"Thanks. Couture isn't on today's agenda. But I am excited to talk about it."
"Are you going to take him with you?"
"What?" I had lost focus on the pool.
"Luke? Is he going to be your plus one?"
I hadn't thought about a date. "I-I can't do that."
"Don't let Jake ruin this. It's the biggest night of your career. You should take who you want. Take him. But please let me dress him to match you."
I was living in bliss. I woke up in the middle of a dream. And now reality was smacking me back in place.
"It's too much trouble. The fall out isn't worth it."
"Ugh. You should take him. He would be an amazing accessory. At least listen to that from your stylist. But I'll let you go so you two can hang out. I'm excited for you, Lex. On everything. You deserve this. And you deserve him too if he's what you want."
"Thank you." I smiled, ending the call. I decided I needed to unplug for a while. I turned the phone off.
I heard Luke's footsteps behind me.
"I need your Wi-Fi password."
"Oh. Yeah. Could we talk for just a second before you go back there?"
"What's up?"
I was just going to do it. I was going to make all these dreams come true. I'd take Helena's advice. She was right. I deserved it. I deserved Luke.
"Would you be my date for the CYAs?" I blurted it out before I could talk myself out of it.
Luke stared at me. "Are you fucking with me?"
"No." I walked toward him. "I want you to be there with me. If you want to." I looked into his dark eyes.
"Do I have to wear a tux?" He cracked a smile.
I twisted my lips. "Helena could probably find a tux that's more your style. Does that mean you'll go? Would you want to?"
His palm landed on my bottom. "See my girl kick everyone's ass? Hell yeah I'll go."
I grinned so hard it hurt. "Oh my God. This is happening."
He tipped my chin up. "I'll be there."
"It's six weeks away, so I just need this time to convince Jake. Ok?"
I saw his playful look turn to a scowl. He hated Jake's name. "You realize a lot can change in that amount of time?"
"W-what?" My eyes darted frantically.
Did he not think we could survive the weeks? Because what I felt was the kind of emotion that moved mountains. It was what songs were written from. It inspired epic movies. What connected Luke and me was crushing and suffocating and everything I'd always wanted.
His fingers tickled my belly. "This is what I'm talking about. You could be pregnant."
"Oh," I whispered. The relief was replaced with new alarm. Holy shit. I couldn't go to the CYAs knocked up.
"Do you think you are?" There was something hopeful and sweet in his eyes. Jake had pegged him all wrong.
"I don't know. It's too soon to take a test or anything like that."
"When can you?"
I swallowed. We were talking about this. Actually talking about taking a pregnancy test while we were standing in my kitchen on the day the CYA list came out.
"I-I haven't really looked into it."
"And is it ok for you to drink coffee?"
I looked at the full mug. "Coffee?"
"Yeah, I thought pregnant women had to stay away from that shit."
"Luke, we don't know that I'm pregnant and we've been careful every other time."
"Have we?" He eyed me. "Last night? This morning? Pulling out isn't birth control, baby."
He had me there. It wasn't. But when we were naked and I felt his body under mine all I could think about was having everything that was his. I wanted him in every way. He wanted it too. We were being careless and reckless. We were in no positon to have a baby. But every time I thought about it, the idea was less and less scary.
"I'm on the pill. I've taken it every day this week. Every day."
He nodded. "Ok."
But my fingers threaded through his and rested over my stomach. He kissed me, sucking on my lips.
"Can I get the password?"
"Oh yeah. It's lovesong."
He grinned. "Thanks."
I watched him walk out of the kitchen. I had six weeks to break the news to Jake-he didn't own me anymore. I belonged to someone else. Heart and soul.
26
Luke
Two weeks ago I was in Nashville. Tonight I was in DC, getting ready for our game against the Sharks tomorrow.
I had spent the day in a hotel suite studying the Sharks' defense. I had seen it before, but I wanted to be prepared.
An hour ago Linc texted me. Charlie wanted to meet. I didn't realize she traveled out of Austin for this kind of thing.
I sat across from Charlie. Linc was next to me.
She smiled. "We have a new strategy I want to go over with both of you."
I hadn't been in the headlines once in the past few weeks for anything other than winning games. There was no way in hell management was mad at me. I'd done everything Charlie asked I do. I was pissed I was in this meeting.
"What is it?" I asked. "Things seem to be fine."
"They are fine because I have created a perfect plan. Without that and I can only imagine what you would do."
I leaned forward. "I can handle it without you." Linc's hand was on my forearm.
"I think we have an opportunity to stir the Lexi Wilde rumors again."
Fuck. I looked at Linc.
"Why would you want to do that, Charlie?" he asked. "That died down."
She spun her laptop around so we could see her screen. "She's in town this weekend, working with her children's charities at the St. Regis Hospital."
"So?" I balked.
"So. She's in town and you're in town. It should be easy to stage a run-in again. You two know each other. See what you can do with that."
"I've already told you that's not happening with her."
"This girl has more good will capital than a girl scout troupe. She brings you up. People loved it. It's a relationship dream ticket."
I shook my head. Linc needed to get me out of this. I wasn't fucking things up with Alexa. I promised her the brand was off limits.
"No. I'm not running for election." I pressed my palms into the table. "We're winning. I'm taking this team to the Super Bowl. I don't have time to get wrapped up in some girl. As long as I'm out of the press who cares? I'm not out chasing ass, so stop pointing me in that direction." My glare was hard and nasty, but Charlie deserved it.
She proved to me that she didn't give a shit about football. Images and smoke and mirrors-that was her game.
Linc cleared his throat. "Luke has a point. Someone like Lexi Wilde is more of a distraction than a help. A few weeks ago her fans were all over him. Luke doesn't need that. He's winning. He's in the best shape of his life. Let him focus on that. Focus on football and the game. The Warriors are going to have a playoff season. That's what everyone wants. Quiet headlines from Luke and Ws in the results column."
Charlie whipped the laptop back in place and typed angrily. "She is staying at the Deluxe. I think we could arrange for a run-in when she's done with the hospital unless you want to go straight there and try to see a few kids as well. That worked last time. Might as well throw in a donation at the same time. It might tip the scale even more."
My fist slammed on the table. "I'm not going to say it again. Alexa Wilde is off limits."
Charlie's eyes lit. She leaned back in her seat and folded her hands together. "How long have you two been seeing each other?"
"What?"
She closed the lid to her laptop and turned her phone face down.
"I've been in this business a long time. I've seen everything: DUIs, murder, sexual assault, alcoholism, drug abuse. And people lie to me. They think I can somehow help them without the full truth. What they don't realize is I have radar for lies. It's the easiest thing to spot, Luke. It's like a spotlight, beaming right on their lying heads.
"This is one of two things: you either despise Lexi Wilde, or you're in love with her. I get this feeling you don't despise her." Charlie wrinkled her nose. "I just don't think that's it. So that leaves me with love. And love I can work with."
Linc kicked me under the table.
If she wanted fucking shock and awe she got it. Fuck.
27
Alexa
From the window I could see the Capitol. The scaffolding wrapped the rotunda as if it was a brand new building going up in the city. It wasn't the prettiest view. I picked up my phone to see I had a text from Luke. My stomach floated with the same kind of bubbly feeling it always did when I saw his name.
Change of plans.
I typed back.
What's going on?
I twisted my lips waiting for his response. I didn't like that I had been here two hours and we already had a hiccup. I knew this was going to be complicated and risky. But I had to see him.
The past two weeks in Nashville were a whirlwind. Jake had booked me on every radio show. I did morning press. I did afternoon press. I did night press. I was going to have to get my boots re-soled after all the appearances I had made.