Page 4 of Chief

My sweet pets. I love watching them together. The re-elected governor and lieutenant governor of the great state of Florida.

Hopefully, in four years, Susa will take Owen’s place as governor.

And they’re bothmine.

Thankfully, I decided to go for broke and claim both these beautiful souls. Because if I hadn’t, had I run Susa off like I’d originally wanted to all those years ago, she wouldn’t be here to give Owen that gift which I could not, and finally help heal that last lingering wound within his soul.

She will make him a father.

The one thing I always wished I could be and never can. Not now.

Not after the last person I trusted before meeting Owen and Susa turned me into the fucking bastard extraordinaire I am today.

Chapter Two

Then

Most major decisions I make in my life have come about in one of two ways—carefully and thoughtfully, after weighing all the options and available facts, or snap judgments, which are usually reserved for life-or-death kinds of scenarios. Or, barring it appears to be a life-or-death decision at the time, snap judgments I’ve made frequently end up being life-shattering or life-altering decisions, when looked upon in retrospect.

Throwing myself over my three guys that day in the desert was a snap judgment.

Going home with Elsa the first time was a snap judgment.

Kissing Susa Evans in her kitchen that first night we were over at her house—a snap judgment.

I’ve already spent our evening with Susa finding myself drawn to her in an uncomfortably keen way. Not because I’m in love with her, but because I can see how smitten Owen is with her already, even though wejustmet her earlier that morning.

From personal experience, I know how dangerous this instantaneous infatuation can be. Case in point, I’m already trying to plan how to make Owen mine.

Another case in point—I survived the flip side of this scenario.

Barely.

Some parts of me didn’t survive, and it’s why I’m now the bastard extraordinaire.

Owen’s immediate feelings for Susa will also be a problem, I know, because we share a fucking class with her three mornings a week. Unless she drops the class, we’ll be seeing her Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

I need to handle this situation,now, before it spins out of my control.

Except the more I talk with Susa that evening, I can see how damnhungryshe is—for success, for power, for her own identity separate that of her father’s reputation and name.

Hungry to obtain the very same office I know Owen wants.

All things I can respect her for. Very much so.

She’s worked damned hard already, has a brilliant mind, and even keener political insight.

It isn’t just idle talk on my part when I sound her out and discuss the possibility of a third-party run with her, the possibility of getting Owen elected first, with her as lieutenant, so she could run on his coattails.

Best-case scenario? They could make an awesome team together. Combined with my bastardly instinct behind them…they could be unstoppable.

They couldbothget what they want.

And so could I.

I had honestly thought I would approach this evening the way I’d started out approaching the school year with Owen—to observe, evaluate, and then obliterate Susa, to eliminate her as a potential threat to my plans. Use our time tonight with her to hopefully learn what I’d need to strike a lethal blow to whatever fledgling love for her was taking root inside Owen’s soul.

Unfortunately, plans change. Maybe fortunately, in this case.