“But not here. I don’t technically have to have them by law. Because I’m an adult, it’s my choice. But I have them back home because there are some nutjobs with guns and being the president’s son makes me a target. They’re not on my ass all the time. They stay at a safe distance, so I can still have some sort of normality in my life. But I came here alone without them. I just needed a break.”
“From?”
I sigh and drop my hand from her face. “There was a story in the press. It broke the week before I came here.”
“What story? I didn’t see anything. But then again, I was caught up in crying into my wine bottle over my mum sleeping with my fiancé, so there is that.”
I stare at her in wonder as to how anyone could hurt her. You could. You are an Oakley after all. Hurting women is in your DNA.
“You didn’t kill someone, did you? I can forgive anything but that. Unless they deserved it. Oh, and hurting animals. I hate people who hurt animals.”
“No to the murder. And I love animals.” I exhale. “It was stupid. Just a short video clip from when I was back in my senior year of high school. I was seventeen and still messed up over my mom’s death and angry with the world. I thought I knew it all. My dad was a senator then. Anyway, I was filmed snorting coke off the stomach of some chick I went to high school with. The clip just surfaced now. Some idiot had probably discovered they had it and sold it for big bucks. My dad is running for reelection, so he was pissed off. Not that I give a shit what he thinks. But I got heat from my coach and team bosses. It’s not a good look for them when one of their players is on the news for snorting coke at a party when he was a teenager. They didn’t suspend me.” Not that they would. The son of the president brings in way too much revenue for them to lose. “But we’re in the off-season at the moment, so they told me to lay low. I wanted to get away. So, I booked a plane ticket here.” And I’m so fucking glad that I did.
“You don’t still do coke now, do you?” she asks quietly.
“No. I barely did it back then. I was just a stupid kid, trying stuff out.”
She blows out a breath. “This is really nuts.”
“The drug stuff or president stuff?”
“President stuff.”
“Things are only as big as you make them.”
She stares up at me. “Your dad holds the access codes to nuclear bombs that could start World War Three. Or quite possibly end our world altogether.”
A chuckle escapes me. “I guess that is kind of big now that you mention it. Although I don’t think he has any plans to use those codes, if that helps.”
“Shut up.”
“So … Double D, are you still coming to Baltimore with me?”
She lets out a soft sigh. “Will you stop calling me Double D if I do?”
“Um …” I pretend to think it over. “No.”
“Figures.”
“But I’ll give you lots of orgasms to make up for it.” I run my knuckles down her cheek and brush my lips over hers.
“How many are we talking?” she whispers.
“So many that you’ll lose count.”
She lets out a sweet breath that I take inside of me. “Guess I’ll have to still come then.”
“Yes, you will.”
twenty-three
Dillon
I walk inside West’s apartment, pulling my smaller suitcase in behind me, him following me with his own case and my larger case. He travels a lot lighter than I do, and it’s a good thing I took a lot of things with me now that I’m having an extended holiday. In America. With West.
I can hardly believe I’m here! Someone, pinch me.
A few weeks ago, I was miserable and heartbroken, heading on my honeymoon alone. And now, I’m in America with a beautiful man who I get to have sex with.
I might also have a teeny-tiny crush on him. But it’ll be fine.
I’ll be fine.
I just need to enjoy this. Him. Here.
When I called Aunt Jenny to tell her, she thought I was winding her up at first, especially when I told her who West’s dad was. When I convinced her that I actually wasn’t, she got all concerned auntie on me. I mean, I’m in a different country with a