Page 106 of Legacy Ascended

"I'm a victim of my father's dramatics." I pull her up by both hands. "Have you eaten?"

"Hi Jessica. I missed you Jessica. You look gorgeous Jessica. Why is ‘have you eaten’ the first thing you say to me?”

"Because I know what you look like when you're hungry. And then I have an excuse to get you back to my room."

The halls are almost empty. She walks with her shoulder against my arm, and halfway along she puts her hand in my back pocket, and I smile.

My room is at the end of the east corridor. I've got the lights on and on the counter there's a pot of the good coffee and a plate of the pastries she and Renzo fight over.

Jessica stops in the doorway. "You stole those."

"I negotiated for those."

"What did you give up?"

"That’s a state secret." I take her bag off her good shoulder.

She laughs and comes all the way in, and the door shuts. Then she looks at me.

She takes a pastry, sits on the end of my bed, and folds her legs up. "What did he want?"

"They want Draeven's position on the review to be Draeven's and not mine. Which is fair, and which I agreed to." I turn the coffee pot handle toward her. "They'd also prefer I stopped being visible next to you while it's going on."

Her chin comes up. "And?"

"I told them that part isn't available. And that if anyone from the House gets friendly with you and starts asking questions, I'll take it personally."

She's quiet for a second. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know."

"It’s probably going to get worse, Luke."

"I know and I’m prepared."

I don't tell her that I spent an hour this morning with the panel's secretary. I don't tell her I asked whether a House could fund additional personnel for a two-night block, or that the answer was that the finding wasn't about resources. I don't tell her I asked twice.

She eats. I pour her coffee before she asks for it, and then I hear myself say, "There's bread as well if the pastry's not enough, and I can get more hot coffee, and if you'd rather sit by the window I'll move the—"

"Luke."

"Yes."

"What do you want?"

I open my mouth and what comes out is, "You."

Jessica sets the cup down and looks at me with her head tilted.

"You have me."

I laugh, but I'm tired.

"All right." I look at the desk, and then I make myself look at her. "I want an evening with just the two of us. No prying eyes. No houses. No politics."

"Mm," says Jessica. "And that also happens to align perfectly with what I want." And she stands and walks over to me.

"You know what I like about sharing what we want?" she says against my throat.