At the Pleasure of the President Read online

  “Yeah. Look, Sara is confused and scared.” Gabe tipped back his beer before continuing. “She’s angry at everyone, even me, but she’s too polite to show it.”

  “Why would she be mad at you?”

  Gabe had been there for Sara. In fact, Mad had counted on his best friend to protect her and Everly. Thankfully, after Gabe had realized that Mad’s interest in Everly wasn’t romantic, he’d taken excellent care of her.

  Unfortunately, his sister, like Sara, probably hated him.

  “Because as we’ve learned more about this conspiracy over the last few months, I’ve kept her in the dark for the same reasons you did. And honestly, I wish she wasn’t involved now since she’s pregnant. I can’t imagine how she would feel if something happened to the baby.”

  “I’ve done nothing but worry about her and the baby every second of every day since Krylov dropped into my life.” He fell quiet for a moment, watching his half sister laugh at something Holland said. “Thank you for taking care of Everly.”

  “I love her more than I ever thought I could love someone,” Gabe admitted. “We had a rough start, but I was protecting Sara and I didn’t know what your connection was to Everly. My mind went to the obvious answer.”

  Mad made barfing sounds. “Eww. Dude, she’s my sister.”

  “That information would have made my life so much easier. You could have left a note, man.”

  “Sure, I totally should have left a paper trail for the syndicate to discover.”

  “Point taken,” Gabe conceded. “You need to talk to Everly. You left her behind, too.”

  “I doubt she wants to talk to me. The women are pissed. Even Gus. She punched me after dinner. She hits hard, too. That’s where we went wrong. We let girls into our club.”

  Gabe chuckled. “Everly wants to talk to you. That could change if you let the silence between you go on too long. She’s your sister, and you’ve barely said three words to her.”

  “I asked her how everything was going.”

  “Yeah, that went over gangbusters, brother. I know you’re scared, but she’s more likely to understand and forgive you if you at least try.”

  He was scared, mostly that she hadn’t been happy to find out they were related. And that, like Sara, she would want nothing to do with him. But Gabe had a point. “It isn’t that I don’t want to talk to Everly. I’ve missed her. I got close to her in those last few months.”

  “I have a million questions about that, but you owe her the answers first. She can fill me in later.” Gabe put a hand on his shoulder. “You know this means we really are brothers now.”

  “In-laws. Is it weird?”

  Gabe chuckled. “Maybe a little, but we’ll get used to it. She’s alone now. Go talk to her.”

  Mad watched Everly wander away from the group to stare out the big bay window that overlooked the gorgeous Maryland forest. Moonlight streamed in, and he saw her pretty face reflected in the glass as he approached. He’d known she was his sister for months. This would be their first conversation since she’d learned that truth, as well.

  His palms started to sweat. He wasn’t fucking good at this. How did he explain his choices so that she would understand? That hadn’t worked so well with Sara…

  “I was wondering if you were going to talk to me.” She kept her gaze steady on the night outside.

  He knew her, though. Despite her stoic expression, she was emotional. Everly had one of the biggest hearts he’d ever encountered. “I was afraid to. I didn’t know if you’d walk away, and I don’t think I can handle both of the important women in my life rejecting me tonight.”

  “Mad, Sara was shocked. I mean, we all were. But I think if you keep trying, she’ll come around. She was angry with you for a long time. I guess I’ve been angry, too. But she also loved you. If you still have feelings for her, don’t give up.” She turned to face him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  One of the things he loved about his sister was her forthrightness. Everly never prevaricated. She made it easy for him to get to the heart of the matter. “When I realized I very likely had a half sibling, I thought about simply showing up on your doorstep. Or sending you an e-mail.”

  She sighed. “As a security expert, I would have told you to do neither of those things until you had some idea of who I was, but, Mad, you took your secrets too far. I understand the PI. I would even have understood you talking to some of my friends to figure out whether I was a nutjob who would wreak havoc on your life. But you hired me. You befriended me. You hung out at my place and we talked a lot. At some point you could have said, ‘hey, did you know we’re related?’”

