Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 87(@200wpm)___ 70(@250wpm)___ 58(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 87(@200wpm)___ 70(@250wpm)___ 58(@300wpm)
We still stood too close. The brush of his hip against my soft cock had lit me up inside, and my body trembled with a familiar urge to touch him. My urge to comfort him, to distract him from his pain, was too strong to hold out much longer. “I think they took advantage of you in a moment of…”
“Weakness,” he spat. “Go ahead and say it. Everyone claimed my lack of military experience would be my downfall, and look what happened. They were right.”
“They were wrong,” I gritted out. “You’re the smartest person in that room, sir. And they all know it. But you’re also respectful of each team member’s own expertise. It was their responsibility to bring that expertise to bear and counsel you appropriately in a timely manner. They failed.”
“The buck stops here, Commander,” he muttered, seeming to deflate right in front of me.
“With all due respect, Mr. President, spare me the Trumanesque bullshit. Those Marines’ deaths were avoidable, but the mission they participated in wasn’t. They—and you—helped save the oppression of thousands of innocent people by stopping those rebels. If you’re going to assign blame, then you’d better assign credit too.”
He studied me, green eyes raking over my face. “Since when do you eschew opinions, Commander Harper?”
I considered keeping my mouth shut. I’d already said way too much.
When my voice came out, it was barely audible. “Since I can’t stand seeing you in pain.”
CHAPTER SIX
GARNER
It wasn’t the first time I’d felt this incredible, thick tension crackle between the two of us. I remembered the night of my first inauguration when I’d awoken to see him carefully removing my shoes. He’d always been a gentle giant, but seeing him folded up at my feet, taking special care not to wake me, had reminded me just how sweet he could be.
Not once had he balked at being my personal aide, at having to deal with small, demeaning, or petty jobs, and he’d always done it with a respectful acceptance. Sometimes it had even seemed like an honor, like having to remove dirty lunch dishes from the corner of my desk was laudable and virtuous.
Kenan never acted like he was beneath the job.
Two months into my first term, he’d been standing behind me in the Situation Room while I’d been in tense discussions with several foreign governments over a piracy issue in the Gulf of Aden. I’d caught a terrible cold, and Kenan’s job was to be on hand to make sure I had tissues, cough drops, remembered to take my medicine, etc.
Although he obviously hadn’t been in uniform, one of the high-ranking military members in the meeting had recognized him when he’d entered the room after a break. Rear Admiral Acosta hadn’t realized I was entering the room behind him after a quick trip to the men’s room.
“Commander Harper,” he’d said with a smirk. “I’d heard you’d taken a role here at the White House, but I didn’t realize it was as an errand boy. Is that truly what you left the Navy for?”
Kenan had looked the man up and down before calmly addressing him. “Admiral Acosta, sir. Good to see you. In answer to your question, no. It isn’t what I left the Navy for, but it is my utmost honor to serve this president in any way that makes his job to our nation run more smoothly. I would imagine you feel the same way. Sir.”
I’d bit my lip against a smile. He’d looked so stoic, so completely unruffled, that I’d wanted to kiss him full on the lips just to see if I could get the man’s incessant neutral expression to crack.
The rear admiral had muttered something that sounded like reluctant agreement, and then I’d clapped the man on the shoulder.
“Appreciate it, Admiral Acosta. I’m happy to take all the help I can get.”
Instead of coughing my germs into his face like I’d wanted, I’d stepped back and moved closer to Kenan before lowering my voice just enough that it sounded private, but Rear Admiral Acosta could still hear me. “Commander Harper, someone from the NSA is going to deliver that global cryptography report later today. I told them to make sure it’s delivered directly to you. I’d like to review it this evening after dinner, and I’d like your expertise if you don’t mind.”
“Yes, sir. Of course.”
His eyes sparkled, and a muscle had flexed in his jaw, which had been the closest he came to expressing emotion in a room filled with important people.
It hadn’t been much, but I’d hoped it had been a reminder to this military blowhard that Commander Kenan Harper was more than a lackey. He’d been a highly respected cryptologic warfare officer in the US Navy. And he was now one of the men seated closest to the top of the US military.