At the Pleasure of the President Page 30

  “Make me come.”

  Every sultry word from her mouth made his cock fill and throb. “Make you come, you said?”

  “Yes.” There was no pleading in her tone. She demanded. She knew what her rights were and she wouldn’t accept anything less from him. It was one of the reasons he’d never been able to resist her. “Make me come, Maddox. Now.”

  “My pleasure.” Inside her, he pressed his fingertips right where she ached most and rubbed her in torturous strokes while he covered her clitoris with his lips and sucked.

  Seconds later, she screamed his name while her body bucked and worked against him, lifting to his mouth and demanding every bit of bliss he could give. Then she went over the edge, gripping onto his arms and holding him as if she’d never let go.

  Sweet moments later, she drifted down with a satisfied sigh. Mad couldn’t wait to join with Sara for a second longer.

  He lifted himself away from her and rose to his knees, shoving his sweatpants down to free his cock.

  Then he stared at her again, splayed out in front of him, all flushed cheeks and womanly curves, her body open and welcoming. She took his breath away.

  He couldn’t wait to watch her change day by day as their baby grew. He would take it all in, catalog every single difference, and make sure she understood how amazing she was. He would show her every day, in every way he could, how much joy and warmth she brought to his life.

  “I love you.” He shifted between her legs and held himself above her gently swelling belly to align his crest with her slick opening. Then he pressed inside her. Heat lit through him as he sank deeper. A groan tore from his chest. Somehow, he managed to stay in control. What was on his mind was far too important to wait, and she was too precious to wonder. “I want to marry you before the baby comes. I still have your ring.”

  She gripped his arms and drew him closer even as she wrapped her legs around him. “Yes.”

  It wasn’t the proposal he’d planned, but they weren’t the wide-eyed kids they’d been mere months before. It was probably silly that he’d considered himself a kid then. He was almost forty, damn it. But the man he’d been before? That Mad had been naïve. He’d planned a dramatic, epic proposal, guaranteed to be plastered across social media and talked about for years.

  He’d needed that then. Now all he needed was Sara.

  Mad stroked into her, finding a rhythm he’d craved for months. The connection went far beyond sex, beyond mere pleasure.

  Staring into her eyes, he thrust deeper, wanting to lose himself in her and stay in this moment forever. But her need soon proved as great as his. When she tightened, digging her nails into his skin, and urged him on by rocking her body with his, Mad couldn’t hold out a second longer.

  Climax hit him, rocketing through his body until he imploded and was reborn a new man. Until he swore he couldn’t see anything but her. Until he forgot everything but Sara and this moment that began the rest of their lives.

  His entire body heavy with gratification, he rolled to his side and pulled her close. Sara lay breathless, wrapped in his arms, nestling her head on his chest. This was what they’d found that first night, what had surprised him even more than the amazing sex. They just fit together in ways he hadn’t imagined and couldn’t live without.

  “I want you to marry me this week,” he said. “We can do it up big later, but I want to be good and married when our child comes, even if it’s only in our hearts and in front of our friends. We’ll know the truth.”

  “Yes.” She smiled as though she couldn’t agree more and she was right where she wanted to be.

  And Mad knew he was finally home for good.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?” Gus asked as they strode down the hallway toward the press room.

  Liz wasn’t sure of anything after the previous night. Her odd spat with Zack had ended when she climbed into bed with him for a fitful night of sleep. This morning, he’d been his usual smooth-as-silk self, awakening her with kisses and making love to her like nothing had happened the night before. Still, when he looked at her, she’d seen something in his eyes she didn’t like, a distance she’d never seen, even when they hadn’t been lovers. She tried to write it off as his funky mood or her imagination…but worry lingered.

  “Everything is fine. Well, as fine as it can be, given what’s going on.” She stopped because if they wanted to finish this conversation in private, they couldn’t get any closer to Vanessa, who waited steps away with a bottle of water and her notes for the weekly press briefing.

