Smoke and Sin (The Perfect Gentlemen 4)

He had no doubt Gus was with Liz. If Liz was stuck and miserable, then Gus would be right beside her, plotting workarounds and revenge.

“Sure they did. It was all coincidence,” Zack complained. “Now they’ve moved to the theater room. Apparently one of my Secret Service guys got an early Blu-ray of that thing all the girls want to watch. Do you think that was coincidental, too?”

So Gus was sitting in a cozy, dark room with the man of her choice, watching a film that had been dubbed by some critics as a bare step above porn. His first instinct was to stride right in that room and drag her the hell out.

But under what pretext? She’d followed his rules. She was safe and sound right where he’d left her, while he’d done exactly what she’d accused him of doing the night before: dating someone else. Of course, he hadn’t considered it a date, but after careful reflection and numerous attempts at evading Darcy’s grabby hands, he realized Gus had a point.

Did he have any right to barge in and interrupt her? That was his instinct, urged on by his hunger to possess her. Roman wanted her away from Kemp right now so he could set firm boundaries…and have her all to himself. But what would that accomplish except pissing her off, especially since he couldn’t offer her anything more than his devotion in bed? Even that was dangerous until he, Zack, and the others figured out what complicated web of international espionage they were embroiled in.

And if they did put an end to the suspense and murder? What could he offer Gus then, besides great sex when she wanted some? He couldn’t see them working long term. What had changed? Sure, they were older. But wiser? He wasn’t convinced. They were still incendiary, still prone to argue as much as fuck.

He didn’t know if he could live like that.

“What’s going on in that brain of yours, Roman?” Zack tugged at his bowtie as they were ushered into the house.

He knew what should be going on—the negotiations that would begin tomorrow. He should be plotting and maneuvering, doing his utmost to make the absolute best deal possible. He needed to go over the plans for a transatlantic pipeline that could mean billions for the US and be a nice chunk of Zack’s enduring legacy.

Instead he was thinking about a woman.

“Maybe we should leave Liz and Gus in peace.” Roman wasn’t sure he could handle it if she looked at him again like he was a monster.

Yeah, and maybe you’re being a coward.

Zack glanced at the stairs that led to the recreation rooms, and his jaw firmed. “I think I would like to see that film.”

“The only thing you’re going to accomplish is to rile her more. Unless you’re willing to truly talk to her, tell her what’s going on, you should leave her alone.”

Zack turned, his eyes heated. “What are you trying to say? You think I should walk away and let her revenge fuck a glorified security guard assigned to my detail?”

“He’s hardly a security guard who’d be working the local mall. He’s a Secret Service agent, and I seriously doubt it would be a revenge fuck. That’s not Liz’s style.” But he might not say the same thing of Gus. She was more than capable of extracting her pound of flesh, and if she found the experience pleasurable, so much the better.

He and Gus were so very alike.

“I don’t give a damn. I won’t have it. She needs to trust me.” Eschewing all further conversation, he started up the stairs.

Roman hesitated. What should he do? Would Gus be any less annoyed with him if he gave her space tonight? Or would he simply be crushed if he woke to discover that she hadn’t slept alone the night before?

He stood there, feeling paralyzed. Finally, he realized that he had no idea how to handle Gus. He never had. Was it even possible to handle her? How wise was it to try? How stupid was it not to?

Maybe the better question was, did he intend to simply stand by and watch her play around with some younger guy?

Hell, no. But even if he and Gus really tried to make a go of it, even if they could make it work, how did he commit? Roman wasn’t sure what he would be doing in a few years. Sure, he would throw himself into Zack’s reelection campaign, followed hopefully by a second term…and then what? After Zack left office, Roman would be closing in on fifty with no job. Sure, he’d have achieved all his goals, but he had no idea where life would take him next. Or where he’d want to go.

On the other hand, did he want to be that sad fuck who had sacrificed any shred of a personal life to make his professional dreams a reality? The older he got, the more he thought about family, about a wife and kids, about a future that wasn’t purely political. He’d always thought of those guys as dumb fuckers with kids hanging all over them. Now… Connor and Lara were actively trying to get pregnant, and he suspected Gabe and Everly wouldn’t be far behind. Dax was already talking about having a family with Holland. Hell, even though Mad wasn’t with them anymore, he’d have a kid running around in the world soon.

Did he really want to spend his entire life clawing his way through politics, assuring Zack’s presidential legacy while leaving nothing personal as his own?

The question slammed him between the eyes.

