Chapter 217

How could I say anything but yes? A thousand times over, yes, yes, yes.

I’ve tried so hard since that first night, sleeping with Miles while thinking him a call boy, to not fall in love with him. Yet, as hard as I tried not to, my heart kept pulling me straight back to him. My love for Miles is so much more than anything I’ve ever felt for anyone.

Hearing him say that it’s the same for him has a warmth blossom in my chest. He makes me whole, filling up those cracks and crevices within me that have been left from years of negligence and neglect.

To Miles, I am his favorite. He would not cherish another the way he does me, as Garnar did my sister. Nor would he neglect me or my children. He already loves my daughters as they love him.

In my heart, we are already bound for life. Adding a ring and a ceremony is only a gesture. Yet, granted, it’s one that makes me very happy.

“I would love to marry you, Miles,” I tell him, tears welling in my eyes.

His eyes widen like he can’t quite believe, which only makes my chest burst with love for him. When he looks at me, he sees someone special and precious. He’s the one running for president, but he acts like I’m the one who hung the moon.

He recovers quickly, though. Bouncing up to his feet, he throws his arms around me and kisses me. I return it greedily, but laugh as his grip tightens around my waist. Soon, I’m being swung around in circles.

Cameras click and flash, blinding me while making me dizzy.

Yet I’ve never been so happy in my life.

Miles and I don’t stay around to answer more questions. Instead, we rush off stage and disappear. Secretly, we take an SUV out back and leave the headquarters.

“I want to be alone with my fiancé,” Miles whispers in my ear while he holds me in the backseat.

I think we might go to my place, or to Miles’s. Instead, he takes me to a familiar fancy hotel. The same one where we spent our first night together.

He already has a key, so he takes me to the elevator and selects a floor. I look at him with suspicion. That’s the same floor as the room we’d spent together that night. Down the hallway, my suspicion blossoms into full-on realization. This is the same room!

“Miles,” I say, chiding lightly, but my laugh takes all of the edge off of it.

“This room has special meaning to me,” he says, opening the door. With his hand on the small of my back, he guides me inside, then closes the door behind us. “This was the place I got to hold the woman of my dreams for the first time.”

Suddenly, it feels vitally important that I say something. Turning to him, I touch his arm and say, “I’m so sorry I didn’t remember you.”

“Why would you?” he asks. “To you, it was just another day. And even then, I could tell that you were disappointed you still hadn’t found your sister.”

“That was unkind of me…”

“You were a teenager, Esther. You wanted to make your parents proud, and save your sister. In doing so, you saved me too, and a bunch of other kids. You have nothing to apologize for, ever. As far as I’m concerned, the world hasn’t done enough to thank you.”

“I don’t know about the world,” I say, “But I feel pretty thanked right now.”

“Oh, yeah?” Miles’s smile widens, as mischief sparks in his eyes. “Just wait.”

With that, his arms slide around me and he kisses me. Unlike the soft kiss at the press conference, this one is immediately urgent and devouring. His lips coax mine open. His tongue plunges deep.

He guides me backwards until the back of my knees hit the mattress. Then he unravels his arms from around my waist to quickly discard my clothing. I help him, and then assist him in removing his.

Soon we are both naked without a stitch of clothing or jewelry between us – except for my new engagement ring.

Miles slides our hands together, then brings up my left hand and kisses the ring.

“I love you, Esther,” he says against the skin of the back of my hand.

“I love you, too, Miles, I reply.

He closes his eyes, as if overwhelmed by emotion. When he opens them again, love and lust burn within them. He pushes me, and I fall back on the bed. I’m not alone for long, as he crawls over me.

My head on the pillow, he lowers himself down over my body, licking and sucking at my breasts, and then my clit, and finally my pussy.

Only after he’s wrung three orgasms out of me does he return to kiss me and suck marks into the side of my neck.

I spread my legs for him, and after aligning himself, he slides into my entrance.

“Miles…” I gasp.

I seek out his hand with mine and we lace our fingers together. I hold on tightly as he rocks into me again and again, driving me once more to the brink of pleasure.

“I love you. Esther, I love you,” he whispers into my ear, a cadence of love that has my heart singing.

Then, all at once, I crash over the edge, dragging him right along with me.

We clutch desperately to each other as we both cry out.

In the afterglow, Miles spoons me, his arms wrapped securely around my waist.

We’re both cooling down, though the sweat clings to our bodies. We’ll need a shower soon. Or perhaps Miles will want another round. He does like to prove his stamina during our nights together.

“I’ve been thinking,” he says, “That we should postpone our wedding until after the election.”

Rolling onto my back, I look up at him. “Oh? The public would eat it up. It might even earn you a few votes.”

“That’s precisely why I don’t want to do it,” Miles says. “We might have shared our engagement with the public, but our wedding? I want that to be just for us.”

“I love you,” I tell him, the words just spilling out of me as if coming straight from my heart.

“You like that idea?” he asks.

I would never think that Miles would only be wanting to use me and our relationship to improve his own rating in the polls, but having the extra confirmation doesn’t hurt.

“I do,” I tell him.

“Then, we’ll wait,” he says. Leaning down, he presses his lips to mine. “But believe you, me, my first order of business as president is going to be making you my wife.”

The next morning, we walking into the campaign headquarters holding hands. The minute we cross the threshold, all of the volunteers and staff stand and applaud us.

Crystal more privately congratulates us, after we’ve retreated into Miles’s office to begin the work day. We might be in love, but there’s still a lot of work to do.

“I suspected, about the two of you,” Crystal says, smiling. “I’m really glad I was right.”

The good cheer doesn’t last forever, unfortunately. Too soon, her expression changes, and Crystal tells us, “Edward has already released his response.”