  Mad felt as if he was beating the same drum repeatedly. “I was trying to protect you.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “I was your head of security, Mad. I was literally supposed to protect you.”

  He held his hands up. “When you put it like that, it doesn’t sound logical. But I don’t care how bad ass you are. This is a Russian syndicate, and if they’d had any hint of our relationship, they would have used you to get to me, the same way they would have used Sara. The night the syndicate nearly killed me, I had an engagement ring in my dresser drawer. I planned to ask Sara to marry me the next day. Once she said yes, I’d planned to talk to her about you, get her advice on how to tell you that we’re half siblings. By that time I’d figured out the kind of person you were. I also realized the news might upset you, and I wanted to break it gently. So I intended to tell Sara everything. It seemed like a perfect plan, give her a massive diamond so the world would know she’s mine, then enlist her help finding the right words so I could finally tell you about our connection. It seemed like a win-win.”

  “When I found out, I was shocked. Even if Sara had helped you find the most tactful way to tell me, I still would have been shocked.”

  “After I realized that you loved your father, I worried that you wouldn’t want to know the truth. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not exactly good at big, emotional talks. It seemed wise to get to know you. Once I did, I realized the news would be a bombshell and that I’d be telling you that your whole childhood was a lie. I was going to ask Sara if she thought I even had a right to tell you.”

  “Mad, my childhood wasn’t a lie. Regardless of biology, he was my dad. Finding out that he didn’t contribute half my DNA didn’t change how well he loved me. In some ways, the information made me love him even more.”

  He admired her calm perspective. Maybe he should have given her more credit all along.

  “I don’t know what it feels like to be that attached to a father,” he admitted. “My parents weren’t exactly loving. They never divorced because they both realized neither was capable of truly caring about anyone but themselves, and a permanent split would have been too costly. So after we met and it was clear that you and your dad were really close, I worried I’d be taking a good man from you and replacing him with the asshole who raised me.”

  “What you should have been thinking about was the fact you’d be giving me a brother.”

  Damn it, he didn’t do this, get emotional. His eyes never watered—unless he fucked up and got cocaine in them. Except he didn’t do that anymore. And he loved his sister.

  “I was alone in the world. Yes, I had my friends, but I was an orphan with stupid one-percenter problems. I would walk through that big house and everyone I saw was someone I paid. When I found you, I thought at least I’d have one genuine family tie. Then, when someone would ask about my family, I would be able to talk about you. Most people don’t consider that. They take family for granted because everyone has one, right? Not me. When I’d get asked about my family in social situations, I never had an answer. But once I knew about you, I thought I’d be able to say that my sister is doing well. I liked that.”

  She turned to him. Tears swam in her eyes, too, as she cupped his face. “Mad, your sister is doing well. So well. I missed you. Don’t ever keep me in the dark or run out on me again.”

 
; Since the syndicate was still out there and still suspicious, he couldn’t make any promises. But as he hugged her tightly, peace settled in his soul. He had a sister and she didn’t hate him. Finally, he had a family.

  And now, he had some hope.

  * * * *

  Zack sat back in the desk chair and stared at the bottle of Scotch he knew he shouldn’t touch again. He wasn’t close to drunk, but he could get there fast now that the happy couples had all found their cabins. He was alone with Elizabeth. Well, Mad and Freddy were occupying the other bedrooms in the main cabin. But he’d come to the library, knowing there would be no sleep for him tonight with Elizabeth just down the hall.

  She might, even now, be taking off her clothes. If he knocked on her door, would she answer? Would he perhaps catch her right before a shower? Or would she already be tucked into bed? Had she taken one look at the shirt he’d left for her to sleep in and tossed it out? Or was she wearing it, feeling the fabric caress her skin the way he wanted to with his hands? He ached to brush his palms along her curves and let her soft heat sink in through his fingertips. He wouldn’t leave an inch of her untouched. He would explore her body like it was a new country he could conquer.

