“I-I—” The elevator dinged just then, saving me from intelligent things like speaking. I stood stock-still as he stepped out, eyes slicing to me as he turned, walking backward a few slow steps.
“Coming with me?”
“I—” My eyes shot around the small foyer that led to his office, normally staffed by a secretary who was noticeably absent.
“Helen’s on lunch. Security is stationed with the repair crew fixing the private elevator. I’ve got a few minutes before I’ve got to get on the phone with the president of France…”
His dark eyes held mine, setting off fireworks in my stomach. Was the prime minister really asking me for my opinion on something? Was he actually initiating a conversation, something he hadn’t done beyond a polite nod or a good morning on the rare occasion we passed in the hall. I stood, painfully conscious that he was waiting for my reply.
“Okay.” I finally breathed, following him off the elevator and into his office.
TWO
Bryce
I shot her a wayward grin when she followed me down the hall, shoulders brushing as we walked side by side. I hadn’t been able to keep my eyes off this girl every single day of the last six weeks since she’d started. I’d had nothing to do with hiring her, but I was damn thankful for whoever had.
And it’s not like there was a shortage of pretty faces hanging around Langevin Block, the building the prime minister's office has historically been housed in.
But this was the first woman who actually appeared to have both feet on the ground while genuinely working to better the future of this country.. She was not here to climb her own political ladder, but to make a difference.
Not that I would have minded if she were a woman with political aspirations of her own. In fact, I thought a woman with a mind for business and motivation was hot as hell, but I didn’t like that you could see through so many of them
So many of the people in this city were willing to step on anyone to get ahead, and that wasn’t a way of life I subscribed to.
I made a point of going out of my way to show kindness to everyone, from the housekeeping staff to the president of the United States. I didn’t give a shit who you were—every human on our planet deserved kindness. I was a guy who had always worn his heart on his sleeve, and I thought that was something that worked for me when I ran my campaign. When I gave a speech, I spoke directly from the heart, no political speechwriters putting words in my mouth. I wanted the people to know exactly where I was coming from, in my own words.
Juliette Alexandre was no different.
Except she was, in every way, and that’s why I’d found myself here today.
When she’d stepped into the elevator, it was like the goddamned stars had aligned. I’d spent weeks obsessing over the sweet curve of her cheeks and the way her chest colored pink when my eyes caressed her creamy skin. I’d been fighting this thing pulsing between us for too long now, and I’d never had to fight to keep myself apart from someone in my life.
I was thirty-four, happily single, busier than hell, and decidedly not looking for love.
Until Juliette had graced my life.
“Something to drink?” I asked when I pushed through the wooden doors of the prime minister’s office. My sacred space, at least for as long as I was given the opportunity by the people of our great nation to have it.
“I’m fine.” Her words came out soft, tentative.
Everything about her made me want to pull her into my arms and never let go. Feelings like possessiveness and protection, things reserved only for alpha cavemen, came alive deep inside my gut.
I wasn’t sure what the hell this feeling was, but I had to find out.
“Do I make you uncomfortable, Juliette?” I touched one soft knuckle to her temple. A slow shudder rolled through her body, goose bumps popping up across the skin at her neck as her chest heaved with erratic little pants.
“You know my name?” Her lips parted, and I had to fight not to cover her mouth with mine.
“Of course I do.” I dipped a fingertip down the satiny curve of her neck, relishing the shudder that tore through her skin. “It’s been running through my head on repeat since the moment Locke told it to me.”
“Locke?” she asked breathily, eyes falling closed and the shadow of her eyelashes whispering across her cheekbones. I wanted this woman under me and now. I’d hardly been able to think straight, passing her in the hall only every so often, running downstairs under the guise of any excuse I could think of to catch a glimpse of her. Just seeing her through the crack of my open door when she delivered the poll results every afternoon was enough to drive me to distraction.