  “I meant between you and Zack. He and Roman are scheming. I had a long talk with my fiancé last night, but I couldn’t get him to budge. He’s claiming Chinese wall privilege, the bastard.”

  Only two lawyers would use that term in their romance, referring to the ethical division that kept their respective jobs separate from their personal lives. Basically, Roman had refused to tell his bride-to-be anything he and Zack exchanged. No doubt that made Gus crazy.

  “He’s right, you know. He can’t tell you or Zack won’t be able to be open and honest with him.”

  Gus’s eyes rolled. “Ethics suck. They’re up to something. I know it.”

  Liz wasn’t sure what Roman would be up to besides his job, which entailed listening to Zack and advising him. “Is he worried about Krylov being in town?”

  Gus shook her head. “No. They’ve got a security firm, someone Connor knows from his CIA days, tracking him now. They say he’s already back in New York. Well, what they say is he’s in New York and they can’t figure out how he left. Apparently they don’t have any footage of him ever exiting the hotel, much less stepping foot in DC.”

  “He’s a mobster. I’m sure he’s had plenty of practice eluding cameras and agents.”

  That’s what was bugging her. She and Zack hadn’t talked about the incident with Krylov at all this morning. After he’d made love to her, he’d dressed in sweats and his running shoes, then told her he would see her later. She would have thought Zack had put the whole thing out of his mind except he’d made her promise she wouldn’t leave the White House without an escort.

  “Well, all I know is the guys have gone into hyper alpha-protective-asshole mode. All of them. When I told Roman I intended to go to your place and pick up some clothes for you, he had a hissy. Have you ever seen a six-foot, three-inch wall of muscle have a hissy? It’s a sight…” Gus sighed. “Apparently Connor will be selecting your wardrobe for the next week. I tried to take care of it for you but was told in no uncertain terms that he can handle shoving clothes in a suitcase. He’s going to get all the wrong shoes and probably forget your undies. I’ll apologize in advance for his fashion ignorance.”

  Liz cringed at the thought of Connor rifling through her underwear drawer, but she acknowledged the reasoning behind it. “It’s all right. They’re worried. I didn’t really want to go back there in the first place, but now it’s a no. You probably shouldn’t go, either.”

  “Hmm. So, I’m told the press is like a school of hungry sharks today.” Gus nodded toward the room where the briefings took place. “Don’t give them any chum. Put on a happy face, pretend like the world isn’t falling apart, and do what you do best. Once this is over with, we have a wedding to plan—and we’ve got to be quiet and fast about it.”

  A genuine smile curled up Liz’s lips. Clearly, something good had come from last night because when she’d gone to the bunker to have morning coffee with Sara, she’d found a very cozy couple ready to tie the knot. “I’m so happy for them, but have we considered the fact that Mad’s death certificate has been filed? Officially, he’s dead. I’m not sure how we make their marriage legal.”

  Gus brushed those details aside. “We don’t, at least not yet. The ceremony is for the two of them. Mostly, I think Mad wants a ring on her finger in case anything goes poorly. As soon as we can, we’ll get all the paperwork done and make it right. But this gives us an excuse to celebrate, and we al
l need that right now.”

  “I think we can plan a serviceable wedding in a couple of days. They’re getting married in a bunker—a place where many a war was launched—so the ambiance will be…interesting. Have you considered it for your own ceremony?”

  Gus laughed, the sound booming in the quiet of the hall. “Wouldn’t it be fitting? Roman and I are in a constant state of trying to figure out what the other is plotting. It keeps us both on our toes. Come on. It’s go time. I’m going to try to blend in at the back and sneak out before they can surround me. Be on your toes because you know someone will ask about the Capitol Scandals story. And now that our interview has been postponed, the questions are likely to start.”

  That news jarred Liz. “I thought the guys were insisting that you two go through with it.”

