her as he leaned closer. Her lips tingled for a kiss as she wrapped her arms around him.
His lips set her ablaze, and she needed him. Something tore through her.
His kiss became more demanding. Nothing else mattered, just now. His hands traced her thigh that ached to anchor itself to him.
She fumbled with his tie and threw it.
He tugged off her red dress and then brushed against her bare skin. His light touch despite his tenacity sent a shiver through her.
The smell of the forest and home drove her wild. She stroked him and ripped his shirt off his muscular body. He kissed her neck, and his hand traced every inch of her body.
He cupped her buttocks and then picked her up. She wrapped her arm around his neck. The sleek caress of his body shivered down her.
Gerard groaned as he laid her on the bed. “Nicole, I… don’t know what’s happening anymore.”
“You won tonight.” She cupped his head in her hands. “We’re celebrating. Stay in the moment.”
“Is this what you want?” Gerard nudged her chin, and the bristle of his five o’clock shadow tickled. “You constantly surprise me.”
“Yes.” She fell backward on the bed as she tugged him to fall
on her. “I don’t want to wait.”
She lost what she’d intended to say. Her mind went blank. He plundered her mouth as his hand traced her most intimate center.
This was heaven. She was lost.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Gerard
Gerard woke up in a cold sweat. The sky still had stars, and the ships on the wharf gently bobbed. Nicole slept soundly next to him. He rubbed his temples as sleep evaded him. He stared at her, and she seemed so pure, almost like an angel.
The chill in his back swept through his entire body. His throat grew tight.
He threw the sheets off and stood. He kissed her forehead and then ran out of their bedroom.
He checked his phone. Liam hadn’t called yet with an update on his work last night. Gerard’s bare feet took him to his office, like he was going to work on one of his cases. He’d handed those off already, though. He closed the door, opened his laptop, and fidgeted with his pencil.
The moment he opened his email, his entire body froze. Liam had written, Gerard, we have everything you collected. Sit tight today. Keep a low profile, not like last night with that victory lap to becoming Mr. Senator. Take your fiancée to Hyannis, visit the parents, and stay out of Boston. I’m almost done here.
Take her home. His throat constricted. He widened his stance to anchor himself from storming into the bedroom to pack her up. Every part of his body said something was wrong.
Coldness enveloped him. He chose to sit still until she woke. Then they’d drive out of Boston as fast as they could.
***
As the sun shone through the window, he heard the bedroom door open. He took a deep breath as Nicole called out, “Where are you?”
“I’m in my office, Nicole,” he called out. Nicole was pure, like the sunshine. “I thought I’d let you sleep.”
She opened the door. He stood as she leaned against the doorway in his Bruins shirt. “How did you know that was my favorite shirt?”
“Well worn.” She smirked at him. “And it smelled like you.”
“What do I smell like?”
She lowered her gaze. “Oak trees and the forest.”
“Lucky you’re my fiancée.” He unclenched his hands, though it took effort. “Let’s go home today. We have to put your house on the market and buy one near my mother.”
“I love my house. I don’t want to sell.”
If she didn’t agree, then he couldn’t keep her safe. “Nicole, your house will need major renovations.”
She shrugged. “So? It’s mine, and I have no problem paying for any upgrades.”
In California she had to live in a huge place. He chose his argument. “I don’t know if it will work for us. It’s small.”
She shook her head. “I’m keeping it.”
“Can we keep it as yours and get someplace for the two of us to live?”
She dropped her arms to her side and nodded. A huge breath circled into his lungs as she said, “I suppose I can use it for an office.”
“Let’s go.”
“Are we buying right now? Did Barnie say it would be good for the campaign?”
Of course she wanted him to win. Everything in their lives curled around that. He shook his head. “It shows we’re stable and serious.”
“Your mother will be excited.”
If Liam finished his investigation and arrest today, then the tension in his shoulders might lessen. “I’d like your input more than my mother. I don’t want to throw money at people to take a home they love.”
“Sounds fair.” She walked across the hall. He followed her. Near the bedroom door, she turned toward him. “You’re going to win. Having a place to call your own near your parents will matter in the long run.”
“You agree to almost everything.” He winked.
A blush formed on her cheeks. “No. I wouldn’t say that about myself. I trust my instincts with you.”
He licked his lips. He wanted her. “Nicole, you’re way too good for me.” His collar choked him. They should go. He changed the conversation. “Get dressed. We’ll get coffee, then head out. In the car we’ll play twenty questions, starting with how come you hugged my brother Liam when you’d mentioned him only in passing.”
“We were in drama club. Theater geeks are usually tight. Don’t be jealous of my days where I played bit parts.” She threw off his shirt, and he stared at her naked back. Then she wrapped a dress around her and covered her gorgeous naked skin. “Go get dressed, lover.”
