Page 2

CHAPTER 2

Kayley

Several months later

It was a beautiful Monday morning in Montana. I kept a close eye on Leo as Marine One flew us over the breathtaking landscape to a small town just north of Yellowstone National Park to celebrate a belated honeymoon for him and Elliot.

My secret mission as a highly visible third wheel was to pretend to be “friendly” with Jordan to help throw people off the scent that the three of them were a throuple.

Great. I’ll get a reputation as a cougar and I’m not even fucking the kid.

Not even fucking anyone .

At one point that first day, while we toured Mammoth Hot Springs, Leo leaned close and covered his mouth with his hand even though he spoke quietly.

“Thanks for doing this, Kay. We appreciate it.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You’re paying for this little jaunt so I guess I have no reason to complain.”

While I was supposed to act snuggly with Jordan while out and about, I couldn’t help how my gaze repeatedly landed on one of the special agents who was part of the advanced team and already in Yellowstone when we arrived. I didn’t recall seeing the guy before.

Dark brown hair with barely any gray at the temples, gorgeous blue eyes I only glimpsed when he took off his sunglasses indoors, tall and broad-shouldered, and…

Yum.

That night, I pulled Leo aside in the main lodge before we headed to our respective rooms.

“Who’s that snack?” I whispered.

“Who?” he asked, looking around.

“Be chill, dude. Standing by the fireplace. On the right.”

Leo shifted his stance to look. “That’s Belefonte. Worked The Shift with him. Rotates through VPOTUS and White House details. Also pulls frequent duty on the advance teams for POTUS. Good guy. Why?”

“Is he single?”

One of my polyglot/psychologist/Secret Service special agent brother’s eyebrows slowly arched in that annoying way it always had.

“I don’t know, little sis,” he languidly said. “Whyever do you ask?” His lips curved in an evil smirk.

“Can you scare me up a deck of cards, a bottle of decent whisky or bourbon, and that dude? And a couple of extra people so it doesn’t look sus?” I glanced over at Belefonte again and…

Yeah. Total damned snack.

Correction—more like a five-course meal.

“Well, I know you’re not looking for an orgy,” Leo said. “So if you’re asking if I can scare you up an off-hours poker game including Belefonte so you have an excuse to feel him out, why don’t we save time and simplify things?”

I blinked. “Huh?”

But he’d already cleared his throat, pointed, then crooked two fingers at the man…

Who immediately strode toward us.

Fuuuuck me.

Leo—that blessed rat bastard big brother of mine—also summoned the head of his detail.

And that was how, five minutes later, I found myself outside and walking with Belefonte along a boardwalk ringing one of the nearby thermal features. Two agents followed at a discreet distance.

While Belefonte was now officially off duty for the day, he looked just as alert as any of the other agents.

And for once in my forty-seven years I felt clueless as hell.

“Uh, sorry about the change in plans,” I said. “I only asked my brother for a little info about you. I didn’t realize he was going to go all… brotherly.”

He smirked. “It’s okay, ma’am.”

“Kayley or Kay, please. And is Belefonte your first or last name?”

“Last. Victor Belefonte. You can call me Vic.”

I stopped in front of one of the information plaques along the railing. It wasn’t completely dark yet but there was a nearly full moon, bright enough it would soon cast shadows. It felt like we were almost alone although I knew there were trained snipers hidden all over and keeping an eye out for threats, in addition to the agents discretely trailing us.

I conversationally plunged ahead. “I guess if I’m going to make this awkward, I might as well make it allll the way awkward. Are you straight, single, and potentially interested in me? Obviously, answering no to any or all of those questions won’t be held against you, I promise. I don’t want to waste your time or mine, and I’ll thank you for the lovely evening walk.”

He smiled as he leaned forward on the railing, on his elbows, hands clasped together. He slowly looked around before he answered and I realized what he was doing—making sure there were no press around.

He kept his voice low, barely moving his lips as he spoke. “And I’m completely off the clock right now, Kayley?”

“Yup. Far as I’m concerned, you’re another civvie.”

He focused those handsome blue eyes on me. “I am straight and single. And I would be interested in spending more time with you, yes. But I’m currently stationed in DC. I’m eligible to retire in a little over two years, with a decent pension. I’d like to spend those last two years on The Shift, because I worked my ass off to get here. It’s my understanding you live in Laguna Beach.”

I stepped up next to him and mirrored how he leaned on the rail. In the cool night air we stood close enough I felt the warmth from his arm against mine even though we weren’t touching.

I also fought to keep the disappointment out of my tone. “I do. And I’m not moving anytime soon. I live close to my parents, not to mention I have my career.”

He nodded.

I stared at the sulfur-tinged steam wafting from the thermal pool. “Would you be willing to explore a no-strings-attached, down-low, confidential arrangement on a trial basis while we’re out here? Presuming we both have fun tonight, obviously. And yes, I mean sex.”

When he spoke again, I strained to hear. “You mean would I be willing to have an opportunity to completely wreck a beautiful, intelligent woman as long as my former boss—who happens to be her big brother and who also happens to be married to my current boss, and that man can have me sent overseas to a black-ops CIA site and tortured—doesn’t kill me for it?”

When I looked, I spotted the sexy smirk curling his lips.

My throat went dry. “Uh-huh!”

He nodded, glancing around again before speaking. “One condition. If we do this, we’re exclusively doing it. If you or I decide we want to end it, or see someone else, that’s it for us and we part as friends. No drama. I won’t risk my pension, and I respect Leo and POTUS—and VPOTUS, obviously—too much to trigger a scandal.”