  Gus gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder. “I told Roman that until you were comfortable with it, he could do that interview all on his own. He knows damn well it doesn’t work without me. He’s looking out for Zack. Someone needs to do the same for you. Let me know if you need anything.”

  God, she loved Gus. Liz had no idea what she would do without her. “Thank you.”

  As they started down the hall again, Vanessa looked at her watch as they approached. “You’re cutting it close today. Here’s the briefing. I typed it up from your notes.”

  “Thank you.” She took the papers and the water bottle.

  “You had a call from Mr. Harding this morning,” Vanessa said, following her to the door.

  The last person she needed now was Paul. “I think Zack should handle that one.”

  After all, he wasn’t listening to her counsel about how dangerous Joy’s father could be to Zack’s reputation. Maybe if he talked to his former father-in-law himself, he would grasp the gravity of Paul’s threats.

  A single intensely judgmental brow rose over Vanessa’s eyes. “I’ll let Mr. Harding know you aren’t interested in dealing with him.”

  Liz scowled at the woman. “Do you have something to say?”

  The younger woman shrugged. “The man lost his daughter publicly and violently. You were supposedly friends with her. It seems harsh for you to just dismiss him.”

  “Well, this is a family matter best handled by family, which I am not. So until you know the whole story, maybe you shouldn’t form opinions.” Liz dragged in a bracing breath and stopped. Vanessa’s assessment didn’t matter. She couldn’t know the whole story. “I’ll call Mr. Harding when I’m done here and see if I can connect him with the president. Thank you for letting me know.”

  Without waiting for Vanessa’s reply, she threw open the door and forced herself to step behind the podium with a smile plastered on her face. As she addressed the press, the chaos began.

  Twenty minutes in, Liz nodded at the reporter in the front row. “Candace.”

  The woman in the professional red power suit stood. “Does the president have any response to the story printed on the Capitol Scandals website about the affair his chief of staff allegedly had with his wife prior to her death?”

  She glanced to the back of the White House briefing room and found Gus standing there. She gave Liz a shrug as if to say you knew that was coming.

  “The president chooses not to respond to tabloids.” It was the simplest answer. And it was the truth.

  “The New York Times will be publishing a story tomorrow corroborating much of what Capitol Scandals reported,” Candace insisted.

  “I will ask the president if he wishes to respond after he’s read the article. Bob?”

  Bob Hewitt, from one of the largest cable news networks, stood. “This is about the natural gas pipeline project. The original timeline for an announcement has passed without a single word from the White House about its status. Are there any new developments?”

  They had originally planned to announce the project in London a few weeks ago. That would have launched the major platform for his second term. But the Russians’ blackmail threats had changed all of their plans. “As you know when attempting a project as technologically advanced as a transatlantic natural gas pipeline, many factors and issues must be considered. We have to take into account not only whether the project is viable, but also what effects it will have on the environment and the people affected by its building and maintenance. For all those reasons, the president wants to move cautiously and will keep everyone updated as to the project’s current status.”

  Suddenly, every member of the room collectively bounced out of their seats. Liz quickly realized she was no longer the center of their attention.

  She glanced over her shoulder to see Zack walking into the press room via the private entrance she’d used. He headed straight for the podium. Roman followed, looking big and grim in his tailored suit, like a fashionable reaper.

  Anxiety churned Liz’s stomach. Was this the scheme Gus feared they were plotting and planning? Liz glanced across the room, and sure enough Gus was glaring at her fiancé. He stared right back in a silent battle of wills.

  “Ms. Matthews, if I could have the floor, please.” Zack was solicitous, his face a polite blank.

  She was not looking into the face of her lover, but an inscrutable stranger.

  “What’s going on?” The question slipped out.

  “If you’ll move out of the way, I’ll tell you.”

  His words doused her like a frigid shower. He’d cut her entirely out of the decision-making process and would tell her whatever he’d decided when he told the press. Before he said another word, Liz already knew that whatever he uttered next would change things between them.

