Page 57 of Crazy Rich Cajuns

He laughed.“That obvious?”

“Just because you’re at this party,” she said.“I should have known.You a senator from Georgia or something?”Maybe he could introduce her to some influencers in Louisiana.

Kennedy frowned at that stray thought.Why did she want to meet politicians from Louisiana?That was Bennett’s thing.Her thing could be baking him a cake with a file in it if he ended up in the slammer.And conjugal visits.Because as creepy asthatwhole idea was, the guy who wasbuilding a freaking islandto protect her home deserved some hot, rowdy, jailhouse sex.

“I’m…not,” Charles said.

“Just tell her,” Teddy said, with a chuckle.

“Tell me what?”Kennedy asked.

“I didn’t want to get into it.I wanted to hear your honest opinions without you knowing,” Charles told her.

“Without me knowingwhat?”Kennedy insisted.

“What I do for a living.”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Kennedy said with an eye-roll.“What the fuck, Charles?Just tell me.”

“I’m the Governor of Louisiana.”

Kennedy stared at him, letting those words roll around in her head.He was the what?Of what?

“You’re the governor,” she repeated.

“Yes.”

“Mygovernor.”

“Yep.”

Kennedy regarded the man who was seriously a really good Flip Cup player.“No shit,” she finally said.

“Seriously.”

“You’re kind of far from home, aren’t you?”

He nodded.“I’ve known Preston since I was in law school and attended a guest lecture he did.I’m here as a personal friend tonight.In part because Bennett is pissed at me and isn’t speaking to me right now.”

She frowned at him.“So you’re the one who isn’t approving Bennett building that island?You’rethe one that might put him in jail?”

Charles’ eyes widened.“Well, um…” He cleared his throat.“I’m not going to put Bennett in jail.But I was hoping to talk him into slowing things down a little.”He looked at her with a small smile.“I don’t think that’s going to happen, though, now that I’ve met you.”

“You came out here to play a drinking game with me, hoping to bond with me and butter me up and get me to intervene with Bennett?”she asked.“That’s not cool.”

“I will admit the thought crossed my mind,” Charles said.“But it became quickly clear that you were not going to be an ally for me.”

“You’ve got that right,” she told him.“I don’t think I’m the right girl to talk to about slowing things down and making sure all the Ts are crossed.”

“No,” Charles agreed.“Definitely not an ally for me.”He grinned at her.“Because you’re very clearly the perfect ally for Bennett.”

Kennedy felt a little squeeze in her chest.An ally for Bennett.She liked that.

Bennett Baxter was areallygood guy.And now she knew that he was more than a nerdy, scientist-wannabe who couldn’t even keep his footing in the bayou he was trying to save.She’d seen him fall in that beloved, dirty water more times than she could count.No, that wasn’t true.Nine.She’d seen him fall in the bayou nine times.But she’d thought he was pretty cute even then.Hell, when he’d stripped his shirt off to help put the new dock in, she’d almost tripped over her own tongue.

And now she knew he wasn’t just playing around on the airboats for fun.He was literally putting his knowledge and money and influence to work.He was willing to take personal and professional risks to save that bayou.Yeah, that was all really hot.She wasn’t sure she’d ever truly been turned on by a man’s mind and power before.

Bennett Baxter was definitely on a whole other level, and she was finally able to admit that she was a little intimidated by him and the things he knew and did that she had no clue about.

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