“Lover?” He stepped onto his tiptoes and fell back. “That’s new.”
“If you’re going for a nickname for me, then I will too, Gerard.” She winked at him. “I do like your name, though. It’s pretty sexy.”
“Sassy in the morning.” He walked toward her, zipped the back of her dress, and ran his arms down hers. “I’ll keep you safe.”
“Good, because I’m depending on it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Nicole
Gerard’s lips curled as he put milk in his coffee. He dropped in less than a half a teaspoon, and grimaced like he’d added rat poison instead of milk. She wrinkled her nose as he wondered why he did that. At her house he had insisted on milk, but then had hardly used it. Nicole wrapped her hand on his shoulder to stand on her tiptoes. “No one is judging you if you don’t add milk.”
“It’s easier to add a drop then listen to hours of people on something unimportant.” He shrugged, placed his cup on the counter, and wrapped his arms around her. “And it’s just coffee.”
“I’m tired of doing what’s expected, Gerard. And you’re older than me.” She squeezed his arms. “Unimportant or not, it’s good to break free and do exactly what you want.”
Marrying Gerard made her feel like she was a rebel, not that she’d say that. He might take that the wrong way. She had never been a rebel. He picked up his coffee and grimaced as he stared out the window. She turned. Stella seemed to return her stare.
She blinked. It was impossible. Someone walked in front of her, and then whoever she saw disappeared. She shook her head. “Was that…?”
She massaged her neck. “I thought I saw my sister.”
“It couldn’t be. Wouldn’t they tell you if she was released?”
“You’re right. She is in the hospital. I’ll call the second we get in the car.”
No one was outside. Someone must have looked like Stella. He squeezed her hand slightly. “Let’s go.”
She stared into his dark eyes and heat rose through her. She lowered her head to hide her face. She’d been blind. She was falling hard for him.
They briskly walked to the car. Her sister used to have a horrible sting to whatever she said, and would turn her usual “sisters are supposed to be loyal” motto into her passive-aggressive way of saying Nicole should agree to everything.
The doctor’s diagnosis had helped, but now Nicole had lost the ability to breathe for a second.
“Don’t frown, Nicole. You can call in the car and no one will bother you.”
“Thanks. I am sure it’s a false alarm.”
“I hope so.” He shut the door to go to the driver’s side.
She cracked a smile as he joined her a moment later. “Give me a minute.”
She found the number for the sanitarium and quickly dialed. Two rings later, someone answered, “Hello?”
“I’d like to speak to my sister, Stella Burns.”
“One minute.” The music blared in her ear, and Gerard massaged her shoulder.
The woman returned and said, “Stella Burns is unavailable at the moment, but you can speak to Doctor Reyes.”
“Thank you,” Nicole answered as she closed her eyes to say a fast prayer that her sister was there.
“How can I help you?”
The voice of reason would understand. “Can you tell me where Stella is right now, and her schedule for today?”
“She is under surveillance. She tried to leave, and we have her in therapy at the moment.”
&
nbsp; It was impossible, then. “Okay. Thank you.”
“I don’t advise any visits at this time, Ms. Burns. Your sister has deteriorated with the news of your engagement.”
Of course. She hadn’t thought about Stella and showing up to tell her in person. She should have and not let the wedding cloud her. “I understand. What is the rest of her schedule, then?”
“If she’s well enough, we will treat her today for hallucinations.”
“Thank you.”
As Gerard started the engine, he placed his palm on her shoulder. “Why did you look far off and sad?”
“My sister.” She shrugged, opened her eyes, and slumped into her seat. “Strange; it hit me hard for no reason. It was like I saw a ghost for a moment, though I guess it’s normal. I feel guilty when I think about her.”
Gerard kept his voice low. “Stella scared me. In the Marines, I was hurt pretty bad from an explosion outside my window, and that never made me wince. Stella did.”
As she looked over at him while he drove, her heart swelled. “She’s sick and can’t help herself.”
“You’re a good sister that takes care of her.”
If she was truly good, she’d have called and shown up at the hospital. She brushed the hair out of her face. “I don’t feel so good about anything when I think about my sister.”
“Did you ever do any drugs that you sister tried?” Gerard tapped on the wheel.
He shouldn’t ask her that. “No.”
“I didn’t think so. If you didn’t then you can never turn out like her.”
She let out a breath. She hadn’t been diagnosed with anything except too much confidence in herself. “I guess. I always wished for a family where no one hurt each other.”
His arm next to hers gave her the idea she was safe and that he cared one way or another. She adjusted her seatbelt. A few seconds later he held her hand as he drove the car onto the one-way street.
Staying silent any longer would be bad. “I was in LA shooting a movie. I played a mechanic who fell for the marine—” She choked, not knowing what to say next.
He squeezed her hand and told her, “I was in the Marines.”
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