Chapter Seven

By Saturday night, the commercial was complete. It had taken several attempts, but Sara believed it was exactly what the senator wanted. Thanks to the talented scriptwriters and the minor adjustments she and Christopher made, it truly seemed to explain the importance of the new education initiative and at the same time it managed to urge citizens, regardless of their backgrounds or political views, to contact their own senators and tell them how much they wanted it to pass without sounding as if they were begging the American public. Sara felt confident that the new education plan spearheaded by the senator would pass and solidify his run for a second term.

As she packed, Sara thought about her last few days. While this was not the first ad campaign she had recorded, it had been the most enjoyable—not because of the work itself but because of the company involved. Every morning they had breakfast together before heading to the studio. After completing work for the day, they spent the rest of their free time together. Once they took a drive along the coast. Then another day they spent a few hours on the beach. Each evening they either went back to her hotel suite or his apartment for the night. While they spent their nights together, Christopher still focused his attention on learning more about her and sharing information about himself. With him, it wasn’t just about the physical part of their new relationship. While she enjoyed that aspect, she loved that he genuinely wanted to learn more about her.

And I have a few more days of that to look forward to. This afternoon they were flying up to his place in Alicante, a small town located about an hour from Sacramento. The thought of spending more time with Christopher sent nervous excitement through her body. She wanted to see where things went between them, but even her excitement couldn’t completely wipe out her apprehension.

Nothing she learned so far told her she couldn’t trust him. Still, she continued to hold back a part of herself. She never suspected anything with Phillip either, not until the very end. If she missed the deceit of one man before, it stood to reason she might miss it again.

The best solution as she saw it was not to fall in love too quickly. With Phillip it had been the textbook whirlwind romance. If she fell in love again, she planned to take her time and really get to know the man. So far she figured she was accomplishing her goal nicely.

***

Outside the plane window, the world passed by as the jet taxied down the runway. Sara gripped the armrests and squeezed her eyes shut. In no time they’d be in the air. Planes took off amazingly quickly, though it felt like forever to her. She felt a slight push into the seat as the plane picked up speed.

“I talked to Jake, did I tell you?”

Her eyes flew open at Christopher’s question, all thoughts of the takeoff gone. “Um, no.” She knew the two would talk eventually, she just hadn’t expected it to happen this week.

“He told me you don’t have enough fun.”

She felt the plane tilt as the wheels left the ground and kept her gaze averted from the window, staring straight at Christopher instead. “I’m not sure I like you two talking about me.”

He shrugged one shoulder, his face expressionless. “Nothing for you to worry about. I told Jake we slept together after his wedding and that I’m whisking you away to my private bachelor pad.”

Sara’s mouth dropped down toward her knees. They agreed not to tell anyone about that night. Her brain searched for the right words to express her outrage.

“How could you...?” Was he smiling at her? The dimple she noticed before in his cheek now teased her. “You’re joking?”

“The takeoff is over.”

He remembered how much she hated flying, especially the takeoffs and landings. Her heart swelled. Even her own family forgot how much she hated it. “Thank you.” Her face burned with embarrassment. “I think.” She didn’t like people to see her weakness.

“I did talk to Jake though. He suggested I make sure you have fun while you’re out here.”

The way he looked at her when he said fun sent a shiver down her spine, and she knew the type of fun Christopher had in mind was not what her brother meant.

“He also apologized for bailing on us after the wedding.” Christopher’s voice took on a more serious tone. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not sorry he did.”

They hadn’t spoken much about that night since it happened, and Sara rather liked it that way. She didn’t think she could put her feelings about it into a single sentence.

“No, of course not.” The answer flew from her mouth. “But he doesn’t need to know about it.” Or about us now. It felt wrong to keep it a secret from Jake, but at the same time, she didn’t want to mess up their relationship for something that may end in a few weeks.

“Jake thinks you’re flying back to Washington after we finish the commercial.” Once again, Christopher seemed able to read her mind.

“You scared me for a minute. I don’t want him to ever know about what happened in Hawaii,” Sara said. At some point in the future, Jake may need to know about their relationship, but he would never need to know she’d slept with Christopher after his wedding. That ranked too high on the embarrassment scale for her comfort.

“He won’t find out from me.” Christopher leaned forward. “I’d rather he not know out about it either.”

Relief spread through her. She should have realized that. Her only excuse for getting so upset by his earlier statement was overworked emotions. Flying always took a toll on her emotionally. “Next time you try to distract me during a takeoff, can you do it without giving me a heart attack, please?”

