Running Mate Page 3

  The limo pulled up to the wrought-iron privacy gates, their driver clicking a button to electronically open them.

  No press lurked at the gates. Good. So far, he was fairly certain no one knew what had happened with Kelsey. He wanted some time alone with her before the papers found out and started hounding them.

  Reporters would make good wolves. They hunted in packs and surrounded their prey, refusing to let go until they finished the kill.

  "Wow. This is impressive."

  He followed her gaze to the one-story ranch house. Sitting high atop a green hill, it overlooked the lake on three sides. He loved this place. It was perfect for a private getaway, and he was surrounded by everything he loved. Water, lots of fish, and tall, thick, woodlands to sprint through.

  The driver carried their bags into the house, then left them alone. Jason led Kelsey inside, his tension level dropping as soon as he inhaled the fresh mountain air.

  "This is stunning, Jason. I love the wood floors and the simplicity of the decor. I'm not one for elaborate furniture or having a lot of 'stuff' clutter a room."

  She noticed. He didn't like things ornate or busy, although a lot of women he knew would want to redecorate. "I'm glad you like it. Would you like a drink?"

  "Love one."

  He led her into the kitchen and opened a bottle of champagne. "Would you like to sit in the hot tub and watch the stars come out?"

  Taking a sip, she said, "Okay. Let me unpack and get my suit on."

  "You don't need a swimsuit to get in the hot tub with me. I've seen you naked already."

  She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and nodded. "Okay. Let me go put on a cover-up for when we get out."

  He grinned and directed her to the master bedroom where he'd had the driver put their luggage. Might as well not give her ideas that she'd be sleeping anywhere this weekend other than with him.

  He set the champagne in an ice bucket next to the hot tub, then brought out a bowl of strawberries. The staff did a great job getting everything ready at the spur of the moment, then discreetly disappearing. Of course, he paid them quite well to do so.

  After stripping, he slipped into the tub, the steam rising off water that was set at a perfect temperature to counteract the chill in the air tonight.

  The slight breeze brought the earthy, woodland scent to him. The urge to shift and run into the woods nearly overpowered him. To smell the fresh pine needles, dig into the soft earth and run as far as he wanted to. That was one of the reasons he loved it here. He had privacy to be himself.

  Well, normally he would. But not right now. He forced away his primal needs, knowing he couldn't change right now. Not with Kelsey here. That would have to wait until he figured out a way to break the news to her. He wondered how she'd react, since he knew basically nothing about her. He'd had Brandon run a background check on her. Twenty-five. Daughter of the owner of The Oracle. Mother died when she was three. No brothers, sisters or other relatives. Journalism degree. Worked at the newspaper since she was a teen.

  Nothing in her background clouded his desire for her. Except maybe the journalism part. He couldn't very well prevent her from doing her job, but he could hope that when she found out about him, she'd keep his secret.

  His career depended on it.

  He heard Kelsey's footsteps on the wood deck and turned. She wore a thick robe that covered her upper thighs, but gave him a glimpse of long, slender legs. The robe had parted, a tantalizing peek at her generous cleavage his reward.

  "Water feels great. Come on in."

  She walked toward him and sat on the edge, trailing her fingertips along the surface of the water. "It's cold outside."

  "It's hot in here."

  She seemed reluctant to move.

  "I won't bite." Well, he would, but not 'til later.

  "I'm having second thoughts about all this, Jason."

  His heart dropped to his feet. "About getting in the hot tub, or about something else?"

  "About all of this. You and me. This is all happening so quickly. Why am I here with you?"

  "Because you said yes when I asked you to come up here." He felt her hesitation, knew that she was troubled about something.

  "I know what I said. But why did you ask? You could bring any one of a thousand women up here. Beautiful women."

  "I did ask a beautiful woman to come up here with me. And she said yes. Now get in the hot tub."

  A sparkle glinted in her eyes and her cheeks tinged pink, as they seemed to always do when she was embarrassed. Did she not know how stunning she was? A full, curvy body and long legs, she was the epitome of perfect woman in his eyes.

