“I am never getting rid of you,” Dev growled, lowering her head and carefully taking a painfully sensitive nipple between white teeth and tugging gently.
Lauren nearly exploded off the bed. “Jesus Christ, Devlyn,” she hissed, her head thrown back in rapture, hands flying to the bed and tangling themselves on the damp bedspread. “Yes!”
Dev’s mouth found swollen, sensitive flesh and Lauren came hard, her heart threatening to pound out of her chest as she moaned out her release in a steady stream of unintelligible words. Her own chest heaving, Dev crawled up Lauren’s body, kissing as she went and wrapping her arms tightly around Lauren’s torso as she pillowed her head on soft breasts.
“Any chance of sleeping in tomorrow?” Lauren asked quietly after a long time, a sleepy, sated smile curling her lips. She already knew the answer. She asked it almost every time they’d just finished making love, the desire to snuggle against Devlyn, savoring every blessed second for hours on end, nearly overwhelming.
“Actually, yes.” Dev sighed and spared a thought for the candles that were probably gutted by now and were threatening to burn down the White House. But there was no chance she was moving from this spot, even if she could, which she wasn’t so sure about. She gave the voice-command to activate Lauren’s phone and asked housekeeping to come and extinguish the candles and drain the tub, making it clear they were to use the service entrance to the bathroom that would leave them undisturbed. She also took the time to order breakfast in bed.
When Dev disconnected the call, Lauren said, “Now I know I’m dreaming. Breakfast in bed on a weekday? And you said 8 a.m.? Sweet Mother of God, am I dying but I just don’t know it yet so I’m getting the royal treatment?”
Devlyn chuckled. “I’m taking the day off tomorrow, as much as I can, and I’m spending it with you and the kids.”
“Now I know I’m dying.” She tugged on a lock of dark hair. “You’re really taking a weekday off?”
“Really.”
Lauren felt Dev nod.
“I’ve been really busting my butt these last couple of weeks. How many times in the last two or three weeks have I had dinner with you and the kids?”
“Twice.”
“Exactly.” Devlyn paused to place a kiss on the soft skin above Lauren’s breasts. “I have barely spent any time with you at all. An hour or so here and there just isn’t cutting it. Hell, I don’t even know how Ashley is doing in school.”
“She’s doing just fine. We’re getting an A in English now.”
“That’s my girls.” She squawked when Lauren gave her a teasing pinch. Lauren was turning into a wonderful mother and it was happening so gradually that she wasn’t even aware of it. Devlyn, however, was loving every moment of it. “Happy Valentine’s Day. I love my robe.”
“Mmm…you looked great it in, but even better out of it.” Lauren cracked open an eye. “Where is it anyway?”
“I have no earthly idea.” Dev lifted up a very disheveled head and peered at Lauren’s face. “Do you want me to go find it?”
Lauren snuggled deeper into the mattress, tugging Dev down with her. “Not on your life,” she said seconds before they both tumbled into some very well-deserved sleep.
* * *
Monday, February 28, 2022
DEV SAT IN HER private office, reading over some documents that David needed her opinion on by the end of the day. After hearing how enthusiastic about it the boys were, Lauren had agreed to endure the security and media circus and take the children to the Natural History Museum for the afternoon.
The boys had heard about the new dinosaur bones exhibit from their friends at school, and Dev was afraid that if they didn’t go soon they were going to combust. Ashley hadn’t been nearly so excited about going to look at “dumb old bones,” but a promise by Lauren to take her to the Native American exhibit made the entire trip worthwhile in the little girl’s eyes.
Devlyn glanced at the clock. They were actually due back any moment.
A soft knock at the door brought her head up from her documents. “Come in.”
Jane opened the door and gave Devlyn a huge grin. “You have a very special visitor.”
Devlyn sighed and tossed the pen she’d been restlessly twirling between her fingers onto the papers in front of her. “Unless it’s the paperwork fairy….”
“No, but almost as good.” Jane stepped to the side, and a woman with long blonde hair pulled back in a stylish braid stuck her head round the door.
“Hey, Stinky, you got a minute for an old sister-in-law?”
