Politically Incorrect (27 page)

I rolled over, the room dark save the light from his phone. “What’s wrong?”

His hand slipped under the covers, gliding along the curve of my hip. “I have to head into the office.”

“Okay. No problem.” I shifted in the bed, ready to make my departure.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Liam protested.

I stopped. Not being able to really see his face left me unsure how to respond. “I, um, I figured since you were leaving, I should, too.”

“Absolutely not! I asked you here tonight because I thought something like this might happen. I wanted to be close to the Hill and still be able to find you in my bed when I returned.”

“Really? You’re not worried about me being alone in your house? What if…”

“Stop right there. No one but Jordyn and Aaron knows you’re here. You don’t need to worry about a leak. And it’s not uncommon for a consultant to visit her client in the middle of the night, is it?”

I shook my head, as if he could see me in the dark.

“I want you here, like this, when I get back. Okay?”

My heart panged at his sincerity.

“All right. I’ll stay.”

“Good. Now, go back to sleep. I shouldn’t be gone long.” He placed a sweet kiss to my lips and slipped out of the bed. A light flickered on from the closet and then dimmed through a closed door. In the distance, I heard Liam padding around getting dressed. Moments later, the light was gone and so was he.

I curled up on the bed, drawing his pillow in close to my face. It smelled like him ─ warm, woodsy, and all male. I smiled and snuggled in, waiting for sleep to take me, but it never did. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t fall asleep without him beside me. My body yearned for him. My heart longed to be with him. So, I did what any normal, red-blooded American woman would do. I got out of bed, slipped into his discarded shirt, and began to snoop.

My first stop was his bathroom. A small piece of me felt guilty for looking through his toiletries, but I enjoyed smelling his aftershave and discovering what products he used. This was like my own little window into William Baxter. No one but me would know these details about him.

CK One? Really?

I didn’t even realize they still made that cologne. Go figure.

After exploring the bathroom, I moved to his closet. It was a magnificent space, organized and clean. An OCD person’s wet dream. All of his ties hung neatly on a motorized tie rack. Suit jackets dangled from the top rung of the closet and his shirts on the bottom. To the right, all of his slacks and pants hung, creased to perfection, reminding me he was once part of the military. I tried to imagine Liam in uniform, all stars and stripes forever.

“I bet you looked sexy as fuck in that uniform,” I purred, stroking the crease on one of his jackets.

Curious to see how extensive his collection of ugly ties went, I pressed the button, turning on the tie rack. The whole damn thing was color coded by the rainbow. Every bright color imaginable circled past me. I stopped the motor as it landed on yellow. A mustard yellow tie with sun yellow paisleys rested on the hanger.

Hideous!

I shook my head and turned around, only to come face to face with an amused Liam.

A scream tore through me. I slapped my hand over my mouth. “Jesus! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” I clutched my chest, my heart racing. “Give a girl some warning.”

Liam shrugged a shoulder and inched forward. “I’m back.”

I gave him an exasperated look. “I mean beforehand.”

“I wasn’t sneaking, but it sure does seem like you were. Did you find anything interesting?”

Oh the humiliation of being discovered. “I, uh.” I shifted my weight, dropping my eyes from his expressive gaze. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t sleep, so I got up─”

“I see you found my ties.” He stalked toward me, his body tense.

“Yeah. I still want to know where you find these ugly things.”

A wicked smile curled his lips. “They’re not ugly, they’re unique. Just like me.”

“Is that your excuse for wearing them?” Another step forward. With no means to escape, Liam trapped me inside the closet.

“I don’t need an excuse, but if you must know…” He reached around me and slipped the mustard colored tie from the rack. “I figure since I already stand above the rest of the crowd, I should give them something interesting to look at.”

He wrapped the tie around my neck, drawing me to him. Our mouths collided in a sensual kiss. My stomach clenched as his lips molded to mine with that perfect mix of passion and control. Slow and deliberate, he moved his mouth down my jaw, tasting my skin just below my ear. “By the way, you look good in my shirt.”

My head fell back, a gasp of ecstasy on my lips. “It was on the floor, and I…”

His hand slid up the length of my neck; his long fingers tangling in my hair, as he cupped the back of my head. “Don’t explain. You’re welcome to wear my clothes anytime.” His free hand slipped down my hip and dipped under the fabric of the shirt, cupping my bare bottom in his palm. “In fact, I insist you wear my clothes more often.” His mouth once again captured mine, enveloping me in a precious kiss.

The closet light flipped off. Liam’s arms slipped beneath my legs. He lifted me off my feet and carried me to bed, where he rested me on the mattress.

In the dim morning light, I was whisked away to the world of ecstasy that only William Baxter could bring. If his leaving me alone meant I’d be greeted this way every time he returned, I could handle him going away. At least for a little while.

It was official.

I was hooked.

Happily addicted to all things William Baxter.

And rehab wasn’t an option.

I glanced up at the clock on the wall.

Fifteen minutes to wait ‘til Aaron, Scout, and Liam were scheduled to join me in my office. My legs bounced with nerves. No matter how I tried to spin the situation in my head, I had only one outcome produced every time ─ Scout freaking out and demanding to have my mental faculties checked.

And I wouldn’t blame her one bit.

