Dev scratched her cheek and smiled ruefully. "Oh, that." She winced inwardly. Me and my big mouth.
"Yes, that," Lauren demanded.
"Well, umm... Michael Oaks was a little overzealous in the materials he requested for your background check." Dev's eyes conveyed regret and a good dose of embarrassment. "That information is private. I swear it. But that doesn't mean, if you ask the right people, it's not easy to find out. I'm sorry."
"Bastard."
"Are you mad at me?" Dev braced herself.
"Yes."
"Really mad?" Dev tilted her head to the side and peered into eyes that looked nearly translucent in the muted light.
Lauren dropped her hands from her hips. "I should be." She tugged on the stems of her glasses, bringing the glasses a little higher on her nose, and sighed. "But I'm not, I guess."
Dev smiled. "Thank you." But the smile slid away quickly. "Why didn't you vote for me?!"
"Oh, God." Lauren rolled her eyes as the women resumed their walk.
"What?" Dev waved a frustrated hand in the air. "I want to know."
She laughed. "I know you do."
Dev growled in mock frustration. "Why are you torturing me?!"
"Because it's fun."
"Well, there is always that."
A long arm wrapped around Lauren's waist as they slowly walked, the easy rhythm of their strides matching perfectly.
So, this is what being in love is like, Lauren thought with equal parts awe and gratitude. God, was I stupid before. If I'd only known... Now she understood what Dev had been talking about. Making sure that it was real... that it was right. She glanced sideways, admiring the way the moonlight washed over Dev's hair, bathing her in a rich, white aura. And at that very moment, Lauren realized that nothing in her whole life had ever felt so completely right.
She had, in her own way, loved Judd, but there had always been something missing. A connection that was absent from their marriage. Lauren never felt as if part of herself was missing when they were apart. Even in the best times she had never longed for his touch or laugh or smile. Never bled when he was cut. With Dev it was so different. If, for some reason, they couldn't talk, which they did most evenings when Dev was finally finished for the day, Lauren would lie awake in her bed and listen for the President's distinctive footsteps and the sound of the door opening just down the hall.
No matter what she was doing, or whom she was talking to, she always found her eyes or thoughts straying to Devlyn. And when miles separated them, she felt truly alone.
They walked silently. But it was a comfortable silence. A gentle peace stole over Lauren.
Dev stopped and turned to face the shorter woman, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I'm so very much in love with you, Lauren. You have no idea-"
"No." Lauren shook her head emphatically. "You're wrong. I do. For the first time in my life I honestly do understand. More than that, I finally understand what you were trying to say to me in your room that night. About having it all." She reached up and cupped Dev's cheek, peering into eyes that shone silver in the moonlight.
"I think we do." Dev slowly leaned in and gently kissed the writer. Their lips separated, but only a hairsbreadth, and Devlyn whispered, "It's been worth it, hasn't it?" Believe it like I do, Lauren. With your whole heart.
"Oh, yeah," Lauren sighed, immediately feeling the loss when Dev pulled back far enough so that she could look her in the eye and gage her reaction. Something suddenly clicked in Lauren's mind, and she thought of the fresh roses that had been placed in her room every morning since her very first day at the White House. She smiled, utterly charmed. "You've been courting me from the very beginning, haven't you, Devlyn Marlowe?"
Dev felt a heat flood her cheeks. But the blush went unnoticed in the dim light. The tall woman leaned in until Lauren could feel the heat of her body and whispered in her ear. "That's the point of courting, Lauren. You fall in love so slowly that it becomes a part of you without your knowing it." She brushed her lips against Lauren's ear, feeling the tremor left in the wake of her tender touch. "You do realize that at this very moment the marksmen on the roof are probably watching us," Devlyn teased a bit. "Didn't your little sex video tell you that this is a big turn on for most males of the species?"
Lauren groaned. "The video pretty much ignored men altogether, which was sort of the point, smarty pants. And you're never going to let me live that down, are you?"
"You're not the one who had to explain to her Chief of Staff why there were erotic sounds coming from her bedroom when I called you. He thought we were having phone sex, for God's sake!"
The breeze blew a lock of Lauren's hair into her eyes, and she reached up, absently tucking it behind her ear. "I'm so sorry. That was a bit of a surprise for me too. A joke from Wayne, I think. Or maybe it wasn't a joke. I'm not exactly sure." She leaned into Dev as they began heading back towards the White House. A gust of wind caused her to shiver and shift closer still to her warm-blooded companion.
"Cold, sweetheart?"
"Mmm hmm. A little."
"Then I know of a certain fireplace and two cups of cocoa that have our names on them."
"Marshmallows?"
Dev kissed the top of Lauren's head. "As many as you'd like."
* * *
Lauren wiggled her toes in front of the fire, grinning from behind her mug as Dev pulled on fleece slippers. "Wimp," she muttered, getting a lovely view of Dev's tongue as a reply. "This is truly heaven. Take those off and let the fire do the work."