“Sarah!” Dev came out of her chair as if her pants had caught fire. “Damn, woman, where did you come from?” She bolted out from behind her desk, biting back a grimace at the pain that flared in her hip. After long hours at her desk she would still feel the effects of being shot. Dev pulled Sarah into a full body bear hug, lifting her off the ground despite the fact that she was nearly as tall as Devlyn.
The embrace lasted for several long emotional seconds before Dev gently cleared her throat.
Reluctantly, Sarah pulled away. “I’ve been in Argentina, actually.” Sarah took a step back, giving Devlyn an appreciative look accompanied by a low whistle that caused the President’s cheeks to grow warm. “You look wonderful.” There was a wistful note to her voice that the other woman missed completely. “Just as wonderful as I remember.”
“So do you.” Dev shook her head. “All grown up. Every time I see you I still can’t believe you’re not that skinny little kid with braces and skinned knees. When did you get into town? What are you doing here?”
Sarah chuckled and took a seat on a couch near the fireplace. “Easy, one at a time. My God.” Her wide-eyed gaze flicked eagerly from one surface to the next. “I can’t believe I’m in the Oval Office and that you’re the President. The President! Jesus, Dev.”
Devlyn plopped on the sofa next to her, leaning close and bumping shoulders with her. “No kidding. I haven’t stopped pinching myself yet.”
“I’ll take over that task if you need someone.” Sarah’s fingers shaped claw-pincers and Dev laughed.
“What are you doing now, Sarah? You’re not still in school?”
Sarah gaped. “That was years ago. God, has it been that long? I worked odd jobs for a few magazines before catching a break and accepting a position with World Traveler Digest two years ago.” They were known for their photographic pictorials.
“Impressive. You know, Lauren has traveled extensively for her work. You two would have a lot in common,” Dev said enthusiastically, beaming proudly for the both of them.
I wondered how long it would take her to mention her. Sarah ignored Dev’s comment. “I’m on assignment here in the city, and I thought I’d stop by and say hello and see the kids, if that’s all right.” She laid her hand on Dev’s thigh.
Dev put her own hand on top of Sarah’s and squeezed gently. “All right? I’ve missed you, Pee Wee.” Her gaze softened. Sarah had only been 10 years old when she and Samantha had wed. And for many years after, she was a constant fixture in the Marlowe household. To an only child, her young sister-in-law was the closest thing to a sibling Devlyn ever had. “Of course it’s all right. The kids have missed you in their lives. Pictures and recordings just aren’t the same.”
Sarah looked away but left her hand where it was. “I know,” she said softly.
Dev kicked her long legs out in front of her. “In fact, the kids and Lauren are due back soon. How about if we sneak back to the residence and rustle up some lunch before they get here?”
“Sounds great.”
But neither woman moved.
Sarah continued to stare straight ahead, gazing into the embers in the fireplace while Dev openly observed her, struck again by how much Sarah Turner resembled Samantha. The nose was a little different, not quite as delicate in its slope, but the dark blonde hair and cornflower-blue eyes were so similar it was eerie. Even her voice made Dev shiver a little.
For the first time th
e silence between them was decidedly uncomfortable. It was Sarah who broke it first. She sighed. “I didn’t handle Sam’s death very well.”
Dev suddenly felt as though a weight was pressing against her chest. Some types of pain would never completely go away. “None of us did.”
Sarah sighed again. “But I should have tried to stick it out for you and the kids. Mom and Dad were already gone, and then Sam too.” Her chin quivered a little. “I just—”
“Shh…” Devlyn pressed a tender kiss against Samantha’s cheek. “I know.”
Sarah turned back to Dev and gently grasped a lock of hair. She couldn’t meet her eyes. “No grays yet?” Her attempt to move to safer ground was painfully obvious. “Or is Ms. Clairol on the payroll?” she joked weakly, running her fingers through Dev’s silky strands, not seeming to notice what she was doing.
“It really is okay, Sarah.” The tightness in her chest was making it hard to speak. But this was something that needed to be said. “We all needed time. Some of us more than others. I love you. And I’d wait a hundred years if that’s what you needed.”
