They awoke at six and left Sasha asleep. After they grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel, they ducked into the hospital to say goodbye to Hannah. Her mom and dad were already there and they stayed for a bit but were on the road by seven. The trees were bursting with leaves on Route 15 making the landscape lovely. Surrounded by the greenery, Annalise let it soothe her.
“So,” she said, placing her hand on his knee and leaning in. “What’s the reality we’re getting back to?”
He turned his gaze to the cars whizzing by. “Isn’t it the same as before?”
“Do you feel the same as before?”
“Of course not.” This was a huge admission for him, she knew.
“Me either.” She let out a heavy breath. “As I see it, we have three choices: cut off the intimacy and stay friends or sneak around or tell Harold and Clarke about our relationship and not hide anything.”
“If this doesn’t stay quiet, it’ll follow you to a run for the White House.”
“That’s not for years, Luke.”
“Remember Frank Jenkins?”
“Yes. He was a VP candidate. But he didn’t go anywhere.”
“Exactly. We backed him five years ago. Nothing negative came out till he was poised for the appointment of vice-president. Then a tabloid published an article about an affair he had with a young aid. He was dropped immediately as a candidate.”
She eased away a bit. “Was it true?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Huh…oh, wait, he was married at the time.”
“It won’t matter that we’re both single.”
“It should, Luke. You know that.”
“Do you want to keep going?”
“I do.”
He kept his gaze straight ahead. “You see yourself as invincible, Annalise. It’s dangerous.”
She went silent.
After a while, he asked, “What are you thinking?”
She turned in her seat. “That you’re throwing up roadblocks. In your heart of hearts, do you want this relationship to end?”
“Hell.” A rest area was up ahead. He swerved off the road into a private corner under blooming trees. Put the car into park. Yanked her to him.
And gave her a searing kiss that stole her breath away.
When he drew back, their chests heaved. “Does that answer your question?” His eyes blazed like blue flames, his voice was gruff.
She touched her mouth, the imprint of him still there. “It does.”
As they got back out on the road, she was quiet again. For about five minutes, then she spoke. “So here’s what I want. We’ll keep this on the down low for now and not make any decisions yet. We’ll concoct a story for our absence together, then we’ll see what happens.”
A hesitation.
Nothing more from her.
“You win. On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You don’t date McCullen, Crenshaw or Nate.”
Enjoying his jealousy, she grinned smugly. “I’ll agree if you don’t date the supermodel.”
“Agreed.”
They hadn’t solved anything, but she felt better that she could have him in her life, at least for a little while longer.
* * *
“Clarke and Harold are waiting for you two in Harold’s office,” the receptionist told them when they walked through the front door around one o’clock. “They said to go right up.”
“Great, thanks.” Annalise was all perky and cheerful but Luke was worried. She linked their hands when they got on the elevator then let go before the cab opened. At the doorway to Harold’s office, they found the two men in a deep discussion at a table off to the side. The room was huge, neat, and imposing.
She said, “Hello, Harold. Clarke.”
He greeted them too.
They both rose and approached her. Clarke took her hands. “How is your sister? Hannah, isn’t it?”
“Yes. She’s going to heal. She can’t work for twelve weeks, and she’s stewing about it. Dad’s putting his foot down that she needs help.”
“At least she’ll fully recover.”
“Go ahead and sit,” Harold told them. “I’ll get you coffee.”
Luke gave a weak smile. “Thanks.”
When they were seated with the bitter scent of strong coffee wafting up to them, Clarke asked, “Doesn’t your sister have a farm?”
“It’s actually a small piece of land. She lives a self-sustaining life. She has several gardens, her own goat, and can fix anything. But the damn goat bumped into her arm when she was cutting off tree limbs and the saw sliced her arm.”
“Dear God.” Harold cringed. “I remember when she didn’t go to college and the political world was scandalized.”
“Dad defended her like a champion.”
