Scandalous-nook (5 page)

“Good to know.” She kicked off her sandals and patted the space beside her on the
bed. “Now we can gossip freely about Grimes and the big plans he obviously has to
climb his boss’s new bodyguard like a jungle gym.”

Brady snorted, but sat down. “He can have all the plans he wants. It won’t be happening.
He’s not my type.”

“Why?”

“Man’s a fast talker. Pushy. A real climber.” Brady studied his hands. “Don’t get
me wrong, he’s attractive and good at his job, but other than that…”

“No, I get it.” She knew exactly what he was talking about. A lot of the people around
Stephen were like that. Men and women who never stopped talking but rarely said anything
genuine. Unfortunately, it came with his job.

Brady Finn wanted something real.

“You and Jeremy have that in common. He wasn’t into settling for less either. Of course
his version of not settling was a little slutty, which I can say because we’re so
much alike and I’m partially responsible for his impressive track record. Not entirely
responsible, mind you. Those comic book conventions he goes to give new meaning to
the term
wild rumpus
. Sadly, I suspect that not only are you not bi, you’re also more of a traditionalist
in the romance department.”

“Three for three. Do you read palms at that bakery?” He leaned on his elbow beside
her, his smile bemused, but he was finally starting to relax. “I’m still in shock
about the whole Jeremy thing, to be honest. I mean, I always knew he had it bad for
Owen. But it was just as clear that my cousin was oblivious. Talk about the last person
on the planet I’d have ever guessed was gay. My most recent relationship, if you could
call it that, was with a tough-as-nails leatherneck with more testosterone than brain
cells, and I was less surprised when he made a pass at me than I was to find out the
family skirt chaser had settled down with a man.”

“Don’t call Owen gay to his face,” Tasha advised. “He hates labels.”

Brady grimaced. “He should get used to it, because other people love them.”

And wasn’t
that
the damn truth.

“He’s happy though, right? I mean, what? Over six months now?”

“Yes. And of course he’s happy. Jeremy’s a catch. A talented artist, a sex god with
super-sized equipment, endless stamina and the patience of a saint.” Her smile softened
when she thought about Owen and Jeremy together. “We’ve been friends most of our lives
and I’ve never seen either one of them this…complete.”

“It must be nice,” Brady mused. “Being with someone who knows you so well. Someone
you can trust.”

“It must be.” She nodded, knowing she’d thought the same thing more than once. “They’re
one of
those
couples now, the ones who can have a whole conversation with a single glance. They’re
also the ones that disappear from the room to get extra plates and show up thirty
minutes later with their shirts on inside out, acting as if nothing happened. You
really need a front row seat to appreciate it.”

“Something to look forward to.”

His words confirmed that he hadn’t seen them yet. It wasn’t that unusual. No one saw
the Finn cousins that often. They lived in the same city but they’d gone to different
schools, hung out at different bars, and unless it was an important celebration or
a true life-and-death emergency, they rarely got together.

She remembered Owen telling her something about an ongoing disagreement between the
elder Finn twins, Shawn and Sol. It must have been one whopper of a fight to have
this kind of lasting effect on such family-oriented men.

“When our caper is over,” she said, “I’m going to bring you over to their place for
dinner and you can see for yourself. Maybe we can invite a few of your brothers. It’s
better than a night at the movies, I promise.”

“I’d like that. It would do us all some good to see true love in action. We didn’t
grow up with it the way our cousins did.” Brady’s gray-blue eyes darkened. “But our
caper is serious business, Tasha. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it isn’t.”

“I won’t.”

“I think the feds must be desperate to be this irresponsible with Stephen’s welfare
and reputation. He’s basically throwing his future to the wolves and hoping for the
best here. Burke is bad news. If he sniffs you out before he makes Stephen a solid
offer…if you can’t dance to his tune…”

She understood his concern, even shared it. But once Stephen made up his mind, there
was no changing it. The Finns were all like that. Stubborn. “Trust me, Hot Body Man—men
like Burke? I know their tune by heart. You two couldn’t have picked a better partner
in crime. Stick with me and I’ll have him too distracted to remember his fourth wife’s
name. What
is
her name anyway?”

