The corner of Dev’s mouth twitched. “Sunday.”
Lauren blinked. “But weren’t we already leaving then?”
A full smile eased across Dev’s face. “Yes and no. We were all flying out Sunday evening. Now I’ll be leaving at an obscene hour that morning and going directly to Abu Dhabi without the Sunday night stop in Camp David I had planned. Sheik Yousif and King Qasem had a major falling out today. At the moment, negotiations are up in the air.”
Lauren took a moment to digest this. She knew how important these intense and usually untimely negotiations were to Devlyn. They were requiring more and more of the President’s time, though, to her credit, Dev was on the verge of several preliminary, but substantial, breakthroughs.
“Jared’s in over his head?” She joined Devlyn on the foot of the bed, sitting so close their thighs were touching.
Dev shook her head. “Secretary of State Ortiz is smart as hell, but sometimes these things can’t be avoided. I think he’s doing pretty damn good, especially when you remember that the man has spent the last few days in hell-negotiations and 105 degree heat to boot, instead of eating turkey with his wife and son back in Nebraska.” She leaned back on the bed and braced herself on her palms. “Ortiz talked the men into tabling their argument overnight, hoping to give things a chance to cool down a little. But when 7 a.m. Abu Dhabi time rolled around, neither Yousif nor Qasem bothered to show up for the early session.”
“Things sound like they’re in a mess! How did you avoid having to go right now?”
Dev shrugged. “I told David no.”
Lauren was at a loss. “God, Devlyn.” She shook her head a little, not believing she was about to say this. “Are you sure you shouldn’t go? I mean, if the negotiations are really on the line. Or—”
“It’s okay.” Dev smiled gently and leaned forward to brush her lips against Lauren’s.
“Thank you for understanding; that means a lot to me. But we’re doing something else instead.”
“So you’re not going to ride in on a white horse and save the day? I loved the movie Lawrence of Arabia when I was a kid.” Affectionately, she brushed her knuckles across Dev’s cheek.
“You’ve got the eyes for the part.” Her voice dropped an octave. “And you look great on horseback,” she purred, giving Dev a hungry look.
Dev gulped, and Lauren smiled wickedly at the blush creeping up the dark-haired woman’s neck.
A little flustered, Devlyn cleared her throat. “Umm… What were we talking about?”
“Abu Dhabi,” Lauren reminded her innocently.
“Oh, yeah, Abu Dhabi.” Her eyes dropped to Lauren’s mouth. The younger woman slowly licked her lips, and Dev’s nostrils flared in pure reaction.
“Devlyn?”
“Yeah?” Dev said absently.
“Abu Dhabi?”
Dev’s eyes snapped up to meet Lauren’s and the younger woman read a touch of embarrassment there, along with naked desire. “Are you going to stop torturing me long enough for me to tell you?”
“Sweet Jesus, were you always this responsive?” Lauren wondered aloud, a little amazed at the instant and powerful longing now coursing through her.
Dev laughed. “Of course! It just used to make you blush.”
Lauren bit her lower lip and chuckled soundlessly. “Oh, yeah. I think I’m getting over that now, Devlyn.”
The corner of Dev’s mouth curled drolly. “No, really?”
“I’ll be good, I swear. I am interested,” Lauren promised. “It’s really your fault, you know. If you weren’t so beautiful I wouldn’t get distracted. But,” she squared her shoulders, “I can control myself.” A beat. “If you don’t take too long.” She winked. “Please continue.”
Dev gave her a look asking whether or not she was serious, and Lauren crossed her heart. But in truth, she didn’t mind a bit. It was comforting to be reminded in a very pleasant way that even critical issues didn’t always have to become personal traumas. They couldn’t. “I told Ortiz to go back to the embassy and take the next few days off.”
A spark lit Dev’s eyes and her voice held the no-nonsense timbre that Lauren always associated with her at her most compelling.
Dev said, “If everyone can’t play nice, then I don’t want my people wasting their time.” The fire behind her words dimmed as quickly as it had flamed, as Dev seemed to recall that she wasn’t at work. Her expression lightened. “That is why I’m not leaving today, but will just be leaving a little early.”
