Page 129 of Power
“Are you going to go out and meet Bennett?”
“Sure am, but you go ahead, I’ll get there.”
I give May a hug before running out to greet my man. Emily and I stand at a safe distance and watch as the door opens and Mark jumps out of the helicopter first. A slew of his Secret Service guys all follow and yell some instructions to Bennett.
Emily and I are standing back, waiting for him. The moment he’s out of the helicopter, Emily breaks out of my arms and runs up to him, throwing her arms around him. Bennett gives her a hug and says something. I can see the massive smile on her face as she nods, looks up at him, and responds to whatever he’s said.
Bennett lifts his gaze to look at me and smiles. He straightens and offers his hand to Emily, who happily takes it and walks alongside of him.
“If he didn’t mean what he said, he wouldn’t be here,” May says as she stands beside me.
“Any idea how he found me?”
May cheekily shrugs. “I have no idea, maybe he’s psychic.”
Bennett hasn’t torn his eyes off of me as he gets closer to me. My breath catches as I watch his tall, suited frame walk toward me. He’s truly a sexy, well-dressed man. Damn.
The moment he’s in front of me, his steely gaze locks in on me. He winks at me and turns to May. “You must be the infamous May. It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” He holds his hand out for her to take.
May carefully casts a suspicious eye over him. She looks around her farm, then returns her attention to Bennett. “You didn’t scare my chickens.”
“No, ma’am. I’m far too scared of you to frighten your chickens.”
May looks between us and offers him a nod. “You did good,” she says to Bennett. “Emily, can you help me inside please?”
“Sure.” Emily and May walk toward the house, leaving Bennett and me alone. Well, as alone as we can be with his team of Secret Service agents scattered around me.
“I watched your press conference.”
Bennett steps closer to me. “I meant every single word, Reece. I’ve only loved two women in my life, and I’m totally crazy for you.” He lifts his hands and gently cups my face. “I was a complete ass who panicked when it all got too real, but I’m also a man who can admit to his mistakes. I want you in my arms, and in my bed for the rest of my life.”
My heart is beating rapidly as my pulse quickens and my palms sweat. God, I want to kiss him, but he has to work for it. I take a step backward and shake my head. “I don’t know, Bennett. Why should you get my vote and not the other guy?”
He tilts his head slightly to the side and shoves his hands in his perfectly snug suit pants. Bennett begins to pace back and forth, a small smirk present. “I hear the other guy isn’t so nice.”
“You gotta do better than that. What will you offer me? What’s the plan if I select you rather than the other guy?”
“Hmmm.” He stops walking and taps his fingertip to his bottom lip. Damn, his mouth is delicious. “First of all, I’ll be able to offer you stability and security.”
“Meh.” I shrug dramatically. “I can provide for myself. I don’t needa man to do that. If that’s all you have...well...”
He turns to look at me with wide eyes. “Now, hang on a moment, woman.” Woman?Really? “You may not need me, but I need you.”
I want to run into his arms, but he still needs to work for it. “That’s a start, I guess.” I feign disinterest by looking down at my nails. “What else have you got to offer?”
“Nothing more than my love.” I lift my chin to look at him. “All I can tell you is that we’re going to be thrust into the eye of every camera in the world. They’re going to scrutinize everything about you, and me, and us,” his voice darkens; it’s not as carefree as it was a moment ago. “They’re going to say horrible things about you and me. We’ll forever be in the public eye, and we’re going to have every religious organization come at us for an array of reasons. But I want you to know this...” He moves to take me in his arms. “I won’t live another moment without you in my life.”
“Bennett...”
“I made a decision on the way out here.”
“What is it?” I lift my head to look up into his dark, seductive eyes.
“I’m resigning. I don’t want this if I can’t have you in my life.”
There’s a heaviness in my stomach, weighing me down. “You can’t do that, Bennett.”
“The only way I stay in office is if you’re with me. I can’t do my job effectively if I don’t have you standing by my side.”
