Someone To Believe In (21 page)

He pushed past her into the apartment. She
was so worried she forgot to warn him that Clay was here.

Which was too bad. Because when Aidan reached
the living room, the first person he saw was Clay.

“Aidan, hi.” Clay had stood and faced her
brother.

Who, without warning, shot across the room,
saying “You bastard,” and took the senator from New York down.

CLAY FELT HIMSELF stumble backward, hit the
wall, and crack his head on something hard. Glass shattered. Bailey
screamed, and a fist pummeled into his jaw. He was on the ground,
Aidan straddling him, raising his arm for another punch when Bailey
jumped on her brother’s back, knocking him off Clay. “Aidan,
don’t...”

“Mommy? I’m scared.”

Bailey looked up, still holding on to Aidan;
they both froze. Clay rolled to his feet and went to Rory. “It’s
okay, son, just a little misunderstanding.”

“Like hell,” Aidan said.

Picking up the boy, Clay cuddled Rory to his
chest. “Mommy and Uncle Aidan were wrestling.”

“How come you got blood on your mouth?”

He wiped his lip. “I, um, got in the way.” He
turned. “Come on, let’s go back to the video.”

By the time he came out of the bedroom,
Bailey was sitting on the couch with her brother, staring down at a
newspaper. She had her hands over her mouth. Aidan’s palm made
circles on her back. “I’m sorry, kiddo.”

“What’s going on?”

Bailey looked up. Eyes that had been dancing
with mirth just minutes ago now were...bruised.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She rose from the couch. He’d never seen her
move so stiffly as she crossed the room, handed him the paper, and
turned her back on him.

Befuddled, he looked down. There was a big,
color photo of last night’s party. Of him and Jane. They were
smiling, but Clay remembered feeling phony in the pose. He looked
up, frowning. “I don’t get it. You knew I was there with Jane.”

Aidan practically spat out, “Read the
caption, you fucking bastard.”

He gaze fell back to the paper. The
words underneath his and Jane’s picture stood out boldly.
Senator Clayton Wainwright celebrates former
Senator Wainwright’s seventieth birthday party with fiancée Jane
Carter
.

Fiancée? Who the hell? His gaze swung to
Bailey. “Listen, I—”

She spun around. “Get out of here. Now. I
know I said we’d just have sex, without any commitments. But I had
no idea you were engaged.”

“I’m not.”

Aidan crossed to her; she turned to him and
buried her face in his chest. “Get him out of here, please.” Her
voice cracked on the last word.

Her brother smoothed her hair down and
whispered something to her; then she fled to the bedroom. Clay
heard the loud snick of a lock.

He stared over at Aidan. “I’m not going
anywhere until this is cleared up. It’s a misunderstanding.”

“You cocksucker. I knew you were sleeping
with my sister. I thought it was good for her. But I didn’t
know—”

“I’m not engaged.”

“Get out of here!”

“No.”

Aidan watched him, then yanked his cell phone
out of his pocket, punched in his speed dial, and after a moment
said, “Paddy. Get Dylan and Liam. I need your help to dispose of
something. I’m at Bailey’s house.”

Holy hell, this was like a grade B movie.

Aidan clicked off. “They’re on their way
over.”

“Then the four of you will have to drag me
out of here. I’m not engaged. And I’m staying until I make Bailey
believe that.”

Aidan glowered at him.

“I care about her, man. I want this
relationship to go further; I have all along and she’s put on the
brakes.”

“We’ll beat the shit out of you.”

“So be it. I’m not leaving. I won’t let her
think what she’s thinking.”

Aidan stared at him. For a long time. Then he
picked up his phone again.

“I’M STILL HERE, Bailey. Aidan left. I’m not
going anywhere until we talk.”

From the other side of the door, he heard,
“My brother wouldn’t leave me alone with you.”

“Come out and see.”

“No.”

“I’m not engaged. I don’t know for sure
who told
The Voice
that I was,
but I’d hazard a guess it’s my mother. She was pushing for the
engagement last night. And Hank Sellers was scrounging for a
tidbit.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Then I’m staying right here, in your living
room, until you do.”

