He settled the helmet on her head and started to secure the strap. She couldn’t help but notice the lines around his eyes and the careful way he cinched her in.

  “Why don’t you take the helmet?”

  His eyes met hers. “Because you’re more important. I know you don’t want to touch me, but you have to hold on. If you would rather, I can call a friend to come out and pick us up. It would take an hour or so, but he could bring a car.”

  And they would be stuck in that motel room together. No, thanks. She didn’t trust her traitorous body parts to not jump him.

  He got on the bike and held out a hand. She ignored it but she wouldn’t be reckless with her safety. She climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his lean waist. He fired the engine up and took off.

  And she finally let herself cry.

  THIRTEEN

  Connor held the elevator open and gestured for Lara to go through. Helpless. He felt completely and utterly helpless. She’d been crying and he wanted to hold her. At least while they’d been on the bike, she’d had to wrap her arms around him. Now that they’d arrived at her place, he felt the loss of her touch. She was always caressing him, putting her hand in his or leaning closer. She was normally a creature of affection. Now she’d totally shut down. He hadn’t realized how much he’d come to rely on her affection.

  He could see the red stain to her eyes and it damn near killed him.

  “Thank you.” She stepped out and frowned. “Oh, wow. It looks like your friends are here. I guess they all have keys, thanks to you. I suppose I’ll move now that the neighborhood’s gone to hell. Thank god Freddy bugged out or he’d have a heart attack.”

  Connor peered down the hall and cursed under his breath. Two men in black suits stood sentry outside Lara’s door. He’d noticed a man outside the lobby, but there were always guys in dark suits in D.C. These two, however, meant one thing and one thing only.

  Zack was here.

  Damn, Elizabeth had worked fast. When he’d found out what Roman had done, he’d decided to play dirty. The fastest most expedient way to get Lara’s site back online wasn’t to argue with Roman because he only really listened to Zack. And Connor knew the way to reach Zack wasn’t through Roman. No, it was through pretty, blond Elizabeth, his press secretary. The lovely woman had been Zack’s friend for years, but in the last few months Connor had noticed Zack watched her like a hungry predator when she wasn’t looking. His stare followed her constantly, and the minute she asked him to do something, the most powerful man in the world tripped over his Prada loafers to get it done.

  “I didn’t exactly invite anyone. Well, Dax. You’ll like Dax. He’s been . . .” Maybe he shouldn’t explain how Dax was involved.

  Lara stopped, her sneaker tapping. “He’s been what?”

  “He’s a great guy. My best friend.” Now that she was about to meet him, Connor was unaccountably nervous. What if she didn’t like his friends? They could be a lot to take, especially since Roman and Zack were on opposite sides of certain political issues from Lara.

  “What has he been doing, Connor? Why is he in my apartment? I get why the president is in there. He’s here to completely ruin my life, so why is your bestie hanging out? Did you need a couple of witnesses to complete my humiliation?”

  He kept his temper under a tight rein. He knew she wanted him to get violent or mean so she could walk away without a single regret. He wasn’t giving her that easy out. He wasn’t giving her any out at all. “There will be no humiliation. Roman and I will have a talk and the problem will go away. I’ll make him understand. You don’t have to be afraid of Zack. He’s a good man.”

  “I don’t know about that. From where I’m sitting, he’s kind of a dick.” Her chin firmed and a stubborn look lit her eyes as she strode past him.

  Shit. She was in protest mode. He’d seen that tilt to her chin whenever she believed something unfair was going on in the world and only she could fix it.

  She marched right up to the Secret Service agents. “Am I no longer allowed in my own apartment? I am a tax-paying citizen of the United States of America and you are keeping me from my rightful property. I want you to know that I firmly intend to both sue and protest you.”

  The agent on the right’s lips fluttered up, and there was no way Connor missed how his eyes traced over her. He touched his earpiece. “Sir, I believe she’s here. You said she was a cute pain in the ass. There is definitely a cute pain in the ass out here right now. Of course. You sure I shouldn’t check her for weapons?”