  And now he had an erection.

  That woman was driving him insane.

  He reached for the Scotch. Who cared if he got drunk or not? His whole life had been about self-control, and where had that gotten him? Sure, he was president, arguably the most powerful man in the world. But what good was that? He didn’t even know his real name. And he couldn’t touch the one woman he craved.

  “Are you all right?” a soft voice with the sweetest Southern accent asked. “Tonight was awfully intense.”

  Zack looked up. Elizabeth stood in the doorway as though he’d conjured her from his thoughts. “I’m great. It’s not every day we raise the dead, after all.”

  She was still in her business suit, but she’d let her classic French twist down and ditched the jacket. Her soft blonde hair tumbled around her shoulders and made him itch to sink his hands into it. He could control her with that hair, show her exactly how he wanted her to move, where to put that luscious mouth of hers.

  “How are you handling that? I can’t imagine how shocked you were to discover that one of your best friends is still alive,” she said. “And I was happy to see that he and Everly have mended fences, but you must be angry with him. Zack, you can’t honestly think you’re a Russian plant. Mad should have come straight to you and told you his suspicions.”

  Elizabeth had always been loyal. Of course, if she wanted to earn his trust and get close to him, she’d said exactly what she should.

  He couldn’t deal with her tonight. Between all the bombshells, coupled with his fears, he felt too close to the edge of his restraint. Elizabeth being here—so close and yet so far away—was like dangling a match over the kindling of his self-control. But damn, she looked slightly disheveled. So sexy. All woman. Soft and vulnerable.

  He was so hard and hungry.

  And she was the perfect bait for a trap.

  Normally when a day crashed in on him like this, when the pressure got to be too much, he’d go for a run. He’d jog for miles, until his body couldn’t endure anymore. Then, exhausted, he would finally sleep. But he couldn’t engage in the hard, punishing exercise he needed to chase away the shadows and burn off stress now. It was after midnight. He couldn’t force his detail to run in the middle of the night. And he couldn’t make himself an easy target for the Russians’ assassin.

  That bottle was looking better and better.

  “I think it’s safe to say we’ll all need therapy after this weekend. It’s late. You should get some sleep. We’ll have a lot to talk about in the morning.” His tone was curt. He hoped she’d take the hint and leave. He needed her out of the path of his frustration. If she went to bed now, closed and locked her door, she would be safe.

  She didn’t take his advice, merely stood her ground. “I think you and I should talk now. We won’t have any privacy tomorrow.”

  “About what?”

  “I understand why you’ve been acting the way you have.” Her mouth tightened, telling him that she didn’t like it.

  “And what way is that, Elizabeth?”

  Everyone else called her Liz. He liked Elizabeth. He enjoyed the way her name rolled off his tongue. He loved to watch her, especially like now when she tried to be assertive…but still hesitated as if she sensed danger. Smart prey. She sensed there was a predator in her midst.

  He needed to end this conversation or he would gobble her right up.

  She took another brave but foolish step toward him. “Have you been trying to protect me?”

  Zack sucked in a breath and remained glued to his seat because nothing good would happen if he got closer to her. He didn’t trust himself right now. There was still a desk between them, but he could too easily change that. “I didn’t think you needed protecting. Obviously Sara felt the same way since she didn’t end up forgiving Mad.”

  Liz cocked her head in consideration. “I think their issue is more complex than that.”

  “Is it? He loves her. He was scared for her. He tried to protect her. It seems simple to me.”

  “But it’s not that simple between us, is it?”

  Zack grimaced. She just wouldn’t leave it alone. “Nothing is simple when it comes to you.”

  Her shoulders squared—a sure sign she was about to get stubborn. “Or you, Mr. President. Joy was killed simply because she was your wife. I had no idea. But you clearly have for a while. It makes sense that you tried to protect me. If you haven’t been, then I’d like to know why you suddenly rejected me.”