  Scooting her legs over the edge of the tub, she dipped them in, then untied the robe and let it fall to the floor of the deck before sliding quickly into the water. He'd caught only a glimpse of her body.

  She sat across from him on the other bench. "Come over here, Kelsey."

  "I'm fine right here."

  She was shy! But why? After what they'd shared last night, she'd have no reason to be coy with him. But uncertainty filled her. He sensed every one of her conflicting emotions.

  "You stay there, then." He stood and grabbed their glasses of champagne, handing one to her, then grabbed the bowl of strawberries and sat next to her. Before she could say a word, he grabbed a strawberry and popped it into her open mouth.

  She bit down and chewed. He watched the way she licked her lips. After taking a sip of champagne and swallowing, she said, "That's good."

  Indeed it was. Jason knew that any movement of her lips was going to forever give him a raging hard-on. "Does kind of explode in your mouth, doesn't it?"

  She arched a brow. "Yes, as a matter of fact it does. Very sweet, too, and the champagne gives it an added tanginess. Here, you try." She slipped one into his mouth and he closed his lips over her fingers, tasting her along with the strawberry.

  They spent a few minutes feeding each other. Soon, they'd polished off the bowl and the bottle, then laid their heads back and looked up at the sky.

  The three-quarter moon pulled at him, making his blood turn hot, his skin tingle with anticipation and his cock hard as the trunk of the woodland trees. In a couple days, the moon would be full and he'd have to announce his mate to his pack. He didn't have nearly enough time.

  "Tell me about your job," he asked, wanting nothing more than to sink his cock into Kelsey's tight heat right now, but afraid she'd think all he wanted from her was sex.

  "It's all I've ever known, and everything that I love. My dad used to bring me to The Oracle offices when I was little. By the time I started school I was already making up stories in my head. When I learned to write, I kept a journal. My dad tells me I was always interviewing someone, and I was pretty darn good at it, even when I was six."

  "Your father thinks very highly of you. That's admirable."

  "Thanks. I think pretty highly of him, too. He's been my inspiration, always after me to seek the truth and not be afraid to tell the world about it. That as long as it was true and could be backed up with evidence, then it was our obligation to report it."

  The truth. When he told her about himself, it would be true. When she watched him transform, it would be evidence. Would she tell the world about him, about his family?

  Why couldn't he have chosen someone outside of politics or journalism as his mate? Why did it have to be so instinctual? It wasn't like he could change his mind about Kelsey. The moment he'd met her the magic had caught hold of him and held, and he knew she was the one. He could no more turn his back on his need for her than he could cut off his own limb.

  But he might very well be destroying himself by revealing who and what he was.

  "What if you had a friend or relative with a secret, and that secret, while newsworthy, could also devastate their very lives? Because it was true and you had evidence to that fact, would you write about it?"

  She sat up and looked at him, curiosity filling her green eyes. "Are you
telling me you have a secret?"

  Chapter Five

  Kelsey wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer, but Jason's thinly veiled "what if" told her he was hiding something. Although she loved her work, sometimes she wished she wasn't a journalist, that she wasn't so consumed with getting a story that it overrode everything else in her life. This was one of those times.

  "Me? No. I don't have any secrets to tell."

  He was lying. She knew it, felt it, sensed that he wanted to tell her, but didn't trust her.

  "Then why did you ask?"

  He shrugged. "Curious, I guess. Must be difficult to know where to draw the line between what's newsworthy and what's just plain gossip."

  His statement rankled her. "I don't gossip. Everything I print is based on solid evidence."

  "Which doesn't necessarily mean it's the public's right to know."

  She'd had that argument with critics of the press for years. "I guess it depends on what the public thinks they should know."

  "I just think there are too many important things that could be printed. Unfortunately, the press oftentimes think that someone's personal life is more interesting than the good work they do."

  Which led her to believe there was something in his personal life he didn't want anyone to know about. And he didn't trust her enough to reveal any of his secrets to her.