  “That would be an illegal search,” Lara countered.

  Connor stepped in behind her. “If you give her a pat down, it’s the last time your hands will function.”

  “I can defend myself,” Lara shot back.

  The agent winked at her, then he opened the door and let them in. Connor memorized his face because he might have to kill the man. It would likely make him feel a whole lot better.

  Lara entered her apartment with a judgmental finger pointing, just looking for a target. She immediately found one. Roman stood in the doorway to the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hand. His supercool, nothing-ever-fazed-him eyes widened as Lara stalked closer. She was a good foot shorter and Roman had a hundred pounds of muscle on her, but he took a step back.

  “You unholy ass. Get out of my house. Now. And put down that coffee. That coffee is fair trade coffee and you shouldn’t be allowed to drink it. You should drink evil coffee. How dare you think you can break into my house and blackmail my father, then drink my coffee? I’ll call the police and they will throw you out, and how is that going to look on the evening news? And who the hell are you?” She turned as Dax was walking out of her bedroom, Lincoln in his arms. The little dog perked up.

  “I’m Dax.”

  “You’re trespassing.”

  Dax set Lincoln down and came back up grinning. “It’s so nice to actually meet you. Congratulations on your engagement.”

  Connor shook his head, trying to give Dax the “Stop, go no further” sign.

  Lara turned back to him. “You told them?”

  “I was happy about it.”

  She stopped and stared at him. “How could you tell them?”

  He nodded. “They’re my best friends. I wanted them to know.”

  She stood there for a moment, her mouth slightly open, and it was obvious he’d surprised her. Had she thought his proposal was some ruse? Had she thought he would leave when the job was over and not see her again?

  She turned back to Dax. “Why are you in my apartment? I know what the douche bag in the bad suit is doing. He’s the Grinch come to make sure all my Christmas ornaments are crushed.”

  Roman frowned. “This is a three-thousand-dollar suit.”

  Lara whirled on Roman. “Do you know how many hungry children that suit could feed?”

  Roman put a hand on his suit as though protecting the precious material from Lara. “Um, none. They would likely get very sick if they ate this suit. Children aren’t supposed to eat wool.”

  Connor stepped in behind her. The better to catch her if she decided to launch herself physically at one of them. “You have to forgive him. He’s very literal. Hello, Gabe, Everly. Zack.”

  She gave a little gasp and turned toward her living room. He was pretty sure her eyes hadn’t widened because of Gabe and Everly. Her stare fell straight to Zack. He stood in back of the room, a little smile on his face as if the whole thing amused him.

  Everly moved across the living room and enveloped Lara in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re all right. God, I got so scared when I realized those Russians were after you last night. Of course realizing Connor was there pretty much scared me, too. I still haven’t heard a reasonable explanation of how he knew to follow us.”

  Connor watched as Lara froze, but Everly didn’t let up. She talked about how Gabe had screamed at her and how she hadn’t slept for worrying about Lara. And slowly, gradually, Lara’s arms wound around Everly.

  “I was fine,” Lara said. “Just a little scared. I got what we needed. Well, what you need.”

  Everly pulled back slightly. “I’m sorry for lying to you. I didn’t know you. All I knew was that you ran a tabloid and I hadn’t even read it. I’m afraid I walked into this prejudiced against you.”

  Lara nodded. “I’m not that kind of tabloid.”

  “I know that now. And I’m so sorry I only took out the one assassin.”

  Lara gave her an encouraging smile and a pat on the arm. “Don’t be down on yourself. You were amazing. You totally shot one of them.”

  Roman moved in next to him as Lara continued to praise her partner in crime. “I thought she was a pacifist.”

  Just watching her gave him a warm feeling. “She is but she’s also a pathological cheerleader.”