  Like he’d had a choice…

  Bitterness welled inside him, and something nasty took root in his gut. Or maybe it had always been there, simmering beneath his seemingly benign surface. “I didn’t reject you, Elizabeth. I thought once that we might date, but the minute Joy died, any romantic possibilities for us were over.”

  She shook her head, blue eyes flaring with obvious frustration. “Why? Don’t get me wrong. I understand we had to take a step back. The optics would have been terrible.”

  “The worst.” Zack sent her a dismissive shrug.

  “But it’s been years, and I’ve always been in your corner. Always. Yet lately, you’ve treated me like something between a stranger and an enemy. And I’m tired of it. Maybe it’s the threat hanging over your head. Maybe I’m tired of being alone. Either way, I won’t go on ignoring the elephant in the room. So here’s the truth: I still care about you. I think you still have some interest in me, but you won’t admit it or act on it. And you won’t give me a decent explanation why. After hearing that Mad split them apart to save Sara from the danger, I suspect that’s exactly what you did to me.”

  Well, he’d never said she was dumb. “Ah, but there’s a difference. Sara and Mad were lovers. We never were.”

  They had never lain in bed for hours, worshipping each other’s bodies, never found comfort in one another’s arms. Always they had been forced to maintain a polite, professional distance. It rankled, this leash he kept himself on. Deep inside, he started to growl and fight that fucking chain he’d been on all his life.

  “Still…” Her voice softened. “I thought we were friends.”

  He couldn’t remain in his chair a second longer.

  Zack stood, bracing his hands on the desk in front of him so he didn’t put them on her. “Friends? That’s what you thought?”

  She laughed, a sound without any amusement. “Oh, that’s right. You think of me like your sister now. Sometime between that lunch when you asked me to go to Paris with you so we could fuck our brains out and last month, you changed your mind. I guess I should be glad we never got naked. Touching me would have been like incest, and I would have been deeply disappointed when you couldn’t get it up.”

  The words sent a thrum of anger through him. They fueled his arousal because he ached to show her exactl
y how up he could get for her. Her barb tipped him right over the edge of his control.

  She wanted to challenge him? There were a million reasons for him to walk out the door, and only one for him to stay. Because he wanted her. Damn it, he’d been a good boy all his fucking life, and despite that, it looked like his presidency and his reputation would probably end in disgrace. He’d become a footnote in history, either going down as a puppet or a traitor.

  So why couldn’t he have one damn thing he wanted just this once?

  Fuck everything. He was going to have Elizabeth.

  “A sister?” The question came out almost polite, but it was all veneer. The civilized Zack Hayes had left the building.

  He’d given her every out. He’d even told her to leave. She hadn’t. Now, she would feel the wrath of nearly five years of pent-up lust.

  As he moved around the desk and prowled into her space, she didn’t shrink away. No, not his Elizabeth. She stood her ground. Despite wearing those sexy-as-hell stilettos he’d dreamed of wrapping around his waist as he fucked her hard, she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.

  “Yes.” She raised a challenging brow at him. “Your words. Not mine.”

  She was being awfully damn brave for a woman who was about to become his feast. Couldn’t she feel the energy rolling off him? Didn’t she wonder whether that spark was the need for violence or sex?

  His cock knew exactly what it throbbed for. “You want the truth? All right. The feelings I have for you are far from familial. I have tried to protect you. Happy?”

  The moment she had her answer, she seemed to reconsider. “Zack, I-I shouldn’t have pushed. I—”

  “You’re right.” He backed her against the desk and caged her by gripping the edge on either side of her. “And you should have taken the out when I gave it to you. But you didn’t, so I’m going to show you how far from brotherly my feelings are for you. You’re going to let me, aren’t you, Elizabeth? You’re going to walk the eight feet to that door and lock it, then you’re going to come back here and let me get my mouth on you. You’re going to open yourself to me and I’m going to take all you have to give tonight.”