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She draws in a breath, then squeezes the bridge of her nose. "This is so fucked up, Hunter. Have you heard yourself? You’re obsessed with me. You’re stalking me, and you’re possibly the next leader of this country."
I set my jaw. "As long as you are kept from harm, I can focus on other things."
"So, you bug my phone and, I assume, my computer, as well? What about my apartment and my office?"
I raise a shoulder.
Her eyes widen. “You bugged my apartment and my office?”
“I have cameras on you, yes.”
She stares at me, then holds up her hand. "You’ve lost it."
"I have. I can’t think. Can’t focus on my campaign. Can’t sleep at night unless I jerk off to images of you under me. Can’t eat unless I recall the taste of your pussy when you come all over my tongue."
Her breath hitches. Her eyes flash.
"I compare every woman I meet to you and find them all wanting. Your grit, your tenacity, and your strength fascinate me. I always knew you had a big, giving heart, and what I saw today only confirmed that I have been right all along. There’s no one for me but you, Fire. I’d rather spend my days loving you than spend my time pursuing a calling that feels meaningless unless you are by my side."
Our gazes catch and hold through the interval when the waitress arrives and places our drinks on the table.
"I should resent you for intruding into my life. I should hate you for leaking that photo of us and destroying my reputation. I should" —she bites the inside of her cheek— "abhor you for how you fucked me so hard, you’ve spoiled me for anyone else, how you manipulated me into a place from which the only way out is to join forces with you, to accept your proposal… And yet, I can’t find it in myself to do so." She glances between my eyes. "Why is that, Hunter?"
I hold out my hand, palm face up. "You know why."
She swallows, then places her hand in mine. I weave my fingers with hers, and a sense of rightness grips me. A sense of peace envelops me. A sense of…never wanting to let go of her makes me tighten my hold. She squeezes my hand, and my heart stutters. That iron band around my chest—the one I hadn’t been aware of—loosens. I draw in a breath, and the rush of oxygen to my lungs makes my head spin.
"I volunteer at the school, at least once in two weeks. A small local charity runs these sports sessions where they train us volunteers to play games with special needs children."
"Because of Olly?"
She nods. "He had ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and he was the most beautiful little boy I’ve ever known. I was only sixteen when he was born, and he became my entire life.
“My parents were busy with the shop; Cade was already a budding cricketer with the junior English cricket team and traveling to matches. I spent every spare minute I had with Olly. I was responsible for him. That day" —she blinks rapidly— "that day, I took him to the park to play. But I had just gotten my first phone and couldn’t stop messing with it. I took my gaze off of him for a few seconds, and when I looked up, he was gone. I searched for him all over the park, and as I reached the exit, I heard the screech of brakes. I knew it right away. I knew what I would find before I even reached the road. He died in a car accident. He’d dashed out into the path of an oncoming vehicle." She firms her lips. "He never had a chance." She pulls her hand from mine. “But you had me investigated, so you probably already know all of this.”
I hesitate. “I knew you had a youngest sibling who died in an accident.” A tear rolls down her cheek.
My heart feels like it’s going to splinter apart. “Zara, baby, please.” I wrap my arm about her, and to my relief, she lets me pull her close.
"It was my fault," she says in a low voice.
"It was an accident."
"I should have been more vigilant." Her chin quivers.
"You were barely an adult yourself."
She opens her eyes and looks up at me. "I was nineteen." She sets her jaw. "I knew my responsibilities and I failed him."
"You’ve been punishing yourself ever since." I lean in, bring her hand to my mouth and kiss her fingertips. "That’s why you work so hard. That’s why you’re so focused on your career."
"You’ve spent a lot of time analyzing me, haven’t you?" She scowls.
"Obsessed with you, remember?"
Her lips kick up. "And I’m obsessed with you, too."
"I know."