After a long time, he heard the lock turn.
Thank God. He figured when Aidan left, he had a chance here. But he
knew firsthand how stubborn Bailey could be.

The door opened. She stood straight, her
shoulders back, her head held high. Man, he admired her grit. He
knew she was hurt, but right now she looked like an angry goddess.
She said haughtily, “I can’t see how you’re going to convince
me.”

“I’ll tell you the truth. Come sit down.”

She crossed the room and sank down into a
chair. He was forced to take the couch adjacent to her. “So go
ahead.”

“I’ve been seeing Jane Carter for a few
years, off and on. It’s suited us well. But she’s been pushing for
more, and I’ve backed off.”

“Why? She’s everything you need in a
political wife. Beautiful, polished, well-connected. She probably
doesn’t even have a job.”

“She works on her father’s

campaign from time to time, but you’re right,
she doesn’t have a career.”

Her curiosity surfaced, he guessed, despite
her resolve to remain aloof. “How do people live if they don’t
work?”

“Family money. Jane has trust funds.”

“Do you? I mean, do you have to work?”

“Ah, no. I don’t.”

She shook her head; to her that only
underscored their differences. “Where’s this going, Clay?”

“I’m not in love with Jane. I’ve been backing
off from the relationship, like I said, but you’re right, she’s
perfect for me and I was lonely, so I’ve kept company with her.
Now, however, things have changed.”

“Are you sleeping with her?”

“I was. I haven’t been with her, or anyone
else, since you and I made love.”

He could tell she wanted to believe that, and
it gave him courage to go on. “Bailey, you’re upset, right?”

“Yes, of course. I don’t take men away from
women who they’ve made a commitment to.”

“So it’s just philosophical? There’s nothing
personal about your reaction?”

She drew in a breath. He wondered if she’d
tell him the truth. Holding his gaze, she whispered, “It’s
personal. It hurt to think you belong to someone else after we were
together like we were.”

Rising he crossed to her and knelt down in
front of her. He took her cold hands in his. He kissed them warm.
“What does that tell you, honey?”

She held his gaze and he knew she wouldn’t
dissemble now. “I know what you’re saying, Clay, but we’d have to
be crazy to let this go any further than sex.”

“It already has.”

She bit her lip, a gesture that put every
protective gene he had on red alert.

“You know it has. That’s why you’re
upset.”

As if looking for answers, she stared at the
ceiling. “This is so stupid. I don’t know how it happened.”

“Stupid or not, it’s a fait accompli. I feel
the same way, of course. The thought of Lawson’s hands on you kills
me.” He kissed her fingers again. “You haven’t slept with him, or
anyone else either, since we’ve been together, have you?”

“No. But Clay, forget about Eric and Jane for
a second. Look at this logically. We’re sworn enemies about gang
intervention and youth crime legislation. We’ve become public
about it. And we’re going to clash big-time on this committee.”

“That’s professional.”

“I know, but if we let something more than
sex develop between us, and I’m beginning to think that in itself
was a huge mistake, we’d fight over what goes on in the committee,
over my safety, over how I run my life, and how you operate
politically.”

“We can separate our work and our personal
relationship. Or at least we can try.” He brushed her cheek. “Don’t
you want to try?”

She turned her face into his palm. “That’s
not all of it. Say we were able to separate our professional
conflicts from our private lives, what about our...unsuitability? I
spent time in jail. I have a child and never married his father. I
work in a pub, for God’s sake.”

“I don’t care.”

“The press, and your constituents,
might.”

“I’m not going to live my life according to
someone else’s standards.”

“You agreed to do that when you became a
senator.”

“The hell I did. Look, if that’s the only
thing holding you back, think about this. Hillary stayed married to
Bill after he cheated on her and perjured himself about it. And she
was still elected to the senate. It’s not like you think in the
public arena.”