Sarah gathered her courage and glanced up at Dev. Those soulful blue eyes had always been her undoing. She’d spent years envying the relationship Samantha had with Devlyn. And years more mourning the loss of someone irreplaceable in her life. But her sister wasn’t here anymore. And if Samantha’s death taught her anything, it was that life was short and that sometimes you didn’t get second chances.
Sarah lifted her palm and cupped Dev’s cheek. She could see tears shimmering there and watched compassionately as several finally spilled over. With her thumb, she brushed one away. Then, on impulse, she leaned in and removed the second with her lips. Before she could lose her nerve or think about what she was doing, she ducked her head and kissed Devlyn softly on the mouth.
It began as chaste, and for a second or two Devlyn was frozen. She didn’t return the kiss, she didn’t move at all, unsure how to interpret what was happening. This was Sarah, for God’s sake!
Then two things happened simultaneously. The door to the Oval Office opened, and Sarah moaned lightly as she leaned forward and tried to deepen the kiss.
Devlyn grasped Sarah’s hands firmly and pushed her away. “Sarah—” She looked up at Sarah’s face, but the younger woman’s attention was elsewhere.
Sarah’s eyes were riveted on the door and two very shocked women: Beth and Lauren.
Dev’s head snapped around. “Lauren.” Uh oh. She jumped to her feet, nearly knocking Sarah off the couch. “I didn’t expect you and the kids for a while.”
Lauren’s lips thinned and she was surprised that the words came out as evenly as they did, considering her mind was reeling. “I can see that.” No. No. No. I did not just see that! Devlyn loves me! She’s not like Judd. But even the possibility that she’d been wrong about Devlyn’s feelings for her was suddenly too much to bear.
The pressure-cooker of emotion that Lauren had been living in bubbled dangerously close to the surface.
“I’m so sorry, Dev,” Sarah told the President. “I know you wanted to sneak back to the residence before they got home.”
Lauren and Dev’s eyebrows nearly popped off their foreheads.
“Sarah!” Devlyn screeched. “That’s not what I meant.” She chanced a glance at Lauren. Oh, fuck.
Lauren looked at Devlyn as though seeing her for the first time. “You really said that, Devlyn?” she said, hearing the catch in her voice.
“Well… I…” She threw her hands in the air. “It’s not what it looks like.” Christ! Dev was starting to panic and didn’t know what else to say. So like any savvy politician, she stayed quiet, carefully choosing and discarding words. In this instance, however, her silence spoke louder than her words ever could. The cold mask that dropped over Lauren’s face caused Dev’s heart to pound and she suddenly realized her error. “Lauren, please… It’s not what you think.”
Lauren willed her hands to stop shaking. “I think I walked in here and caught you two kissing. Are you saying I saw differently?”
Devlyn swallowed hard. “Yes. No. I mean, sort of. Shit!”
The tension in the room skyrocketed.
Beth dropped her face into her hands. She could hear Devlyn’s mental mantra of ‘ohshitohshitohshit’ from where she was standing.
Sarah stood as gracefully as was possible considering her off kilter position on the sofa and waltzed across the room, offering her hand to Lauren.
Lauren’s heartbeat was thundering in her ears, with one thought chanted mercilessly in her head. She’s gorgeous and she looks exactly like Samantha!
When it appeared that Lauren was too stunned to acknowledge Sarah at all, Sarah addressed Beth. “Long time no see, Beth.”
Beth ground her teeth together, giving Devlyn, who looked like a drunken deer caught in the headlights, a dirty look of her own. Then she focused on Sarah. What the hell have you done, Sarah? “It has been a while, Sarah. I see your acne cleared up.”
Sarah? The girl from the family pictures? Acne? Lauren marveled. Sarah looked like a fashion model. And Lauren hated her with an intensity that would melt solid steel.
Sarah turned to Lauren. “And you are?” She knew damn well who she was.
“That’s my—” Dev began.
“Don’t!” Lauren interrupted, her face turning an angry red as her hurt and anger mixed. “I can speak for myself.”
Dev’s mouth clicked closed.
Lauren took a calming breath. “I’m Lauren Strayer.” Hard gray eyes trained themselves on Devlyn. “The President’s biographer.”
Dev’s stomach dropped 12 stories.
