Cam nodded slightly to the agents in the SUV parked across the street from Blair’s as she angled up the block to the brownstone. Inside, she waved to Nunez, who had apparently drawn the night shift again, and keyed the elevator car that went only to Blair’s residence floor. The Secret Service had the whole floor below as a command center. That used to be her base.

As the elevator car climbed, she remembered arriving here the first day and how much she hadn’t wanted to be in charge of Blair Powell’s protection detail. She’d only had Blair’s reputation as a spoiled, irresponsible playgirl to go on and assumed she’d be babysitting a self-indulgent society brat. She’d quickly learned Blair had never been what the press made her out to be. Blair had been angry, and sometimes the anger erupted in ways that put her at risk, but she was also brave and intensely loyal to her father and her country. Blair’s anger was still there, along with the frustration of not being in control of her own life at times, but Blair was also one of the bravest, most responsible people Cam knew. That bravery and sense of responsibility had put her life in danger more than once, and Cam wasn’t going to let it happen again.

Cam let herself into the loft, set her suitcase by the door, and draped her topcoat over the back of the sofa. The living room was dark. She made her way past the open kitchen toward the bedroom in the rear, one of the only private spaces set off by half walls from the other areas in the open-plan loft. Blair was propped up in the king-sized bed, reading.

Blair put the book aside when Cam walked in, and smiled. “I heard the door open, and I was hoping it was you.”

“Oh yes?” Cam removed her suit jacket and tossed it into the closet to go to the cleaners. She sat down on an easy chair in the corner to remove her shoes and socks and stood to pull off her belt, shirt, and trousers. She slid her badge and holstered weapon into the top drawer of the double oak dresser and walked to the side of the bed in her silk T-shirt and briefs. Leaning down, she kissed Blair. “Who else would it have been, coming in while you’re in bed?”

“Oh, well…” Blair threaded her fingers through Cam’s hair and kissed her back, taking her time. “An infinite number of choices. Paula…”

Cam laughed and climbed onto the bed.

“Mac.” Blair nipped at Cam’s lip.

Cam raised a brow and pushed the sheets aside. Blair wore only an oversized Giants football jersey that came down to her upper thighs. Cam leaned on an elbow and stroked Blair’s bare thigh. Her skin was soft and warm, and the warmth settled into Cam’s stomach like the heat from a welcoming hearth on a frigid winter night.

“Renée.” Another swift kiss—just a tease of silky lips.

Cam skimmed her hand beneath the jersey and pushed it up. When she kissed Blair’s abdomen, Blair made a humming noise, a deep reverberating sound of pleasure.

“Brock.” Blair arched against Cam’s mouth.

Cam laughed again and kissed a spot along the curve of Blair’s hipbone. “Good thing I got here when I did, then.”

Blair caught her breath. Her fingers came into Cam’s hair, tugging impatiently. “You should have called. What if I’d gone out?”

Cam raised her head and pushed up until she was above Blair, supporting herself on her bent arms. “I would’ve found you.”

“Would you?” Blair asked softly.

“Always. You can’t get away from me.”

“Promise?”

Cam kissed her softly on the mouth, then on her throat, lingering in the hollow between her collarbones. She settled her hips between Blair’s thighs. Still poised above Blair’s body, she read the uncertainty in Blair’s eyes. She hadn’t seen those questions there for a long time and knew Blair’s doubts were more about the future than about her. Those fears were something she couldn’t erase, but she could promise Blair she would never be alone. “I love you. No matter where you are, no matter where I am, I will always find you.”

Blair wrapped her arms around Cam’s shoulders and pulled her down until their bodies touched everywhere. Her mouth was against Cam’s ear. “I need you so much.”

“I’m here,” Cam answered.

“And you’re mine,” Blair whispered, skating her hands down Cam’s back to her ass, pulling her even tighter between her legs. The heat of Cam’s body, the hard unyielding strength of her, was as exciting to her as the desire she’d seen in Cam’s eyes. In a world where nothing was certain, this was. This, she counted on. She could never get close enough to Cam, never get her deep enough inside. The need for her, the desire for her, never lessened, and tonight—after they’d been apart—the need was a living thing clawing at her insides. Her breasts ached, her belly trembled. She was wet and so ready. She skimmed her mouth over Cam’s ear. “I want you inside me. Don’t make me wait tonight.”