Roman frowned. His child didn’t have to grow up the way he did. He could choose a different path, right? He didn’t have to send his kid away to some boarding school. He could settle down close to his friends and they could be his family of choice. Yeah, that sounded great…but he couldn’t see himself having a family with anyone except the only woman he actually wanted. The one who drove him crazy.

Speaking of Gus, he spotted her sneaking down the stairs. She must have missed Zack as he’d headed up. He almost called out to her, but she stopped to give a worried glance over her shoulder. Even more curiously, she flattened her body against the wall next.

As though trying not to be seen. As though she was up to something.

Roman sidestepped to his left, ducking behind one of the graceful columns that dotted the mansion. She couldn’t see him from this vantage point, but he could watch her through the large mirror on his right.

Maybe she was sneaking back to her room because she was sick of spending all her time with an overly muscled himbo who couldn’t form more than a few sentences without interjecting the word “bro.” If so, he might follow her, see if he could persuade her to talk to him. Not in possessive anger, but to apologize for the night before.

He waited, expecting her to turn down the second floor corridor that led to the wing she shared with Liz, Gabe and Everly, as well as Connor and Lara.

Instead, she looked around carefully before heading down. On light feet, he followed just enough to see her turn again to creep down to the lower level.

Where Matthew Kemp’s room was located.

Fuck. All thoughts of not being a possessive caveman evaporated. What the hell did she think she was doing? He’d turned down a very willing, decent-looking woman earlier because it was the professional thing to do. Also because he wasn’t that into Darcy, and he’d been scared at the thought of how many arms she might have hidden under her clothes. But he was going with the professional argument. He was both good at his job and a patriot, too, damn it.

Roman waited a moment and followed her down, sticking to the side of the staircase where the likelihood of his footsteps causing a telltale creaking was the least. He turned down the hall in time to see her slip into one of the small rooms the agents shared and quietly shut the door behind her. He didn’t remember offhand, but he’d bet that one belonged to Matthew Kemp.

Frozen, he stared at the solid wooden surface. What would happen if he opened it, just barged in and stared? Would he see her in that asshole’s arms, offering up her gorgeous body to a guy who couldn’t possibly appreciate it because he was far too uncomplicated to understand her? Roman had a vision of the jerk kissing her, running his hands all over her bare curves.

Logic and reason flew straight out the window. Rage took over.

He yanked the knob and flung the door wide open, sending it crashing against the wall.

“Augustine!”

He heard her gasp from another part of the room. Not the bathroom, since that was down the hall. No, she was in the closet.

Roman scowled. What the hell was she doing there? A million and one kinky scenarios ran through his head. He wanted to take Kemp apart in numerous and violent ways. He wouldn’t even have to do it himself. His connections were far better than that fucker’s. He could have the agent labeled a traitor and renditioned someplace nasty where he would be tortured by artisans who excelled at their craft. Only the best for Gus’s boy toy. The best waterboarding. The best beatings. The best of everything for his ass.

But in that moment, Roman was looking forward to personally getting his hands on Kemp and making him pay.

He marched to the closet and wrenched the door open to find Gus staring down at her phone. Her face was pale, her eyes a bit wild. He could only guess that her fling of the moment was in the dark corner, waiting for her.

In some ways, that made him even angrier.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Roman damn well knew the answer, but he was going to make her admit out loud that she was seducing Kemp in order to shove a knife in his own back.

And what would he say if she told him she was screwing Kemp because he had a really big dick and was good in bed?

“We need to get out of here.” She shouldered past him, grabbed his arm, and gave him a frantic tug toward the door.

Because Kemp was still in the closest? Roman refused to go anywhere until he said a few words to the asshole. “You’re” and “fired” came to mind. He wouldn’t give a damn about the inevitable lawsuit. He could handle that. He’d gone to Yale Law School, after all. He could certainly fire one dipshit who behaved unprofessionally on a critical visit abroad.

“Kemp, get your ass out here,” he growled.

Gus tugged at him again, putting her whole body into it and clutching her cell with her free hand. “We have to go now!”

Oh, hell no. He wasn’t leaving without letting this prick know the score.

Damn, Roman hated to go into a fight unprepared. What did he know about the guy so he could use the information against him? Sure Kemp had clearance to protect the president, but what if he was part of the deep state? Or a traitor working with a foreign government to bring his own down? Maybe this guy was getting close to Gus because she was Dax’s sister? Yes. That was the way to spin this. Gus was too important to the president to allow her to fall under the influence of someone they couldn’t trust.