Lauren’s hands were shaking. Humiliated and torn between dissolving into tears and murder, she quickly tucked them under her arms. This has to be wrong, but I saw it with my own eyes. My own eyes! That was no sisterly kiss. “I’m going to leave now,” she ground out, feeling as though she was going to throw up.
Devlyn panicked. “For God’s sake, Lauren! It wasn’t—”
Lauren turned on her heels and marched out of the Oval Office on slightly wobbly legs, leaving the trio of stunned woman behind her.
For a second Dev wasn’t sure what to do, then she bolted for the door.
“Dev,” Beth began softly, “I wouldn’t.”
Devlyn looked at Beth with an expression so heartbroken it brought tears to Beth’s eyes. “But I have to go and fix things.” Dev’s shout rattled the pictures on the wall, then it dropped to a whisper. “She doesn’t understand.” This is not happening. She lifted her jaw a little, daring Beth not to believe her. “It wasn’t what it looked like. I would never do that to Lauren. I’d die first.”
Sarah closed her eyes as Dev’s words pierced her heart. Damn.
Beth shook her head quickly. “Don’t do it, Dev. She needs to cool off or—”
Dev’s jaw worked silently. She had no choice. “I won’t risk losing her by doing nothing.” She’ll understand once I talk to her. I know it. But memories of Lauren’s words about Judd’s infidelity haunted her. “I won’t live that way again. Ever.”
Beth watched as Devlyn disappeared into the outer office and with a tremulous voice asked Jane which direction Lauren had headed. Then she was gone.
Beth whirled around and pinned Sarah with a withering glare. She marched up to the younger woman and grabbed her by the shirt, dragging her over to the sofa where she roughly pushed her down. “Talk,” she demanded. “And don’t you lie, Sarah Turner. Devlyn might not have noticed the crush you’ve had on her since you were old enough to know what one was. But she’s the only one.”
Sarah swallowed hard. “Devlyn didn’t do anything either.” Her eyes conveyed a mixture of fear and anguish. “I think I really messed up, Beth.”
Beth groaned. I knew it. Thank, God. “You’d better hope that Dev can convince Lauren of the same thing, Sarah. Or I wouldn’t want to be you,” she said grimly, meaning every word.
CHAPTER THREE
&nbs
p; MARCH
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
LAUREN SAT ON A bench in Rock Creek Park, soaking in the sounds of the night: the wind rattling dry branches, the faint but sharp cracking of sticks, and the rustling of old leaves and rocks as a small animal or two scurried through the woods around her. The morning sun was still several hours away and soft moonlight bathed her in a muted, ethereal glow as she tucked her chilled hands into the soft pockets of her leather coat. Small patches of snow still dotted the brown grass, though the temperature was well into the 40s.
Removing one hand from its warm haven, she gave Gremlin — who was lying next to her on the bench with his head resting on her thigh, sound asleep — a scratch behind the ears. While she wasn’t exactly at peace, she was far more centered than when she’d briskly walked into the park the evening before. She hadn’t cried, plotted anyone’s murder, or contemplated the devastating thought of life without Devlyn in several hours. This was, she decided, something she needed very much. To be alone.
Not the “alone” she’d experienced since becoming engaged to the most famous woman on the planet. But really, actually alone. Unless you counted Gremlin, which she didn’t. No paparazzi. No milling aides or secretaries. No agents with guns, grim faces, and annoying protocol. Just her. Funny thing was, despite wanting it so badly, she still felt a little lonely. Lauren dropped her face into her hands. “What is wrong with me?”
She let out a deep breath as her mind replayed her hasty retreat from the White House. She had known that Devlyn would come looking for her and had purposely hid in the kitchen for a few moments before going back to her quarters and packing an overnight bag. Talking to Devlyn just then would have been dangerous. Too dangerous. Because, in all likelihood, it would have been for the last time. She was that angry and hurt and that stressed.
But the last few hours of solitude had given her a little of the perspective that she’d lacked earlier. Lauren was honest enough with herself to admit that she hadn’t been fair to Devlyn when she refused her the opportunity to explain. But her blood had been boiling, and like a wounded animal she longed to lash out, to savagely inflict pain in a misguided attempt at self-defense.
First Lady Page 6