"Nuh uh," Dev grunted, picking up her own mug and joining Lauren on the floor. "Hate being barefoot. Have since I was a kid."
"Any particular reason why?" Lauren leaned back, staring into the glowing embers as the wood let off an occasional pop or hiss.
Dev thought about that for a moment, rolling a swallow of hot chocolate around in her mouth. "None that I'm aware of. But maybe I had a traumatic, barefoot incident when I was little."
"Maybe subconsciously you're afraid you'll have to make a mad dash through the woods naked," Lauren taunted. If Dev could find every excuse to bring up the video, the least she could do was to return the favor.
"I admit it wouldn't be on the top of my list. I had scratches in delicate places that itched for weeks."
Lauren snorted, having to clamp her hand down over her mouth to keep from losing her cocoa. "No comment." Ooooo, wait. Wasn't there talk of scratching a particular itch when I was sick? God, I itch!
Dev reached over and pushed a lock of blonde hair behind Lauren's ear. "That's my line."
Lauren looked confused. "God, I itch?"
"Huh?"
Lauren shook her head, suddenly realizing what Dev meant. "Never mind."
"Are you okay?" Dev questioned softly. "You seem a little distracted." When Lauren nodded in an uncharacteristically shy fashion and smiled at her, Dev's face instantly mirrored the gesture. She was glad to know she wasn't the only one who could be thrown off track by the simplest of looks or touches or phrases. She drew her fingers lightly up Lauren's neck and threaded them into silky, pale hair. The touch was soft and intimate, and meant to garner the writer's complete attention.
It did.
Lauren found herself holding her breath without knowing why.
Dev set down her mug, then deftly relieved Lauren of hers, though neither woman's eyes strayed from the other's. The President lifted her other hand to Lauren's face, tracing a pink cheek with her thumb and silently drawing Lauren closer. She didn't stop until their faces were almost touching.
"I think you should know, Madam President, if you don't kiss me, I'm going to die." Lauren's voice was an octave below normal, and it resonated all the way to Dev's bones.
"Me too," Dev breathed.
Their lips met, slowly, gently, brushing together in an explosion of sensation that caused both women to moan and shiver. Nothing was ever rushed or hurried with Devlyn. And Lauren wasn't sure if she should be singing her praises or cursing her name. Bu
t whichever it was, it would have to come later. Right now her body was otherwise engaged. She was set on a sweet, low burn when the kiss deepened, and warm, wet tongues began gently tasting and exploring.
Dev was nearly done in by the soft moans that escaped Lauren as their lips eagerly brushed together again and again. In the garden, in the moonlight, bewitched by a pair of shining gray eyes, Dev had already decided that tonight she wouldn't stop unless Lauren asked her to. The writer's gentle touch, and the heady smell of her skin and hair, only served to strengthen Dev's resolve. She was nervous as hell, but her body shared none of her mind's trepidation and was responding in hot flashes to Lauren's touch and taste and the heat of the moment.
"Oh, God," Lauren gasped softly when they parted for much needed air.
Dev groaned, and her eyes fluttered open with exaggerated slowness. "That was, um..."
"Wonderful."
"Oh, yeah," the President agreed quickly. "But your kisses always are." She wiggled her brows a little, trying not to look as aroused as she felt.
"Can we-" Lauren paused and wet her lips. "Can we do that again?" she asked quietly, giving Dev an adorable grin that she knew the older woman found totally irresistible.
Dev nodded nervously. "Actually, why don't we move someplace where we can be more comfortable?"
The blonde woman glanced down, flushing a little at the suggestion. She was pretty damned comfortable right where she was. "Like?"
"The couch?"
Considering the couch was all of six inches away, Lauren had no reason to object. "The couch could be good." She sucked in a slightly ragged breath and slid up to perch on its edge. Lauren glanced down at Dev, who was rising to her knees.
Dev placed warm hands on Lauren's thighs, and the smaller woman adjusted her legs so that Dev could kneel between them. This was different. Mixed in with the desire she'd seen so often in her friend's eyes, was a good dose of fear. Lauren could think of only one reason that Dev would be afraid right now, as opposed to all the other times they'd kissed in front of fire... after a wonderful evening together, sitting so close together they could feel the heat of each other's skin through their clothes. Oh, God. Lauren suddenly became very aware of her own heartbeat and the sensitivity of her skin.
Devlyn swallowed hard and reached out to take Lauren's hands. "I'm very nervous, just so you know. I'm not trying to... I mean," she stopped again and frowned, clearly unable to articulate exactly what she wanted to say. "I'm just... I'm-"
Lauren pressed two fingertips against Dev's lips, feeling their incredible softness. "I understand." She removed her fingers and replaced them with her lips, giving Dev a gentle, almost chaste kiss. "Don't worry," she whispered against Dev's mouth. "Nervous goes both ways."
