In my Arms Tonight (NYC Singles Book 2) by Sasha Clinton Page B

dismissed it as nothing then, but if it was persisting, maybe it was something.
    Flustered, she cast her eyes down. “Sorry for causing you all this trouble.”
    “Too late to say that now.” When she faced him with an apologetic expression, he waved it away. “I was kidding. It’s not your fault.”
    “It’s not yours, either,” she maintained. “But it’s going to cost you a lot of votes.”
    “I’ve been through worse.” He appeared to be wondering whether to say anything more. He chose not to.
    “I hope it turns out well,” she murmured.
    Otherwise, she’d feel awful. As a voter, she didn’t particularly favor him, but he had every right to be able to run a campaign and have a fair shot at victory.
    “By the way, thanks a bunch for paying for me that day. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t helped me out. I was in such a mess. God, I still can’t believe I forgot my bag at the station. It’s lucky that the officers managed to pick it up, or I’d be in a soup.”
    Alex waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t mention it.”
    “I donated the money I owe you to your campaign.”
    “Your donation is much appreciated.” Alex crossed his arms and drummed his fingers against his upper arm.
    Kat started to admire his chiseled jaw, when a voice called to him. “It’s time to go.”
    Some of his volunteers sailed past her to open the door to the conference room, then Kat was thrust into a sea of blinking lights.

I t was five minutes shy of eleven pm when Alex and Kat left the TV station of Fox News.
    Stretching her hands over her head, Kat yawned. “I thought today would never end.”
    Tiredness kicked at her bones when the humid air of summer enveloped her.
    After the press conference (which had gone pretty well), one thing had led to another and Alex’s press secretary had told Kat that she’d have to accompany him to all the radio and TV interviews that Selia had lined up for him.
    Because she felt guilty about the whole thing, Kat had obliged. As a bonus, she was going to get her five minutes of fame tomorrow when her face appeared alongside Alex’s on every news channel and radio show.
    People would definitely call. She’d not told her parents or friends about the subway molestation. They worried way too much and she didn’t want them to.
    “Hurry up,” Alex said, marching ahead. Since Selia and Ahmed had left earlier and she refused to walk to the subway station alone, Kat was tagging along with Alex.
    “Wait up.” Swinging her handbag over her shoulder, she curled her lip when she saw him bounding faster. “What did you have for breakfast? LSD?”
    “Ambition.” He licked his lips, and she felt heat shift inside her again. The shudder between her legs was decidedly sexual.
    Maybe she should have used her vibrator last week, after all. Abstinence made her horny at inappropriate moments.
    Alex fished out a pack of Marlboro Reds from his pocket and held it out to her. “Do you want one?”
    “Nuh-uh. I’m too health-conscious to poison my lungs with nicotine.” Kat locked her arms in front of her chest.
    Paying no heed to her words, he lighted a cigarette and breathed out the first puff of polluted air.
    Having that smoke around made her frown. Passive smoking was more dangerous than active smoking.
    “Why haven’t you quit smoking yet?” Kat asked. “I’m sure you know how bad it is for your health.”
    “Because I can’t.” Frustration was threaded through his voice. “And I don’t want to anymore.”
    “You should try again. It’s common to fail the first few times. A friend of mine recently quit after struggling for years. There’s a lot of support available these days.”
    “I’ve been smoking for too long to quit.” He tipped his head back.
    “How long?”
    “Over thirty years now.”
    It took three seconds for her to process that. Then she gasped. “You started at sixteen? That’s underage. How can you harm your lungs at that age? And how did