The Candidate's Wife (10 page)

Even days later, as he reviewed the positions he would take in his first debate against Norris, he could almost feel the softness of Julia's breasts against his chest and the hot, feminine, indescribably sweet taste of her mouth and skin as he'd kissed her on the podium.

Still, he knew he had to keep away from her. He couldn't risk getting too close. As the days passed, he worked late and twice slept on the couch in his office just to avoid her.

Julia did insist on attending strategy meetings, and Adam couldn't keep her out. He'd promised her a role in the campaign. But he never saw her alone, and during the meetings he treated her with cool, distant politeness.

Adam's hard work had paid off. That, combined with the publicity of the wedding and a brand-new ad campaign, had narrowed Norris's lead to just 9 points. But Adam knew he couldn't afford to relax. Besides, the tension was taking its toll. On Tuesday night, Adam found he could barely concentrate on what his campaign manager was saying about the next day's debate.

"-- and don't forget what I told you about emphasizing Norris's debt to the state's special interest groups," Phil said, as Adam forced himself to tune in again. "You'll want to hit those three points hard."

"Right," Adam said. "The three points."

Phil arched a bushy eyebrow. He was the last remaining senior staff member in a room full of discarded binders and boxes of congealing Chinese food. "Adam, have you heard a word I said the last ten minutes?"

"Sure I have."

"Care to repeat the three points I mentioned?"

"Number one, Norris's debt to the special interest groups."

"Right. And?" Phil waited expectantly.

"And education reform?" Adam guessed.

Phil's shoulders sagged. He closed his eyes and shook his head tiredly. "All right. Why don't we call it a night?"

"Already?"

Phil studied his face with his kindly blue eyes. "Adam, is something wrong?"

"Everything's fine." Adam didn't want to talk about Julia, not even with his mentor and oldest friend. "I'm just not quite ready to go home."

"It's Julia, isn't it?" Phil asked. Adam started, surprised by the way his campaign manager seemed to read his thoughts. Phil smiled. "It's not hard to see. When she's in the room, you look everywhere but at her face. What's going on between you two?"

"There's nothing to discuss," Adam said gruffly. "You were right -- she's perfect for the part, and she's helped my image. Let's just leave it at that."

Phil nodded. "Fine. But if you want to talk --"

"I don't."

"All right, all right. Why don't you go home and get some sleep? You've got a big day tomorrow."

Adam knew Phil was right. He stood, collected his coat and briefcase, and said goodbye to his campaign manager and a few other stragglers still in the building. He was yawning a half hour later as he entered his apartment building. In the lobby, the security guard nodded a greeting.

"Evening, Senator. Say, a man stopped by this afternoon and wanted to see your wife, but she wasn't in. He left this for her. Mind taking it up?" He handed Adam a square, white envelope with Julia's name on the back.

"Thanks, Tony. Good night." Adam stuffed the envelope into his pocket. He'd leave it on the dining room table. It was almost midnight, and Julia should be in bed by now, thankfully. He sure as hell didn't want to see her. He took the elevator to his floor, unlocked the door, and headed for his own room.

"Adam?"

He turned to discover Julia standing in his kitchen. She wore a fluffy white bathrobe that made her look like an angel, a dark-haired, blue-eyed angel with ridiculous pink bunny slippers on her feet. Her damp hair and clean-scrubbed features made her look deliciously soft and alluring.

Adam gritted his teeth and passed the back of his hand over his eyes. Hell, he sure didn't need this kind of temptation. He was too tired. But he was also too tired to freeze her out again. Warily, he stepped into his modern, white-tiled kitchen. "Hey, what are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep. I needed some tea." She pointed to the steaming copper pot on the stove. "Would you like some? I've got -- I mean, you've got -- Earl Grey, peppermint, lemon --" She broke off and rolled her lower lip between her teeth. Adam knew it was a sign of insecurity. He felt something within him soften and relax.