Blue eyes widened a little. "It does? You don't seem-"
"I am."
Dev licked her lips. "Okay. Just didn't want you to think that I wasn't. Because I so very am," she admitted.
Lauren shrugged a little. "But we'll be that way together, right?" She searched Dev's eyes for her own reassurance and was instantly rewarded by a stupid, lovesick, lopsided grin that threatened to melt her into a puddle right on the spot.
The President took a deep breath and let her hands slowly slide up Lauren's thighs, then hips. Her palms found their way under Lauren's sweatshirt, stopping the moment she felt the hot, bare skin of her belly.
Lauren sucked in a quick breath, and her body jerked in response.
Dev almost pulled away, but small hands covered hers, holding them firmly in place. She flicked a questioning gaze at Lauren's face and was held there by intense, dilated eyes.
Lauren leaned in, enjoying the feeling of Dev's hands on her naked skin. They felt as good as she'd imagined they would - warm, soft and strong.
Dev moved closer and dropped her mouth to Lauren's slender neck, nuzzling the hot, slightly damp skin, and tasting its saltiness with gentle lips and tongue. Her hands traveled slowly up around the younger woman's torso, to her back, where she began a gentle massaging.
"Oh, that's nice..." Lauren moaned as she wrapped her arms loosely around Dev. "Very nice." Of its own volition, her head rolled to the side.
Devlyn responded without hesitation, moving up Lauren's throat to the slight hollow behind her ear, nipping softly as she went.
Lauren gasped when Dev hit a particularly sensitive spot.
For Dev, it was an experience she was sure would kill her before the evening was over. But what a way to go. Lauren felt so good, and it felt so right to be touching her, that she couldn't even fathom stopping. Not now. "I'm thinking," Dev whispered as she took Lauren's earlobe into her mouth and sucked gently, "I dunno... bed?"
"Yes," Lauren breathed. She was pretty sure if this torture didn't end soon, she'd find herself on the other end of a federal prosecution for hurting the President of the United States.
They stood on slightly wobbly legs and walked slowly towards the large four-poster bed along the back wall. At the foot of the bed, Dev stopped. She cupped Lauren's chin with her palm and gently tilted her head upward so she could look deeply into her eyes. Despite the butterflies in her belly, Dev smiled and spoke with a quiet certainty. "If you want to stop, you just say the word."
Lauren gave a quick nod, frantically trying to remember how to form a coherent, verbal response. She finally settled on, "Okay." Like that's gonna happen! her mind snorted incredulously. Nothing short of a nuclear attack on the United States was going to stop what was happening in this bedroom tonight. She drew in a deep, but ragged, breath when she felt her sweatshirt being tugged up her body. Yes. Too many clothes. The idea was more than welcome, and Lauren lifted her arms over her head to assist in its removal. Her jeans and panties were next. And when Dev trailed her fingers down her thighs, as she swept the material off her body, Lauren felt as though she might faint. Thin, satin bra straps were lowered one at a time, and kisses left in their place. Lauren closed her eyes and moaned softly.
Devlyn took in the sight before her and licked very dry lips as Lauren's bra fell from her boneless fingers. "Beautiful," she whispered reverently. "Absolutely beautiful." She slowly reached out and allowed her fingers to make contact with smooth skin that glowed slightly in the faint light of the room.
The way Dev was looking at Lauren sent a flood of blood to her belly and a rush of heat between her legs. She felt as though she were being worshipped by those incredible blue eyes and wasn't nearly as nervous about her nakedness as she thought she would be. Any remaining uneasiness was fading fast as her body reacted to Dev. Lauren took in the rapid rise and fall of the taller woman's chest, and the flare of her nostrils, as she stood open before her, exposed and inviting.'
Dev's breath caught as her hands slowly slid over more soft skin. She leaned in and placed a tender kiss on Lauren's cheek. "I love you."
Lauren turned her head and captured Dev's lips in a sweet kiss. She laid her hands on Dev's hips and gave a gentle tug, bringing their bodies together all along their lengths. When their lips separated, she pulled back a little and smiled. "I love you too, Devlyn. Very much," she said softly. "With all my heart." Her gaze quickly dropped back to the full lips she already wanted to taste again. Lauren threaded her fingers through long, dark hair, and she went back for more, offering herself to Dev in every way she could convey with a heartfelt, passionate kiss. She was rewarded with a deep moan and a rush of breath as the kiss turned hungry, and she gave herself up to the passion of the moment.
A hot path was cut across flesh now slightly damp from anticipation and desire. Dev's fingernails caused a tingling sensation up and down Lauren's back as the President grazed her skin. A tremor tore through Lauren as a rush of desire hit her so hard she felt her knees go weak.
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