He turned on the TV, and there on the screen was Senator Hamilton.
“—has been my pleasure to serve the people of this great nation these past thirty-five years. Rumors that I conspired with foreign entities to the detriment of U.S. citizens, including my daughter, are blatantly false. I refuse to let politics and media lies ruin my legacy.” Hamilton flashed a big smile. “I’m going to focus on my golf game instead.”
Laughter. The clicking of cameras.
“Senator, is it true that you bribed an Afghan warlord—”
“The senator will not be taking questions,” said some guy in a suit—probably an aide—into the microphone as Hamilton beat a hasty retreat. “Thank you very much.”
“Hislegacy? What legacy is that?” Jenna picked up the remote and turned off the TV, her cheeks pink, rage on her pretty face. “He can never admit when he’s wrong. He just lied to the American people, and most of them will never know that. Is Cobra going to issue a press release to refute what he just said?”
“We’ve already said all we’re going to say to the public, but we are suing him for damages. He can’t hide. The truth will come out.” Derek took her hand. “Do you want to issue a statement?”
She let out a breath. “What would it say? ‘Hey, everyone, my dad lied. He’s a jerk.’ I just want this to be behind me.”
Derek could understand that. “Do you want to go for a drive and look at the Christmas lights? The City and County Building always puts on a pretty show.”
She smiled. “I’d love that.”
He drove her downtown, circled the capitol with its gold dome and then headed down Colfax past the City and County Building.
She craned her neck to see all of it. “That’s beautiful. I love it! We should get a tree for your place.”
Derek could refuse her nothing. They got a small Christmas tree and then bought lights and some ornaments at Target, Jenna putting everything from delicate glass balls to tinsel to kitschy plastic baubles to candy canes into the shopping cart.
“When I was a kid, our tree always had to look a certain way. Everything had to match and be placed just perfectly. This is going to be the craziest Christmas tree ever.”
“I can get behind that.” He tossed a plastic ornament that looked like a whiskey bottle and one that looked like a trout into the cart. “Let’s do this.”
They drove home, put up the little tree, and trimmed it, then sat back with the fireplace running and enjoyed the sight, the air scented with pine.
“Thanks, Derek. I needed this.” She took off his shirt, sat on his left side, and went to work massaging his shoulder.
Derek sucked in a breath, her touch painful but mostly in a good way. “It’s my first Christmas tree here.”
She laughed. “Why am I not surprised?”
As she worked the stiffness out of his shoulder muscles, he battled a tangle of emotions that threatened to make him say stupid things—things like “No one baked me a cake before,” “I love you,” and “Stay with me.”
How a cold-hearted, selfish bastard like Hamilton had managed to raise a daughter as warm and loving as Jenna, Derek couldn’t say. It must have been her mother’s DNA. In a single day, Jenna had transformed his immaculate condo into a messy, festive, and sweetly scented home.
22
Jenna finished with her mascara then checked her reflection in the mirror, her pulse thrumming with excitement. She’d put her hair up in a twist, letting a few tendrils hang free at her nape and temples. It wasn’t a professional up-do, but it was good enough. The cocktail dress clung to her curves, showing a tasteful amount of cleavage and leaving her shoulders bare, its velvet fabric shimmering.
She stepped out of the bathroom to find Derek partially dressed in an all-black tux, struggling with cuff links.
He looked up and stared, his expression slowly changing from surprise to sexual hunger. “Holyfuck. God, you look beautiful.”
His cuff link fell to the carpet.
“Let me help you.” She knelt and picked up the little thing then stood again to find his gaze fixed on her breasts.
“I’m not sure we should go to this party.” He bent down, nuzzled her throat.
“What do you think we should do instead?” She popped the cufflink through the fabric and twisted it so that it would stay.
“Fuck. We should fuck all night.” He reached for her. “On the floor. On the bed. On the kitchen table. Everywhere.”