“I respected him for that.” Harold turned to him. “So, Luke, you drove Annalise up to Rockford.”
“I did. We had an early breakfast meeting when her father called. I took Annalise and her sister Sasha to Rockford. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t miss a day’s work, but they were too shaky to drive. And I didn’t want them to call a car and go with a stranger.”
Clarke eyes were full of sympathy. “I hope Hannah recovers quickly.” His gaze traveled to Luke. “Are you able to give us a report on Meredith Long, where you are in the process or do you want some time to decompress?”
“No time needed.” Annalise shook her head decisively. “We decompressed on the way down.” Her face colored a bit, and Luke hoped nobody could read her thoughts but him. She was remembering the kiss.
Luke put in, “The day before yesterday, we met with Creative Campaigns. Adam Crenshaw was making the first of four videos we’ve agreed on. He said it would take a week, so we should be able to see it soon.”
Annalise added, “After we give him the go-ahead on the first one, he’ll do an endorsement video, a Q&A and a Community ad.”
“Who’ll endorse?” Harold asked.
Luke and Annabelle exchanged a look. He said, “We’ll be brainstorming on that.”
“Let us know if you want us to speak to anybody.”
When the meeting ended, Annalise kept her cool, said goodbye and they headed to the door. “You think we did well?” she asked him at the elevator.
“We did.” They walked inside their office.
“But I hate being deceitful.”
“Aren’t I worth it?”
“Yep.” She winked at him. “Especially in those jeans, buster.”
Man, he liked her flirting with him.
* * *
The late-afternoon sun slanted through the windows as Annalise returned to the office from the deposition with Rose Palermo. Though she’d been away for a day and a half, she’d taken comp time because this couldn’t be delayed. With Mitch at her side, they prepped her, went over some of the salient points, then they sat next to her for moral support when she testified. Annalise hoped with all her heart that the guy who abused her would be punished.
She was typing some notes into her file on Rose when the office phone on Luke’s desk rang. She got up and answered it. “The Justice Project.”
“I gotta talk to Luke. He ain’t answering the number I usually call.”
“I’m sorry, he’s in a meeting.”
“You gotta get him. Tell him to call me. It’s an emergency.”
“Who is this?” she asked.
“Andy.”
“Andy who?”
“His little brother.”
“I’ll do my best, Andy.”
She was shocked when she returned the phone to its cradle. He had a little brother, too? The kid sounded young. Wait a sec. None of this fit Luke’s history.
He appeared in the entry. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
Folding her arms over her chest, she said, “Your little brother called. He’s got an emergency.”
“Damn.” He fished his phone from his pocket. Turned it on. Clicked in a number. A pause. “Andy, it’s Luke. What’s wrong?” He waited. “Why did they declare Mrs. Banks unable to care for you?” Then, “Why’d you do that, kid?” He checked his watch. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
When he disconnected, worry etched his face.
“Luke?”
“I…I…hell, I didn’t want anybody to know about this.”
“That you have more family?”
His brow furrowed. “What? No. I’m Andy’s Big Brother. You know the program where adults work with kids who need male role models.” Now he sighed. “I help out in the foster care system. Those are the boys who need us most.”
“That’s a terrific outreach, Luke. Why wouldn’t you want anybody to know?”
“A couple of reasons. First, I lost my brother, through my own fault, so I wanted…family. Which cheapens what I do, really, because the work is important. Second, I don’t want to advertise the good I do. I hate when people brag about their volunteer work.”
“Hmm. Well, you’re entitled to your privacy. But I don’t think it’s bragging, especially not to me. Want to tell me about Andy’s situation?”
“I will. Not now, though. I gotta head out there. He got mad at his very nice, but older foster mom and called Child Services to tell them she left the burner on the stove.”
“That’s not good.”
“She didn’t do it. She’s very with-it. He lied because she wouldn’t let him go out alone after dark last night.”
“He sounds like a handful.”
“Sometimes he is. Especially when he throws a tantrum in public.”