  Not that she blamed him, but then again, her word was on the line. Her personal interest in him warred with the side of her that smelled a scoop. But a promise was a promise. "I gave you my word that whatever happens this weekend is off the record. If you have something to say, then say it and I won't put it in print."

  He smiled and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "If I have something to tell you, I will. But right now I want to enjoy the night with you."

  The reporter in her wanted to press him for details, to finagle a way to get him to spill whatever secrets he held. The woman in her wanted to kick that reporter's ass right off the property so she could enjoy being with Jason.

  Just once she wished she could turn the internal demons off. Couldn't she do that for one weekend? Simply enjoy being a woman in the company of a man who clearly desired her?

  Jason moved to the other bench across the spa, pulling her along so that she faced away from him. He sat her between his legs and wrapped his arms around her middle.

  "I like sitting here and looking at the lake. You can see the moon reflected in the water," he said.

  She nodded, trying to focus on the clear lake in front of her, but her body was more tuned in to the brush of his arms along the underside of her breasts. "It's lovely."

  Nuzzling her neck, he licked her gently. "Yes, you are."

  Her nipples hardened and puckered as she shivered under his hot tongue. When he lightly nibbled her shoulder, she shuddered her next breath. His cock rose and pressed against her buttocks, hard, urgent as he rocked gently against her. She swallowed and licked her lips, feeling every movement he made as if it were the first time a man had touched her.

  "Your body entices me, Kelsey. Soft skin, perfectly formed breasts and hips that make me want to dig my fingers into that sweet flesh while I pump my cock hard and furious inside you."

  His words made her dizzy, his sensual teasing making her pussy quake with need for him. She moved her hands over his thighs, the crisp hairs there tickling her palms.

  But there was so much more of him she wanted to touch, to taste. It might be her only chance to get this close to a man who so obviously hit all the right buttons for her, and she didn't want to regret a lost opportunity. Shifting to face him, she pressed her lips against his, tasting the sweetness of strawberries on his tongue. She entwined her tongue around his and suckled it, rewarded with his groan.

  In turn, he gave her a passion-filled kiss that curled her toes, moving his hands over her breasts to gently pluck at her nipples. She whimpered as the sensation shot straight to her cunt.

  She slipped off his lap and knelt on the floor of the hot tub, resting her hands on his outstretched legs. His thick cock was outlined in the water below, and she wanted to taste him. "Stand up, Jason."

  He looked at her, his eyes dark as the woodland forests, but did as she asked, rising out of the water to stand in front of her.

  Perfect. His cock stood inches from her mouth. She tilted her head back to make sure he was watching her. He smiled down at her, his eyes half closed, and watched as she enveloped his shaft between her lips.

  "Christ, Kelsey, that's good." His hips jutted forward as he fed her his thick cock inch by inch. She wound her tongue around the head and licked the salty fluid from the tip, then drew him in deeper.

  Cradling his balls in her hands, she massaged them lightly, pumping her mouth over his shaft and drawing him nearly out of her mouth, only to greedily suck him inside again. She laved every ridge of his shaft, enjoying the taste of him as much as she'd enjoyed the strawberries he'd fed her earlier.

  A sense of power overcame her. She controlled him right now, with every swipe of her tongue, every suckle of her mouth, she was in charge of his pleasure. He rewarded her with his sharp intake of breath and the whispered words that told her he enjoyed what she was doing to him.

  "Enough," he finally said, his voice husky and ragged. "I have to fuck you."

  She smiled up at him. "Later."

  He shook his head and dragged her to a standing position. "No. Now!" Without waiting for her response, her turned her around, pushed her toward the opposite bench. She reached for the edge of the hot tub, Jason positioning the front of his thighs against the back of hers. He nestled his cock near her sex, pushed her forward so her ass was up in the air, and slipped his hand between her legs, parting her folds and sinking two fingers inside her.

  She cried out at the sweet invasion as he probed her cunt. Her juices poured from her.

