James let the partially spoken comment slide. There was really no point in arguing with him over that; he was a narrow-minded fool, and there was no way he'd be able to change his mind anyway. “Well, we might have one tiny little problem there, Staff.” He waited for Stafford to look him fully in the face before continuing. “I'm not running again.”
There was silence before Stafford burst out laughing. “Oh, my! You had me going there for a minute, James. Good one.” He continued to laugh, shaking his head at what he considered a joke.
“I'm serious, Staff. I'm leaving Georgia with no intention of returning.”
Stafford's face went from bewilderment to shock to outright fury in the space of a few heartbeats. “It's that bitch, isn't it? She's got you by the balls and you're going to throw away your life! Do you have any idea how hard I've worked to get you here?” Stafford's face was beet red now, his voice getting louder with every word until he was yelling at the top of his voice.
Too bad he didn’t take note of Mason and Robert leaning forward, suddenly avidly interested in the conversation. Both of them knew what was coming.
James had never felt such fury in his life. He knew there was absolutely no way he'd be able to hold back his rage, and he didn't even try. With one swift movement, James swung his fist and connected solidly with Stafford's jaw. The man crumpled to the floor even as Mason and Robert exclaimed in unison, “Ohhhh! Nice!”
“Consider that your pink slip, Stafford. You're fired.” Without a backward glance, James snagged his car keys and headed out the door, Mason and Robert trialing behind him. With any luck, Brad would have the information he needed and he could get on with his life. A life that included Lark.
*****
“I really wish you would stop sulking. You’re messing up my chi.” Robin rolled her eyes as she seemed to flow into another yoga position.
Lark sighed heavily as she attempted to follow suit, but her heart just wasn’t into yoga or much of anything else these days. She scoured the Internet, watched every political show imaginable, and still not a peep about Congressman Buchanan of the great state of Georgia. It was almost as if he'd fallen off the face of the earth. There wasn’t anything concerning his re-election. Even his campaign site had been taken down. Maybe she should have answered one of his many phone calls.
“You can either mope around, screwing with my balance, or you can pick up the phone and call him.” Robin didn't bother to open her eyes. She simply breathed through her move and into yet another body-contorting position.
“You're a bitch, you know that?” Lark said without any real malice.
“I'm simply pointing out the obvious. It's not like he hasn't tried to contact you. Does he even know where you live? Did you get around to telling him all those pertinent little details before you screwed him into oblivion?”
“You're seriously grating on my nerves, Robin. I know our relationship wasn't exactly conventional. But we connected, you know? It happened kind of quickly.”
Robin stopped what she was doing and balled her hands into fists. “You're such a dork. Call the man! Throw him a bone. Let him know you're home and you’re okay. You might find he's hurting as much as you are.” She rolled her shoulders a couple of times and began her exercises again.
Before Lark could decide what to do, the doorbell rang. “Damn it,” she swore. “I so do not need this right now.” She stomped to the door and flung it open. “What?” she all but yelled. Then blinked. “James?” She breathed the word, not daring to hope he was really standing there with his hands in his pockets, looking as if he hadn’t slept in a week.
Without thought her instinct took over, pulling him inside and running her hands through his slightly unkempt golden hair, then down his face and his chest. “You look horrible, are you okay? Are you sick? What’s wrong?”
To her profound relief, James let out a loud guffaw of laughter, pulling her forcefully into his arms.
“I’m fine, baby, I swear. I’m not so sure about Mason and Robert, though, seeing as how you just shut the door in their face.” Instead of letting her rectify her oversight, however, James leaned down and gave her the sweetest kiss, swiping his tongue over the fleshiest part of her lips. “I missed you, Lark. You not answering my calls was driving me crazy.”
“I was trying to be all noble and do the right thing. I mean, you didn't need the complications having me in your life would cause, and I knew you'd never just leave. I may not have known you that long, but that's just the way you are.” She gave him another hard hug before opening the door to two disheveled and annoyed-looking men with striking resemblances to James.
“Lark?” Robin called to her from the other room. “Who's at the door? Are you coming back? Don't make me come in there. You are seriously screwing with my chi, and I'm starting to get annoyed.”
Before Lark could say anything, Robin entered the room. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Robin. “Company, how sweet.”