“Go ahead then.”
He crossed to her. Grasped her arms. Whispered, “I wish I could kiss you goodbye.”
“Me, too. Now scoot.”
Annalise went back to her desk. She punched in Sasha’s cell number, thinking that she didn’t know enough about that man she was sleeping with.
* * *
An hour later, Luke walked into the office, already rattled from dealing with the problems Andy caused. So, when he found Annalise, sitting all cozy with Adam Crenshaw, he had to struggle to not react badly. He just stood there.
When she looked up at him, a smile bloomed on her face. It calmed him. “Hi, Luke. Adam brought over the first video. Come see this. I haven’t, yet.”
“Sure.” He pulled up a chair next to her at the small conference table and their knees touched. “Play it straight through.”
The video began.
Meredith’s face appeared. She wore a flattering dark blue tailored suit and stood on the steps of a city building. The sunny day and birds chirping gave the setting an upbeat tone. “I’m Meredith Long and I’m running for the seat in the Democratic primary of the 204th district in Pittsburg. I’d like to tell you about my policies.”
Next, there were pictures of the community with her voice over. One was the brick hospital in the district. “My health care program is an issue in this primary.” She explained her stance.
From there, photos came on that matched each of her policies. The video showed a cute little childcare facility which had baby animals painted on the outside and spoke of free child care for women. An overview of a Native American reservation focused on the squalid trailers and tiny houses people lived in. Then she emphasized climate change and talked over a scene of filthy water running into a lake.
At the end, her face came back on the video. “Now that you have all my information, I’m asking you to vote for me. And if you care to, please donate to my campaign at this website.” The address showed at the bottom of the screen. “Thank you.”
“Short and sweet,” Annalise said.
Crenshaw preened. “That’s what we were aiming for.”
“I think it’s acceptable.” Luke waited. Then, “It’s a touch…plain, though.”
“Like Meredith herself.” Adam tried not to reveal his irritation, but it came though.
“Did you show the video to her yet?”
“No, of course not. You have to decide first if you like it.”
“Annalise and I will look at it again, maybe get Clarke’s opinion, then get back to you.”
Crenshaw turned to her. “You agree, Annalise?”
“With Luke? Absolutely.”
“We’ll try to do it today.” Luke stood, effectively ending the session.
Crenshaw got the message and scraped back his chair. “Let me know asap.”
When he left, Annalise closed the door and faced him. “You did okay with him.”
“I did.” His voice dropped. “You said you wouldn’t date other men, at least right now. I behaved accordingly.”
She was so pretty with her green eyes sparkling in the sunlight. “Before we go over the video again, tell me what happened with Andy.”
Luke leaned against the table. “Turns out there was more to the story. His mother called him and said he could come home. I phoned child services and they told me no such request was made. She’s…not well.”
“Hell. How did Andy take the news?”
“He cried in my arms.” Luke cleared his throat. “That was tough. I talked to him and to Ida Banks and Social Services and smoothed things out. I think we dodged that bullet.”
She studied him. “This must be hard for you, Luke. Does it make you remember your past?”
“Some. Mostly, I feel bad for the poor little guy.”
“I’m sorry.”
He was sad, which he didn’t mean to happen. “Life for a foster kid is tough.”
She asked, “Did these things happen to you?”
“No. Actually he’s luckier than I was. Mostly, I was in a group home and left alone to deal. The Big Brothers for Foster Care didn’t exist then.”
“It’s a formal thing?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Did you start it?”
“Yeah, the organization was glad to have us.”
“I feel for you, though.”
By now, the day was almost over. They watched the video again then ran it by Clarke. He thought the ad lacked pizzaz too. He had some suggestions, which they emailed to Crenshaw. A clearly frustrated Crenshaw sent back a curt, “Whatever you want.”
At seven, she leaned back in her chair. It had been a long and tense day. It showed in the lines that had formed around her eyes and mouth. “I’m so tired, I’m not sure I can take another step.”
