“I need to get to bed.” Pulling back, I wipe my face one last time before looking back up at Alex. Even with all the tension surrounding his face, he’s still devastatingly handsome. “I’m really sorry I cried all over you. I don’t know what my problem is.” I offer up a weak smile that I know doesn’t reach my eyes. He reaches out and slowly strokes the skin below my eye with his thumb. The intimate gesture is almost my undoing.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks, the worry on his face still firmly in place.

I nod. “Yes, I’m okay. Thank you.” I don’t give him a chance to question me further or to delve into why I’m thanking him. I hop up and make a hasty retreat to the back bedroom. Slowly opening the door, I peak in to see if Cal is awake or not. Like I thought, his soft snores meet my ears telling me he’s sound asleep. Making as little noise as possible, I quickly change into my pajamas and carefully slide into bed. I pull the covers over me and stare up at the ceiling.

What am I going to do? I can’t leave Cal. I would have a long time ago if that were an option, but tonight’s events prove that it can get a whole lot worse. And it is. Then there’s Alex. God, I wanted to tell him so damn bad. Something about him makes me want to confess all of my secrets, sins, and worries. How the hell am I going to stick through this when there’s a man showing me that there’s more to life? My head spins for what feels like hours, but the last thing that I see before I drift off to sleep are a pair of crystal-blue eyes. And I find comfort in them.

THE NEXT MORNING is awkward to say the least. At least for me it is. I do everything in my power to avoid Cal on the bus, always finding a reason to leave the room when he enters it. Unfortunately, there are only so many places to go. At this point, I know Alex has picked up on the tension from me and knows that whatever was bothering me last night directly involves Cal. He thinks I don’t notice, but I see him studying me trying to put the pieces together. I pray he never finds out. I’m ashamed enough as it is.

“Elizabeth,” I hear Cal yelling from the bedroom. A cold chill runs down my spine at having to face him. Reluctantly, I walk down the hall toward the bedroom. When I enter, I raise my eyebrows acknowledging the request of my appearance. I don’t trust my voice not to betray me if I were to speak to him right now.

“Aaron is going to meet us before my interview to run over some things for the remainder of the week.” A nod is my only response before I turn around to leave. “Elizabeth,” Cal says in a stern voice, stopping me in my tracks.

Swallowing hard, I say, “Yes, dear.” I twist my head around to look at him over my shoulder.

“Are you forgetting something?”

Spinning around to face him, I know my face gives away the confusion I feel. He crooks his finger at me, beckoning me to him. Pushing back the memories of last night, I slowly make my way to him. When I’m within his reach, he curls his arm around my back and pulls me up against him harshly. There’s no affection in the way he holds me to him. The smell of his pine cologne, the feel of his body on mine, and the arrogant look on his face causes my stomach to roll in protest. “Don’t I get a kiss this morning?” Mustering up every piece of strength I have, I give him a small peck on the lips without hurling on the spot. I pull away but don’t get far with Cal’s arm still firmly locked around my back. “You better kiss me like you mean it, Elizabeth.” His eyes momentarily flash with the same callous look from last night, but it disappears as quickly as it appeared.

I work hard to hide the revulsion I feel, the way he treated me last night still too fresh in my mind to fake the love and devotion he expects to see from me. Standing on my toes, I lean in to kiss him when I’m met with such force it knocks the air out of me. My eyes widen in surprise as Cal’s tongue plunges into my mouth. There is nothing sweet or loving about this kiss. It’s dominating, controlling, cold.

Cruel.

The type of kiss that feels like a punishment. His lips are hard on mine as he moves his tongue in and out of my mouth in rough strokes. The taste of his morning coffee disgusts me and I have to fight the urge to push him off of me. My hands travel up his arms in a slow caress, hoping if I’m convincing enough, the onslaught will stop. Finally, he pulls away and looks into my eyes. I smile warmly up at him, slipping back into my role as Mrs. Callahan Fitzgerald.

“Now that’s more like it,” he says. I smile coyly at him before turning around to leave the bedroom. Before I make it out, I feel a sharp slap to my ass, which causes me to jump and let out a little yelp. The noise must startle Alex because he comes barreling down the hallway looking like a man on a mission.

Stopping in front of me, he asks, “Everything alright back here?” I notice his eyes never leave mine, as if we’re the only two on the bus and Cal doesn’t exist.

“We’re fine, Mr. Matthews. I would assume my wife and I were allowed to engage in intimacies without running it past you first,” Cal says before I get a chance to respond. His brash response shocks me. It’s very uncharacteristic of him to talk about such a private topic in front of others. Judging by the way Alex’s fists clench and his jaw tightens, he doesn’t like the comment either.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Fitzgerald. I hear her scream and I don’t take any chances.” His features are tight as he looks up at Cal. I hold my breath waiting for this whole exchange to end. With that, Alex glances at me, turns on his heel and heads back to the front of the bus, leaving Cal and I alone again.

“I think that boy has feelings for you.” My head whips around to look at Cal. I’m shocked he’d say such a thing, especially when it’s not true.

“He’s just doing his job. That’s the way he’s programmed. He is here to protect me after all,” I respond, trying to brush the silly notion off. But I can’t help the swarm of butterflies that take flight in my stomach at the thought of it. Alex is such a sweet and caring person. I haven’t known him long, but I know he has a good heart. He’s the type of man every girl grows up wanting to marry. Their one and only. Their prince charming. I learned a long time ago that fairy tales don’t exist though. There’s no prince charming in my future. No knight in shining armor coming to save me from my tower. I’ll be forever trapped in the life that I’m in.

The bus doors open, and that’s when I notice that we’ve stopped. Aaron bounds up the steps effectively saving me from this pointless conversation with Cal.

“Hey, Cal. Are you ready for this interview today?” Aaron asks when we approach. They shake hands before the three of us have a seat at one of the tables on the side of the bus.

“Yes. None of the questions have changed, right?”

“They’re the same ones I sent over to you earlier this week. Have you had time to prepare?”

“Yes, I’ve got all my talking points completely down.”

“Great. So let’s run over this schedule real quick and we’ll be on our way.” Cal nods and Aaron pulls out his iPad before going to his calendar on it. “Okay, once we’re done with this interview, we’ll start heading back home. There are a few bills being brought to the Senate floor next week that you need to vote on. They’re important and things that will come up in the election. Your opponents will hammer you on these if you don’t cast a vote. So we’ll spend next week in D.C. before heading back out to campaign. Okay?”

“Sounds good to me,” Cal says. I notice neither of them looks at me during this meeting. It’s just expected that I’ll tag along to whatever function or meeting we have to go to. It further reiterates that I have no choice in the matter. Aaron is about to say something else when Cal’s phone rings. When he glances at the screen, he holds up one finger and answers it. “Hello, Mother. How are you?”