Rather than ponder on something out of my control, I diverted my thoughts to work.

Work was always good.

It wasn’t long after I turned on my computer and checked my emails that a series of raps came at the door. Liam poked his head inside. “Hey, Lizzy.”

“Liam!” I hissed, heralding him to enter. “You can’t say things like that here.”

Liam stepped into my office and closed the door behind him. “No one’s here yet, and besides, they’re not going to think twice about me calling you Lizzy.”

“You don’t know that for certain. A nickname suggest familiarity.”

“Oh-kay.” He pressed the lock on my door and stalked toward me. “I’ll refrain from calling you anything but Elizabeth.”

Like a beacon around his neck, I was drawn to the mustard yellow tie he was wearing. It was the same one he’d wrapped around my neck the night before. The bastard had the audacity to wear it into the office.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I screeched. “How could you wear that one? Today!”

Liam glanced down to his chest. “It’s just a tie,
Elizabeth
.”

“That’s not just a tie!”

He inched closer to me. “It’s not like I tied you to my bed with it...yet.”

I squirmed in my chair. “No, but we had sex on that tie.”

“Technically not on it. It was on the floor this morning, which is why I wore it.”

My instinct was to go all girly and cover my face with my hands. Instead, I stood up and met Liam on the other side of the desk. In my most stern, authoritative voice, I explained, “You can’t do shit like that. We have to be careful.”

“It’s a tie.” He rolled his eyes with a flutter dramatic enough to make Jordyn proud. “You’re paranoid.”

“Maybe, but I refuse to be the reason you lose this election. And if I get squirmy over a freaking tie, well, I, ah,” I paused to collect my thoughts. “I don’t want to give us away.”

Liam braced my shoulders between his palms. “Does that mean I can’t kiss you right now?”

“Absolutely not! No kissing in the office. No public displays of affection. Period.”

Liam dropped his hands from my arms. His head started to bob then it turned to a nod. “You’re right. I promised to protect you, so we’ll play this safe.” He brushed his knuckles down my cheek. “I want you to always feel comfortable with me.”

I placed my hand to his chest, calmed by the steady beat of his heart. “I am comfortable with you, but as much as you want to protect me, I need to do the same for you. This is the only way I know how.”

Liam rested his hand over mine, the heat of his palm burned wildly against my skin. “I understand. I really do. You’re a good woman.” He leaned in close to my ear, whispering ever so softly, “Lizzy.”

I pushed him back with a laugh. “You’re terrible.”

“I know.” He grabbed my wrist and brought it to his lips. Every time he did that I melted.

“You know you make it hard for me when you do that.”

“I’d say I’m sorry, but I’d be lying.”

I slid my hand from his, and wandered back behind my desk. “I wouldn’t have believed you anyway.”

He gripped his chest, a feigned shocked expression plastered on his face. “You wouldn’t believe me? Me? Honest, Liam.”

I tapped my knuckles against my desk. “You forget; I know you better now.”

Liam drifted along my bookshelf, checking out my album collection. “Doesn’t make me a liar.”

“Never a liar. Only a man who knows how to use his tongue.”

Liam’s eyes gazed at me from over the album jacket he held in his hand. “Elizabeth McNeal!”

“If I were still keeping score, I would’ve gotten a point for that one,” I teased.

“Score one for Lizzy.”

I snapped my fingers at him, playfully gritting my teeth. He chuckled and slid the album back in its place.

“Did you talk to Kristin?”

Liam extracted my Band of Horses record and held it up to me. “Great album.”

“Liam?”

His shoulders slunk as he shoved the record back into place. “I called this morning.”

“I take it she’s upset.” Which I expected. She knew the damage we could cause.

“Not really upset. Just disappointed. She feels I’m putting my career in jeopardy.”

“She’s right, you know.”

Liam’s slack form straightened to his full height. “I don’t see it that way.”

“I know,” I whispered.

Liam glanced up at the clock. “Aaron and Scout are late.”

My gaze wandered upward to check the time. “That’s not like them.”

Liam unlocked the door and slid it open. He glanced around and shrugged. “I’m sure they had to deal with traffic.” He roamed back to my shelf, perusing the music again.

It bugged me that Kristin wasn’t happy for him. A deep seated instinct rose inside me, pining to protect him. I was causing him suffering already, and about to make it worse by revealing our affair to his closest staff. Bile rose in my throat, knowing even if I wanted to put on the brakes, he’d refuse.

“Knock, knock,” Aaron’s voice resounded at the door, his knuckles tapping against the frame.

“About time, bro!” Liam snarked, a jovial glint sparkled in his eyes, as he slipped the record back on the shelf.

“Sorry. It was my fault,” a frazzled Scout announced, following Aaron into the office. Her shirt was partially tucked into her slim pants and her hair in an unruly ponytail. “I had to have my triple soy latte this morning or there was going to be hell to pay around the office today.” Scout chugged on her large coffee and maneuvered to close the door.

“No sleep?” I quipped.

“Not with Rambo the Sex Fiend, here.” She thumbed toward Aaron.

Hmm. Must be a family thing.

That also meant that Aaron and Scout had finally crossed the sex boundary. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad since she’d also given into her own Baxter brother.

Who was I kidding? She was already pissy.