“Anything. Always.” Cam shifted and slid her hand between them, cupping Blair, squeezing lightly.

Blair’s breath caught in her chest and electric heat streaked through her. “Don’t tease me.”

“I’m not.” Cam’s voice was rough and tight. “I’m teasing myself. I’ve been thinking about this for hours.”

Blair arched, dug her nails into Cam’s ass. “Then stop thinking and just fuck me.”

“I plan to.”

Cam filled her then, knowingly, exactly where she needed her. Blair cried out and closed down around her, the pressure as sharp as a blade, achingly exquisite. As much as she wanted to come, she wanted Cam to stay exactly where she was forever. She wrapped her legs around her, trapping Cam’s hand between their bodies, inside her. “Don’t move. Just…if you move, I’ll come.”

“I want you to. I need you to.” Cam angled her body and withdrew just enough to make Blair cry out. Then she slid deeper again, then out, and deeper still.

All thought fled. No fears, no anger, no aching sense of distance and loss. All that remained was the connection, the perfect union that made Blair know beyond any doubt that she belonged. With Cam, to Cam. This moment, every moment. She clung to her, her face pressed to Cam’s heart, and rose to meet each thrust, giving as much as she received. Everything.

Chapter Nineteen


Loren woke to the completely foreign sensation of a warm body pressed against hers. She hadn’t slept the night with a woman since college—before she’d joined the military. She’d only spent a few hours in the beds of those women she’d had sex with here in Silver Lake, and most of the time that suited them as well as it did her. She discouraged the occasional woman who wanted her to spend the night or hinted at something more than a casual encounter as gently as she could while making it clear she was all about sex and nothing else. She hadn’t had to act, either. She’d never really wanted more than sex, and she’d always been careful not to let anyone think she was offering more. The brief connection a night with a woman provided was enough to satisfy her rare bouts of loneliness. Her nomadic lifestyle gave her an easy out when it came to avoiding entanglements—if she never stayed in one place long, she couldn’t be guilty of disappointing anyone.

Moving around came naturally to her too. She’d always been restless, always been looking for the next challenge, the next adventure. Her mother used to say Loren had inherited her rapid-fire mind from her and needed the adrenaline rush to be content. Whereas her mother found her satisfaction working out the complex algorithms that always played through her mind, Loren found hers in the physical and mental challenges of her job. The military and then the bureau gave her the excuse to always be moving, and always moving on. Silver Lake was her longest billet since college.

Lying with Sky asleep in her arms wasn’t anything she’d ever wished for, so she couldn’t figure out why it felt completely right. Sure, Sky was beautiful and smart and sexy. She also had a way of cutting through all the layers of Loren’s disguise, as if she was looking at Loren naked and unarmed. That should have made Loren put distance between them, but instead she kept getting closer, as if testing the heat of a flame with the palm of her hand—not really believing she could be burned. Somehow knowing Sky saw through the mask was as exhilarating as it was uncomfortable. She shouldn’t have liked it, but she did.

She shouldn’t have liked a lot about her feelings for Sky. She liked sleeping between Sky and the door and whatever lay outside in the dark, as if her presence made a difference. She’d been undercover for years, sustaining herself with the belief that what she was doing would make a difference, someday, somehow. Right this moment, being close to Sky had more meaning than anything she’d done in a very long time. Her arm lay around Sky’s waist and she tightened her grip. Sky mumbled something Loren couldn’t catch and rolled over onto her back.

“Sorry,” Loren said, pulling away.

Sky grabbed the waistband of her jeans and kept her from moving. “For what?”

“Waking you.”

“Feels good—you, I mean.”

Loren went very still.

“Anyhow, thanks for…whatever.” Sky gave a little laugh. “I slept really well. I have no idea how, considering everything that’s going on and the fact I’m in bed with you.”

“I’m not sure how to take that,” Loren said dryly.

“Probably any way you want would be accurate.”

“If you can tolerate the inconvenience,” Loren said, “you should probably stay here for now. The members would expect us to be together, and it will be easier for us to coordinate our plans.”

“Well, I’m all for coordination.” Sky pushed a little away on the narrow bed. “But I’m not sure the sleeping arrangements will work.”