Cam drew her fingers back up the outside of Blair's bare arms and insinuated her palms under the thin spaghetti straps, lowering them smoothly halfway down Blairs arms. She stopped then, causing the fabric of the dress to draw tightly across Blairs breasts just above her nipples. With one hand, Cam reached around Blair's body from behind, spreading her fingers over Blair's chest, dipping into the cleft between her breasts. With the other, she slowly pulled the studs from her own shirt, letting the silver-encased pearls drop one by one to the hardwood floor.

Blairs body tightened each time the small clink broke the silence.

They leaned into one another, Blairs back pressed against the front of Cam's body, subtle curves fusing to long lean angles. Cam's white shirt was open, her chest naked against the flesh exposed by the nearly backless black dress.

"Four days is a long time," Cam murmured, her mouth brushing the curve of Blair's ear, her breath quickening as she felt her own nipples harden against Blair's soft skin. «It made it hard to work tonighttrying to ignore how much I wanted to touch you."

"Why, Commander," Blair whispered huskily. "I didn't think anything could distract you from your work."

"Youdo". Cam tore her shirt from her trousers and threw it behind her on the floor, then slid the zipper down the back of Blairs dress. With both hands, she lowered the sheer fabric over Blair's body, exposing her breasts to the moonlight, marveling at the way they glowed with the rush of blood and something altogether more elemental to the surface of the pale skin. In the next instant, she closed her fingers around one taut nipple, splaying her hand under the full curve of hot yielding flesh. "You always do."

As much as she had wanted to go slowly, Cam found it harder with each passing second. Blair's flesh was soft and smooth but the muscles beneath were tight, her body humming with tension. The quick rise and fall of her lovers breasts under her palms signaled her desire and Cam's body soared in response, her thighs trembling as she rocked against Blair's buttocks. When Blair returned the pressure with a thrust of her hips, Cam groaned.

"You know I like it fast the first time," Blair gasped, finally relinquishing her passivity and insinuating one hand into the nearly nonexistent space between them, then drawing it rapidly up the inside of Cam's leg to grasp her firmly through her trousers. "And I've had just about a muchslow as I can stand. I haven't stopped wanting you since the bar last nightand if I get any more swollen there's going to be permanent damage."

Urgently, Cam grasped Blairs shoulders and pulled her around so they were face to face, forcing their naked chests to cleave as she kissed her. The kiss spoke of need and longing and raw hunger. As the seconds passed, the first rush of desperation smoothed into welcome and recognition, and when they finally parted, each of them breathing heavily, they were both smiling.

"Lets try something new. Let's see how we do with slow this time," Cam whispered.

"Youre asking a lot", Blair said with a small shake of her head, her hands trailing over Cam's abdomen to the top of her trousers. Deftly, she unbuttoned the silk tuxedo pants and slid down the zipper. "But I'll try if you do."

And then she slipped her hand inside.

Cam flushed hot and her head reeled with sudden dizziness at the unexpected force of Blair's fingers gliding over her exposed and ready nerve endings. Her hands trembled on Blair's skin. "I can't if you do that."

Blair laughed and took her hand away, then laughed again at Cam's unintentional whimper. "Let's at least do this on the bed then. I don't have the strength to stand."

They drew apart only enough to strip free the rest of their clothing and then, as if fearful of being separated, hurriedly embraced, their limbs entwining as they rolled together on top of the sheets. Twisting her torso, Cam drew Blair beneath her, one leg between Blair's thighs as she claimed her mouth. When the heat of Blairs breath in her throat wasnt enough to assuage her need, Cam reared up on both arms and pushed downward on the bed, settling her chest between Blair's spread thighs. Instantly, her mouth closed over a nipple and she bit lightly, feeling Blair's fingers come into her hair. She found the other breast and cradled it in her hand, working the nipple between her fingers. She didn't stop until Blair was arched bow-tight beneath her, her breath coming in short gasps.

"Please", Blair whispered, framing Cams face with trembling hands. Her eyes were cloudy as she tried to focus on her lover. "I need you so much."

Only then did Cam ease her way lower still, kissing her way down the center of Blairs abdomen, moving both palms to the inside of Blairs thighs. Blair was wet against her skin. Head pounding, so heady with lust she could barely hear, Cam rested her cheek against the soft down at the base of Blair's abdomen and gasped, "Slow enough?"

