Page 100 of Rival Hearts

I nodded, and Ben’s gaze was too intense. I glanced around, hoping Alex would come back and rescue me.

As if summoned, he appeared with a glass of wine.

“It’s a vintage Bordeaux. I think you’ll like it.”

“Thank you.” I sipped the wine. I needed a drink if I was going to deal with this. I felt a little out of place. And he was right. Ididlike it.

“How is your campaign going?” Chris asked.

Of course, they all knew who I was. I’d been in the news. It wasn’t like my face was unrecognizable anymore. I hadn’t thought about what that would mean when I’d started this campaign, but it was different from being a celebrity.

I hoped it was.

“It’s going okay,” I said. “Different to how I thought it would go.”

“What were you expecting?” Ben asked.

I shrugged. “I guess when you study something, the theory doesn’t always match up to the practical side of things.”

“Do they teach you how to riot with signs? Rally and riot 101?” Ben asked with a grin.

“Lay off, Ben.” Alex laughed, but there was a warning in his voice too.

“Hey, I’m just asking. We all have a business background, you know, so we don’t get out to see the rest of the world much.”

Daniel and Chris both snorted, and Alex rolled his eyes.

“Ben is just being a pain,” Alex said apologetically. “They have to give you shit because I’m bringing a girl home for a change.”

Before I could say anything, Thomas called Alex and Ben.

“I’ll be right back,” Alex said, sliding his arm around my waist and planting a kiss on my cheek.

When he walked away, I stayed behind with Daniel and Chris.

“He doesn’t bring girls home?” I asked.

Daniel shook his head. “No one we’ve ever met, anyway.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what to make of that.

“Are you two serious?” Chris asked.

I hesitated. “I’m not sure how to answer that. We’ve been seeing each other for a while, but I guess we’ll still have to see how things go.”

“Maybe I should ask it differently,” Chris said. “Are you serious about him?”

I felt suddenly on the spot. They wanted to know if I was going to break Alex’s heart. There were only two of them now, and they were a lot less intimidating than when all four stood around me, but they were still tall and muscular, and their faces were hard to read.

“I want to see where this goes,” I finally said, choosing my words carefully. “There’s something different about Alex, and when I’m with him… well, he’s not like any guy I’ve been with before.”

Chris and Daniel glanced at each other, a silent conversation passing between them before they looked back at me.

“Well, he actually brought you home, and that counts for something,” Chris said. “And he looks happy. That counts for something, too.” He grinned at me, and the smile changed his features. “If you make him happy, that’s good enough for me.”

“Yeah, that’s a big deal,” Daniel said, and just like that, the atmosphere shifted and relaxed. Suddenly, I was part of the group.

By the time Alex got back, I was laughing as Daniel told me a story of one of his trips, bantering back and forth.