I nodded. “That’s an easy yes . Especially considering I haven’t dated in too damned long and I suspect I’ll suffer a long, dry spell until Elliot’s out of office in just under four years.”

“We can explore and even have a relationship,” he said. “But while we do, I can’t and won’t serve on your protective detail. That’s a conflict of interest.”

“But we could arrange to see each other when I’m in DC, right? Or you could fly out to see me? I have no problem buying the plane tickets.”

I hated that I might have already veered into sounding needy, but so far this guy was ticking all my boxes.

“We could,” he said. “If we make it past one night.”

“Obviously.”

Twenty minutes later, after more talking and finding out his dating life had been as barren as mine, we agreed on ground rules and returned to my room. We managed to behave ourselves until we were safely behind a locked bedroom door.

I didn’t know where Vic had come up with the condoms. All I cared about in that moment was that he’d defaulted to using them without any discussions needed.

I’m not ashamed to admit I climbed that man like he was a damned tree and proceeded to hang on for way more than eight seconds. I had been single for a long time, and the fact that I was now part of one of the world’s most visible families—and I couldn’t trust the motives of most men who recreationally approached me—meant I was determined to enjoy the hell out of myself that night, even if only for the one time.

Between his skilled hands, talented mouth, and generous cock, Vic more than exceeded my expectations. Sure I own and use a vibrator but it’s sooo much better with a guy like Vic.

By the time we finally collapsed three hours later, with me comfortably snuggled in the crook of his left arm, he had lived up to his promise—I was thoroughly wrecked in all the good ways.

More importantly, he’d wrecked me in a way I’d never felt before. While I wasn’t a virgin by any stretch of the imagination, I’d had enough partners to know a damned good one.

He was the best by a mile, country or otherwise.

I tipped my head back to look him in the eyes. “Dude, why the fuck are you still single?”

That handsome smirk almost reminded me of my brother’s smirk. “Because I’m a Secret Service agent without time for a personal life. Most women want a partner who will put them first and be home every night. I wake up every morning not knowing when or where I’ll lie down to sleep at the end of the day. Or if I’ll even get any sleep that night.”

He nuzzled his nose against mine. “Case in point. This wasn’t on my bingo card for today but I’m not complaining.”

“Neither am I,” I agreed. “And I’m down for a repeat if you are.”

His blue gaze held mine for a long moment. “The only promises I can make you right now are discretion, honesty, and fidelity. I won’t play games. Until I retire, my schedule is determined by my job. There might even be stretches of months when we can’t see each other, depending on my assignments. And while it’d be tempting to ask you to ask your brother to have me assigned to your parents’ detail so I can be close to you, ethically, I won’t do that. Plus, VPOTUS is in DC, not Laguna Beach.”

I thought about my years of being alone, mostly because I couldn’t find a man who held my attention, wasn’t a douchebag, and who was okay with me putting my career first.

“I don’t want kids,” I admitted. “Not to mention I’m almost fifty. That biological window isn’t exactly bricked up but I’m not taking the storm shutters off of it, either.”

That earned me a chuckle. “Much to my mother’s dismay I’ve never wanted kids. My brothers and sisters are giving her more than enough to make up for my lack of paternal desires. I’m fine being the fun uncle spoiling them rotten and getting them hopped up on caffeine and sugar, buying them the noisiest toys I can find, and then sitting back and enjoying my siblings’ dirty looks.”

I laughed. “You sound like a sadist.”

“Guilty as charged.”

My fingers traced his right arm and paused at a long scar. “What happened here?”

“You want a good story or the truth?”

I laughed. “The truth.”

“I was running the obstacle course at Quantico during training. Going over one of the walls somehow I was lucky enough to find a loose nail and it gouged the fuck out of me. Finished the course, though. Medics yelled at me when I finally had it looked at because it got filthy and infected.”

“What’s the good story?”

“I went James Bond on a perp and got stabbed.”

I didn’t know why that made me laugh. Maybe it was his playful smirk. “You’re not scared to be in a relationship with the little sister of the First Spouse?”

“Frankly, I’d be more scared if it doesn’t work out and I piss off the viciously overprotective and well-connected First Spouse. I would prefer not being assigned to Alaska or Antarctica, thank you very much.”

“Do they have Secret Service in Antarctica?”

Vic snorted. “Does it matter? Have you met your brother? I’m certain his husband would happily create a special position just for me. Protecting penguin counters, or some shit like that.”

I snickered. “Fair point.”

My fingers moved from his arm and traced through the thin whorls of dark hair dusting his pecs. “I guess you know about Jordan, right?”

He slowly nodded. “I do, but confidentiality means I keep my mouth shut.”

“Leo asked me to play beard for Jordan while we’re here.”

“I am aware of that.”

“Will it bother you?” I asked.

“Should it? I mean, Jordan’s gay. I understand why Leo would arrange things this way to protect all of you.”

My fingers continued exploring. “Technically, isn’t tonight violating the whole conflict of interest issue?”

“No, because I’m part of the advance team and not specifically assigned to your detail. They put me where they need me.”

“Think you can get yourself put in my bed every night while we’re here?”

His chuckle rumbled through me. “I think that’s up to your brother.”

“If I can make it happen?” I asked.

“Then I will probably enjoy this assignment more than any other in my entire career.”