"Any slower... and I'll... go off without you."

Cam laughed shakily. "Oh, I don't think so."

Slowly, Cam drew her fingers through the thick heat between Blair's thighs, thumbing firmly against her clitoris as she passed, then dipped inside her for a fleeting moment. Withdrawing despite Blairs cry of protest, she grew still with her fingers spread over the hot, swollen flesh, feeling the blood pound wildly against her palm. "Dont. I want you to come in my mouth."

"Then kiss me," Blair begged, "and I will."

Very slowly, Cam lowered her head and drew her in, caressing her slowly and carefully with her lips. When Blairs thighs tensed suddenly, signaling she was close, Cam took her more deeply into her mouth, matching the rhythmic movements of her lips to the tempo of her fingers stroking within. The thrust of her tongue and fingers danced counterpoint to the blood pulsing and muscles spasming around her hand.

Blair's hand was fisted in Cams hair, clenching spasmodically as small cries ripped from her throat. When she climaxed, Blair choked out Cam's name in surrender and benediction.

Eyes closed, not breathing, Cam fought back tears at the soaring wonder of being united with the only woman in her life that mattered. She had no idea how long she lay without moving before Blair finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"Are you asleep?"

Cam shook her head slightly, her lips moving faintly on Blair's still pulsing flesh. "No. I don't think so. Maybe...or I could just be dead and this is heaven."

"Feelslike heaven". Blair laughed unsteadily, flexing her cramped fingers and easing her stiff legs back and forth on the sheets. The titanic contractions at the peak of her orgasm had been nearly painful, and probably would have been if the pleasure hadn't been so acute. "Come up here...if you can. I want to touch you."

"I'm fine," Cam mumbled, her eyes still closed and her heart beating erratically in her chest.

"Come up here anyway."

Eventually, Cam managed to move the three feet before collapsing on the pillows next to Blair.

"Slow is okay, I guess," Blair observed drowsily as she shifted languorously into Cams arms, resting her head on her lovers shoulder and a hand on her abdomen.

"Mmm. Not bad for starters."

Blair pressed her lips to Cam's neck and licked the salty sweat that filmed her skin. A pulse beat hard beneath her lips, and she inched her fingers lower, finding her way between Cam's thighs. Cam groaned as Blair fingered the hard prominence of her clitoris.

"Fine are you?" Blair chuckled faintly. "You areso out of touch sometimes, Commander."

"Well...there's fine-" Cam's pelvis arched as the pressure abruptly escalated beneath Blair's knowing touch. "And...then there's...fine."

"I don't think slow is a possibility here," Blair observed as Cam's stomach muscles contracted hard and her whole body shuddered. "Is it?"

"I'm losing it," Cam confessed desperately, already jerking with the first wave of spasms. «Oh god"

"Its all right," Blair murmured, her lips pressed to the curve of her lovers ear. «I have you.

Chapter Twelve

Quietly, Blair opened the door to the elevated rear deck and stepped out into the night. She had pulled on a loose pair of workout shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt and carried a can of soda in her hand. She stopped just outside the door when she realized that she was not alone.

Paula Stark spoke quickly into her cell phone. "Listen-you take it easy, understand? I'll call you soon. Yeahall right. I remember. Night."

"Sorry," Blair said, crossing the fifteen foot deck to join the agent at the railing.

"No problem. I'm in between checkpoints and I was just-"

"Paula, for God's sake. Do you think I care if you make a telephone call?"

"Well, strictly speaking I'm-"

Blair snorted. "Strictly speaking, you should stand in the dark and do nothing for twelve hours?"

"Well," Stark rejoined seriously, "strictlyspeaking, it wouldn't be for twelve hours. I'm working the swing shift, so actually I've only been on duty for-"

"I get the picture, Secret Service Agent Stark."

Stark shut her mouth and peered at the President's daughter in the moonlight. She was smiling, and as it never failed to do, Stark's heart gave a slight stutter. This time, however, she recognized it for what it was. She liked the President's daughter. More than liked her.

She respected Blair Powells official position, and she valued the work that Blair did in that capacity, representing the nation well whenever she stood in for her deceased mother as the President's closest female envoy in situations where that kind of position mattered. She appreciated her, too, as an individual who was talented in her own right and passionate about important causes, particularly the fight against the cancer that had claimed her mother's life.