“Wendi, with an i.” The familiar voice in the doorway made Tasha jump. “Am I interrupting?”

Brady frowned as if surprised he hadn’t heard Stephen coming, and he moved to get
up. Tasha placed a hand on his arm and batted her lashes at Stephen. “Only my wicked
daydreams, Senator. Too bad you two are related. We could have pretended to be poly
and really put on a show.”

The former Marine’s ears turned an adorable shade of red before he bounced off the
bed and stood beside Stephen. “No one followed us. Now that you’re here, I’ll do a
sweep of the block and then I need to run back to my place to grab my bag.”

Stephen nodded. “I got word on the way home that we’ll be picked up tomorrow afternoon,
so no hurry. We’ll save some dinner for you.”

They listened to his footsteps fade, Stephen leaning against the doorframe, her still
reclining on the bed.

The silence and his proximity were getting to her already. He wasn’t moving any closer,
not even when they heard the front door close behind Brady. And his expression was
impossible to read.

“So this is a new record for us.”

He raised one eyebrow. “What is?”

“Alone, twice in one day. Both of us still wearing our clothes. Talking.”

She expected him to laugh. Wanted him to. She wasn’t ready for the flash of regret
in his eyes. “Natasha…”

Her smile didn’t feel convincing, but she used it like a shield, getting to her feet
and reaching for one of her bags. “You’re too easy to tease, Senator. Did you say
something about dinner? Brady and I split a sandwich and a few brownies while I was
packing, but that was hours ago. I’m hoping you brought something more substantial.”

“Yes,” he replied in a subdued tone. “It needs a reheat in the oven, but I think you’ll
approve.”

“Great.” She grabbed the faded, stretched-out jersey and pair of shorts. “Why don’t
you go make that happen while I change out of this dress? I’m not sure if you noticed,
but it’s a little snug across the girls and it’s been cutting off my circulation all
day.”

She put her hands behind her back and started lowering the zipper of her sundress
without waiting for him to leave. Stephen swallowed as he watched the fabric loosen
around her breasts. He took an instinctive step forward and Tasha tilted her head
in question, her heart starting to pound in anticipation. “Or is that enough record
breaking for one day?”

He stilled, then turned and disappeared down the stairs without a word. Tasha held
in her disappointment, letting her dress pool around her ankles. She understood his
hesitation. The situation was new and neither one of them knew how to behave. She
was feeling it too. Along with all the old vulnerability she’d suffered after their
initial short-lived relationship.

God, she’d been crazy for him then. Crazy and terrified that he’d realize what she’d
known after their first night together—that she didn’t fit into the future he was
mapping out for himself. He wanted to change the world. Wanted to redeem himself and
make a difference. First law, then politics. His professors had already introduced
him to influential people who could see the potential in the charismatic college student
with the made-for-television biography. Local delinquent with deep roots in the community
makes good. Solid family background, handsome face, sharp mind…Stephen Finn was a
star on the rise.

Tasha knew how it would end before it had even begun. A reformed bad boy politician
was sexy. The addition of an unrepentant bad girl on his arm wasn’t as marketable.
Especially when that girl’s family tree had more than a few questionable apples.

They never would have lasted. She was too impulsive, too much of a lightning rod to
be the kind of woman he needed at his side. If she’d stayed long enough for him to
see that, maybe even resent her for it, she would have been asking for heartbreak.
So she’d hidden her feelings away and taken the out he’d offered. Friends with benefits.
Or more accurately, acquaintances with occasional, secret perks.

Secret was the word of the day.

It was the elephant in the room they were going to have to deal with before the party.
Hiding their attraction in public had become a deeply ingrained habit for both of
them. For this pretense to work they’d have to set aside years of restraint and be
natural with each other. Be lovers.