Christopher graced her with a grin. “It worked though, didn’t it?”

She tried not to let her smile show, but it slipped out anyway. “Let’s talk about something else. What should we do this weekend?”

For the remainder of the flight, they discussed possible options for Sara’s time in California, and not once did she think of Jake or how he might react when he learned about her new relationship.

***

Why had he asked her if she regretted the night together in Hawaii? What difference did it make now anyway? She was staying with him for the next few days.

Each day it seemed like he learned something new about her. And the more he learned, the deeper his feelings for her grew. His feelings for her weren’t the only ones deepening. So was his damn guilt. Bracing both his arms on the railing, he looked over the elaborate sprawling garden. It was an unusual feature considering how modern the rest of his estate was, yet when his mom toured the Hampton Court Palace gardens, she had photographed a similar one, and he had to have something like it.

Where he came from, a guy avoided dating a friend’s sister. If you did venture there, you’d better be man enough to tell the other guy. So far he’d managed to break both those rules. His lack of guts disgusted him. He never considered himself a wimp—maybe in high school he’d been a bit wimpy physically, but he’d never thought himself the type to shy away from difficult things. This current situation proved him wrong, and the longer he waited the worse it would be.

Maybe he should discuss it with Sara. She’d more or less agreed to keep things quiet about them for now, but she might not fully understand the complications their dating caused him. Perhaps if they discussed it, they could decide how to drop the news on Jake. The way he saw it, the sooner they told him the better.

“Wow. The garden is gorgeous,” Sara said, alerting him to her presence. “My mom would be so envious.”

Christopher turned and stared for half a second. The sun bathed her in light, making her loose blonde hair glow as it framed her face. For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming.

“Everything okay back in D.C.?” he asked, his mind and mouth once again working together.

“I had a few fires to put out. Everything is okay now.” She crossed toward the railing. “Can we take a walk down there later?”

Now seemed like as good a time as any. It would give them a chance to talk too. “How about now?”

He took her hand and led her toward the stairs to the garden. They passed through the stone archway in silence. He’d watched the landscapers construct every part of the garden, and he could navigate it with his eyes closed. He led them to the circle of benches nestled among the manicured shrubs.

Sitting, he pulled her down next to him, one arm draped across her shoulders. For several minutes, they sat like that in silence.

“You’re quiet this afternoon. Something wrong?” Sara asked, breaking the comfortable atmosphere.

Christopher raked his free hand through his hair. “We need to talk,” he began before realizing how she might interpret his words. Beneath his arm, her body tensed.

“I know we said we’d keep our relationship a secret for now.” This time he tried to pick his words more carefully. “We need to tell your brother. Where I come from, you shouldn’t date your best friend’s sister, but if you do, he better know it.”

Sara’s shoulders moved under his arms as she took a deep breath and then exhaled. “You don’t think it could wait a little longer?” He heard the uneasiness in her voice. “Maybe a couple more weeks?”

“No.”

Turning her body, she looked at him. “Do you want to tell him or should I?”

No, he didn’t want to tell him, but he didn’t see he had any other options. It was either tell Jake or end things with her before it went any further. “No, it’s got to be me, Sara.”

Sara didn’t argue, not that he expected her to. It was obvious she had no desire to tell Jake herself. And he didn’t blame her.

“You stay out here and explore while I call him.” With the decision made, he wanted to execute it. Once he came clean, maybe he could enjoy their time alone without the ball of guilt sitting in his gut.

Sara’s mouth turned downward. “Not wasting any time.”

“Make yourself at home.” After brushing a kiss against her cheek, he came to his feet. “I’ll be back soon.”

The walk from the garden to his study was about as pleasant as a walk to the gallows. Regardless of how he felt about making the call, it was the right thing to do. Walking into his study, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and brought up his contact list.

The phone rang several times before Jake finally answered. “What’s up?” Jake asked. “How’s the filming going out there?”

“Finished it.” Christopher tried to formulate a good opening in his mind.

“That didn’t take long. Sara still in Los Angeles or is she already back in D.C.?” Christopher could hear a lot of noise in the background.

Jake gave him the opening he needed. “She’s still in California.” The words that came out were not the ones he intended.

“Having some fun I hope, but knowing her, she’s working,” Jake said.

Anything work related was not on the agenda for the next few days, at least if he had anything to say about it. “A little of both,” Christopher answered. His decision to come clean with Jake faltered the longer they spoke. “She came up here to Alicante to tour Hall headquarters and meet with Caroline to coordinate some speaking engagements.” The more he spoke, the larger the hole he dug for himself.

