Smoke and Sin (The Perfect Gentlemen 4)

The trouble was Mad had truly become her friend, too. He was the only one of her brother’s friends who had. Mad was special, and not because they’d so briefly had sex in high school. Mad reminded her so much of herself sometimes that it felt like looking into a mirror.

If only she could have fallen in love with him.

“It’s not a scheme.” He stepped close, tangling his fingers with hers. The saddest look crept across his face. “You need someone to help you out with the baby. I need purpose in my life because let me tell you, the days are getting long and the nights are even longer. I might be a crappy role model, but I promise I’ll try. Come to New York and we’ll do what Zack and Roman are doing. We’ll build something together.”

She shook her head, her heart so full. Why did everyone see him as some soulless party machine? Mad was one of the best men she’d ever met. What Roman hadn’t managed with his rejection, Mad was doing with his sweet offer. Tears rolled down her cheeks because at least someone cared about her. Which was precisely why she couldn’t take him up on it. “Mad, you’re going to fall in love one day and I won’t be the woman who keeps you from her.”

Because no matter what anyone said about him, Mad would be faithful to his wife. If he had a family, it would take something terrible to make him break those vows.

He shook his head. “No. I fell in love once and I wasn’t good enough for her.”

“Sara was young back then.” She knew all about the summer he’d spent trying to get Gabe Bond’s sister to notice him. She also thought Sara had been too immature to see what Mad could offer. Or maybe too afraid to believe that sometimes love was worth the risk. “You don’t know that she won’t come around.”

“Nah, she’ll marry some nice guy with a nice job,” he replied casually. “I’ll be the dirty boy she kissed once and was smart enough to tell to go to hell. She told me I was the devil, believe it or not. So what do you say? I think we should just fuck ’em all. Let’s show them how two badasses do life.”

That was Mad. Arrogant. Sweet. Rebellious. Loving.

She couldn’t let him do it. And she couldn’t marry another man when Roman the bastard was still in her heart. Sadly, he might always be.

A pain low in her body started stabbing in earnest. Damn it. She was going to be sore in the morning. At least she hoped that was all. She should have been more careful, but she’d been so angry, and when she’d realized Roman was behind her, she’d lashed out.

“Gus?” Mad had gone pale.

She straightened up, forcing her shoulders back and her head high. It was time to go home and cozy up to ice cream, lay down and take care of herself and her baby. Tomorrow she would face a world without Roman. She could do it. She was strong. She would do whatever necessary to protect herself and her child.

Then the world seemed to tilt, her equilibrium shifting. She felt nauseous. Maybe she should sit down.

“Gus, baby, you’re bleeding. I have to get you to a hospital.”

One minute she was thinking about how strong she was and the next, Mad was lifting her up and shoving her in his car.

She was bleeding? The world was spinning. And all she could think about was that if she lost this baby, she’d be utterly and completely alone.

She could hear Mad’s voice from seemingly far away, telling her everything would be all right.

But it wouldn’t. As she passed out, all she wanted was to hear Roman’s voice, to feel his hand in hers.

But she feared in her heart that she never would again.

CHAPTER ONE

Air Force Two

Somewhere over Canada

Augustine Spencer glanced out the window. No lights sparkled from this altitude, high above the cloud cover. Only inky blackness stretched across the sky. In a few hours the sun would rise, and they would be in London. She hoped the new day would illuminate everything necessary. But for now, she found comfort in the shrouding darkness. In it, she could feel without prying eyes. And in it, she could plot her next move because she had a job to do and she wouldn’t allow anything or anyone to stop her.

Not even Roman Calder.

“Is this seat taken?”

She glanced up to find Connor Sparks standing over her. Ah, the most dangerous of the Perfect Gentlemen, as her brother and his besties had become known. Not that they would ever call themselves anything so silly as BFFs, but that’s what they were. If pressed, they might call themselves bros for life or something they’d deem appropriately masculine. They certainly believed in bros before ’hos.

Or they had until recently.

“I don’t think I can stop you,” she answered with what she hoped was a magnanimous smile.

Connor sank down beside her, an earnest expression on his face. It wasn’t a look she normally saw the former CIA agent wear. “All you have to do is tell me to go and I will. I hope you won’t though. I’d like to talk to you about something.”

Damn it. Whatever Connor had to say would almost certainly be about Roman. “Now that you’re working for Zack, I’m sure you have more than a few things to say.”

And she would take whatever shit Connor or his pals dished out because she couldn’t afford to get fired now. She was so close to the truth.

“It’s about Lara.”

The unexpected topic made her sit up slightly, though she tried not to betray how much he’d surprised her. Lara Armstrong Sparks was Connor’s new bride. She was vibrant and adorable, if a bit of a naive crusader. At least that had been Gus’s first impression of the girl. Instantly, she’d wanted to wrap Lara up so she couldn’t get brutalized by the real, cold world. Gus had been skeptical the brunette would actually find her happy ending. But maybe she’d underestimated Connor’s bookish wife. So far, this little Belle seemed to have tamed her dangerous Beast of a husband.

Under Connor’s watchful eye, Gus glanced over to find Lara in one of the seats typically used by the aides, all curled up with a blanket, eyes closed.

“Why didn’t she use the suite?” Air Force Two was smaller but still had the trappings of a luxury jet. This particular modified 747 had a presidential suite located under the cockpit, where the president and First Lady would shower, dress, and sleep—even hit the small gym, if they were so inclined. “Zack’s not here, and Roman never sleeps anyway. I’m fairly certain he made a deal with the devil for that advantage.”

Connor flushed slightly. “She thinks it’s wrong that the aides are forced to sleep in their seats while the president of the United States slumbers in luxury at the taxpayers’ expense. So she’s sleeping upright and hunched over in solidarity with the working man.”

Gus had to smile. Some of those aides came from the wealthiest families in the world. Oh, many of them were super-hard workers, but they were also the elite of the elite.

And Lara Sparks thought she would stand up for their rights. Sheltered little girl.

But even if Lara’s protest was a bit silly, nothing in the world softened Gus up quite like the underdog or someone willing to stand up for them. “Good for her. It’s refreshing to see someone give a damn about something other than politics around here.”

“My wife is different. She genuinely cares, but she hasn’t figured out that the world doesn’t work the way she wants it to. I know I should have left her at home, but she wanted to come with me and I…”

“Couldn’t say no.” She felt her lips tug up into a smile. The mighty Connor Sparks had been felled by a quirky, big-hearted girl. It was almost too much to fathom…and yet from what Gus had seen, they were perfect together. Balanced each other. Deep down, she was a bit envious.

Then she realized why Connor Sparks was probably sitting in front of her. Why he would take time from his solemn duty to talk to her. He was warning her off his wife. “Well, I hope you both have fun in London. I’ve got a crazy schedule, so I won’t have much time to socialize. You don’t have to worry about me.”

His intentions bothered her more than she’d imagined. Hurt

, actually. She’d grown up with Connor. He’d always been Dax’s best of the besties. Then again, she’d also drifted away from everyone but Mad after… Well, after Roman.

In fact, she’d surprised herself by taking the job with the White House. Sure, she’d helped with the campaign. But when she’d been offered the position as second in command at the press office—working so closely beside Roman—her first thought had been to tell Zack to fuck himself, then suggest he fuck Roman, too. But they had been way too smart to ask her themselves. No, the bastards had sent Joy, knowing that Gus had never, ever been able to say no to her sweet friend. Joy, one of her best friends. Joy, who would have been First Lady if she hadn’t been killed. Joy, whom she suspected Roman had truly loved.