“Let’s quit for the night.”
“Home together?”
A crooked smile escaped him. “That’s what I want.”
She fell asleep with her hand on his knee on the drive to her condo. They stumbled inside, went directly to her bedroom, disrobed, and zonked. They both awoke at dawn.
* * *
“You look cute, all rumpled.”
Luke’s eyes filled with mirth. “You, too.” He smoothed down her hair. She loved those intimate gestures.
“We just slept, right?” she teased.
His dark brows skyrocketed. “God forbid having sex would be that unmemorable. I’m hoping we didn’t do anything at all.”
She checked her clock. “We should get going.”
“I have to take a shower first.” He arched a sexy brow. “Join me.”
It was good. Very good. The spray of the hot water on them both. The scent of the soap filling her head. How he washed her hair, her body. By the time she soaped him all up, he said, “Turn around, love.” He circled her with an arm and braced his hand on the tile, as did she.
He thrust into her. Once twice, then they came together in true, honest joy.
* * *
On Friday, Annalise went into the TJP instead of going to the law office to make up some time. At her desk, she said, “I have to tell you something.”
Luke tensed. “That statement never bodes well.”
“No, nothing like that. I don’t even know why I didn’t mention it before.”
“Spit it out, Annalise.” He was teasing.
She took in a deep breath. “I have a house in Maryland that I planned to be my forever home.”
“Forever home?”
“Where I’d eventually live. My grandparents left us all some money and I spent mine on that.”
He was confused. “Why you’d keep that from me?”
“I’m privileged. You seemed to resent that, I guess.”
His gaze narrowed on her. “Maybe at first. You have to know that isn’t true anymore.”
“I guess I do. In any case, I want to drive up this afternoon. It’s within commuting distance.”
“Why?”
“It’s really private. I don’t want to have to hide in one of our apartments.”
Luke realized he felt the same. Hiding was already getting old. “Fine by me.”
“We can stay the night. Maybe all weekend. Bring your go bag and if you need anything else we can go into town tomorrow and pick it up.”
“Sounds great. Don’t worry. I won’t tease you about the silver spoon stuff.” He arched a brow. “Much.”
They left a couple of hours early and headed to Maryland exiting the expressway at the little town of Brentwood.
“Turn here,” she told him after they drove into the residential area. They drove up a long driveway. The house came into view. The sun sparkled off a three-story structure with wooden siding and a ton of windows. The place spanned two-thirds of the width of the property.
He whistled.
“I know. It’s big and nice. As I said, it’s where I’ll settle once I win a seat in the House or the Senate. Right now, it’s my legal address.”
“I’m glad for you, honey.” He kissed her nose. “Let’s see the inside.”
They parked in the three-car garage where a dark blue BMW sat. “Ah, this is why you don’t have a car in D.C.”
“Not exactly. It’s too much hassle to keep one in the city. Though you seem to manage. If I need a car, I can come and get this one.”
The inside was modern, too. Lots of granite and stainless steel in the kitchen, a stunning dining room overlooking a wooded lot with a pool nestled at one side. The same view from the living room. “Is that a pool house over there?”
“Um, no, it’s a guest house.”
“Holy Lord.”
She hesitated. “There’s a workout room in the walk-out basement. Along with a jacuzzi and sauna.”
“I’ll bite my tongue.”
She sidled in close. “I’d like to show you the bedrooms.”
He nestled her body to his. “I’m just interested in one of them.”
She leaned back into him. “Fine by me Luke.”
* * *
They had cocktails in the pool at six, sitting on foam rafts with cup holders while the late day sun beamed down on them. Luke borrowed a suit from her stash from the first-floor bathroom and it fit him well. But he was staring out blindly at the trees as he sipped his gin and tonic.
“Where’d you go?”
“Just thinking.”
She was close, so she could take his hand. “Tell me.”