He could see that made some inroads.
Standing, he drew her up, cradled her face in his hands, and peered
down at her. She looked like a little girl trying to resist
temptation. “For some reason, Bailey, we’ve connected, and not just
in bed, though that’s been spectacular. I like you. I like your
energy, your refusal to give up on what’s important to you, your
loyalty to your family, the kind of mother you are. I’m not going
to let you out of my life until I see if we have something here.
“

She shook her head. “I like you, too. A lot.
You’re not what I thought.”

He kissed her nose. “Can’t we just see if we
have something good together? And if we do, we’ll take it one step
at a time.”

“Maybe.” She stepped back. “I have to
think about this and I
can’t
think when you’re touching me.”

Well, that was good news. He jammed his hands
in his pockets and forced himself to keep quiet. He’d given his
best defense. If she said no, he’d probably appeal, but he’d see
where she took this first.

“Give me some time to figure this out?”

“I can do that.” He moved closer though and
tipped her chin. “But I’m done with the seesaw, Bailey. I’m tired
of going back and forth. Take your time, make a decision about us
and stick to it.” He kissed her nose, smoothed down her hair, and
turned to leave.

“Clay?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m sick of
the seesaw, too.”

“Good.”

IT WAS SO lame. Bailey hurried from her
office, glancing down at the outfit she wore. She’d fussed today.
For Clay. She’d ransacked her closet for something special that she
could wear to this committee meeting and found the pants and tunic
in the back of her closet. She’d bought it on a whim and had only
worn it to important meetings and once or twice to dinner when she
needed something sophisticated. Slate blue, its knit material hung
well on her frame; her brothers had made a fuss about it
looking
too good
, so she
guessed it did the trick.

Also, Joe and Rob, who were working her shift
today, whistled when she’d come in. And when Suze relieved her at
four, she said, “Who are you, and what have you done with my friend
Bailey?”

She’d laughed it all off, but refrained from
putting on mascara and blush until now, when she boarded the
subway. Clay had called and asked her to go out for a drink after
the meeting. He told her he expected good news, and he was going
to get it. After a long night of soul searching, she’d finally
decided to give her relationship with him a real shot.

As she rode to his office, she thought about
her decision. It scared her to think of what she was going to
commit to, but he was right: this back and forth wasn’t working.
And she’d meant what she said about liking him—a lot. She arrived
at his building in fifteen minutes. Her heart started to beat
faster as she rode the elevator.

When she reached the doorway to his office,
she found him standing by the sideboard, sipping coffee and talking
to a woman Bailey had met when she was here once before. He wore a
beautiful heather brown suit today with a beige shirt and paisley
tie. He looked wonderful. When he caught sight of her, his amber
eyes lit. “Hello, Street Angel.” He turned to the woman. “Thanks,
Mary. That’s all. You can leave at your usual time.”

“Thanks, Clay.” The woman nodded politely to
Bailey, but gave her a cold glare before she left. No surprise
there. His staff all probably hated her.

Bailey came farther into the room. “Hello,
Senator.”

“Ms. O’Neil.” His gaze cruised down her body.
“Did you do this on purpose?”

“What?”

“Wear that thing?”

“On purpose?”

“To drive me to distraction.”

She chuckled. “Now there’s a thought. But no,
I just wore it.”

He angled his head.

“For you.”

“Does that mean you have good news for
me?”

“Maybe.”

“You’d better sit at the end of the table,
then.”

She batted her eyelashes. “Why?”

“You know damn well why.”

“All right.” She smiled and sat. “You can
serve me coffee.”

He brought her a mug and took a chair a few
seats down from her. “How are you?”

“Fine. What will we do in the committee
today?”

“Go over your lists and Sister Marion’s. Then
I think Ned’s gathered some information on the GGs.” He glanced at
his watch. “We should be done by four.”

“Hmm."

“Where’s s Rory?”

“Aidan has him.”

He rubbed his jaw; up close, she could see a
bit of bruising by his mouth. “How is Aidan?”

“He’s sorry he hit you. But he’s still wary
about our relationship.”

“I can win him over.”

“Maybe. Of everybody, Aidan’s the least
protective.”

Clay touched his jaw again. “God forbid I
have a run-in with the others.”