Lark cringed. Her friend was a little antisocial at times. It wasn't that she didn't like people; she just didn't like people in her space. Unannounced. Or at all, really.
“Robin, this is—”
Robin waved her aside and stuck out her hand to James. “I know who you are, though the last time I saw you it was on Porntube and it was more a great shot of your ass than your face.”
“Robin!” Lark hissed, mortified. “When this is done, I swear I'm going to kill you!”
Not affected in the least, Robin eyed the other two men up and down. She looked at them like they were chocolate fudgecicles she'd like to suck on more than men. One of them was openly leering at Robin while the other looked decidedly uncomfortable.
James chuckled. “My cousins, Robert,” he indicated the one looking like he'd rather be anywhere else, “and Mason.” Mason matched Robin stare for stare; as much as Robin gave him the onceover, Mason did the same. Knowing Robin's taste for...unusual...sex, Lark had to cringe. Undoubtedly, Mason had no idea what he was getting himself into.
“If you'll excuse us.” Lark grabbed James' hand and dragged him down the hallway. She absolutely couldn't wait another moment to be alone with him. She had to touch him, kiss him, assure herself he was really here and he'd come for her.
Practically dragging him after her, Lark made a beeline for her bedroom. She pulled him inside and slammed the door. Before she could throw herself at him, he mashed his body against hers, bracing her back against the door.
“If you ever leave me like that again, I'll paddle your ass until it is ruby red.” James kissed her then, a possession if ever there was one. His tongue swiped the seam of her lips until she gasped and he plunged inside.
Lark clung to him, digging her nails into his shoulders. The soft material of his T-shirt grated on her nerves. She wanted to touch his skin, wanted him to touch hers.
Hastily, she pulled up his shirt and ran her palms over his bare flesh. The light dusting of hair abraded her palms slightly, and she reveled in the rough, male texture of him.
“God, I missed you,” Lark breathed, kissing his chest. “I can’t believe you’re here. What about your campaign?”
“There is no campaign. It was meaningless without you. Besides, I realized I was in it for all the wrong reasons. I was using my position to fill a void in my life I never realized I had. When I met you,” he smiled, “I knew what I've always been wanting. There was no way I was letting you get away from me without a fight. You're more important than anything to me.”
She looked at him, hope building where before there had been only longing and wanting. “I don't want to live in Georgia. No matter how much I love you, I'm not sure I could feel comfortable there. I mean, I'd try if it meant that much to you, but—”
He cut her off by laying a finger across her lips gently. “Don't worry your pretty little self about it. I'm not going back to Georgia. I need to make a new start, and California has always been a good place for that. Just say you'll be with me and I know we can m
ake it.”
Lark couldn't believe her ears. Not going back to Georgia? For her? “You can’t just give up on your career for me.”
“Wanna bet? Lark, nothing on earth means as much to me as you do. Nothing, baby. I am going to spend the rest of my life proving it.”
As much as Lark would’ve liked to say more, his kiss stopped any thoughts she might have been having. When James kissed her, everything else seemed to just fade away into nothing. Clothing fell as their lips clung and held, hands grasping every place they could reach. She wanted to get reacquainted with every part of him, wanted to feel the hard length of his body pressing against her, covering her, taking complete possession.
Somehow she ended up flat on her back on her bed with James’ kisses traveling across her heated skin. His mouth was hot, insistent, covering the hard nubbins of her nipples and sucking hard, his teeth lightly scraping against her sensitive skin.
“Oh God, that feels so good!” Her body had missed this, missed him. She’d been insane to walk away.
“Does it?” he murmured against the flesh of her belly. “Then I guess you’d better not try to walk away again.”
He opened her thighs as he spoke, spreading her wide for him. Yes, oh God, yes, she needed him there. Desperately.
Instead of his thick cock or even his talented fingers sliding inside of her, a sharp smack came down on her bare flesh. Lark wanted to scream, but her breath caught and held, not allowing sound to escape from her lips. It burned so good, so right, spreading throughout her body and making her even wetter.