He smiled. "Herbal tea, please. I've got to get some sleep before the debate tomorrow." He slid onto one of the tall wooden bar stools next to the counter. "Oh, by the way, this came for you."

He fished in his pocket and brought out the envelope and handed it to Julia. She took it, frowning. "For me?" But who --" She pried open the flap, then drew out a card with a floral design on the front. She opened it. Her eyes scanned the contents.

Suddenly, Julia gasped aloud. The card dropped to the tile floor, and Adam watched the color drain from her face.

Julia winced as Adam reached for the card on the kitchen floor. The name on the card had brought back a flood of old memories, all vivid and all excruciatingly painful. She leaned down, snatched up the card, and crushed it to her chest. If Adam saw what it said, his questions would only reopen old wounds. Besides, if this was some kind of blackmail attempt, she wanted to handle it on her own. Adam had enough worries of his own, and besides, she wasn't sure she trusted him enough to share her past troubles.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Adam asked.

"It's nothing. I -- it's just a note from an old friend, congratulating me on my marriage."

Adam frowned in confusion. "So why did you look frightened?"

"I was surprised, that's all. It's from someone I haven't heard from in a long time." That was the truth, at least, though far from the whole truth.

Adam looked unconvinced, but at that moment the teapot began to whistle. As Julia turned back to the stove, she shoved the card into the pocket of her robe. She fetched a second mug and poured the water over a peppermint tea bag with hands that still trembled a little.

Frank King. She hadn't even known whether he was alive or dead until she read the signature on the card.

Her ex-husband had disappeared from her life when Danny was barely three months old. She hadn't seen him, or even had a letter or a phone call, since that day.

The words of Frank's message flashed through her mind. Jules -- Looks like you've done well for yourself, babe. Don't ever forget your old friends.

What did he mean by that? What did he want from her?

Julia took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to push the questions from her mind as she poured her own tea. During the past decade, Frank had never wanted to be a part of her life, or his son's. Why get in touch now?

She turned around and forced a smile as she set Adam's steaming mug on the counter before him. "Do you take sugar or cream?"

Adam shook his head. "Sit down a minute, Julia. We should talk."

She joined him at the counter with her own cup of tea. She inhaled the minty steam and closed her eyes, afraid he might want to discuss argument at the fundraiser. Julia was well aware that Adam had avoided her since that night. "Talk about what?" she asked.

"About how you're settling in here."

"Oh, that." Julia let out a shaky breath. She wrapped her hands around her mug to draw comfort from its warmth. "That's all fine."

"Is there anything you need?"

Slowly, she shook her head. Adam lived on the top floor of a luxurious five-story apartment building. After her own cramped studio, Julia was enjoying the thick carpet, the spacious kitchen, and the view of the river from the balcony. She'd taken one of Adam's two spare bedrooms for herself, and given Danny the room next door. Fortunately, her son hadn't questioned the arrangements, or wondered aloud why his mother and stepfather weren't sharing a bed.

Adam had proven more than generous with housekeeping money. Julia had all of the material things she'd ever wanted -- and yet, somehow, she'd never felt lonelier in her life. Even Danny's presence failed to give her the comfort she'd expected. She kept remembering the firm pressure of Adam's lips on hers, and the way his few brief, public kisses had made her senses spin. Now, in the kitchen with Adam, she found she needed to avert her eyes from his firm, sensuous mouth to keep her mind on his questions.

"And how is Danny adjusting?" Adam asked.

Julia shrugged. "He made a new friend already, but he's still settling in at school, and -- and I think he misses you." As soon as she heard herself say the words, a flush stung her cheeks. It wasn't Danny who missed Adam, it was Julia. She stared down at the tile countertop as she hurried on, hoping to cover her tracks. "I mean, Danny wonders whether we'll get to spend a little more time together, eventually."

Adam avoided her eyes. "I'm very busy with the campaign."