Damn. There was no way he could come clean now about their relationship.

“Good, I’m glad she didn’t fly right back to D.C. With all the hours she puts in, I wonder sometimes who is the senator, Sara or Healy.”

Christopher tapped his index finger against his desk. Now that he’d started the lie, he had to go along with it. “I noticed that in LA, but it’s her life.”

The background noise on the other end of the call became louder, and Christopher used it to bring their call to an end. “Sounds like you’re busy over there, let’s talk later.”

“Yeah, I’m out in the field today. But listen, next time you’re in the area, stop by and visit us,” Jake said.

“Will do.” A strange combination of relief and shame filled Christopher. His conversation accomplished nothing. Damn, how could he have chickened out like that? He came to his feet. Well, if nothing else, Sara might be happy. She’d been unenthusiastic about the idea of telling Jake now anyway.

Men. It never ceased to amaze her how ridiculous they could be. Sara flipped open her laptop. After Christopher left the garden, she went back inside rather than explore alone. The way she saw it, she might as well get some work done while Christopher fulfilled his end of what she decided to call the “man code.”

The notion that a man couldn’t date a friend’s sister without some kind of permission was insane. Did all men really think that way? If Jake had dated one of her friends, it wouldn’t have fazed her in the least. Evidently men had their own bizarre notions.

After opening her preferred internet browser, Sara logged into her e-mail account. She’d checked it only a half hour ago, but already five new messages waited for her. Quickly, her eyes ran down the subject lines. Nothing looked urgent thankfully. Her mind wasn’t in the right place to tackle important e-mails.

Why did he have to tell Jake now? She stared out the window instead of at the computer screen. Couldn’t it have waited? A month from now they might decide whatever they thought existed between them didn’t and her brother never had to know. If dating was as big a deal as Christopher thought, her relationship with Jake may suffer when the romance turned sour. All their lives she and Jake had been close. Even when they were sent to different boarding schools, their relationship hadn’t changed. Icy chills raced through her heart at the thought of losing her brother. Her relationship with Dylan still hadn’t recovered fully after her treatment of Callie. And her relationship with Callie was far from normal. With all that, she didn’t want to add Jake to the list.

There was an easy way to avoid all this. Part of her had wanted to follow the more logical path, but another wouldn’t let her. Since Phillip, she hadn’t felt anything toward a man except suspicion. At least not until Christopher danced with her at Jake’s wedding. Maybe it was selfish of her, but how could she not pursue seeing where things went?

Beethoven’s Fur Elise erupted from her cell phone on the desk. Her mother’s ringtone instantly took her away from her thoughts. “Perfect timing, Mom,” she said before answering the call.

“Did you know your brother got married?” Mom asked, without saying hello first, her voice still accented even though she’d lived in the United States for almost thirty years.

Thanks for leaving out some of the details, Jake. “Yes. But I only learned about their plan when I arrived in Hawaii for the ceremony.”

“Who else knew?”

Sara didn’t miss the catch in Mom’s voice. “Callie and Dylan. They helped arrange things. Jake’s friend Christopher was there too.” She decided not to add Maureen. Knowing they’d invited Charlie’s mom but not her seemed cruel. If Jake hadn’t mentioned it, neither would she.

“I can’t believe he did this. Jake should’ve had a proper wedding like Dylan.”

Irritation bubbled up toward Jake when she heard the sadness in Mom’s voice. While she understood her brother’s desire to have their wedding private and media free, she still believed he should’ve included their parents. “It’s not what they wanted. If they could have had you and Dad there without the media bandwagon, they would’ve.” Despite the irritation, she felt the need to defend Jake and Charlie’s decision.

“You sound like your father.”

Sara didn’t see how that was a bad thing, yet she kept her opinion to herself. She listened for several more minutes as Mom talked about how wrong it had been of Jake. During the lecture, she remained quiet. For the most part, Mom only wanted someone to share her displeasure with, and apparently she couldn’t do that with her husband. Only when she heard a knock on the door did she interrupt her mother.

“Mom, I’ll be back in D.C. next week. I’ll call you then and we’ll meet for lunch.” She opened the door and let Christopher in the room.

As she wrapped up the conversation, Christopher remained in the doorway, one shoulder leaning against the casing. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly how she knew, but he wasn’t any more relaxed now than before. Did that mean Jake hadn’t taken the news well?

He pushed away from the doorframe when she put the cell phone down. “I thought you’d still be outside.”

