Politically Incorrect (30 page)

Surrounded by darkness, except for the illuminating glow of the running projector, I struggled to maintain my wit about me. I shifted in my seat, my body tense and my breathing shallow. No matter where I moved Liam was there. His warmth, his scent, the sound of his breath were all amplified by the darkness. My blood sizzled, aching to be skin to skin with him, but that wasn’t an option.

Not here.

Not now.

Instead, I was stuck in this boiling hot conference room, watching the latest television ad. If I was to do my job, I’d scrutinize every word, every color, every frame of the reel, but no. My mind wasn’t on work. I was focused on the way Liam’s knee brushed against mine under the table.

God, those muscular legs of his. Thick. Manly. Leading up toward...

As I thought about a naked, sweating Liam hovering over me, his body entering mine, connecting us beyond time and space, a shiver ripped through me.

Since our little near-miss at the restaurant, I’d been on high alert. Liam attempted to convince me that I was overreacting and that we were only setting ourselves up for failure by staying in the shadows, but I refused to listen. Between raging libidos and deep, dark secrets, I feared I couldn’t trust myself past the strain of the work day. On the days Liam ventured into headquarters, my bitch-o-meter skyrocketed from its typical four-point-eight to an alarmingly high nine-point-oh. And when Liam was in a particularly teasing mood, I broke the scales. But I had to admit, I looked forward to our evenings after a day such as that.

Today had been one of those days. From the moment he entered the building, we’d been at each other’s throats. The staff thought nothing of it. Liam and I, on the other hand, were well aware of the strain we were placing on ourselves.

Liam adjusted in his seat. Where his knee had once touched mine, his long fingers were in its place. My mouth was dry. My throat thick with want. Every inch of me quivered with desire. No amount of Kegels could compress the ache between my thighs.

Inch by delicious inch, his hand slid under my skirt. Knowing he couldn’t push the envelope too far, but just enough to drive me wild, he was in no rush with his torture. His hand on my inner thigh felt cold as ice and hot as hell, confusing my senses.

The room was full of people. On either side of us sat Scout and Aaron. The rest of the table included various members of the staff and the film’s director. This was the worst place to lose control, yet the animal inside me roared for release.

I narrowed my eyes to Liam. On the outside, he appeared calm and cool, but I knew that look in his eyes. He was crazed on the inside. Driven by want. He was as consumed by the buzz of passion between us, just as I was. We were both on the brink of breaking when the lights flipped on.

“Well?” Both of us exhaled at the same time. At the end of the table, the director looked at me with expectation. “Elizabeth? What do you think?”

I had no clue what I thought. The commercial was a blur of Liam tantalizing me. I rolled my shoulders and pushed back from the table, forcing him to drop his hand. Typically, I was a quick witted, think on my toes kind of gal. Not this time. My head was all mush. But I had to do something before we exposed ourselves.

I stood up and walked around toward the screen where Liam’s slogan was plastered in shades of red, white, and blue. My hands bounced against my thighs, as I stared at the wall. “You can’t tell me this is the final cut.”

The director hissed a curse under his breath.

I about faced, glaring at him. “Really? This was your idea of a final. I should fire you right now for such impudence. I told you I want bold. Young. Expressive. You gave me old fashioned, boring, and tired.” I flung my arm toward the screen. “We’re trying to sell to the younger voters while playing on the heartstrings of the older ones. They’re supposed to fall in love with him. See him as new and refreshing. The breath of life our state and country need. What you gave me was another politician using the same old antics.”

“I did what you want─”

I lifted my hand, stopping the director mid-sentence. “No, you didn’t. Try again.”

“I didn’t think it was bad,” Liam piped in.

I tilted my head to Liam, dragging my fingers along the length of my ponytail. “Really? And you have so much experience in this area of campaigning, do ya?”

Liam lifted from his chair in a fluid motion. “You’re right. This isn’t my area of expertise─”

I pointed to him. “Ha! Exactly! But it is mine.”

“As you’ve told us all a million times,” he sneered.

Perfect. He’d picked up on my cue. Time to keep up appearances.

“Excuse me?” I challenged.

Liam raised an eyebrow, staring me down. The crackle of desire electrified between us. It was a miracle no one noticed. Well, almost no one. Aaron and Scout’s eyes bounced back and forth, neither saying a word, as they followed along with our ruse.

“Unless you’re going deaf, I believe you heard me.”

“I’ve had just about enough of your crap today!” I yelled.

“Oh really? Because I happen to disagree with the great Elizabeth McNeal?”

Gasps and whispers filled the air around us. He was really putting on a good show.

“That’s it. My office. Now.”

Aaron rolled his eyes. Scout shook her head and began messing with her cellphone.

Liam took a step toward me, almost prowling. “You’re not the boss of me.”

“Maybe we should give you two a moment,” one of the writers suggested, perched to stand.

I lifted my hand. “No. You stay here and fix this mess. I think it’s time for me and our
candidate
to have a chat.”

The staffer dropped back into his seat, clamping his mouth shut.

Smart kid.

Liam straightened to his full height, which would intimidate even the boldest of men, and adjusted his neon green tie. I tried to mimic his authoritative attitude, knowing that I didn’t carry the same command in my stance as he did. I stepped back around the table to my abandoned tablet and snapped it up.

“If you’ll excuse us,” Liam stated to the room, following me out.

Not a single word was uttered as we marched toward my office. Everyone who saw us moved quickly to get out of the way. All of our previous disagreements throughout the day had created the perfect subterfuge.

I plotted how we could escape the building. We could have a huge fallout that everyone might be able to hear. One of us could storm out, followed by the other. We’d meet at his place and scratch this itch we’d created.

Yeah. It was a perfect plan.

If only we could execute it.