"That's what I told him," Julia said softly. "I think he understands." Her throat felt strangely tight, swollen with unshed tears. She sipped her tea. The scalding liquid helped a little. "Anyway, Danny's happy to see more of me now. I love being here when he gets home from school."

Adam shot Julia a curious glance. "You've spent a lot of time away from him, haven't you? Even before you took a job with my campaign?"

She nodded. "I've been in school since he was just a baby. I left him with my parents while I stayed on campus three days a week. I was a part-time student for eight years. Even when I was at home, I worked. First as a waitress, then later as a substitute teacher."

"Not an easy life."

Julia shook her head. "Sometimes I wondered whether it was worth it. It was hard, and not just financially. There were plenty of days when I wanted to give up. I'd look at Danny and feel like I was stealing from him -- stealing time for classes, for research. . . ."

"But you didn't give up." Adam's gaze was frankly admiring.

"No." Julia took a thoughtful sip of her tea. "As much as Danny missed me, and I missed him, I told myself I was doing it for him. I wanted him to see his mother follow her dreams. I never wanted to resent him for holding me back." She let out a self-conscious laugh. "All right, enough about me. What about you? Are you ready for the debate?"

Adam shrugged. "I hope so."

Julia saw the brief flash of insecurity in his eyes, and it surprised her. He was always so self confident, almost cocky, and now for the first time he was revealing a more vulnerable side. "Adam, of course you're ready. You've spent your whole life preparing for this. You're one of the best public speakers I've ever seen."

"Yes, but it's different in front of the cameras. I'm good with crowds, when I can see the faces of my audience. I like to respond to their expressions, their applause."

Julia nodded. "I know what you mean -- I've seen you do it -- but I don't think you need to worry. Even though Norris speaks well, he's not very spontaneous. I watched his debates during the last gubernatorial election." She felt herself slip into lecture mode, but Adam was listening with interest, his square chin propped up on one palm. "If you throw Norris off guard, you'll see him fall apart. Just stand back and let it happen. If you go on the attack, you'll come off like the bad guy. And whatever you do, don't lose your temper." Adam was staring at her with a faint, amused smile, and she flushed. "Okay, what? Am I talking too much?"

"No, you're telling me just what I need to know." He smiled at her in the way that made Julia feel like the only person in the world.

She colored again, and covered her hot cheeks with her hands. "I'm sure you've heard this before, from Phil and the others."

"Some of it. But I like hearing your advice," he said softly. He reached across the counter and took her hand. His eyes were intent on her face. An electric thrill rippled up her spine. "Will you come to the debate tomorrow night? And sit up front, so that I can see you?"

Julia drew in a quick breath as Adam leaned closer, his fingers tightening around hers. The attraction between them was almost a palpable thing, a separate presence in the room. "Of course I will," she said.

"What about Danny? Do you need a babysitter?"

"He's already invited to stay overnight with the family on the second floor. The Wheelers have a son, Mike, who's in Danny's class at school. I met them yesterday, and they seem like good people. Danny made a fuss when I insisted on going down there, of course. He accused me of becoming one of those 'overprotective moms'. But you can't be too careful these days, especially here in the city." She flushed. She was babbling again. "Anyway, I'm looking forward to watching you speak tomorrow."

"Thank you. It means a lot to me." His eyes dropped to her lips and briefly lingered there. His thumb caressed her palm. Julia's heart raced as she wondered whether he might kiss her again.

And then what? Make love to her once or twice and tire of her, like all the other women in her life? She couldn't risk it. She pulled her hand from his. "You ought to get some sleep," she said, in a brisk, impersonal voice.

Adam narrowed his eyes for a moment, then nodded. He drained his mug and set it down again. "Good night, Julia."

"Good night," she said.

She sat and watched him stride from the kitchen. An ache of mingled desire and disappointment uncurled in her abdomen. Just now, she'd seen something tender and genuine in his eyes. She knew she wasn't mistaken about the sexual energy crackling through the kitchen, either. But too much still stood between them. A lack of trust, for one thing. Their arrangement, for another.