Free The Marriage Agenda by Sarah Ballance

approximately eleven thousand pizzas while they were dating. They even had the same favorite—New York–style pepperoni.
    Her mouth watered and not only for the food. The man was gorgeous. And now off-limits. It’s for your own good. But was it really? Unrequited love was one thing. Life without orgasms, another entirely. But the greater the distance between them, the easier it would be for her to take advantage of their arrangement.
    She’d get her story, and with any luck she would do so before her grandmother’s house was razed to make way for the factory that never should have been approved.
    “What about your meeting?” she asked.
    He shrugged. “It’s just a phone conference, and it’ll be quick. I’ll order, you answer the door, and I’ll meet you on the sofa.”
    Just like old times. But it wasn’t. Back then, she thought, they’d been falling in love.
    She knew better now.
    Now it was just her. The chances of her walking away without a broken heart were passing nil at the speed of light, but he was still hers. He might never love her, but at least he wanted to share his life with her. She forced herself to smile. “Pizza would be great.”

Chapter Eight
    Thirty minutes later, Chloe was kicked back on an Italian leather sofa trying—and failing—to keep Knox from stealing her pepperoni. If he’d been on the phone five minutes longer, she could have had at least one slice in peace, but no such luck.
    “Eat your own,” she groused, punctuating the words by jabbing her elbow into his side.
    He dodged easily the brunt of her attack, then countered with an utterly wounded look. “I like extra.”
    “Then order extra.”
    “Can’t,” he said. “Extra pepperoni upsets the balance. Changes the flavor.”
    “Order extra on the side, then. I’m sure you can make that happen.”
    He shook his head. “Nope. It won’t taste the same if it doesn’t come on the pizza.”
    Chloe rolled her eyes. “Did it ever occur to you that my piece doesn’t taste the same after you’ve pilfered from it?”
    “All in your imagination,” he said, wisely ducking before the words had fully left his mouth. But he quickly straightened. “Oh, look. There’s my worthy opponent.”
    Chloe peered at the screen, reading the caption. “Charlie Jackson?”
    Knox looked at her, brow raised. “Yep, that’s him. Have you been under a rock?”
    More like under Knox . “I’ve been a little busy the past two days.” In reality, she’d probably seen his opponent’s name while stalking Knox online that morning, but she’d been a little more interested in his personal life…then intrigued by the fact she’d found little of it. He’d escorted a couple of dates to dinners and such, but the gossips had taken the time to point out that they’d left in separate limos. Not one photograph of him with anyone seemed to hint at intimacy, not that that meant anything. She’d yet to find a single image of her with Knox, and they’d been together for months.
    He went for another piece of her pepperoni and came up empty. Without missing a beat, he said, “He’s been making noise against Rex for months.”
    “Yeah, well, I haven’t exactly followed Rex’s career,” Chloe said, noting that Knox called his father by his first name. She thought that interesting, but she didn’t ask.
    “Now that Rex is out, Jackson turned on me.” Knox grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.
    Charlie Jackson faced the camera with an unmistakable air of superiority, complete with a puffed-out chest and a smirk. “Knox Hamilton’s only claim to fame is his father, who now leaves the office in disgrace. Knox doesn’t have any Senate experience—”
    “Please,” Knox said, hitting mute. “And he does?”
    “What does he do?”
    “Aside from being a pain in the ass? He’s an ambulance-chasing lawyer. Even with Rex’s accumulation of so-called minor indiscretions, he’s still beaten this guy soundly in three elections.”
    Chloe