We passed Brandy typing away on her phone. She glanced up and her face blanched. My expression must’ve given her an indication that Liam had balked against me...again.

“Hold your calls?” she asked.

Her big, blue eyes moved to Liam, filled with pity for the man.

“Please. We’re not to be disturbed.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She nodded to Liam. “Congressman.”

“Brandy,” he replied, duplicating her salutation.

We entered my office and I closed the door behind me. “Okay. Here’s the plan.”

Just as I passed my thumb over the lock, Liam grabbed my tablet from me and tossed it aside. He twirled my ponytail in his hand, pulled my head toward him, slamming my back against his chest. “You liked exerting control in there, didn’t you?”

Oh my heart. The pounding was so loud that my ears felt as if they might explode. I loved this side of him. Aggressive. Feral. Wanton.

Bye-bye plan. Hello wingin’ it.

His nose skimmed along my jaw. “Yes-s,” I dared to answer.

Liam cupped my breast in his hand while tugging my hair tighter with the other. He ground his pelvis against my back, giving me a taste of what I was in for. The feel of his erection pressed against my butt was too inviting. I reached behind me, yanking on his belt.

Liam released my hair and flipped me around, pinning my shoulders to the door. “In here, I’m in control. Got it.”

Yep. I had it, and I loved it.

He licked his lips, staring into my eyes without so much as blinking. I nodded my understanding of his command. “Now, what to do with you. You’ve been particular about no office interaction.”

“Fuck that rule.” I bent my elbows, reaching for his belt. “I want you naked, on my desk, and in my mouth.”

“My dear, Elizabeth.” He smirked, wrapping his fingers around my wrists. “I like your thinking.” He raked his teeth over his smooth lip. “But no. I don’t think I’ll let you have your way this time.”

I let out a gasp, yanking at my arms. I wanted to touch him. I squirmed and wrestled to free myself, but the more I moved, the tighter his grip became. Liam leaned down, capturing my mouth with his. His tongue pushed between my teeth, taking the very breath from my lungs.

Enraptured by his hungry kiss, I didn’t even realize when he’d slipped his tie from around his neck and wrapped it around my arms. The knot was loose to escape if I needed to, but tight enough to hold me as he desired. Liam moved his mouth to my ear. “Right now,” he breathed, “I want to fuck you. Hard.”

I mewled at the thought, willing to let him have me however he wished.

He moved his hands down my waist and under my skirt. I took the chance to circle my linked arms around his neck. He pushed my skirt up until it hugged my hips. He glanced down at my panties. His finger traced along the waistband. “Do you have any special connection to these?”

“They’re panties,” I noted, a little dumbfounded.

“So they're not like your favorites or anything?”

“No.”

A sensual crooked grin tugged his lips. “Good.”

He twirled his long fingers into the fabric. With very little effort, he shredded the material against my skin. It stung slightly, but I was so turned on by the action that a little pain meant nothing to me. He tossed the mangled fabric aside, not caring where it fell. His large palm moved between my legs. He pressed the heel of his hand against me, applying pressure where I needed him. I hissed through my teeth at the sensation, my head falling back against the door.

Liam tsked at me. “No, no, Sweetheart. No getting comfortable for you. I’m only testing the waters and they feel quite warm.”

He ducked out from under my arms, and pulled me away from the door, digging his fingers into my bare hips. His lips crashed into mine, clashing our teeth against one another. Showered in hungry, aggressive, yet somehow sweet kisses, I purred with excitement. Liam walked me backward through my office. I didn’t care where he was taking me, all I wanted was the hard fucking he promised.

He came to an abrupt stop, ripping his mouth from mine. His dark eyes were even darker with lust and want. He twisted me around so that my back was to him once again. Before me laid my favorite view of the Capitol. The night sky shone bright with evening lights and the moon played peek-a-boo behind the clouds, almost as if it knew what it would soon be witnessing.

I caught Liam’s handsome reflection in the glass. He appeared wild, crazed with lust, but my heart shattered into a million pieces at the look in his eyes. There was happiness in them. Contentment. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

Behind me I heard his belt unbuckle and his pants unzip. My eyes turned upward to meet his through the reflection. He grinned at me. “You have no idea how many times I’ve imagined taking you against this window.”

My heart jumped into my throat. Political Elizabeth, with all her infinite logic, reared her ugly head, screaming this was dangerous, but with my heart in my throat, her voice of reason was choked down.

Right on cue, Liam whispered in my ear, “We can stop this right now if you’re uncomfortable.”

That was when I should’ve said, okay, let’s stop. But instead, “Take me,” fell from my lips.

“As you wish.”

Bound by his necktie, my palms pressed against the window. Liam pushed my shoulders forward while pulling my backside flush against him. A small yelp rushed from my chest at the feel of his body entering mine in a long, hard thrust that practically lifted me off my feet.

Liam yanked my ponytail, forcing me to tilt my head to the side. His teeth raked over my exposed skin, nipping just enough to tease but never to mark. When I squirmed, he tugged, never allowing me any control. He twirled my hair tighter around his hand, forcing my face upward where he met my mouth in a devouring kiss. I felt him. All around me. He pumped and pushed, thrust and pulled, drowning me in the spirit of desire, lust, and passion. Yet, underneath those things, something bubbled inside me. Something so clear but muddled it confused me.

What was I feeling?

I shoved the thought aside and focused on my imminent climax. I pushed up further on my toes, trying to give myself the leverage I needed for him to increase his speed. He took my cue, digging his fingers deeper into my flesh, driving into me hard and fast. He grunted the sexiest sound in the world, which let me know he was getting close. Each thrust became more rigid. His teeth grazed my earlobe, the sound of his breathing, quick and heady, filled my ears. Tingles rippled over my skin. My stomach burned from the intensity of his sexual assault.