  She stepped back. “I wouldn’t dream of standing in your way.”

  His eyes gave away nothing as he climbed up to the podium, but the smile on his lips was the practiced expression of a career politician, nothing real.

  Liz joined Roman a few paces away. “What’s going on?”

  “Zack is tired of waiting, and I agree,” Roman said enigmatically.

  “Waiting for what?” she whispered.

  “Everyone, settle down.” Zack raised a hand as he turned on the charm and ignored questions shouted his way. The crowd seemed to calm. “I wanted to make a few things plain about the pipeline. This was a project conceived by my predecessor, and it’s one I believe in. We’ve done the work. As much as we can, we know both the positive and negative impacts this project could potentially have. So, with great enthusiasm I announce that we’re moving forward. I’ve got a group of the world’s smartest engineers meeting to plan the launch of a transatlantic pipeline that will bring American energy to the rest of the world. It will lower costs for our neighbors by introducing competition where there is none, and it will provide jobs for this country. I’ll have a more formal announcement and documentation available this afternoon. My press secretary will be more than happy to distribute it to you when it’s available.”

  Liz stared at him, her whole body going cold. He’d just put a massive target on his back and he hadn’t once mentioned that he was even considering it.

  “How could he do this?” she murmured to Roman. “After what happened to Holland…”

  “He did it because of what happened to Holland. Now they have to make a move, and we can get this over with,” Roman explained, his eyes steely. “Now they’ll know we won’t be cowed and maybe find someone else to push around. Don’t worry, Liz. He’s determined to protect you.”

  “He’s not protecting himself,” she sputtered.

  “If you can’t hold it together, you should leave. They’re watching,” Roman said.

  They were. Most eyes were on the president, but she could see a few reporters staring her way, their gazes razor sharp, like predators sensing a good meal.

  She forced a passive smile on her face, so she didn’t give them anything that made the administration look less than one-hundred-percent in sync. No infighting. That had been their motto from day one. Of course they’d also promised to trust one another. Zack had never kept any job-a
ffecting decision from her, so she’d always walked up to the podium with perfect confidence and the total trust of the pool of reporters who covered the White House.

  Until today.

  Now, she forced herself to stand serenely and look at Zack as if this had always been the plan and she was happy to serve.

  Her heart thundered in her chest as Zack waved and brought the briefing to a close. He turned, ignoring the reporters who again leapt to their feet, shouting questions as he left the room. Liz fell into step behind him, Roman at her side.

  Zack turned the minute they were safely out of the press room and in the hallway. “I’ll have those documents to you in a few hours. They shouldn’t expect anything before five. Let me know if you have any other questions.”

  Oh, she had plenty of questions. “How could you ambush me like that?”

  He took her by the elbow and drew her away from the others. She hadn’t even noticed Vanessa hanging around, but Zack obviously had. “I didn’t ambush you. The plan changed very recently, and I thought I should brief the press.”

  “You could have mentioned it to me.”

  “It was on a need-to-know basis, and until now you didn’t need to know,” Zack replied without an ounce of emotion. “You are my press secretary, not an advisor on this project. And you know there are things I can’t tell you. You’ve always known that.”

  “I still don’t understand why you hijacked the press conference and dropped this bomb with zero notice.”

  Frustration showed in the way his jaw tightened, in the set of his shoulders. “How I what? I proceeded with a project that we all agree is important. That’s all.”

  She kept her voice low but couldn’t entirely hide her panic. “You’re acting like this announcement was no big deal, but you and I both know this could get you killed.”

  “I’ve thought a lot about this,” he replied with a long sigh. “I don’t have any public appearances, so if they’re going to try to assassinate me, they’ll have to know my schedule. Roman and I discussed changing it up every day. I won’t be easy to find, and Thomas is on alert. Connor will also stick close for a couple of weeks.”