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"I didn’t want to sleep with you"

"Right," he said, ignoring her stateht?"

"No, I wasn’t aware Senator Maxwell had an event on Hilton Head this weekend," she lied fluidly Liz knew that it sounded odd that she would be here and not know about the event, but she couldn’t tell him she had flon to be here for it That would be evenwith souess"

"Well, you should crash the party Brady has a hot date You could be

All of the wind rushed out of her lungs at once Brady had a hot date She knew he had dinner and drinks tonight, but he hadn’t o out with so worked up over this after Hayden had kissed her, but she hadn’t gone into that situation thinking anything would happen Could Brady be thinking the sa?

She tried to compose herself, but it was not without difficulty

"You’re not bringing your girlfriend?" Liz asked, her voice tight with e to have to pass," she said, realizing how close she was to accepting the invitation just to see whom Brady would shoith

His blond hair blew across his forehead in the breeze, and his blue eyes looked down into hers as if he were trying to persuade her with one look

Liz shook her head, her heart beating fiercely in her chest Brady had a date and his brother was trying to seduce her Why wasn’t Brady the one after her? Where the hell was he anyway? And why had he stood her up last night?

"I appreciate the offer, but you have explicit instructions froirlfriend not to sleep with ood idea Good-bye, Clay," Liz said, ht to walk around him

His hand reached out and touched her wrist "You know, I did listen to Brady’s speech after we talked" He stared at her very intently, all of the hu his eyes "And I still think you’re wrong He only cares about the ca I know that he’ll do whatever it takes to get there, and I’hly otherwise…"

Chapter 28

WHETHER OR NOT

Liz hurried back to the Sonesta Resort, eager to be away fro he wanted was for her to be seen, and she’d ended up running into his brother She didn’t knohether Clay would divulge that he had seen her after she had turned hiain, but she wouldn’t put it past him

And now all she had left to do was sit and stew over the fact that Clay had told her that Brady had a date for the dinner tonight He had a date, and he had invited Liz all the way out here She knew that she couldn’t go to the event with him, not after the bloith Heather, but still it hurt

Would there always be someone else whom they could be more public with than each other? Would there always be another person putting a wedge between theether…and couldn’t even tell anyone that they were seeing each other?

Her hands were shaking when she slid the keycard into the lock The door swung open and she stumbled forward into the rooh her body She wished that she could turn it all off and forget how much he meant to her But she couldn’t

Her actions may have been reckless in DC, but it was hardly different fro wo hi people stand in her place It felt wrong

They needed to figure this out And having Clay’s words echoing in her ears wasn’t helping hly otherwise Had Brady just convinced her to do what he wanted?

Clay sure seeed so much this summer She hardly even remembered what she had written in her article that was so vile She didn’t reme for running for office Had he warped her viewpoint so much?

Liz reached for her laptop and pulled up the first article she had written about Brady Her head pounded as she read her rather cruel recount of Brady’s announceiven Liz the grade she did The paper had been popular for Brady’s picture Her article was less than stellar, and actually rather mean She couldn’t believe that she had written that Brady was power hungry, with money as his only interest

She shook her head and flipped to the next article about Brady just as her phone blasted loudly through the room Liz jumped and hurtled toward her purse

Please be Brady!

Liz flipped on her phone and answered "Hello?"

"Hey, Liz," Hayden said

She bit her lip and all the adrenaline released from her body Not Brady

"Hayden, how are you?" she asked

"Good Though I’ve beenback a smile "How do you have the time at that busy job of yours?"

"I always seehtly despite herself She didn’t knohen Brady was going to co pretty down on herself and the whole stupid trip, and here Hayden was calling when she needed so with good news"

"Yeah? What happened?" Liz asked, wandering into the bedroo into the co this weekend She told you about that, right?"

"Yeah, she did"