  Lara proved his point by holding Everly’s hand and continuing her praise. “Connor didn’t even manage to take one of them out and he’s supposedly some sort of superspy. Though he lies a lot. You’re way tougher than him.”

  “I was busy protecting you,” he pointed out.

  Lara ignored him. “Thanks for helping me, Everly. I really appreciate it. I wish you hadn’t lied, though.”

  “The guys thought you wouldn’t cooperate if you knew who Connor was. I probably just would have bought you a drink and had a talk with you, but the guys are all about subterfuge. I think they missed something in their childhood. Too much prep school.”

  “You’re a bad influence, Parker,” Connor scolded with a grin. Maybe Dax was right and letting the girls bond was a good thing. Lara was very loyal to her friends.

  “She is not.” Lara took the bait, stepping in between them.

  “Oh, she’s a terrible influence,” Gabe said with a grin. “But then I think you might be, too, Armstrong. I’m pretty sure this group doesn’t do calm, sweet women.”

  “Lara’s sweet,” Connor corrected with a sly grin.

  She blushed and shook her head, obviously flustered at the double entendre. He still had a chance with her if he could make her blush like that. He looked at her across the room and willed all the heat he felt into his eyes, hoping she could see his desire there.

  Their gazes locked for a long, electric moment and then she broke away. Her arms crossed over her chest but it certainly wasn’t cold in the room. She never could hide her reaction to him, and he’d curse the day she figured out how to.

  “Ms. Armstrong, I was hoping you would do me a very great favor,” Zack said, stepping up to the group for the first time. He was dressed casually for Zack. Designer slacks, Prada loafers, a cashmere sweater over a snowy white dress shirt and tie. The only time Zack didn’t wear a tie was when he was jogging.

  Lara frowned at the president of the United States. “I don’t owe you any favors, Mr. President. I’ve done everything for you I possibly will. You should know that while I will honor our deal and stay out of politics, you can’t force me not to vote. It’s my legal right and my moral responsibility, and I have to say after today, I won’t be voting for you.”

  Zack’s brows rose. “You see, Roman. You did this. You cost me a vote.”

  “Will you please just tell her? This is the second time today I’ve had one of your women verbally beat the hell out of me. It was easier when everyone was single and all our arguments were settled with a couple of punches thrown and a round of beers. This whole new thing of setting the women on a man is bullshit,” Roman grumbled.

  “If I’d known what you’d done, you would have had all three of us on your ass,” Everly added, then she regarded Lara. “We women have to stick together. It’s the only way to survive this group.”

  “Ms. Armstrong, may I call you Lara since it seems we’ll be family soon?” Zack asked in that oh-so-polite way of his.

  “You can call me Lara because that’s my name. I’m not marrying Connor.”

  “Yes, you are.” He would take a page from Roman’s playbook. Often when something negative came up about Zack, Roman just denied and denied and rewrote the story until everyone simply believed him because it was easier than arguing.

  “No . . .” Lara took a deep breath and turned back to Zack. “What else do you want from me? Tell me so I can figure out what it will take for you, your friends, and your security team to leave.”

  Zack turned on the charm. He reached for her hand and put it between both of his. His gaze focused on Lara and softened. There was a reason he’d gone into politics. “Would you please serve as an emissary from me to your father? I need to apologize to him for the actions of my chief of staff.”

  “I can apologize myself,” Roman said in a grumpy tone.

  “You’re horrible at apologizing. I’m quite good.” Zack’s stare never left Lara. “Roman thought he was protecting me. That’s his only excuse. Please let your father know that whatever information we have on him will never be used against him. We’ll destroy it immediately. The last thing I want is for a good man to leave the Senate. We have so few of them.”

  “And the website?” Connor wanted to make sure Lara got everything she wanted. “She took Capitol Scandals down.”

  “Lara is free to do as she pleases. No one in this room will reveal her identity or strongarm her into shutting down again, though, please, if you don’t mind, could you stop running the stories on the size of my . . .” He cleared his throat. “While flattering, I find it takes away from serious politics.”