Sara’s eyes followed him as he came toward her, his well-muscled body moving with a nonchalant grace, and her heart rate accelerated. “I got lonely, so I came in here to answer a few more e-mails.” The air around them hummed with energy. Did he sense it too?

Christopher wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his body. “I’m all yours now.”

Sara opened her mouth to reply, but he silenced her with a kiss. Whatever questions she had for him died as white-hot heat shot through her body. Gradually, he worked the hem of her shirt out of her waistband and slipped his hands underneath. Caught up in the moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck and let him lead her toward the king-sized bed. With a slight nudge, he pushed her down on it. Coming down on top of her, he used his forearms to prop himself up just enough to not crush her or stop his exploration of her mouth.

The need to touch him sent her hand wandering to the hem of his shirt. Slipping her hand underneath, she ran her hand up his back, enjoying the feel of his muscles beneath her hand. Lost in the heat of his kiss and touch, her world stopped when he pulled his mouth away from hers.

“Am I a more attentive host now?” he sounded short of breath. In one smooth movement, he rolled off her and onto his side, propping his head up with his hand.

“A little, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.” Teasing him was simply too much fun.

A sensuous smile with enough heat to melt her favorite pair of Jimmy Choo heels spread across his face. “Really.” He leaned toward her, his intentions clearly written on his face.

Sara licked her bottom lip, excitement and apprehension coiling in her stomach. Every time he got close like this, she forgot her promise to herself to take things slower this time. Christopher placed the gentlest of kisses on her neck. Inch by inch, he moved up her neck, leaving a trail of scorched skin behind as he continued his path to her mouth.

“I hope you finished everything, because you won’t be getting back to it tonight.” He looked down at her, his eyes dark with desire. Standing, he grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked it over his head, tossing it to the floor. His pants quickly followed.

In response, Sara sat up and pulled her own shirt off then reached for his hand and pulled him back down next to her on the bed.

***

Christopher’s heartbeat echoed beneath her head as she trailed her hand over his bare chest, his skin warm against her fingertips. Pure contentment radiated through her body. If she didn’t move from this spot today, she’d be happy.

“How did your mom take the news?” Christopher asked.

Sara’s hand paused. “Um, what?”

“When I came in, you were talking to her, remember? I knew I was good, but I didn’t realize I was that good,” he teased as he trailed his fingertips up her bare arm.

Even though Christopher couldn’t see her, she rolled her eyes at his ridiculous comment. “You think pretty highly of yourself, don’t you?” She leaned up on one elbow so she could see him.

“You weren’t complaining a while ago,” Christopher smiled knowingly.

Ignoring his comments seemed like the best recourse. “Mom took it about as well as expected. It’s going to be a while before she lets it go.”

Moving her hand once again, it traveled down his chest, over his ripped abdomen, and circled his navel right above the sheet. “What about you? How did your conversation go?” The hand caressing her arm stopped, and for half a heartbeat, he didn’t respond.

“I didn’t tell him.” Once again his hand began to move up and down her arm.

“You didn’t tell him? What happened?” He’d been so insistent earlier, and she didn’t peg him as one to flip-flop on his decisions.

Christopher frowned as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. “I couldn’t tell Jake over the phone. I need to do it face to face. He deserves that.”

“Oh.” She didn’t understand what difference it made in the long run, but Christopher’s expression said it obviously mattered to him.

“Next time I visit you in D.C., I’ll drive over and see him.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to do it when I get home?”

He wrapped his hand around hers. She’d noticed how no matter where they were or what they were doing, he liked to be in physical contact with her. In the beginning, the constant contact felt unnatural, she’d never been with someone like that. Now, she felt empty without his touch.

“No, it has to be me,” Christopher said with a shake of his head. “Are you hungry?” he asked, intentionally changing the subject. “I’m starving right now.”

If he wanted to change the conversation, she’d let him. “A little.”

He didn’t wait for her to continue. Instead, he rolled off the bed, and her eyes followed him. She loved looking at him completely naked, taking him all in. He didn’t seem to mind, because he made no attempt to dress. The warmth stinging her cheeks almost matched the heat she felt building inside her as she continued staring. How easy would it be to get him back in bed for a little while?

Before she could attempt to get him back beside her, he pulled his discarded pants on. “You in the mood for anything specific?” His shirt followed, and Sara almost sighed with disappointment.

Yes, you. Sara kept the sheet tucked around her while she collected her own discarded clothing from the floor. “Anything is okay.”