Incumbent(38)

“You have me forever. I promise you that. I love you, Lucy.” His strong hand rubbed my back.

“I love you too.”

“Hi. Am I interrupting?”

Even with my back to him, I knew who that was. I released Mason, straightened my spine, and wiped my tears. Slowly I turned toward Drake, but I didn’t say anything. Instead, I reached out and hugged him.

He held on to me and stroked my hair. “Are you okay, Lucy?” He pulled back and cupped my cheeks, wiping away my slow-flowing tears with the pads of his thumbs. My hands were still gripping the back of his shirt.

“Yes. I’m fine.” I sniffed. “Mace and I were reminiscing, and I got a bit nostalgic.”

Then it hit me. Why was Drake here? Did Ben call him?

Drake reached around me and shook Mason’s hand. “Good to see you, Mason.”

“You too, Drake. What brings you to Reston?”

Thank God he asked the question I was wondering.

“Ben called and asked me to meet him for a drink, and since I didn’t have anything planned tonight, I agreed. Did you guys see him?”

My blood was boiling. “Yes. We saw him. He came up to our table earlier.” I couldn’t help the sharpness in my tone. I was furious. What the hell was with that guy?

Drake’s brows lowered and he looked toward the bar, where Ben was talking to another man in a suit. “He did, did he?”

“Yes. Didn’t he tell you that I was here having dinner with another man? Maybe wanting me to get caught in the act?”

Drake shook his head. “Lucy, I really don’t think that was his intention.”

I bit my lip, frustrated with Drake. As smart as he was, he was blind when it came to Ben.

Mason went back to his side of the table and offered an empty chair. “Have a seat, Drake.”

Once we were all seated, I told Drake, “I’m sorry, but I don’t like him, and I know he doesn’t like me.”

“Babe, I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him.” He looked to Mason and then back to me. “I really didn’t mean to interrupt you two. It seemed pretty . . . intense.”

When Mason excused himself to go to the men’s room, Bless him for being so astute, I turned to Drake. “What did you hear?”

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I heard you tell Mason you loved him. Then I heard him tell you the same.”

“I do love Mason. But I’m not in love with him, nor is he in love with me. There was a time in my life when I was alone and he was there for me. We’ve been inseparable ever since.” I licked my lips, which tasted salty thanks to my tears. “Do you understand?”

He nodded. “Yes. He’s your family.”

My lips curved into a smile. “Yes, he is.”

“I don’t want to barge in on your night, so I’m going to go have a word or two with my headstrong campaign manager.” Drake stood and then knelt next to my chair. “I’m falling for you, Lucy, and all I can wish for is that you’re feeling the same way. I’ll never want to take Mason’s place. He holds a special spot in your heart, and I get that. I just hope your heart will make room for me.”

Our eyes locked, and the rest of the room seemed to fade away until it was just the two of us.

“It doesn’t need to make room for you,” I said softly, “because you already occupy a large piece of it.”

He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on my lips as Mason came back to the table. Drake stood, and they shook hands. He leaned close to say something to Mason privately, and then left.

My curiosity was killing me. Leaning over the table, I whispered, “What did he say?”

Mason grinned. “He told me he was glad you had me.”

We both looked over at Drake, who appeared to be scolding Ben. Then Drake turned to me, winked, and walked out of the restaurant with Ben.

“He’s a good guy, Luce.”

“Yeah. He is.”





CHAPTER 12


Drake



Fumes. That was what was coming out of my ears when I dragged Ben out of the restaurant. “Are you kidding me, Ben? Please tell me you didn’t call me down here because of Lucy.”

He put up his hands in defense. “Look, I thought I was doing you a favor.”

“A favor?” I spun around, ready to pull my hair out, but instead I rested my hands on my hips and dropped my head. “Did you honestly say a favor?”

My fingers gripped my hips, preventing me from grabbing him by the shirt collar and hoisting him up against the building. “I’m going to say this once.” I took a step forward, which forced him to look up. “Don’t you ever play these games with me and Lucy again! Do you hear me? NEVER. DO. THIS. AGAIN.”

Having had my say, I retreated a step, doing my best to calm my temper.

Ben glared up at me. “Pardon me for caring about your career. You’re losing your edge. Have you seen the poll numbers? Grissett is catching up to you. Get your head back in the game, or we’re both going to be out of a job.”

Was he f*cking serious?

“You don’t think my head’s in the game?” My hand fisted at my side, and I wanted nothing more than to launch it into his face. “I think you should go. You’ve done enough tonight. I don’t want to ever have this discussion again. Keep in mind, you work for me, and I’ve told you more than once to keep her out of this and stay out of our business. Remember, you can be out of a job, even if I’m not.”