  Lara shook her head. “You would be surprised how many women those stories bring in. I actually have data that women who read stories about the size of your penis or your sexual prowess go on to read more substantial stories forty-five percent of the time, and they become regular commentators.”

  Connor didn’t like the way she was looking at Zack. Her eyes had widened and her hand was still in his. She was looking up at him like he was some kind of rock star. Zack had movie-idol looks. He wasn’t covered in scars. Zack was suave and didn’t have any trouble being romantic. Would Lara forgive him if he was more like Zack? Would Lara prefer Zack?

  He moved in and snatched her hand out of his. “She won’t think about your penis anymore.”

  “I always knew he would be a possessive caveman with the right woman,” Dax said with a chuckle in his voice.

  Lara stood unmoving in his arms, not fighting him, but also not leaning back against him the way she used to. “I’ll talk to my dad. But I have to ask why you would do this. It’s obvious you don’t like my site and you have the leverage to take it down. I won’t stop you or fight you. So why do it?”

  “Because Elizabeth threatened to tear my balls off,” Roman said. He held a hand up. “Well, not in those words exactly. She said a lot of Southern things and then she blessed my heart, which I’ve come to realize is Southern women code for ‘something bad is going to happen to a man’s balls.’”

  Zack sat on Lara’s couch, crossing one leg over the other. “Despite what Roman will tell you, Elizabeth merely brought the situation to my attention. Roman often acts on his own. We’ve worked this way for years, but sometimes he becomes overly protective as he did in this case. It’s true I didn’t see the value of your site, but that doesn’t matter now. I wouldn’t have done it because it would hurt you, and hurting you would mean hurting Connor. I don’t have a lot of friends. I have sycophants and people who hang on to my coattails in hopes that I’ll do something for them. All of my life, I’ve been surrounded by people who want something from me—with five exceptions, and one of them is gone now. These men are my brothers and I would do anything for them. The minute you became involved with Connor, you stepped into my circle and that means I’ll protect you, too. I’ll protect you whether you like me or hate me or vote for the other guy.”

  Lara paced and Connor could see plainly that Zack had confused her. She’d walked into this room expecting a confrontation. Instead, Zack had given her acceptance. “All right. I’ll call my father.”

  Zack nodded. “Good. Please tell him I really would love to have dinner and meet his wife. Perhaps you and Connor could join us.”

  “I’ll have to see about that, but thank you for clearing this up for me.” She turned to Roman. “You got the information out of my safe, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. If you’re going to keep information like that around, you should protect it better.”

  Connor tried very hard not to kill Roman. “I’ll upgrade the safe.”

  “Or I can just make sure I don’t have people in my home who let their friends steal from me.” Lara turned and walked back toward her bedroom.

  Shit.

  “Dude, she’s pissed at you,” Dax said, pointing out the obvious.

  Connor chose to spend his anger on Roman. “Did you have to do that to her? You really thought that was your best play? What are you going to do next, asshole? You want to kick a couple of puppies?”

  “That’s your dick talking, Sparks, and you know it. When we started out, you agreed with me that she was dangerous. You were the one who promised to get the fucking site shut down in the first place. This was all your plan. I don’t see how I ended up being the villain of the piece.”

  It didn’t matter that Roman was right. “Things change. Even in the middle of an op, the situation can change and you have to change with it. She’s not a danger to Zack.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Roman shot back. “I found a ton of e-mails where she talks about some kind of evidence she’s collected on him.”

  “Stop reading her e-mails,” Zack said quietly. “Connor’s serious about her and that means we’re all going to welcome her with open arms.”

  Connor had never thought about it, but Zack really was like their Godfather sometimes. Ever since that day they’d almost been expelled from Creighton and Zack had calmly explained to the administrator why and how he would ruin the man’s life, they’d all looked at Zack as the authority figure. Connor might be the one who physically protected them, but at the end of the day, Zack was the final word.