  "I want to make love to you slow and easy, Kelsey. I want to look into your eyes and stroke my cock inside you for hours on end. And I will. But not now. I've waited too long and I want to fuck you. Hard. Really damn hard. If that's not what you want, then tell me now."

  She shuddered at the ferocity of his desire, relief washing over her that he wanted her as desperately as she wanted him. She craned her neck around to meet his hungry gaze and said, "Fuck me, Jason. Take it, just the way you want it."

  With a low growl, he turned her around, dug his fingers into her hips and drove hard inside her. She screamed at the invasion of his thick cock and pushed back to meet his thrusts. Her pussy quivered and squeezed him as if determined to receive his life force.

  Jason leaned over her, licking the middle of her spine and up, inch by inch, not once stopping the punishing momentum of his cock. She felt the rumbling growls in his chest as he pressed against her back, knowing then that he had changed from a cool, poised senator to an animal driven by primal lust and need.

  She welcomed him this way, overjoyed that he trusted her enough to show her this side of him. And she revealed herself to him, demanding him to plunge harder, to hurt her. He offered up a deep, husky laugh and sank his teeth into her shoulder, his fingers piercing the tender flesh of her hips.

  The pain drove her higher. A fierce howl tore from her lips as a blistering orgasm knifed through her. She couldn't move except to shudder and cry out, as Jason had pinned her in place with his teeth, refusing to give her ground. Tears welled and spilled from her eyes as the painful pleasure continued. She'd no more relaxed from the quaking climax than another came upon her. And still, he drove relentlessly within her, refusing to stop.

  Her legs trembled with the effort to remain upright as the second wave arced within her. This time, he released her shoulder and howled into the night, pouring his seed deep inside her. His body shook as he rode out his orgasm, then collapsed against her. He continued to caress her, running his hands over her thighs and between her legs, tenderly stroking her pussy until desire sparked again.

  Jason lifted her into his arms and stepped from the hot
tub, carrying her upstairs to his bedroom. She was still trying to catch her breath when he yanked the covers back and laid her on the bed, then crawled in beside her and pulled her against him.

  Exhaustion claimed her, and for what seemed like only a few minutes, she slumbered. She awoke to the feel of Jason's fingers probing between her legs. She thought she had no more to give him, but she was wrong. Her sex dampened with each of his gentle strokes against her clit. He lazily caressed her, leaning on his elbow and watching her as she twisted and turned under his questing fingers.

  "Look at me when you come, Kelsey. I want to see your face."

  No, she couldn't. It was too intimate. And yet his gaze held hers as if by some unknown force and she let him have what he wanted. Her eyes widened as he slipped his fingers inside her and thrummed her clit with his thumb. She reached for his hand and drove his fingers deeper as she climaxed, watching the dark smile on his face as she cried out her fulfillment

  He continued to gently stroke her, long past the time she had finally relaxed. She looked down at his hard cock, shocked to find her body responding once again.

  "I can't," she whispered, afraid she was giving up her soul to him.

  "You can, and you will. When I ask you for it, you'll give it to me. Every single time. Not because I demand it, but because you want to. The choice is yours, Kelsey. It's your will, not mine. You want this. You want me. You're mine."

  She wanted to object, to scream at him that she belonged to no one but herself. But damn him, he was right. As Jason brought her to life yet again with his coaxing strokes along her aching slit, she knew that she'd fallen hopelessly in love with him.

  Although she hardly knew him, no matter what skeletons he hid in his closet, she wanted him. As he took her again and again throughout the night, she gave herself willingly.

  No man would ever elicit the same kind of response from her. Never had before, and never would again. She couldn't change her mind, couldn't walk away from him, and she'd never be the same person she was before she'd walked into his hotel suite that night.

  It was already too late for her.

  Chapter Six

  After spending the weekend with Kelsey, Jason didn't want to let her go. By the time they'd reached Baltimore, he'd convinced her to spend the night with him at his place, determined not to let her out of his sight until he told her the truth.