Again, his hand came down against her mound and clit. This time she did cry out, but not in pain. This was the most erotic sensation she'd ever experienced. Robin was the one into shit like this, not her. But man, oh man, it was good. Better than good. She felt like her clit was on fire and ready to explode any second, but she knew he wouldn't push her over the edge until he'd had his say, which was fine by her. Getting there would be half the fun.
“You've been a very bad girl, Lark.” His voice was husky and gruff, grating over her like warm honey. He was rough, yet so very gentle it was almost painful. “I absolutely will not tolerate anything like this from you again. Decisions like this, we make together. While your selflessness touches me in ways I'd never admit to another soul, this is something we should have done together.”
Lark nodded, unable to say anything unless it was to beg him to fuck her and, though she wasn't opposed to that, now wasn't the time.
“Do you understand me? Don't just nod your head, say it.” His words might have been harsh, but his tone and his face weren't. If anything, he looked almost frightened, desperate. That more than anything helped her find her voice. The man had been as miserable as she had, and she absolutely wouldn't cause him further distress.
“I promise,” she squeaked. Then a little stronger, “We do things like that together from now on. We're always in it together.”
With one final swat to her cunt and a wicked grin, he covered her body with his and surged into her. Lark didn't even try to hold back her pleasurable scream. To do so would have been in insult to James, and she'd hurt him enough already. She wanted him to know exactly how he affected her, and that meant she would give every bit of herself to him, no matter what it cost her. Her James would see it for what it was—her gift to him. Herself.
“That's it, sugar. Give me everything. I want it all. Give it to me.” Hot breath fanned her ear, sending shivers over her already sensitized body. Lark clung to him, moving with him as much as she could as he filled her body over and over again. One hand dug her nails into his shoulder and the other gripped his ass, urging him into her harder and faster.
“James,” she gasped, very close to the edge, but she held on to it, needing him to know he was in control of her pleasure and that she gave it willingly. “I need to come!”
“Mmmmm,” he acknowledged, but said nothing else. He slowed his pace until he was buried as deep as he could get inside her and pulled back to look at her. “Mine,” he said, looking fierce and possessive. “You're mine, Lark. Now and forever. Say it!”
“Yes, James.” She caressed his face and tunneled her fingers through his hair. “Yours. Always.”
He adjusted his position so that he was even deeper inside her before starting to move again. “Then come with me, my little songbird. Come for me.”
Just like that, her body exploded around him. Lark cried out in her passion, not caring if she seemed needy or desperate for him. James was here, with her. And he wasn't going anywhere.
Moments later, James followed her into bliss. His body jerked inside hers and his hot seed spilled deep within her. She welcomed it, needed it. It was a primitive feeling of a woman knowing this was her man. He'd claimed her and made her his, and she loved it mostly because she knew it went both ways. He was hers just as much as she was his.
When the spasms that had overtaken their bodies subsided, James rolled them to their sides, his arms wrapped securely around her. “That was...” he began, trailing off.
“Amazing,” she finished.
“I'll say. I've never come so hard in my life.” James laughed and settled her more securely against his shoulder.
Lark giggled, hugging him close. “What was with that little spanking? You know I'm not into that kind of thing, right?”
“Really?” He grinned, but still managed to look startled. “I didn't notice you complaining.”
“I have a feeling I'm about to find out many new and exciting things about myself.” She sighed dramatically. “Just make sure we do it in private from now on. Though the thrill of possibly getting caught made the experience absolutely fantastic, the reality was less than pleasurable.”
James tried to groan, but it came out a laugh. “No promises. We're in a state where free love is a way of life. Besides, I think we might be a hit with the younger generation.” She thumped him with a nearby pillow, giggling all the while.
*****
“Cousins, huh?” Robin was trying to be all nice and sociable. It was just so not her forte. Lark was the nice one. She was a bitch on the best of days. It was her charm, really. “I guess you should come in the living room and have a seat. They’ll probably be a while.”
“Actually, we should probably go back to our hotel,” the one with the black hair said, looking all kinds of uncomfortable. Robert, if she remembered correctly.
The other one, Mason, seemed content in circling her as if she was some kind of prey, or snack, or...something. It gave her a little thrill.
“Speak for yourself,” Mason murmured. He flashed her a wicked smile before speaking to her. “I would love to cop a squat. You can tell me all about your lovely state.”
The Politician Page 5