“I’m an idiot. I was wondering if you brought other men here, if they wore this suit. Sorry. My mind goes to dark places sometimes.” He squeezed her hand. “Not as much now that you’re in my life.”
“I’m glad. For the record, the suit is new. And yes, Mitch has been up here before. And Dad. As I said, he and Mom live an hour away. And my aunt and uncle live not far from here, too. Nick visits.”
“I feel like a fool for asking.”
“Hush. One other thing I wanted to tell you is they may stop in. They’re just up the road.”
“Your aunt, the president’s sister? And the notorious Secret Service agent who saved her from all the bad guys?”
“Yep.”
“Your life is like a novel.”
“In some ways.” He heard the worry in her own voice.
“All this is fine by me, sweetheart. I’ve accepted who you are and what your life is like.”
She gave him a tentative smile.
In a quick move, he slid off the raft, dumping his drink in the pool. Grinning, he upended her and the martini glass, and when she came up for air, he dove under and surfaced in front of her. “What was that for?”
“So you’ll stop worrying.”
The water was warm and the day still sunny. She wanted to enjoy it. But she had to tell him one more thing. “I feel bad when I think about how I have so much…and you had so little.”
He kissed her nose. “No feeling bad this weekend.”
“I’ll try.”
* * *
Annalise was about to call her aunt and uncle when the front bell rang early Saturday morning. She crossed to the foyer door and opened it. “Hey, Nick. Isabelle.” She hugged her aunt and then Nick gave her a big bear one. “I just picked up the phone to call you.”
“Kismet then, darling.” Isabelle seemed to get more lovely with age. At fifty, her light brown hair had a bit of gray but her green eyes were still the exact color of Annalise’s and Dad’s.
“I was planning to invite you for lunch.”
“Then invitation accepted.” Nick, too, had a little gray but his eyes were sharp and he’d stayed fit. A few years older than Isabelle, his job at the recruit academy and his big family suited him.
They walked out to the kitchen. “When did you start knocking to come inside?” she asked Isabelle.
Nick said, “We saw an unfamiliar car outside. Whose is it?”
“Nick. Don’t interrogate her.”
“No worries, Isabelle.” To him, she said, “I have company. We’re keeping our relationship quiet because we work together.”
“We won’t say anything,” Isabelle promised.
Luke came into the kitchen, bare-chested, drying his hair. He stopped when he saw the company. “Um, hello. Let me go put on a shirt.”
When he left, Isabelle quipped, “Too bad about the shirt.”
The women chuckled. But Nick’s brow furrowed.
When Luke came back, he said, “Hi, I’m Luke Branson.”
“Nick and Isabelle Marino.”
“I know the love story.”
Isabelle’s expression was sweet. “I’m afraid everybody does.”
“So,” her uncle said staring hard at Luke. “You two work together?”
Luke shot Annalise a shocked look.
“They won’t say anything.” She focused on Isabelle. “Not to Dad, either.”
Her aunt nodded. “We wanted to say hello, but Annalise asked us for lunch.”
“How long have you been at The Justice Project?” Nick asked.
“Seven years.”
“And Annalise just started so…you’re her boss.” Nick again.
“We don’t have bosses. But yes, I have seniority.”
Nick’s gaze swung to Annalise. “What are you doing, Annie?” He gestured to the house. “This could all be misconstrued as misconduct with a superior.”
“Nick!”
“What?”
Isabelle stood. “I don’t think we can stay for lunch. My husband’s on a roll and he won’t let the topic be.”
Nick stood, too. “You’re damn right. Think about what you’re doing, kid.”
“Call us the next time you’re here.” Isabelle kissed Annalise’s cheek. “Maybe he can be an uncle and not an agent.”
She practically dragged Nick out.
Luke said, “Well, that was fun.”
“I’m sorry. Don’t let it ruin the rest of our weekend.”
“I…”
“Let’s go for a bike ride after lunch.”
“You have bikes?”
“Of course.” She took his hand. “We’ll forget about Nick and have some real fun.”