Lauren’s eyes widened. “Will that work to get these guys back to the negotiating table?”
Dev chuckled. “Nope. But they’ll stop being pissed off at each other long enough to be mad at me. And if negotiations are suspended, then hopefully they won’t say anything to each other to make things any worse. It’s pretty much a win, win situation.” Her grin split her face. “And I’ll still get to spend most of vacation with my family,” she finished proudly.
Lauren nodded, clearly impressed. “Wow.” She gave Devlyn a sound kiss on the mouth, making it crystal clear just how much she appreciated this and the many smaller adjustments Devlyn had made to her life in deference to her doctors, her family, but mostly for Lauren herself. And the younger woman knew it. She tugged affectionately on Dev’s shirt. “You came up with this in the last hour?”
“Well,” Dev sniffed. “I am the President.”
Lauren flopped back on the bed, her smile crinkling her nose and the corners of her eyes. “You’re more than that to me.”
Dev crawled on top of her, straddling her to pin her to the bed. “Now,” she growled and temporarily forgot what she was going to say, dipping her head for a fiery but playful kiss. Which Lauren deepened instantly, drawing a throaty groan from Dev.
After a few leisurely moments, Devlyn pulled away with a loud smack, smiling at Lauren’s protesting moan. Two could play at that game.
“Now tell me what’s in the box. Tell me, tell me, tell me!”
Lauren lifted her head to kiss Dev’s chin, then she gave it a gentle nibble. “And here I thought Curious George was just fiction. Forget the box and kiss me again.”
“Lauren!”
Dev grabbed Lauren’s shoulders and began bouncing both women loudly against the mattress. “I’ve… been waiting—”
Lauren yelped, then burst into helpless laughter as they flopped wildly against the bed like fish tossed onto the shore.
“And waiting, and waiting. All day! I can’t wait any more! It’s killing me.” Devlyn stared at her partner, who was laughing so hard that she was shaking Devlyn every bit as much as she was being shaken. “It’s not funny!” she protested.
“Stop… Stop!” Lauren squealed between gasps, her face brick red. “We’re going to br- br- break the bed!”
Dev stopped bouncing and dropped limply atop Lauren, her weight causing every bit of air to exit the blonde’s lungs in an enormous gust.
“So you’ll show me, right?” Dev asked calmly.
Lauren sucked in a big breath, then spluttered, “I- I-think I’d better.”
Dev let loose a sunny smile. “Good.” Sweetly, she kissed a very pink cheek and scampered off the bed and onto the floor.
Lauren shook her head and chuckled, amazed as always at the contrast between the devastatingly effective politician and the boisterous playmate that Devlyn could sometimes be. That beloved playmate had been largely absent these past six months, and Lauren was glad beyond words to see the slow but steady return of her long-absent friend. She closed her eyes and said a small prayer of thanks. It was about time.
“Oooo… is that you?” came the disembodied voice from the floor.
Lauren spun around and crawled to the foot of the bed, resting her head on her hands as she peered over the edge to find Devlyn holding up a photograph of her as a child. She wrinkled her face. “Ummm…” For a second, Lauren was tempted to lie.
“You were precious!” Dev couldn’t help but grin at the tiny blonde with braids, grass-stained cut-off denim overalls, and two skinned knees. But probably most endearing of all was the tattered book Dev could see in her hand. It was just so Lauren. “I could just hug you to death. Oh, and your front teeth are missing,” she commented enthusiastically, her eyes riveted to the picture.
“Only someone who loves me could think I look adorable in that picture,” Lauren said wryly. “I look like a cross between an egghead and a ragamuffin.”
Dev reached over and fondly ran fingers through Lauren’s wavy locks. “You were perfect.”
“I’m glad you think so, because there are several equally horrific photographs in there. And there’s one from my first date that you should get a look at now, because I’m burning it the first chance I get.”
“You most certainly are not! You’ll be lucky if I don’t have it blown up to life size, framed, and put on display for the White House tours.”
Lauren sucked in a breath. “You’re pure evil!”
