Page 7 of Kissing Kayley
“I went James Bond on a perp and got stabbed.”
I didn’t know why that made me laugh. Maybe it was his playful smirk. “You’re not scared to be in a relationship with the little sister of the First Spouse?”
“Frankly, I’d be more scared if itdoesn’twork out and I piss off the viciously overprotective and well-connected First Spouse. I would prefer not being assigned to Alaska or Antarctica, thank you very much.”
“Do they have Secret Service in Antarctica?”
Vic snorted. “Does it matter? Have youmetyour brother? I’m certain his husband would happily create a special position just for me. Protecting penguin counters, or some shit like that.”
I snickered. “Fair point.”
My fingers moved from his arm and traced through the thin whorls of dark hair dusting his pecs. “I guess you know about Jordan, right?”
He slowly nodded. “I do, but confidentiality means I keep my mouth shut.”
“Leo asked me to play beard for Jordan while we’re here.”
“I am aware of that.”
“Will it bother you?” I asked.
“Should it? I mean, Jordan’s gay. I understand why Leo would arrange things this way to protect all of you.”
My fingers continued exploring. “Technically, isn’t tonight violating the whole conflict of interest issue?”
“No, because I’m part of the advance team and not specifically assigned to your detail. They put me where they need me.”
“Think you can get yourself put in my bed every night while we’re here?”
His chuckle rumbled through me. “I think that’s up to your brother.”
“If I can make it happen?” I asked.
“Then I will probably enjoy this assignment more than any other in my entire career.”
CHAPTER 3
Victor
Three years later
Hooking up with Kayley at Yellowstone had certainly been unexpected but saying yes to her proposition turned out to be the best decision I’d ever made in my life.
We’d spent every night together while we were in Yellowstone and, somehow, Leo had my schedule changed for me to fly out to California with her when she returned home—with me being off-duty and available to have fun—and I’d spent several days of desperately needed time off at her house, where we’d gotten to know each other better.
Boy, did we.
From that point on, my life oddly and lurchingly revolved around two distinct and yet slightly conflicting axes: my career, and Dr. Kayley Daphine Cruz.
The little sister to the First Gentleman.
From that first and completely unexpected night in Yellowstone, the two of us quickly developed a mutually satisfying relationship that just… worked.
We grabbed a weekend here, a few nights there, whatever our schedules and logistics allowed. I always paid my own way though, because I didn’t want there to be any perceived conflicts should the news of our relationship go public. We texted and talked nearly every day, with video calls several times a week.
I delayed my retirement plans because Kayley quit seeing patients and accepted a teaching position at UCLA a year after we started dating, while I was promoted to more White House and VPOTUS duties, frequently acting as second in command for daily details instead of being assigned to advance teams as VPOTUS’ campaign to take Elliot’s place gained steam.
But Kayley’s teaching schedule filled much of her time, as did her research for a book she was writing, meaning her free time was limited even more than before. So she encouraged me to continue working if I wanted to. Not in a passive-aggressive way, either.
