She nodded. “It only seemed like we were moving in slow motion when in actuality everything happened pretty quickly.”
“Exactly. Uh, what story did you concoct for the rest of the group?”
“The truth…to a point.” She tightened her arms around her legs. “There’s no reason to lie when you don’t have to. Roman simply told the two in his raft that the congressman ran into a little trouble but everything was fine. I elaborated when Liam Kennedy pressed for details, described how Walton’s leg got caught in some rocks, and you jumped in to free him. I kept the part about him being underwater to myself.”
“Impressive.”
“Hey, I’m excellent at my job, which is to make Walton look good. I probably don’t have to tell you what a forthright guy he is. An admirable quality, but sometimes he doesn’t think about how his words or actions might be taken, despite his best intentions. I’m here to avoid trouble whenever possible and fix problems when they happen. I also coordinate all his travel plans.”
Sawyer snorted. “How anyone can enjoy being in the public eye the way he is on a daily basis is beyond me.”
“Walton puts up with all the hoopla and negativity that comes with his job because he honestly believes he can make a difference…and maybe heal the divisiveness that’s so rampant in our government.” She lifted one shoulder. “An Independent candidate might be the only hope we have of settling the strife.”
“You could be right.” He rubbed a big hand up and down her back. “Seems like you’ve taken a major portion of his stress upon yourself. Why?”
Ripples of sensation inched along her spine. She fought the need to lean into him for about ten whole seconds before giving in. When her head settled against his shoulder, he wrapped an arm around her to tug her closer still.
“Remember how I told you the congressman and I met by chance?” At his nod, she continued, “Washington, DC and politics was never even remotely on my radar. Art has always been my thing, which is why I can appreciate those little gnomes you carve.”
His chin came to rest atop her head as his hand cupped her hip through the long T-shirt she wore. “Do you paint or sculpt or use some other medium?”
“I paint—but only for my own amusement. I’m not very good.”
His hand squeezed. “Who says?”
“Everyone who’s seen my work.” She grinned. “I don’t take offense since I’m well aware I suck.”
“I don’t know if I could be that blasé about someone insulting my art.”
“That’s because your work is good. Better than good. Exceptional. Unique.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I want to hear your story from start to finish. First, though, let’s get better situated.”
She tilted her chin to glance up at him. The light from the campfire still burning in the rock ring beyond the tent cast his face in shadows, highlighting the planes and angles. “You aren’t comfortable?”
“There’s comfortable, and then there’s snug and cozy.” Turning, he pulled her big bag of clothes directly behind him and, with a couple of contortionist movements in the small space, shifted her to sit between his legs. When she leaned back against his chest, he settled in and wrapped his arms around her. “There, much better.”
She couldn’t argue with that. If she were any cozier, it’d probably be illegal. The scent of fresh air and something woodsy that was his alone surrounded her. In contrast to the soft pad and sleeping bag beneath her, his chest and arms and thighs were all hard with muscle in a good way as he held her tight. She shifted back even farther, to the realization that his muscles weren’t the only thing hard.
“Um, you’re sure you want to talk?”
His arms squeezed. “I do. This is first and foremost a getting to know each other better session.”
The spark of warmth deep in her chest burned a little brighter. “You really are a nice guy. Thoughtful and considerate.”
“I’m a peach.” His words held an ironic twist. “So, after you determined you weren’t destined to be the next Picasso, then what?”
“I love being around beautiful things, so after college, where I majored in art history, I went to work in a museum. This was while I was still living in New York. Needless to say, as a complete newbie, I was on the very bottom rung of the ladder. A glorified gofer.” She sighed. “Barely scrapping by doesn’t begin to cover my financial situation in a place as expensive as Manhattan, so when Ainslee moved to the city to take a teaching position, I welcomed her as a roommate.”
“Sounds like you made your position work.”
She nodded, and her head brushed against his chin. “I was managing just fine until my immediate supervisor left to have a baby. Her replacement was a total jerk.”
“If you tell me he hit on you—”
“She took an instant dislike to me. Probably because I was smarter and more competent than she was.”
“And prettier.” His breath whispered across her ear as he dropped a kiss against her temple.”
A shiver worked through her, and she squirmed against him. “That, too. Anyway, the museum hosted a week-long, western-themed exhibit, and one of the artists featured in the show was an old friend of Walton’s. He and his wife showed up for the very select opening night party—except Lana the lame brain screwed up the works and forgot to confirm with the caterer.”
“So, you were stuck with a bunch of VIPs and no food?”
She smiled. “Worse. No booze.”
Laughter shook his chest. “Much worse. Did your supervisor get the ax?”
“Here’s where the story gets really good.” Devin gritted her teeth. “Lana blamed me for the mix-up. Told the powers that be she’d been trying her best to delegate more responsibility to me. What a crock!” She heaved out a breath. “I called a caterer I knew, the sister of the guy I was dating at the time, and begged her to bail us out. Ally came through with style, using food she’d prepared for another event scheduled the following day and her backup stock of alcohol. Of course that meant the two of us stayed up the rest of the night cooking our brains out to replenish her pantry.”
“Sounds like it pays to know the right people.”
“You bet it does, but do you know what?”
“Do tell.”
She couldn’t hold back a smile. “Most of the guests were late arriving and didn’t even realize a major disaster had been avoided.”
“How does Walton play into this admittedly fascinating but lengthy tale?”
She smacked his arm. “Hey, you’re the one who wanted to talk. As it happens, the congressman overheard me telling the real story to Ally, who by the way, is still a friend of mine even though I ditched her brother. She got all the brains in that family.”
He choked on a laugh. “If we end up dating for any length of time, do I need to provide you with a notarized copy of my SAT scores? They were pretty damn high. I’d even be willing to take an IQ test to prove I’m not an idiot.”
She grinned in the dark. “Since I seem to be drawn to good-looking men who aren’t necessarily the brightest bulbs in the pack, stellar SAT scores would definitely be a point in your favor.”
“Gee, thanks.” His voice dripped sarcasm. “Back to Walton…”
“Oh, he offered me a job on