Dev merely snickered before returning her attention to the small pile of items that had been unloaded from the box. “What is all this?”
“Some things of Mama’s.” Lauren was quiet for a moment as she reflected. “I didn’t know she had most of this stuff. Daddy thought I might want it. I guess he finally decided to go through some of the stuff in their bedroom and pack some things away.”
Dev's expression turned serious. “That’s not an easy thing to do,” she admitted, leaning back against the foot of the bed.
“No,” Lauren said soberly. “It wouldn’t be.”
Eager to regain some of the joy from just a moment earlier, Dev set down the photograph and picked up one of Lauren’s Adrian Nash novels. “This is your first, right?”
Lauren nodded, a gentle though bittersweet smile returning. “I was so proud. I sent her and Daddy a copy right away.”
“She kept it for a long time,” Devlyn pointed out, her finger tracing the author’s name emblazoned in shiny gold letters.
Lauren reached for the book and opened it, hearing the spine crack loudly. She let out a deep breath. “She kept it but never read it.” She shrugged a little and passed the book back. “I guess that’s still something.”
Devlyn looked away, unwilling for Lauren to read the anger she was sure showed plainly on her face. Some people aren’t fit to raise a pet, she thought harshly. Much less a child. “What else do we have here?”
Lauren set the book down, then pointed to a small white box. “That was my mom’s bracelet.”
Dev opened the box and lifted the delicate gold chain, its links sparkling softly in the light.
“She wore it whenever she got dressed up. It was her mother’s.”
“Mmm…” The slender links felt cool in Dev’s hand. “It’s pretty.”
Lauren’s brow furrowed as she looked at the simple but well-maintained piece of jewelry. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t have the slightest urge to wear it herself. Ever. But the idea of simply throwing it away was equally unacceptable. “I think I’ll give it to Ashley.”
Dev blinked. “Are you sure—?”
Lauren shrugged lightly, though she felt a little nervous when she said, “It would look silly on one of the boys, and she’s the only daughter I have, right?”
Their eyes met and held, and Dev thought she might melt into a puddle then and there. She had to swallow thickly before she could speak. “Absolutely,” she murmured finally, noting the gray eyes so near to hers were now shining brightly. “She’ll be proud to—” the sound of pounding footsteps caused her to pause.
The bedroom door flew open and three screaming, pajama-clad children ran inside and pounced on the bed, all of them scrambling madly to get under the covers. Christopher nearly knocked Lauren to the floor in his haste, but stopped long enough for a quick, “Sorry, Mama.”
Devlyn jumped to her feet. “Hey! What’s going on?” She helped Lauren off the foot of the bed, and they turned to see the blanket and the three lumps beneath it shaking like leaves in the wind.
“We’re afraid!” Ashley squealed, terrified. “He’ll get us in our sleep!”
Christopher and Aaron screamed at their sister’s words and Lauren and Dev just looked at each other.
The women each moved to opposite sides of the bed and lifted the blankets back, cringing as more screams nearly pierced their eardrums.
“Shhh!” Dev told them. “What on earth is wrong? Who is coming for you?”
“Don’t let him get us,” Aaron begged. “Pleeeeeeeze.” He climbed into Lauren’s lap and held on for dear life.
“Wh—?” Lauren only shrugged at Devlyn, having no idea what was happened. She pressed her lips to Aaron’s hair and kissed him firmly. “I would never let anyone get you,” she swore. “And… um… Gremlin will protect you, too.”
Upon hearing Lauren’s declaration, both Ashley and Christopher scrambled over to Lauren and pressed themselves against the shocked woman. Their mother might be bigger, but Lauren had just promised her protection, and Gremlin had pointy teeth and breath ferocious enough to slay most anything. Their mother had said that last part, many, many times.
“What is going on?” Dev demanded, taking care to set Lauren’s mother’s bracelet on the nightstand.
“CHUCKY!” the children cried in unison.
“He has a knife dripping blood,” Ashley added, her face pale.
Just then, a very sheepish and disheveled Frank Marlowe poked his head into the bedroom. Only his eyes were visible around the door.