Lovers knew each other’s body language and moods, a million little things that a man
like Burke would notice if he was looking. The kind of lovers Stephen was expecting
them to be required a level of intimacy and trust they didn’t have with each other.
Tasha knew exactly how to swivel her hips to take him to the edge in seconds and Stephen
knew that all he had to do was touch her to set her off—but that wasn’t enough. Not
for this.

They weren’t going into this as strangers, which was a plus. They had more chemistry
than they knew what to do with and a lifetime of Finn family gatherings to draw from.
But they only had tonight to get their stories straight and get physically comfortable
enough that they didn’t tense up every time their hands touched.

It was a tough job, but somebody had to do him.

It. Somebody had to do
it
.

Tasha slipped on her shorts and the soft jersey she’d had since high school, glancing
at herself in the mirror above the dresser. Her unconfined breasts strained against
the worn fabric but she made no effort to slouch or conceal them. She was proud of
her curves and the effect they had on men. She took in her wild curls and the heritage
visible in her features. As her grandmother was fond of saying, she’d gotten all the
best parts of the mix. A Puerto Rican-Irish goddess of color with green eyes and golden
brown skin.

She was used to her body turning heads. On the street and at the club, men saw her
and thought about sex. Jeremy called it the “Jessica Rabbit Effect”. He said it was
her proportions. Large breasts and a round backside combined with a narrow waist was—artistically
speaking—the golden ratio of brick-house-hotness.

Tasha smiled. Of course, Jeremy wasn’t particularly objective and, according to all
the latest fashion magazines, he was also completely wrong. Bigger behinds
were
back in style this season, but that wouldn’t last and she couldn’t care less. Whatever
the trend, she was who she was, without diet or artifice. What you couldn’t change,
you had to embrace. Getting people to pay attention to her other qualities—especially
after they learned about her extra-curricular activities at the club—was always the
real challenge.

Those normal preconceptions would help with her upcoming role. Burke would see exactly
what he needed to—that she was nothing like the women Senator Finn took to grand openings
or museum fundraisers. The pale, slender waifs who ran mega-charities or opened hospitals
in impoverished villages in Africa. The actresses with porcelain skin who had three
degrees
and
a shelf full of awards and still managed to donate half their salaries to helping
the homeless relocate to energy efficient, vegan-approved housing that was completely
recyclable.

She made a face at her reflection when she felt a prickle of jealousy. How could she
blame him for going out with women like that?
She
would date most of them if they asked.

Still, there was never a whisper of indecent behavior in Stephen’s personal life.
He was always the perfect gentleman and he was never seen with the same woman twice.
It made it hard for the gossips to link him with anyone, which Tasha thought was probably
the point. More frustratingly for them, Stephen went to several events without any
date at all or with a few members of his family in tow. And she only knew that because
it was always a topic of conversation on the local news.

Why was Senator Finn still single?

In the same magazine that had listed him as one of the city’s most eligible bachelors,
an article pondering his sexuality and the reason for his lack of partner had also
been front and center. He’d been elected to two consecutive terms in landslide victories,
but there was still a petition floating around town about his needing to get married
and start a family to truly represent his constituent’s values. They didn’t seem to
care whether he married a man or a woman, as long as he settled down.

Stephen always smiled during interviews when questions about his personal life came
up. His stock answer was, “My father gave me three good pieces of advice—never make
a decision until I have all the facts, never ask someone to do something I’m not willing
to do myself, and make sure to marry the right one the first time so I don’t have
to do it again.”

It was a good answer. A charming answer. But it didn’t satisfy everyone.

Tasha shook her head. Her mind was wandering to a place she had no desire to go. This
was not the night to think about Stephen getting married to someone who’d be an asset
to his goals for higher office. This was the night she was going to get him to mentally
and sexually unwind enough to be ready for their masquerade.